AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What’re you thinking about right now?” Justine interrupted.
Rebelle jolted, shaking the thought away. “Huh? Nothing, why?”
“Because you smiled again.”
Rebelle scoffed. “Lies.”
Justine got up from the couch, her belly looking much rounder even though it had only been two weeks since Rebelle had last seen her. She came over to Rebelle, standing slightly too close and Rebelle fought her instinct to take a slight step back.
“Are we at a hugging stage yet?” The eagerness in Justine’s face took a sledgehammer to Rebelle’s walls. She still didn’t like being touched; she wasn’t sure if that would ever go away. But she was starting to recognize that not everyone who touched her did it to hurt her.
She sighed. “Quickly.”
A small squeal slipped from Justine as she pulled Rebelle into her arms and half a second later she was free again.
But in that half a second she could feel the love pouring off Justine, washing over her and she didn’t hate it.
Chapter 9
Rebelle had her raspberry tea on the deck of her home that morning as the sun rose, creating a diamond carpet as it twinkled off the dew drops in the grass. Her feet were tucked up under her, snuggled into the white and blue striped cushion accompanying the rattan chair. Bryan was curled up at her feet and let out a world-weary sigh as he turned over.
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, letting the morning sun’s rays wash over her. The breeze tickled her cheeks and she inhaled deeply, the scent of pine and grass in the air.
And sandalwood.
Her eyes snapped open and there he was. The man who had bulldozed his way into her shelter and continued to push his way through, whether she wanted him to or not. Will stood at a slight distance from the home, not near it but not away either which was strange, he didn’t usually keep his distance from her.
He cleared his throat. “I see someone has been sneaking out of his kennel,” he said with a pointed stare at her guard dog.
“Problem with that?”
He shook his head, smiling and her eyes zeroed in on his mouth like they seemed to do recently. She frowned and extricated her limbs from the hungry cushion trying to swallow her whole. Bryan heaved himself to his feet with great effort, his thin tail gently waving back and forth as he looked up at her.
“Where do you want me?” Will said, his voice low, and something hot slithered through Rebelle. She looked at him, his cool eyes twinkling with amusement and maybe even a challenge.
“Start where you normally do, the dogs,” she replied, turning away, not wanting to keep staring at him or she would notice how the sun highlighted the gold and auburn tones in his mussed hair or the fine lines that crinkled around his eyes whenever he smiled.
She washed up her mug, pottering around her little kitchenette and loving that the home was beginning to feel more and more like…home.
She stopped by Parfait’s box to give the little lady some attention. The pregnant beast waddled to her feet and went to inspect her food bowl. Rebelle had tried to get Parfait to leave the cardboard box but the feline liked it and Rebelle didn’t want to force her, so she put a clean blanket inside and set out some food and water.
Rebelle watched her, checking for any signs she wasn’t okay. Her stomach bulged and Rebelle was sure that she could see movement in there. Then Parfait wandered back to bed and dropped down onto her side in a half squirm, peeking up at Rebelle from under her arm and purring violently. It was moments like this that brought Rebelle peace. Connection with another living thing that was so pure, so beautiful and so lacking in any motivation. She tickled Parfait some more before she and Bryan headed over to the shelter.
She worked side by side with Will in silence. Every now and then she felt his eyes on her and her own found their way over to him too. Taking in his dress pants and white button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up and his suspenders off his shoulders and looped around his hips again. His shirt taut against his back and she could almost see the design of his tattoos through the thin material. She was staring intently, trying to work out the patterns and shapes when she heard a vehicle pull up outside.
Suspicion instantly pricked at her, she wasn’t expecting anyone. She went outside and saw a truck, the driver unloading pallets of dog food, but it wasn’t her normal supplier.
“No, I think there’s been a mistake,” she called to him.
The driver, a grizzled guy in his fifties with dirty overalls, looked at the clipboard.
“Take A Chance shelter?”
Rebelle frowned. “Yes.”
“Then there ain’t no mistake, sweetheart,” he replied.
She prickled, hating the condescending nickname.
