Forever Home. Allyson Charles

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СКАЧАТЬ over. The dog was standing on the back of one of his siblings. Another puppy chewed on his tail. Brad pushed to his feet. “Why don’t we get these little guys back with their mom.”

      Izzy stood as well. “I don’t know. Their mama might need a little break from her brood. Taking care of five babies without any help must have exhausted the poor girl.”

      Brad laughed. “That sounds like something another mother might say.” He glanced down at her bare ring finger. “Do you have kids?”

      “Only one. And she’s enough to run me ragged.” The proud smile on her face canceled out the grumble.

      Picking up the crate, Brad circled the desk and stepped into the hallway. Izzy followed. “And your husband?” he asked. “His help isn’t enough to keep you sane?” Please don’t have a husband.

      Gabe looked up from his spot on the floor when they entered the exam room. He was sitting cross-legged next to the fluffy white dog bed they kept in the room, stroking his patient with one hand and holding an IV bag with a line running to above the dog’s front paw with the other.

      “I’m not married,” Izzy said, hefting her purse higher up her shoulder. She took a step toward the pair in the corner. “Is she going to be okay?” she asked Gabe.

      “She’ll be fine. She needs rest, fluids, and food, but she’ll recover. I’m hydrating her now.”

      Brad held up the crate. “Here are her puppies. Should I put them around her?”

      “No, put the crate on the table. We should let her rest a bit more,” Gabe said.

      Izzy cocked her head at Brad and raised her eyebrows.

      “Yes, you were right,” he told her. He put the crate down, making sure none of the puppies could escape no matter how many bodies they climbed on.

      Izzy peered out the open top half of the Dutch door, the one that led to the kennels.

      “Do you want a tour?” An idea began to roll around in his mind. “I’d love to show you the facilities.”

      “Sure.” She reached into her bag and drew out her cell phone, checking the display. She kept the phone in her hand. “But I have to get back to work soon.”

      “Then we’ll make it the speed tour.” That wouldn’t be hard. The 2,000-square-foot building was a tight fit for the eighteen dogs that were its current residents. With the addition of the six more Izzy had brought, they would be bursting at the seams.

      He opened the bottom half of the door and led her into the kennels. Along the right-hand wall were three large cages for any aggressive animals that came into their custody. To their left, the wall between the kennels and the lobby had been turned into one large sheet of glass with a small door in the middle, so visitors could see the dogs playing. The rest of the space was filled with old, lumpy sofas and threadbare armchairs for the animals to snooze on. Dog beds were nestled in the corners, and crates lined the walls for the animals that preferred to sleep enclosed. Colorful, weatherproof, and drool-proof throw pillows had started on the couches but now were scattered about on the floor. Even the cages had old mattresses on the ground to ensure a comfortable night’s sleep for the dogs.

      When they stepped in, he and Izzy were immediately surrounded by a horde of yapping dogs, each trying to wriggle as close as possible to get a little love.

      Brad dropped to a squat and scratched a corgi under the chin. A yellow Lab stuck her tongue in Brad’s ear and whined. Laughing, Brad turned and gave the flirt a good chest rub. He wished he had enough hands to pet them all.

      Izzy crowded close to him, holding her bag high against her chest. “Is this normal?” she shouted above the clamor. “Do they always swarm you?”

      “Every single time I come in here.” That was the best part of his job. No matter if he was gone for five minutes or five hours, the dogs were always so excited to see him. How could anyone resist that?

      Evidently Izzy could. She frowned and shooed a short-haired mixed breed away.

      Brad gave a few more belly rubs and stood. “You’re not a dog person, huh?”

      “I’m sure they’re fine.” She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “For someone who has the time to train and bathe them. That’s not me.”

      “Don’t forget play with them.” Striding to a large basket full of dog toys, Brad pulled out a plush football with a turkey’s head and legs jutting out of it and tossed it across the room. Five dogs scrambled over each other to try to get to the toy first. “Playing with the dogs can take up a lot of time, but that’s the best part.”

      Izzy didn’t look convinced. She walked around the room, three dogs trailing at her heels. “I didn’t expect all the furniture you have in here. I thought the dogs would just be sleeping on the ground.”

      “Dogs like to be comfortable, just like humans. Besides, we try to create the type of normal environment most of these dogs will be going home to.” A young Great Dane pranced over to him holding the turkey ball, and Brad engaged in a tug-of-war with him to get it back. “When we can get volunteers, we have them play with the dogs and take them for walks. When we run out of room here, we get our dogs into foster care, get them accustomed to living in homes with people. And having human furniture in here helps the dogs transition to a forever home more easily.”

      Izzy stopped walking and lowered the hand that held her phone. “A forever home,” she said wistfully.

      He looked at the screen of her phone and scratched his chest. “Are you taking pictures?”

      A flush crawled up her neck to her cheeks. “I thought my daughter, Ana, would want to see pictures of this. Unlike me, she’s a big animal lover.” She slid the phone into her trench pocket.

      “You should bring her by. Show her the puppies her brave mom saved.”

      Izzy shook her head. “Uh-uh. If she saw one of these dogs, she’d beg me to let her take it home. That’s not happening.”

      “Why? There are six new dogs here now that need to find good homes. And we’re full up.”

      “You don’t put them down if no one adopts them, do you?” She worried her bottom lip, her small teeth sinking into the plump flesh.

      His mouth grew moist, and he swallowed. “Would you adopt the lot if I said I did?”

      “No!”

      Brad raised an eyebrow. He’d bet she would. She might not want the dogs, but Isabelle Lopez had a big heart. “Don’t worry. This is a no-kill shelter. But that doesn’t mean the dogs can stay here forever. They need homes. Are you sure you wouldn’t consider adopting?” He scooped up a dog that looked somewhere between a basset hound and a chihuahua and held it up to her face. “He’ll love you forever if you take him home with you.”

      Izzy rolled her eyes. “Even if I had the inclination to have a pet, I couldn’t afford one. Not when Ana goes to college in nine years. I have to be responsible.”

      “Responsible Izzy doesn’t sound very fun. And money isn’t everything.” He hid his face behind the dog’s head and waved the dog’s paw. “I promise I’ll be СКАЧАТЬ