Second Chances - an Aaron Goodwin Romance

Luck

I just felt horrible that the slack that he had left immediately fell back onto Evelyn. On that note though, she had volunteered to take the majority of the kennels and add them to her sections. The rest had been divided among the remaining employees.

Dogs were dogs, they needed clean spaces, food, water and attention every day and that was an all day affair. Evelyn had retired to her room shortly after she had finished her daily doggy kennel clean up and evening feeding times. I wasn't even sure if she had anything to eat in the last ten hours. I would have pestered her, but I knew all too well that she hated thinking she was being coddled.

She may have been twenty three, but she was still the baby of the group and we all looked out for each other.

It had been entirely too late to take her to the vet, so I removed that ugly chain and bathed the little highway pup. Low and behold, mud and dirt washed away to revealed the tangled mess of long gray and white fur. A husky mix, no doubt. Curly tail and all.

Her mismatched eyes seemed to shine a bit more after I made sure she had a decent sized meal and a clean, sheltered outdoor kennel away from the other dogs and their noise. Unable to rest, I sat with her up against the chain link barriers, coaxing her closer with treats while softly promising her that she was finally in a safe place.

Eventually, she had trusted me enough to curl up in a dog bed nearby. I don't remember what time it had been whenever I heard her light snores, but I'm sure I had fallen asleep shortly after.

"Harper, oh my god. I've been searching everywhere for you!"

I jolted awake to Evelyn's voice a few feet away, followed by the distant chorus of barking that marked the morning feeding ritual.

Upon looking down, little no-name was draped across my lap. I threw my hand up towards Evelyn, signaling her to approach slowly. Gravel crunched under her shoes softly, but to no avail, immediately woke the husky and sent her across the kennel.

"Dammit," I muttered. So close, yet so far. It was a start though.

"Jesus, Harp. You slept out here? Again?" Evelyn crouched beside me outside of the kennel.

I nodded slowly, rubbing the dirt and dust from my eyes. It must have been a little windy. I had a light layer of sandy debris covering my clothes. "I know, I know. I promised I wouldn't do it anymore. I just couldn't bring myself to go inside and sleep, leaving her out here to wonder if she was in good hands or not."

Evelyn breathed a light sigh. "I'm just glad you're okay. I've been looking for you for at least an hour."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Eve." I said. "I gave her a bath."

She clicked her tongue at me, rolling her eyes. "That didn't sound too sincere."

Standing, I began knocking the dust off of me. I glanced towards the highway pup. She was cowering in the opposite corner, tail tucked between her legs. "Any chance I can con you into calling the vet's office to schedule her an appointment today?"

Evelyn shook her head. "No can do, boss. One of Nevada's shelters on the outskirts of Vegas called at the butt crack of dawn, asking to speak with you."

I exited the kennel, making sure the latch was locked into place. "What did they need?"

"More space," she reported, her gaze averted as she shuffled stones beneath her boots. "Took a message for you. They're currently running a code red, have at least ten scheduled for euthanasia later this evening if they can't find someone willing to take them."

Closing my eyes, I prayed to whatever gods there were up above to help me find enough resources to take in any other mouths to feed. "Please call and let them know I'm heading up with ten large crates. I guess I'm taking this little girl with me to the vet, too."