Forever Home. Allyson Charles

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СКАЧАТЬ with Goldstar Realty.” Reaching into her bag, she felt around and frowned. “I dumped the contents in my car. Excuse me a minute?” She strode to her glossy black SUV and pulled open the passenger door. She refilled her purse with what seemed like an endless supply of crap and paced back to him, a silver business card holder in her hand. She gave him a card. “I promise, these aren’t my dogs. I’ve never owned a dog in my life.”

      He took the card, his fingertips grazing hers. “Well, that’s just sad.” He examined the neat font, the small head shot on the card that did nothing to capture her soft eyes. “What were you doing at Newgate Apartments?”

      “Uh…” She rubbed her nose. “Why don’t we go inside as you suggested.” She pointed at the dog. “I gave her some Goldfish crackers and water, but she looks like she needs some real dog food.”

      “And medical attention.” Resting the crate on one hip, Brad opened the back door and hollered inside. “Gabe! I need you out here.”

      The sound of blues blaring from a radio ratcheted down. Gabe yelled, “Did you say something?”

      “Yes. Get your butt out to the alley!”

      Footsteps followed. “There’s no need to yell, asshole.” Gabe stepped through the door. “You can—” He broke off when he saw Brad had company and grimaced. “Sorry.” His gaze dropped to the dog lying with her head on her paws, and he knelt beside her. Running his fingers over the dog’s body, he asked, “Who do we have here?”

      “Abandoned dog and her litter of”—Brad counted—“five puppies.”

      “This dog is starving.” Gabe’s lips pressed into a white slash. He jerked his head at Izzy. “She responsible?”

      “She says not, that she only found them.”

      Izzy stepped forward. “‘She’ has a name. And of course I wouldn’t do this to an animal.”

      Gabe gently scooped the dog into his arms and rose. He ignored the mutt’s bared teeth. “I’m taking her to the exam room. You can make the decision on whether to call the cops or not. And bring those puppies along when you’re done. I want to check them out, too.” He disappeared inside the shelter.

      Izzy fisted her hands on her curvy hips. “I didn’t do this!”

      Brad’s lips twitched. He believed her. It didn’t hurt that she wore outrage like a kitten who’d just had her catnip taken away. Really, her adorability didn’t come through at all in her pictures.

      “Come on.” He held the door open with his shoulder and waved her inside with his free hand. “You can tell me all about it.”

      She preceded him into the narrow hallway. The bathroom, which was also used for storage, was to their left, and the tiny kitchen across to their right. The next door on the right led to the exam room, and a quick peek inside showed Gabe had already settled the boxer mix on the stainless steel examination table. Across the room, the top half of the Dutch door to the kennels stood open, and the barking of their current crew filled the room.

      Izzy walked past him down the hall, toward the wide curving reception desk that blocked visitors coming in the front from direct access to the back rooms.

      “This way,” he said.

      Izzy glanced back, and Brad jutted his chin at the door across from the exam room, to the shelter’s office. Following her in, he cleared a space on the large desk he shared with Gabe and settled the crate of puppies onto it. He lifted a stack of file folders off Gabe’s ergonomic executive chair and pulled it out for Izzy. The lazy wheel on its left side squeaked loudly.

      “Here you go.” He patted the seat, sidled around to the front of the desk, and pulled out his own rickety wooden chair. Money was tight at the nonprofit shelter, and he’d furnished the place with thrift-shop rejects. Watching Izzy brush at the seat before settling down into it, he somehow figured she wasn’t used to holding client meetings in these types of surroundings.

      “So, Isabelle Lopez, tell me your story.”

      Perching on the edge of her seat, she crossed her ankles. Bits of gravel clung to her knees, and a small run had started in her nylons. “Well, as I said, I found the dogs in the apartments.”

      “Is someone buying that dump? Are you the sales agent?”

      “No!” Clearing her throat, she smoothed her hands down her trench coat and skirt. “No. I was walking past, going to Bert’s Bakery for some doughnuts, and I heard barking. Loud barking and lots of whining.”

      “Hungry dogs tend to do that.”

      She nodded. “I knew the apartments were supposed to be empty, so I went inside and found them.” A line creased her forehead. “I thought the last tenant left three weeks ago. The dogs couldn’t have survived there alone that long, could they?”

      “No.” Brad’s anger spiked again, but this time he had no one to direct it at. “Someone must have dumped them, knowing it was an empty space.” Left the animals there to die. Brad curled his hands into fists. He’d really like to meet the person who’d done that.

      He rolled his head. Anger was a useless emotion, and life was too short to indulge in it. So he pushed it aside and focused on the woman across from him. “Okay, you found the dogs and brought them to the shelter. Why leave them by the back door? Why not come in the front?”

      “I was going to call you from down the block to tell you they were outside.” She leaned forward and gripped the edge of the desk. “I wouldn’t have left them to sit out there alone.”

      “But why leave them at all?”

      “Well, you see…” She scratched at a mark on the desk.

      “Yes?” he drawled.

      “Well, the apartments weren’t quite unlocked.” She gave a small nod, as if answering a question only she could hear, and Brad frowned. “I had to break in through a window, and I didn’t want to get in trouble with the police. I could have my license revoked if I’m convicted of a crime, so I thought it would be safer if I…” She spread her hands.

      “Left them anonymously.”

      She nodded. “Please don’t tell anyone I climbed into the apartments through a window. In fact, maybe it would be best if you just don’t mention my name. Ever.”

      His lips curled up. “You crawled through a window?” She wasn’t a tall woman. Even in those heels she was probably only about five-six, five-seven. And wearing heels and a skirt…“I wish I could have seen that.”

      “I don’t,” she said emphatically. “It wasn’t easy. I had to drag over some pallets and a mattress someone had left in the parking lot to get enough height to pull myself in. Even then, my entrance wasn’t pretty.” She rubbed her elbow. “Thank God the floor was carpeted.”

      “I don’t think the police will care that you entered a foreclosed building to save some animals.” In fact, to Brad’s mind what she’d done had been pretty damn laudable. “You must be a real dog lover.”

      She wrinkled her nose. “Animals really СКАЧАТЬ