Kaycee peered out of the kennel room in back and motioned to Darcy. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”
She closed the door after Darcy stepped inside. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
“About…”
“About what might show up on a background check. Or surface because of some old…um…gossip.”
“I see.”
“Dr. Boyd knew everything and he was so nice about it. But now I wonder whether or not I should go ahead and tell Dr. Maxwell. Before he gets that background check done, I mean.”
“And what did you decide?”
“I guess…well, maybe you’re right. If I don’t say anything and he finds out, maybe he’ll think I was trying to hide all the bad stuff. Or that I can’t be trusted. But I can’t just go up to him out of the blue. That would be so weird, you know?”
“So…what do you want me to do?”
“I…um…wonder if you could come in with me. You know, like having someone in my corner?”
“Moral support.”
Her mouth twisted. “It still makes me mad, having to do this. If you live in a glass house you shouldn’t throw stones, right?”
“What?”
Kaycee shifted uncomfortably and looked away.
“Kaycee?”
“Just something I found out about him on Google. It doesn’t matter. I’m just really afraid I’ll mess this up. And if I do and he fires me, what am I gonna do?”
“Do you want to catch him right now before he leaves for home?”
“No.” Kaycee’s eyes rounded. “Well…maybe. Yes. If I think about this too much longer, I’m going to be sick.”
Logan looked up from his computer screen in obvious surprise when Kaycee and Darcy walked in his office door. “Is something wrong?”
Kaycee plopped into one of the chairs in front of the desk and mutely looked down at her hands, suddenly looking far younger than her twenty-three years.
Darcy took the other chair and waited for the girl to speak. After a long, awkward moment of silence, she turned to Logan. “Kaycee needs her job very much. But she’s concerned about some things in her past and wants to be up front with you.”
Logan’s gaze softened with understanding as he shifted his focus to Kaycee. “If this is about the background checks, I got that information today, and they were perfectly fine for all three of you. I fully expected they would be, by the way. I hope you weren’t too upset about having it done, but…well, I’ve been in situations in which more care would’ve saved people a lot of grief.”
Kaycee lifted her gaze to meet his, her eyes hard and narrowed. Then she looked away. “I can imagine.”
Logan tilted his head and frowned as he studied her for a moment, then he leaned back, his elbows on the arms of his chair and his fingertips steepled. “Is there anything you wanted to discuss?”
Mystified by the uneasy currents of emotion in the room, Darcy glanced between them. “Kaycee?”
The girl closed her eyes as she drew in a deep breath. “Okay. Just in case you were to hear gossip around town, I wanted you to hear everything from me first. My parents abused and dealt drugs for years, so I pretty much raised my brother and sister ever since I was in middle school. I…um…got caught shoplifting at the grocery store a couple times. But I had to try, ’cause there wasn’t any money and sometimes we had nothing to eat.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Logan said gently.
“It’s better now.” Kaycee’s voice took on a belligerent edge. “The kids live with me, they’re on Badger Care state insurance, and the state helps out now that Mom and Dad are in prison. We’re doing just fine.” She launched to her feet as if ready to flee. “I promise that I’m trustworthy and I’ll work hard. I need this job more than you could know.”
An easy smile on his face, Logan stood and offered his hand to her across the desk. “Then it sounds like we have a perfect deal, because I need you, too. I’m glad to have you on board.”
“That took some courage,” Darcy said quietly after Kaycee left. “She’s one of the strongest kids I’ve ever met. What a relief to hear that her background check was clear.”
“It wasn’t, actually.”
“What?” Darcy leaned back in her chair, aghast. “But you told her it was.”
“I told her it was fine, and I meant it. When I asked the sheriff to run criminal background checks, he said he couldn’t help me much because Kaycee’s juvenile records were sealed. But Marilyn stopped me after work one day, and said she wanted me to know the truth in case someone gossiped about Kaycee later on.”
“Oh.”
“That poor kid has had a real struggle raising her siblings, but even as a teen she fought to keep them out of foster care and together. How many kids her age would’ve taken on that responsibility?”
