AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes light up. “Do they know we’re coming?”
“Yeah. The woman who runs the shelter is good friends with my mom. I texted her while you were in the shower. Come on. Let’s go love on some dogs and cats.”
The smile she hits me with is so damn bright, it has my chest feeling tight.
Jordyn scrambles out of the truck and I do the same. By the time I get to her, where she’s waiting at the front of my truck, she’s bouncing on the balls of her feet. She grabs my hand and leads me up the sidewalk to the front door.
“Ryder!” Dorothy exclaims. “I was so excited to hear from you.” Dorothy opens her arms for a hug, and I oblige her.
“How you doing, Miss Dorothy?”
“Fine as frog hair.” She laughs. “Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest?” Dorothy pushes me out of the way and wraps Jordyn in a hug. “I’m Dorothy,” she says, once she finally releases her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dorothy. Thank you for letting us come in today.”
Dorothy waves her hand in the air. “These animals can always use some extra loving. Come on back. I’ll introduce you.”
Jordyn’s eyes find mine, and she shakes a little as she grins before turning to follow Dorothy down the hall. I hang back, not because I don’t want to be involved, but because I love watching her like this. She’s carefree and happy, and damn, I’ve missed that look on her.
Dorothy goes through where the treats are located, shows us the fenced-in play area, the water, and how to work the cages. She explains that all the animals are friendly, and their fears are listed on the cards outside of their cages, if there are any.
“This little guy could use some extra loving today. He’s the last of a litter that was dropped off a couple of weeks ago. The family lost their job and couldn’t afford to take care of them. Full-blooded golden retriever.” Dorothy points to a cage where a little fur ball is rolled up in the corner.
“Hey, little one.” Jordyn places her palm against the cage, but the puppy doesn’t move. “Male or female?” Jordyn asks.
“Male. We’ve been calling him Tucker, because he likes to tuck himself into a ball when he sleeps.”
“Tucker, aren’t you just the cutest guy?” Jordyn looks up at Dorothy. “Can I take him out of his cage?”
“Of course. They all get along great. Just be sure if you go outside, that the gate is closed so we don’t have an escape.”
“Thanks, Dorothy.”
“You’re welcome, young man. You two enjoy. We’re here until four today.” With that, she turns and heads back to the front desk.
“I want to get him out,” Jordyn says, nodding toward Tucker’s kennel.
“Yes, ma’am.” I unlock the cage and when I start to reach in to get him, Jordyn slides beneath my arm and shimmies her body in front of mine.
“Hey, buddy,” she coos. “Do you want to come and see me?” she asks him as if she expects him to answer.
The puppy lifts his head but makes no other attempts to move.
“Come on out and play,” she says, slowly reaching into the cage. I place my hands on her hips, holding on to her.
The puppy scrambles to his feet and takes small steps to sniff her hand. “See, I’m nice,” she tells him.
I’m glad that I’m standing behind her, because she’d think I was making fun of her the way I’m smiling. I’m not. I’m just really fucking happy that she’s happy.
“Oh, goodness.” She lifts Tucker, and we collectively step back. “You’re so soft,” she coos. She moves to the corner and sits on the floor with the puppy in her arms.
“You good here, sweets? I’m going to take some of the older dogs outside to run off some energy.”
She barely spares me a glance as she nods and gives her attention back to the fur ball in her arms. With a shake of my head, I check the notes on each dog, then open up the kennels of the older ones. They bounce around and bark, more than ready to run off some energy. They’re trained, so as soon as I move toward the door, they follow behind me, and rush out as soon as I push it open.
I spend the next two hours playing fetch with four dogs. I’m tired as hell, and I’m starving. I wrangle them back inside, get them a drink and a treat before putting them back.
I find Jordyn in the same spot. The puppy curled up on her lap, and two baby kittens in her arms.
“Having fun?”
She glances up and nods. “This has been the best day, Ry.”
I crouch down in front of her and take the kittens out of her arms. “You ready to head to the party?”
