“Mo…” I place my hand on her shoulder and gently turn her toward the front of the barn. “I know how to take care of Animal Haven. I’ve done it many times while you’ve been gone.”
“Yes, but never with this many animals.”
“I’m going to be fine. And if I have any questions, I’ll ask Trevor. Together we’ll get through the day.”
She sighs. “Okay. I’ll show you the newbies before I leave.” She leads the way out of the barn. We walk past my truck, and I look around for Trevor’s, but it’s nowhere to be found. Maybe he isn’t here yet.
I follow Mo into the kennels, listening intently as she introduces me to all of the new animals, telling me their stories and what kind of care they need.
“Don’t forget to keep the new ones away from the others until I get them checked by the vet. Plus, I haven’t had time to evaluate their behavior, although none of them has shied away from me or tried to bite.”
“I remember. What’s his deal?” I ask, nodding toward the cage on the end.
Animal Haven is huge. Mo’s kennels are big enough to house two dogs to one pen but luckily, she hasn’t needed to do that.
“Someone left this little pup in a box by the front door two days ago. No collar or chip.” She opens the cage and crouches down, inching her way toward the dog. “A little skittish, but I would be too if I were blind.”
“Blind?” I follow her into the pen and join her on the floor. The tan fur ball hasn’t moved. He’s curled up tight.
Mo talks softly before petting the pup, and when her hand makes contact, the dog flinches. His lids pop open, and now I see it. His eyes look cloudy as he tilts his head toward the sound of Mo’s voice.
“Name?”
“Nothing yet.”
I scoop the little guy up and cradle him on my lap. At first he shivers, and I’m not sure if he’s cold or scared, so I cuddle him close, and he relaxes.
“Looks like a Pomeranian,” I say.
“That’s what I thought too.”
I kiss the little ball of fur on the head before setting him back down. “Anything else I need to know before you go?”
“No.” Mo stands up and brushes her butt off, and I follow her out of his cage, making sure it’s locked before we step back outside. “Not that I can think of.”
“Where’s Ruby?”
Ruby is Mo’s dog. They rescued her as a pup and she became the resident pet at Animal Haven. Now she shares that role with Pickles, a snobby cat that I can’t help but love.
Mo frowns. “Rhett and I decided it was time to move her home with us. She’s just getting too old to run around out here by herself. Last week another dog plowed her over and I didn’t think she was going to get back up. She just can’t keep up with the life here.”
“Poor Ruby. How’s she doing being at your house?”
“Well, considering she’s only ever lived here, she hates it.” Mo laughs but lacks humor. “But she’ll get used to it. She has to.”
“She will. It just might take some time.” She nods and I continue. “You said Trevor was here, but I didn’t see his truck.”
“Oh,” she says, grabbing her keys off the hook by the door before we step outside. “He’s around here somewhere. He had to haul some lumber out to fix the fence. You probably won’t see much of him today…unless you want to. And no one would blame you for watching that man work. He is sex on a stick.”
; “Really? You haven’t even asked me how my date went with Joseph—a date you set up—and you’re already suggesting I ogle Trevor?”
“You were going to ogle Trevor whether I suggested or not.” Mo shrugs. “And I already know how your date went with Joseph. I’m so sorry, Claire. I can’t believe he invited his mother. I mean, I knew they were close because he has a ton of pictures of her in his office, but I had no idea he would take it that far. And then for them to suggest you drink too much…” Mo shakes her head.
“Rhett is such a blabbermouth.”
“It wasn’t Rhett. I’m the one who told her.”