“Not many could have handled it. That’s for sure.”
“From all accounts, she’s done a fine job ever since. She keeps them clean and well fed, they never miss school or activities, and she helps with homework. There are many parents who don’t do half as well. I’m impressed, and I need employees like her.”
Warmth and relief settled around Darcy’s heart. “That’s just about the kindest thing I’ve heard in a very long time. A lot of people would take one look at her past, assume she could be a risk and just let her go.”
“Then they would be wrong. Her parents aren’t going to be out on the street for thirty years, and before being incarcerated, they were guilty of abuse and neglect. So how could I not give her every chance to succeed?”
Darcy wanted to reach across the desk and kiss him in heartfelt thanks for his quiet compassion. And then kiss him again for his kindness in helping Kaycee hang onto her pride during what had to have been a terrifying confession.
“That’s exactly how I feel.” Her gaze locked on his. She felt her pulse escalate as she rose and took a careful step back lest she find herself impulsively giving in to that temptation. “I realize I’ve misjudged you, Logan. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
* * *
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, with the promise of clear skies and seventy degrees throughout the day.
It was a perfect day for opening all the windows in the little house and tackling the floor in Emma’s room. But it was also perfect for making good on her promise, and that promise had to be kept.
So after the clinic closed at noon, she picked up Emma at the babysitter’s house, took her home for lunch, then got ready to leave again.
“Are you ready to go?” Darcy helped Emma into a pink sweater with kittens and puppies embroidered on the front. “Hannah is waiting for us.”
Emma fidgeted while Darcy fastened her buttons. “I want to go now. Please? What if there aren’t any puppies left?”
“There will be, I promise. Remember all the photos we looked at last night on the rescue website?”
“They were every color. Puppies and big dogs, too.”
Darcy smiled and gave her a hug. “Have you decided which ones are your favorites?”
The little girl frowned. “I can’t remember.”
“Well, we’ll take lots of time. If you can’t decide, we can always go back again.”
They walked out to the car and Darcy buckled her into the booster seat, then got behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. At the click-click-click sound she dropped her head against the headrest and groaned.
“What’s wrong, Mommy?”
“It won’t start.”
“But what about the puppies?” Her voice rose to a wail. “You promised!”
“Well, we might—”
At the distinctive sound of Logan’s diesel pickup pulling into the driveway, Darcy glanced in the rearview mirror. Good timing, buddy.
She climbed out of her car and met him halfway. He held out his hand, and she blinked in surprise at her cell phone. “Oh, my—I thought it was in my purse.”
“Marilyn noticed it at the clinic, but she was heading for Minneapolis for the weekend, so I said I could drop it by.”
“Many, many thanks. We don’t have a landline, so I wouldn’t have missed it until I tried calling AAA road service.”
He looked over her shoulder. “What’s wrong with the car?”
“Won’t start. It’s doing a clickety-click thing when I turn the key in the ignition, and Emma is pretty upset.” She turned to help the child out of her booster seat. “I bought a new battery two months ago, so I’m guessing it’s the starter.”
“Mommy said we could get a puppy today, and now we can’t,” Emma said sadly. Her face brightened when her gaze veered past Logan to his truck. “Maybe you could come! Will your car go?”
“That’s a pickup, honey. And no, we don’t need to bother Dr. Maxwell. I’m sure he’s very busy.”
“Actually, I’d like a good excuse to not go home.” He sauntered to her car and tried the ignition. “I’d guess the starter, as well. Do you have a good mechanic?”
“Red’s seems to be good. So, why don’t you want to go home?”
“This is the weekend I’m finally dealing with all of the unpacked moving boxes still stacked in the house. I can’t stand looking at them any longer, and I might have company coming next weekend.”
Company?
Maybe a girlfriend from Montana?
Of course he would still have relationships with people back there. Maybe really close ones. It shouldn’t have been any surprise, but she still felt a little pang in her heart.
“Should you be doing that lifting?” she asked. “What about your arm?”
