“I’M COMING!” MACEY CALLED, PULLING HER FLEECE OVER HER HEAD and reaching for her keys and the new cobalt-blue collar and leash she’d picked up at the feed store during her lunch break the day before. She hurried outside and saw Ben standing in the driveway, looking at his phone. When he heard her on the porch, he looked up and smiled.
“At least you’re smiling,” she said, her heart feeling lighter. She’d been so worried about getting Keeper without Ben’s full support that she’d hardly slept, but this morning she’d heard him call Gage and the other guys and tell them they had the day off, and now he was waiting patiently for her, his tan face accentuated by sun-streaked hair, reminding her of the boy with whom she’d fallen in love. To this day, when she paused to really see Ben and not take his presence for granted, he still made her heart skip. And now, as he stood there in the morning sunlight, his faded jeans hanging loosely on his hips, and his blue button-down oxford neatly tucked in under his canvas Carhartt work jacket—he was obviously trying to look like a responsible pet owner—she wished she’d let him have his way last night, instead of being the spouse who played her I’ve had a long day card a little too often.
“Of course I’m smiling! I’m married to the prettiest girl in the world.”
“I think you must mean the most headstrong.”
“Well, that too,” Ben teased, putting his arm around her. “I’m also smiling because Gage and Maeve think it’s funny we’re getting a dog when Maeve said you were adamant about not getting one. She says you’re an old softy.”
“Hey, it’s a girl’s prerogative to change her mind.”
“It is indeed,” Ben teased. “Anyway, they want to come by and meet him, and Gage said he’d help me build a ramp if we need one.”
“But Maeve already met him! In fact, this is all her fault.”
“Well, she must want to meet him again.”
Macey rolled her eyes, even though she was glad they were coming over.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter. “You’re positive about this?” Ben asked, looking over.
“I am,” Macey confirmed. “I have this feeling we’re supposed to give him a home. He belongs with us.”
“Okay,” Ben said with a resigned sigh, but when they opened their doors and heard a chorus of barking, he added, “I hope he’s not a barker.”
They walked inside, and the receptionist, who was on the phone, smiled. She gestured that she’d be right with them, and Macey nodded and stood next to Ben. The room smelled like wet fur and pet food, and although there was a full dustpan and broom in the corner, wispy hair floated everywhere in the morning sunlight. Macey looked around and noticed a gray tiger cat curled up in one of the chairs, sunning itself. She smiled and turned to Ben. “I wonder what his name is.”
“Whatever it is, we’re not getting him,” he whispered.
The receptionist hung up the phone. “How can I help?”
Macey cleared her throat. “We’re here to pick up Keeper.”
The receptionist smiled. “Oh! I heard our Keeper was getting a fur-ever home! He is such a sweetheart. We’re going to miss him.”
Macey nodded, not knowing what to say.
“Hang on,” she said, getting up. “I’ll let them know you’re here.” She disappeared down the hall. A moment later she was back. “Okay, I need you to sign some papers and . . .” She looked up. “You know there’s an adoption fee, right?”
Macey frowned. “No. How much is it?”
“Well, it’s really a suggested donation—it covers expenses. It’s a hundred dollars.”
“Oh,” Macey said. “They didn’t tell us. I’ll have to get my . . .”
“Here,” Ben said, stopping her and pulling out his wallet. “Use this.” He slipped a neatly folded hundred-dollar bill from behind his driver’s license.
“No, not your lucky hundred,” Macey said, putting up her hand. “I’ll just go to the car.”
Ben shook his head and looked her in the eye. “What better way to spend it?”
She half smiled. “Okay, but I’m paying you back.”
“Mm-hmm,” Ben said, handing the bill to the receptionist.
“Great,” she said. “Now, I just need a signature here . . . and here,” she said, marking the form. Macey looked it over, and with a slightly shaking hand, signed her name. As she did, the gray tiger cat got up, stretched, and strolled along the counter. “Hey, there, Big Mac,” the receptionist said, stroking his soft fur.
“He looks like a Mac,” Macey said, smiling. “How long has he been here?”
The receptionist frowned, trying to remember. “He’s been here a while, but I’m fairly new.” She looked over the forms and reached for a bag on her desk. “These are Keeper’s things—his favorite toys and a vest he used to wear—they said he was a therapy dog. Anyway, he’s all ready. You can follow me back.” She motioned for them to follow her, and as they walked down the hall, she looked over her shoulder. “He just had a bath, so he smells really good.” She held the door open at the end of the hall and then led them past a long line of kennels filled with dogs of all shapes and sizes who were barking excitedly, hoping it was their big day. Macey pressed her lips together, feeling sad—there were so many dogs in need of homes, she wished she could take them all. The receptionist stopped in front of the second-to-last kennel.
“Here he is,” she announced. “Hey, Keep! Guess what? Your mom and dad are here to take you home!”
The big golden was lying quietly on an old blanket, wearing a new bandanna with pumpkins on it, but as soon as the receptionist started to unlatch his gate, he sat up, his eyes bright and his tail swishing tentatively. She opened the gate and stepped back. “You can go in,” she said, smiling.
Macey’s heart pounded. “Hey, ole pie,” she said softly, kneeling in front of him. “Do you want to come home with us?”
Keeper stood up, his tail wagging, and nuzzled his head into her chest. “I guess that’s a yes,” she murmured, her eyes filling with tears and her heart swelling with a boundless love for a dog she hardly knew but who needed a home. A forever home.