Page 12 of Tack’s Bounty

“She is. I was trying to get over here to introduce her, but it seems she took care of that herself.”

“She did, and thank you for the lovely flowers. I would love to go out either to dinner or for a bike ride when it’s a happier day,” Sophia confirmed.

“It’s a date,” he confirmed, heading back to the line of animals waiting to be washed. He’d take them out of the crate they were in while another volunteer sanitized and dried the crate. Depending on what the card said, he either put the clean and dried animal back in the crate in a different area or moved it to another designated station.

“Watch out for Pudding,” Freedom yelled at Stinger, who was walking over to pet the donkey. Tack could have called out for Stinger to cover his nuts, but he figured they could all do with the laugh. Pudding got that look on his face and slammed his head between Stinger’s legs, and Stinger looked like Tack imagined that he had when Pudding had pulled that stunt yesterday.

Shield hopped up on a chair and whistled for everyone’s attention. “If anyone would like to protect their family jewels from Pudding, I have cups that you can buy for one hundred dollars. All proceeds will benefit the Sophia Woods Clinic.”

Tack chuckled at the stampede of men heading toward Shield for the cups. He glanced at Sophia. She was completely missing the guys because she was focused on the animal in front of her.

Tack forced himself to quit staring at his woman and get back to work. Now, he needed to figure out how to convince her that she was his and protect her from whoever was out to get her.

Sophia glanced at her watch as she stripped off the gloves—six in the morning. She stretched her back and neck. She’d been bent over the operating table for the last four hours, repairing injuries. This Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was the last one needing surgery, but he should make a full recovery.

Once she showered, ate, and got some rest, she’d start figuring out how to find fosters for some of these animals. Freedom had checked with their partner clinics, and no one else had room for this many animals either. The Kansas City Humane Society and surrounding ones were full too.

She walked into the bathroom off the clinic, stripping off her clothes and throwing them in the bin. Stepping into the hot shower, she quickly washed and scrubbed to get clean. Once she felt fresh again, she stood underneath the hot water, letting the emotions go that she’d been holding tightly for hours.

So many times, she’d craved to walk over to Tack for a hug, but there were always animals waiting. The tears rolled down her face with the water, and she wrapped her arms around herself, leaning against the wall, sobbing for the animals she couldn’t save. Sometimes her job broke her heart and today was one of those days. Although they’d saved so many, she grieved for the little ones who never stood a chance.

She leaned against the wall, the tears falling and the exhaustion overwhelming her. She wasn’t sure how long she cried, but a knock on the door had her pausing.

“Yes,” she called, her voice hoarse from crying.

“If you’re done, Mom has biscuits and gravy, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and hot coffee for breakfast,” Tack called through the door.

She stood up from the wall and pulled herself together. “Give me a second to get dressed.”

She dried off and braided her hair. She was starving. She pulled on one of the many sets of clothes she kept in the clinic bathroom. She needed something cheery, so she chose her bright pink shirt to go underneath her jean overalls that were embroidered with yellow ducks, pink flamingos, and white and red robins. The bib of her overalls was embroidered with the words Birds are Flocking Amazing. Sliding on the glasses with little yellow ducks on the frames, she opened the door to the bathroom, almost running into Tack leaning against the wall.

“Tack?” she questioned at the look on his face. Had something happened?

“I heard you crying and thought you might need a hug, baby,” Tack offered, opening his arms.

She sniffed and stepped into his arms, letting the warmth and safety wrap around her. She’d been so alone since her parents died. Rufus had never been the type of man to offer comfort. Leaning her head against his chest, she basked in the safety and warmth he provided.

“You were amazing—keeping everything together until the last animal was taken care of. I’m in awe of your strength,” he whispered against her head.

“Thank you. We couldn’t have done so much without your club, though.”

Tack didn’t rush her to go to the kitchen. He held her in his arms, patting her back and kissing the top of her head while holding her. The hallway was a quiet space away from the bustling she could hear in the kitchen and the humming of the lights in the clinic.

She leaned back and stared up at Tack with his dark eyes, scruffy beard, and mustache that she ached to have brush against her when he kissed her. She really, really hoped he was planning on kissing her because if his kisses were half as good as his hugs, she could probably come from just that.

He chuckled against her, and she closed her eyes. Fuckity-fuck-a-duck.

“I said that out loud,” she squeaked, hoping with all her might that she was wrong.

“Yep! It’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen, and yes, I will be kissing you, but it will be when you’re rested and—we don’t have the whole club waiting breakfast on us,” Tack quipped, chuckling while he slipped his arm around her shoulders, leading her into the kitchen.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Ruthy called from the stove.

Tack led her to one of the kitchen chairs at the island. After helping her into the chair, he got her a plate, napkin, and utensils so she could fill her plate. He stared at Shield until Shield got out of the chair beside her and moved.

“This looks really good. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled the food,” Sophia mentioned, holding her hand over her plate when Tack tried to dump a huge pile of bacon from the platter onto her plate.

“She’s making more,” he whispered.