He cautiously rolled his shoulder, then grinned. “It’s actually pretty good. Another week and it should be fine.”
Emma tugged the sleeve of Darcy’s sweater and looked up at her with a pleading expression. “He wants to go see the puppies. Maybe he’ll want one, too. Please?”
“Even if you call the road service now, there’ll be no mechanics to check your car until Monday—or later. I’ll get her booster seat, and we can be on our way.” Logan reached into the car to grab it and put it into the backseat of his truck.
“If you do this for us, then we have to return the favor. How about we come out tomorrow afternoon to help you after church? We can even bring a picnic basket with lunch.”
“You don’t need to.” He thought for a moment and gave her a lopsided smile. “Then again, lunch sounds mighty nice. Deal.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Oops. I just remembered that I won’t have a car. But I have a wonderful idea—you could come with us to church this time!”
“Uh…”
“Pastor Mark is wonderful, I promise. Every Sunday, I feel so…so renewed by his sermons. It’s hard to explain, but I feel like a better person. More able to deal with everything in my life, because my faith has been uplifted. Growing up, my parents made me attend their church, and I didn’t want to go. Now I really hate to miss.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be pushing something at you that you don’t want. I should have my car fixed in a couple days, and then Emma and I can come help. We’ll still owe you a return favor, after all.”
He stared out into the backyard for a long moment as if sorting through his thoughts.
“I had the same upbringing you did, but…bad things happened. God and I reached an impasse when I learned that my faith really didn’t help. But I’ll pick you two up tomorrow and take you to church if that’s what you want.”
She could see he wasn’t thrilled—he was simply determined to do the right thing. She barreled ahead anyway before he could change his mind. “Perfect. That’s so nice of you! Emma and I will pack a lunch and come out to help you unpack, or clean, or whatever. It’s the least we can do.”
Emma scrambled into the truck, and he clicked the seatbelt into position. “This is sure a pretty booster,” he teased, ruffling the top of her hair. “I’ve never seen a pink one. You must be a big girl now.”
She nodded vigorously. “I’m four.”
“Just the right age for a puppy, then.”
Darcy directed him to the highway leading out of town, then up a narrow lane leading through the forest toward Hannah’s house.
All the way, Logan kept up a steady patter of silly conversation with Emma that kept her laughing.
Darcy felt an ache settle in her chest at how hungry Emma seemed for male attention.
But of course she was. In time she probably wouldn’t remember much about her father, but having a loving male influence in her life was something she would always miss.
Hannah’s house stood at the very end of the lane. She was out in the yard and gave the truck a startled look when Logan pulled in and parked, but relaxed as they all climbed out.
“You made it,” she exclaimed as she picked up Emma for a big hug. “I’m so glad. I have all sorts of little guys who are eager to meet you—and some older ones, too.”
She sized up Logan with a sweeping glance and grinned. “I have just the thing for you, too.”
She led the way to the backyard, probably Emma’s favorite place in the whole world.
The perimeter was enclosed in high chain link fencing, with three separate large runs to the right. In back stood a new red metal barn with crisp white trim and a large enclosure with colorful chickens inside.
Emma stood on her tiptoes, looking at the far end of the yard. “Is the pony here?”
“She’s probably way out in the pasture right now.” Hannah reached over and gave Darcy’s hand a quick squeeze. “I asked Ethan to take the kids to a matinee so there’d be a bit less commotion. But I want you to be the first to hear—he and I have set a date. The Fourth of July weekend!”
Darcy’s heart filled with joy for her closest friend in Aspen Creek. “I’m so thrilled for you both. This is the best news I’ve had in a long, long time.”
Hannah beamed. “And next week the contractor will be breaking ground on the new animal shelter in town. It’s finally happening.”
Darcy nodded. “Hannah and several other women in town have been managing a private, licensed animal shelter system on their own properties until enough money could be raised. They’ve done a wonderful job.”
“And Darcy has been a great help to us, donating her free time after clinic hours and helping with the fundraising. Once we get the facility done, we’ll be able to do so much more.”
