“Traumatized.” Sophie lowered her voice. “Rex is the worst case I’ve seen in a long time.”
Brooke set her palm flat on the kennel door. “I used classical music for Luna. Fleece blankets and mood lighting, as well. She was an abused and terrified one-year-old puppy when I took her in.”
“That’ll be perfect for in here.” Sophie lowered to one knee on the other side of Brooke. “Comfortable and soothing is very much needed right now.”
Did his in-law unit have the same soothing effect for Brooke? He should pick up softer towels and thicker blankets for the unit. Dan straightened. The unit was perfectly fine as it was. Still, purchasing a few new items was nothing more than he’d do for any evacuee from the fires, not just Brooke.
Dan peered inside the kennel at the dog burrowed in the far corner, curled in on himself in a tangle of skin and bones. A pair of deep soulful eyes watched them without blinking. Brooke had given him a similar wide-eyed look in his driveway earlier. Both proved hard to disregard. “Rex doesn’t look like he’s eaten in the last month.”
“He was rescued from a hoarding situation up north. The homeowners had left before the fire and abandoned every animal on the property.” Sophie stood up, bitterness and fury ricocheting through her voice.
Horror and anger shifted over Brooke’s face.
“We don’t know much more, but it wasn’t good or safe for Rex and the others.” Sophie wiped a hand over her eyes as if that would rearrange the reality of the dogs’ lives.
Dan knew firsthand it wasn’t so easy. He’d witnessed neglect and abuse, both human and animal, over the years as a firefighter and paramedic that left him speechless. No matter how many times he’d blinked, the reality never changed. Now those images were a part of him.
“But, hey, we can change that.” Brooke looked into Rex’s kennel. “I’m going to feed your friends, then I’ll be back. I promise I’ll be back.”
Dan believed her. But would Brooke be back if it was him and Ben? He shook himself, hoping to knock that thought out of his head. He wasn’t asking.
Dan followed Sophie and Brooke into the storeroom. Sophie directed Brooke to the dog kennels and new arrivals before introducing her to Laura, one of Sophie’s part-time employees. Laura and Brooke disappeared outside with two rescues.
Sophie turned toward Dan. “Ready for the heavy lifting?”
“Let’s do this,” Dan said.
The one hour extended into two. Dan finished off a bottle of water and pushed his phone calls to his supervisor and Valerie to the following day. He allowed himself a minute to admire the reorganized storage unit. He had to get back on schedule.
“Dan.” Sophie motioned for Dan to join her at the cats-only entrance. She pointed inside the room. Relief shifted through her voice. “Look at that.”
Brooke sat on a pile of blankets in front of an open kennel. Rex’s head rested on her thigh. Beside her, an empty food bowl sat. Two misplaced souls found comfort in each other. Dan struggled to look away from the sweet pair. Worse, he wanted to wrap Brooke and Rex in his embrace and make promises he couldn’t keep. He squeezed the water bottle until the plastic crackled and crumpled, trying to break up his stray impulses, too.
“Am I interrupting?” Iain asked behind them.
No, the vet was saving Dan from himself. Dan turned around, concentrated on Iain Porter and on the fact that his life was perfectly fine. Perfectly full with his son, his dad and his friends. Dan was happy and content and definitely not interested in messing that up. Besides, Brooke was a temporary tenant in his in-law unit and little more than a stranger. He only hoped his reckless thoughts to comfort Brooke were temporary, too.
“Brooke coaxed Rex out of his kennel and got him to eat.” Sophie wiped at her eyes.
“Impressive.” Iain shifted to look inside the room and waved to Brooke. “I still need to examine Rex when he’s ready.”
“You might need Brooke with you,” Dan suggested. Dan, on the other hand, did not need Brooke with him. He’d prove that as soon as he left and got on with his day.
“Not a bad idea,” Iain said. Brooke stepped out of the room. Iain didn’t waste time. “Archie made it through, but I’d like to keep him overnight for observation.”
Brooke nodded. Dan tensed, waited for the impact, ready to offer his support.
Yet Brooke stood stoic, clearly able to support herself. Dan retreated a small step, reminding himself he was content supporting himself and his son.
“Can I see him?” Brooke asked.
“In about an hour,” Iain said. “We’ll have him moved into a more comfortable kennel.”
“Did Archie cause more damage to himself?” Brooke squeezed her hands together. Worry flattened her mouth, and she lowered her voice. “Did Luna cause damage?”
“There was an infection at the surgery site. Several clots beneath the incision.” Iain touched Brooke’s shoulder, his voice reassuring. “They were trying to heal him.”
“He was lethargic. I thought it was the stress of the shelter and then the car ride,” Brooke said. “Luna, my dog, wouldn’t leave him alone.”
“Smart dog,” he said. “They often sense things before we do.”
“You’ll tell me what I owe you,” Brooke said.
“We’ll deal with that later,” he said. “I have some patients to see. And it looks like you have a friend waiting.”
Brooke looked behind her into the calm room. Rex had retreated into his kennel, but his head stuck out, his gaze locked on the door. “That’s Rex.”
“Archie is going to be fine,” Iain said. “It’ll just take time.”
Brooke shook Iain’s hand and slipped back into the calm room.
Sophie leaned toward Dan. “Brooke is going to be fine. She just needs time, too.”
Dan rubbed his hand over his chin. He didn’t have time to give Brooke. He looked at Brooke and his insides shifted like the pins on a safe lock dropping into place. But surely that was only Dan’s natural response and his first-responder training to assist people in need. He wasn’t built to walk away without helping.
Well, he’d helped Brooke and Archie. That was certainly more than enough of his time for one day. Besides, after Valerie had left and the divorce had been finalized, Dan had locked up a part of himself, deleted the combination and moved on.
Dan checked his watch, calculated he could still get to the pharmacy for his dad and run into the grocery store for dinner before he picked up Ella and Ben. He glanced into the cat room. Brooke was already settled in with Rex.
She hadn’t invited Dan to join them. He hadn’t asked. She was a stranger. A stranger with a soft heart and compassion for wounded animals. She’d help heal Rex and any other rescue inside Sophie’s pet store.
But Dan wasn’t wounded. He didn’t need to be rescued. Not now. Not ever.
Dan stepped outside The Pampered Pooch and inhaled. The city rushed by: the bus brakes squealing a block away. Drivers honking. Pedestrians skipping the crosswalks for faster routes. Dan blended into the crowd and found his balance again.
BROOKE ESCORTED THE sibling pair of Yorkshire terriers into their kennel, then checked on Bennie, the corgi, and Astrid, the beagle, in the neighboring kennels. The dogs slept curled up in the fluffy blankets Sophie had given Brooke earlier. If