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“Oh.” With a shrug, she walked past him and headed to the last kennel. “I thought Jess was allergic.”
“She is?”
Molly gave her brother a look that told him just how stupid he was, and then squatted in front of Petal and her mama. She watched the two of them with a lump in her throat. Once the pup was gone, the mom would go up for adoption, something Molly had done a hundred times before. It was what they did here. They saved these animals, took care of them, and then found them new homes.
It was something Molly was more than happy to do—she saved these animals—but something about these two tugged at her heart, and that something was Nathan Jacobs. Maybe it was because as long as they were here, she still had a connection to him. Or maybe she was just being silly. Or had PMS. Or maybe she was just plain crazy.
The mama cocked her head, her large, soft brown eyes trained on Molly, and she immediately began to wag her tail.
“Hey, girl,” Molly said. There was a couple from across the lake who were interested in her. So that was good. Right?
The pup woke up then and began searching for milk, and for a few seconds, Molly watched them, the mother licking her pup and Petal feeding noisily. The puppy was on solid food but still liked to feed from her mama.
Because of the connection. Because of the love.
With a sigh, Molly got to her feet and went in search of the duffel bag she gave to adoptees. It was filled with food and treats and toys, as well as a blanket that smelled of her mother. Once Jade was finished with the paperwork, that would be added, along with a signed contract between the new owner and the shelter.
She was just rifling through the bag when Jade poked her head through the door and told Molly Petal’s new owner was here.
“Send her in.”
“It’s, um, not a her. It’s a him.”
Molly looked up with a frown. “Really? I could have sworn it was a woman I talked to the other day.”
If Molly was looking close enough, she would have seen nervous excitement on Jade’s face. And Zach’s. Hell, maybe even the dogs’, who were both pushing at the door of their kennel, their tails wagging crazily.
“Okay. Well, send him in to meet his new little girl.” The entire adoption process had been facilitated online via the shelter website.
She turned back to her task, looking for the specific chew toy Petal enjoyed, when she heard the door open and Petal began to bark excitedly. That in and of itself, wasn’t out of character, though she did seem a little too happy.
“Geez, Petal. Are you that anxious to leave us?”
“I think she missed me.”
Molly froze. She glanced up and caught sight of the grin on Zach’s face. He nodded and walked by her, squeezing her shoulder as he did so. When he was gone, Molly slowly turned around.
And lost her voice.
The ability to breathe.
Or think.
Or act like a normal human being.
She was a puddle of flesh and bone, and a beating heart that hurt.
Nathan Jacobs stood a few feet away. He wore old jeans with paint stains on them, big work boots that belonged at a construction site, a blue-and-white-plaid shirt over a white T-shirt, and his beat-up Ranger’s cap. He hadn’t shaved in few days, and his hair had grown longer than ever. He didn’t look New York City at all. He looked like he was home.
“You’re adopting Petal?” she managed to say without tripping over her words.
He nodded, and for the first time, she thought that maybe he was nervous, or off his game…or something.
He blew out a long breath and took a step toward her. “We never talked about Vegas,” he said slowly.
“What?” He’d switched gears, and she had no idea where he was going.
“We never talked about that night.”