“Where are the puppies?” Emma spun around to look in every direction. “Are they gone?”
Hannah led them all to the barn and ushered them inside, where the space had been divided into six large pens with pet doors leading outside to individual runs, plus areas for horse feed, dog food and supplies.
Emma rushed to the pen at the far end, where puppies were squealing and standing on their hind legs at the chain link fence, vying for attention.
“I’m grateful every single day that insurance covered the fire,” Hannah said as she led Darcy and Logan down the aisle to join Emma. “The old barn wasn’t big enough anyway, and this one makes our work so much easier.”
The other pens held an assortment of older dogs. Some cowered at the back corners and avoided eye contact. Others bounced to the front of their pens and frantically yelped for attention.
“Oh, my,” Darcy whispered, halting in front of a pen. A thin, bedraggled dog stood at the back, its head hanging low and muzzle pressed into the corner, the picture of depression and hopelessness. Heavy mats of hair hung from its body, exposing taut flesh pulled painfully tight by the twisted mats.
Logan stopped next to her and stared. “I’ll never understand why people are so cruel. What’s the story on this one?”
“She just came yesterday,” Hannah said. “Abuse. Neglect. The neighbors who finally reported her said she was kept in a small, filthy pen and never let out—not even for a walk. From her behavior, I suspect little or no friendly human contact for ages.”
“I sure hope the owners were arrested.”
Hannah shook her head. “I have no idea if she even has a name, so I’ve been calling her Cedar. I called your office yesterday for an appointment. She’ll be in Tuesday.”
Logan frowned. “Let’s fit her in on Monday so we can check her over. With a good clipping and bath, we can see what’s under that mess.”
“I had hoped we wouldn’t ever see one as bad as Belle, who was dropped off last winter. But I guess I shouldn’t overestimate human nature.” Hannah whistled, and a gleaming chestnut-colored dog—a springer-shepherd mix—loped into the barn, its tail wagging. “This is Belle, who came to us as a surprise one night. I’m not sure who looked worse—Belle or this poor gal—but now Belle has her forever home right here.”
An old, deep red golden retriever with a white muzzle limped in, its banner of a tail waving.
“And this is Maisie, who will never leave, either, right?” Darcy leaned over to give her some good rubs beneath her collar.
“Never.” Hannah laughed wryly. “I really try not to adopt everything that come along, honest. But these two just stole my heart.”
Down at the puppy pen, Emma held her hands flat against the chain link and shrieked with delight. “They’re licking me. It tickles!”
A thin yellow lab mix in the next pen stood watching, her achingly hopeful gaze pinned on Emma, her tail wagging slowly as if she didn’t quite dare to hope.
When Emma noticed, she moved in front of her pen and stared into her soulful eyes. “This one is lonely, Mommy. She’s so sad.”
The lab’s tail moved a little faster as she pushed the black tip of her nose through the fence.
“I think she likes me. She doesn’t want to be here.”
“That’s because she’s waiting for someone to love who will love her right back for the rest of her life,” Hannah said softly.
A single tear fell down Emma’s cheek. “How come she doesn’t have a family?”
“Some people think a puppy would be fun and cute, but have no idea how much work a puppy is…or they just lose interest. Dogs sometimes end up in a shelter if their owners get sick or pass away.”
Darcy moved over to the pen and hunkered down next to Emma to take a better look. “What’s the story on this one?”
“That’s Bonnie. She’s around three years old and had a good home, but her elderly owner died suddenly, and no one in the family was willing to take her. She was too depressed to eat for a week. She’s doing better as long as I hand-feed her, so at least her ribs don’t show quite as much. She came with vet records that show she’s up to date on vaccinations and worming.”
Emma looked up at Darcy. “This is the one, Mommy.”
“I thought you wanted a playful little puppy, sweetie. You’ve been talking about that for a long time.”
“Not anymore.” Emma lifted her chin to a stubborn tilt.
“What Hannah said about dogs giving us their lifetime love is true about the puppies, too,” Darcy said.
Emma’s lower lip trembled. “I want this one.”
