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“Will, you’re being blinded by emotion, and I’m concerned. You’ve never behaved this way before in business. Maybe you should sign over some of your assets before you make any rash decisions?”
His anger crackled. “You think I’m not in my right mind? Because I took some time off and found a passion project? I did my research too. Do you think I’ve lost my touch? I knew all about her and I knew exactly what I was getting into with this charity. Name a more worthy cause than helping those who can’t help themselves. Go ahead, I’ll wait!” he challenged.
Her shoulders dropped. “But I don’t understandwhy? You’ve buried yourself here, hiding from your life and responsibilities. You need to come back to reality darling, I don’t say that to be cruel, but it’s time. Too many people are counting on you. You owe them and it’s time to come home.”
The weight of everything he was avoiding, that he’d put a mental block up against to protect himself came crashing down, suffocating him. The knot in his chest pulsed sharply.
“What you’ve built, whatwe’vebuilt, comes with responsibilities that can’t be ignored. No matter how great this charity is, or how distracting the widow who runs it can be. I’ll give you a week to finalize things here. I’ll keep the dogs at bay. But there’s only so much I can do.”
He scoffed. “Really? The miraculous Diane Crawford-Wyatt-Miller-Harkins?”
“That’s right!” she snapped, her eyes flashing angrily. He’d clearly hit a nerve. “We’ve worked too hard together to let it all go to shit now, it’s our legacy!”
He shook his head sadly. “What happened to you? What happened to the vibrant young woman in the trailer park?”
“She grew up and it’s time you did the same, you’re nearly forty!” she shouted back but he saw the flicker of hurt in her blue eyes before she spun on her designer heel and left shouting “One week!” over her shoulder.
Frustration, anxiety and anger had him knocking the dog bowls to the ground. The clattering echo caused several dogs to start howling.
“Sorry,” he muttered to them. He tilted his head back, trying to draw breath through his shrinking throat. He felt the mythical blade hanging above his head, aiming for his neck. Everything he’d been avoiding, the weight of responsibility creeping up on him.
He didn’t want it, he wanted to hide.
He wanted Rebelle.
*
The way his mouth fit to her throat and sucked.
The way he grunted in bliss.
How his rough, strong hand made magic between her thighs.
The feeling when he tunneled- “Uh, Rebelle?” Dr. Park clicked his fingers in front of her face.
She gave herself a shake, dislodging all her inappropriate thoughts. “Yeah! Sorry, Dr. Park.”
He smiled. “Call me Jae. Is everything okay?” he asked, pushing his wireframed glasses back up his nose.
“Yep! What were you saying about the dog?”
“Unfortunately, she’d been in the process of being starved and we believe she’s been used as bait for dog fighting. She was seized a few nights ago and we’ve kept her for observation and given her food and fluids. Other than being hungry and very wary, she seems okay. The owner is being prosecuted so we’ll need to house her until they’re either convicted or,” his mouth flattened into an unhappy line, “or released.”
Rebelle’s stomach clenched at the thought of what the poor dog had gone through. “How long could that take?”
Jae shrugged. “Couple of weeks, maybe a couple of months. We’ll keep in touch though as unfortunately she’s also considered evidence.”
“What? That’s awful!” Rebelle exclaimed.
He began cleaning his glasses. “I know but that’s the law, I’m afraid. You can’t put her up for adoption, we just need to house her and then once this is all sorted, she can be rehomed, hopefully.”
Rebelle swallowed. “Was it someone in our town?”
Jae shook his head. “No, next town over. They brought her here hoping the owner wouldn’t know to come looking this far if she were released.”
Rebelle’s stomach dropped at the thought. She didn’t want to bring any trouble to the shelter or herself. But she also couldn’t turn her back on an animal in need. As long as she was updated on the owner’s movements, she would be prepared. She couldupdate Blake and keep him in the loop too if she needed him. She had to remind herself that she’d chosen this path, and this was what the job entailed sometimes. It wasn’t always hand-feeding kittens and cuddling puppies, sometimes it was harsh and cruel but she could be the bright light at the end of the tunnel.
“You think you can handle it? You have the room?” Jae interrupted her thoughts.
