The question jolted her yet again. “My father’s job.”
“Was he in the military?”
“Investments.” Hating herself for leaving off the word fraudulent, she quickly changed the subject. “Did you find out anything
about the puppies’ mother from the neighbors?”
Though he raised an eyebrow at her quick conversational shift, he answered, “No missing pregnant dogs and no one’s seen one wandering around. Not even a stray.”
“Something must have happened to her. A mother would never leave her babies alone and unprotected like that.” Though her father certainly hadn’t protected Tasha or her brother, had he? “We’ll just have to figure out how to feed them.” She jumped up to grab her laptop. “There’s got to be some information online that will help.”
At that moment, the fattest guy in the bunch—which wasn’t saying much since they were all clearly malnourished—woke and started to howl.
Daniel picked him up, cradling him in his muscled arms. It was enough to make her heart turn over. “Time to fill that belly of yours.” He scratched the puppy’s tummy until it quieted into soft snuffles and snorts, falling completely under his spell.
As Tasha watched them together, she realized that the puppy wasn’t the only one who had lost his heart to the gorgeous, and very sweet, billionaire.
Chapter Seven
“Here’s something.” Tasha pointed to the website she’d found. “It says to soften the Puppy Chow with milk. And go easy on the amount of food at first so they don’t make themselves sick.”
“Let’s give it a try.” Daniel carried the puppy to the counter while Tasha broke into the bag, added milk along with the kibble to a bowl, and microwaved it for a few seconds to soften it.
The machine dinged, and after she made sure it was cool enough, they set the puppy on the counter in front of the bowl. He sniffed, whined, unsure.
Daniel scooped a dab onto his finger, and the puppy licked it clean, then wanted more. “That’s a good boy. Eat up.” After a few more licks off Daniel’s finger, he chowed down in the bowl, wolfing the food like he hadn’t had a meal in forever.
“I wonder how long they’ve been alone?” Tasha asked.
Daniel mixed up another two bowls. “Couldn’t be too long, or they would have died of dehydration in that hole. A full-grown dog can go maybe three days.” He frowned. “But puppies?”
While Tasha cradled the sated puppy, Daniel knelt by the makeshift crate, murmuring softly to the other two.
There was something incredibly moving about watching a big, strong man be so tender with a tiny, helpless animal. His caring shone through. Men with animals were like men with babies—enough to make her eyes tear up.
But with Daniel it was more. Considering how wealthy he was, he could have been high-and-mighty. He could have called in a minion—she was sure he had dozens of employees—to shunt the puppies off to the pound. But he’d scrounged around inside that hole himself to rescue them, driven into town for food, and trudged door to door to talk to the neighbors.
In many ways, his kindness made him far more dangerous than if he’d been a self-obsessed jerk.
It was one thing to give up something she didn’t want.
It was another entirely to have to turn away from a man like Daniel.
Tasha studied the strong lines of his face, the laugh creases at his eyes, the smile curving his mouth. She wanted to touch him to make sure he was real, but by now, in the aftermath of their puppy rescue mission, she was absolutely sure there wasn’t a single phony thing about him.
If only she could say the same about herself, but her life had been a lie. Even now, while she was supposed to be alone in the mountains atoning for her family’s sins and all the people they’d hurt, she was mooning over a sexy, handsome, rich man.
“Come on, little guy.” Daniel’s voice was soft and coaxing as the middle puppy stuck its face in a bowl, getting the food all over its muzzle in its haste to gulp down the gruel. But the smallest one barely moved.
Daniel picked it up, trying to get it to stand, only to have it collapse immediately.
“Do you have a spoon?” he asked Tasha. “I think he needs to be hand-fed.”
“He is actually a she.” Tasha stroked the biggest one still in her arms. “Boy.” Then she pointed at the one currently wolfing down food. “Another boy.” And finally to the poor little mite who could barely stand. “Girl. And yes, I have a spoon.” With her free hand, she fumbled through her cutlery box on the floor and came up with a small jam-pot spoon she’d found at a thrift store.
Daniel spooned a smidgen, trying to get the little puppy to take it, but she didn’t even open her mouth.
“I’ve got an idea.” Tasha grabbed one of the hand towels she’d laid in the crate. “Let’s wrap her in the burrito bundle like we did when we carried them home. Holding her on her back like a baby might make her feel more comfortable.”