Hannah smiled down at her. “Well, I’m sure your mom would want to check her over very carefully, and then you would all need to get to know each other during several visits. My first rule here is that no one can make snap decisions, because if they regret it later, the dog suffers yet another confusing, upsetting change. That’s not fair.”
“Can she come out now?”
“Let’s see how she does. Just don’t move quickly or try to grab her, okay? We need to take it easy. She’s a sweet dog, but this change to a new place has been scary for her.”
Hannah reached for a leash snapped to the front of the pen and went inside. Murmuring to Bonnie, she stroked the animal’s thin side and then gently scratched behind her ear.
Reassured, the dog came closer and licked Hannah’s hand. “You see? She’s very sweet. I understand she was a very well-mannered pet. It’s just that the noise, strange dogs and unfamiliar people can be terribly intimidating.”
Darcy watched as Emma edged slowly up to Hannah.
“Can I pet her?”
“Talk to her a bit first.”
“You’re going to be mine,” Emma whispered. “And you’ll be happy. You can sleep on my bed with my dollies and me.”
Darcy bit back a smile as the dog extended her nose to sniff Emma’s hand, and wagged her tail faster when Emma gently stroked her neck.
“She likes me, Mommy!”
“Yes, I think she does. She’s probably hoping to find a new friend, just like you are.” Darcy glanced over her shoulder and found Logan hunkered down in front of Cedar, the newest rescue. “What do you think—”
But he wasn’t listening. He was murmuring gentle words to the ragged dog, promising all sorts of wonderful things. Toys and treats and soft beds, and the company of someone who would care for her forever. She was still at the back of her cage, but she was watching him intently. Her single, wary step in his direction was a victory.
This was yet another glimpse of a man she found more intriguing as the days and weeks passed. She’d never expected to discover a deep sense of kindness and caring in the cold, remote cowboy she’d met on that first morning he’d arrived.
And now, the evidence of his soft heart was confirmed, because it looked like Logan had just found himself a dog.
* * *
Logan slowly opened the door of the dog pen and let himself inside, then sat down in one of the front corners to appear as nonthreatening as possible.
The emaciated dog fled to the back of the pen when the door opened, as far from him as possible, and stood hunched and shaking, her tail tucked between her legs and lowered head pressed against the chain links to avoid looking at him.
His heart twisted painfully at her terrified reaction. She was expecting a beating. What kind of vicious animal of a human being could vent his rage and cruelty on a poor dog?
Even though he’d seen many similar cases of abuse over the years, just the thought of them always made him feel ill and angry and even a little helpless. How many others were never rescued? He helped whenever he could, but it broke his heart to think of any animal suffering.
And another thought always lurked in the back of his mind. If the perpetrator was this cruel and had a wife and kids, what was happening to them behind closed doors?
He began to hum softly, his gaze fixed on a distant point away from Cedar, his posture relaxed. And then he began to croon to her again, a quiet litany of praise and encouragement.
“Here—try this.” Hannah opened the door of the pen a few inches and tossed him a small plastic bag filled with dog treats. “I keep these on hand for just this sort of thing. The dogs love them.”
He caught the bag. “Thanks.”
“I spent quite a bit of time with her yesterday, and she finally came close enough for me to pet her, but she seems to be more wary with men. I can’t wait to get started on clipping her. She’ll feel so much better.”
Logan tossed a dog treat midway across the pen and continued talking to the dog. “I’ve got more of these,” he said softly. “Things are going to be so much better for you now.”
He’d pursued his lifelong dream of working with horses, but on the rare free hours away from classes and labs and studying during vet school, he’d volunteered at a shelter.
This was what he’d imagined when he’d first started dreaming of vet school as a child. He’d wanted to rescue damaged animals and make them whole, and then bring them all home. It just wasn’t possible to adopt them all, of course. In those childish dreams, he hadn’t considered the sheer magnitude and impossibility of such a plan.
But when the dog in front of him finally dared to look his way and gave a single, tentative wave of her tail, he knew that this one had just found her forever home.
With him.