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“I’m used to it. Bye for now.” She extended her arm, all businesslike.
Touching her was every bit as electric as the other times they’d shaken hands. By the flush in her cheeks and the darkening of her pupils, Seth knew that she felt the same powerful awareness.
He glanced at her mouth again. The cleft in the center of her top lip begged him to taste it, and that plump lower lip... Suddenly he wanted to kiss her. Badly.
The responding desire in her eyes was irresistible.
He reached for her, but she shot a nervous glance at the big window of the front office. “Mrs. Oakes is probably watching us. She’s a big gossip.”
“Noted.” He pulled Emily around the side of the house, out of view. “Now we’re safe,” he murmured, caressing her soft, soft cheek.
She didn’t answer, but her eyelids lowered a fraction. When he leaned in for the kiss, she stopped him.
“No,” she said, stepping back out of reach. “Don’t.”
Despite the kiss me signals from her, she’d changed her mind. Feeling both disappointed and relieved, he gave a terse nod. “I’ll, uh, see you Monday.”
Seth climbed into his truck and drove away.
Chapter Four (#ulink_a3e7cb3a-14f5-58f5-9e71-464622c81974)
By two o’clock Monday, Emily was ready to begin the orientation for the eight fifteen-and sixteen-year-old community-service volunteers.
They began to trickle in to the shelter. First a girl from Jupiter High, a school on the south side of town. Then a boy and girl from Merrybrook, the high school in the wealthiest part of Prosperity. The rest, a girl and three boys, hailed from Trenton, the school Taylor attended.
Except for Taylor, the Trenton kids entered the building together. Minutes later, she wandered in alone. She barely acknowledged the others from her school, and vice versa. Were they excluding her because they were juniors and she was a sophomore, or for some other reason?
Emily remembered her own teen years, wanting so badly to fit in and be liked. She hadn’t exactly been popular, but she’d known she could count on the few friends she’d had. She hoped Taylor would be as lucky.
She passed around the name tags she’d made. “Welcome to The Wagging Tail orientation,” she said. “Let’s start by introducing ourselves.”
After the introductions, Matt from Merrybrook posed a question. “This is a small shelter. How are you going to find enough for all of us to do?”
“Good question. To answer that, let’s take a tour of the place. You’ve all seen the kennel, and we’ll visit it again today, but there’s a lot more. While I show you around, I’ll explain what you’ll be doing.”
She led them through the main floor of the house, pointing out her office, the supply closets and the kitchen. Outside, they visited the dog runs, and finally, the quarantine hut that housed the dog Seth had examined. The other hut stood empty.
“What’s wrong with him?” asked Cat, the only student from Jupiter High.
“She’s a female,” Emily corrected. “She has mange and worms, but our veterinarian, Dr. Pettit—oops, he prefers to be addressed as Seth—assures me that she’ll be okay. Speaking of Seth, Taylor, would you mind if I mentioned your connection to him?”
The girl glanced down. “We don’t have a connection,” she muttered. “Except that I’m stuck living at his house.”
“This dog arrived Thursday night,” Emily went on. “After Seth examined her Friday morning, he sent her blood and stool samples to the lab.”
She hadn’t stopped thinking about his gentle ways with the dog, or the fact that she’d almost kissed him. Her strong desire and feelings for him had startled her. Why him, and why now?
Maybe it was time.
But did she really want a distraction she didn’t need in her life right now? No, she told herself. She didn’t.
“Earlier, Seth called with some good news,” Emily said. “Other than mange and worms, this dog is healthy. Considering that she was starving when she was picked up, and had probably been living on the streets for a while, that’s great news.”
“If she’s healthy, why does she have to stay here by herself?” Cat asked.
“Because both mange and worms are contagious. She’s on medicine, and I’m bathing her with a special shampoo. The worms will be gone quickly, but curing the mange will take longer. She’s still available for adoption, but until her skin is cleared up, I can’t move her into the kennel.”
“You mean these dogs get adopted?” Cat asked. “I’m adopted.”
“That’s interesting, Cat. I’m just as careful finding a stable home for our dogs as a human adoption agency is finding a good home for children. Anyone interested in adopting one of our dogs must fill in a detailed application and meet with me, both here at the shelter and in their home.”
All the teens seemed impressed.
The tour ended in the kitchen, which was the best place to gather a group. The teens crowded around the kitchen table. Emily stood in front of them. “There are a couple more things to discuss,” she said. “First, keeping this shelter open costs money. Besides rent, dog food and supplies, I pay a part-time office manager. You’ll meet her next time.”
“Don’t forget Seth,” commented Birch, one of the boys from Taylor’s school.
“Actually, we’re fortunate that he’s volunteering his services. People always want to know where I get the funds to keep this place running. The money comes mostly from private donations. Every year, in early November, I host a fund-raiser. This year, you and your families are all invited. You’re also going to play a big part in the event. Which brings me to the brainstorming party I’m hosting for our fund-raiser, two weeks from Friday, in my apartment, which is upstairs in this building.” Emily gestured in the direction of the staircase.
“I’d like you all to come, so please write down the date or put it in your phone. We’ll have pizza from Harper’s Pizza, and I’ll be asking for your ideas.”
They gave her blank looks, so she explained. “For example, last year, we hosted a dinner and raffle at the Bitter & Sweet downtown. People bought raffle tickets for a chance to win various prizes. They also donated money. That night, we took in enough to stay open one more year.”
“Cool,” Cat said.
“It’s very cool,” Emily agreed. “So be thinking about ideas for that.”
“What if we have to work or there’s a football game?” Shayna from Merrybrook asked. “I’m on the cheer squad and I can’t miss the game. Same with Matt—he’s on the football team.”
“Come for an hour, then, but if you can’t, you can’t,” Emily said. “Now it’s time to figure out who you want to do your community service with, and which day you would like to volunteer. Since there are eight of you, and community service days are Monday through Thursday, you’ll work in teams of two.”
Matt exchanged confused looks with Shayna. “You aren’t going to assign us?”
Emily shook her head. “I’m leaving that up to you. Keep in mind that it’s always good to make a new friend from a different school. Feel free to get up and walk around and get to know each other. I’ll give you a few minutes.”
Standing out of the way, she watched the teens pair up. Most of them stuck with kids from their own school. But there were five from Trenton, and Taylor ended up the odd person out. Cat was also alone.
From across the kitchen, the two girls eyed each other. Appearance-wise, they were polar opposites. Cat was petite and curvy. About five feet two, she wore dark eye makeup and her dyed-black hair was boyishly short. A crop top hugged her torso, and under a flouncy, tie-dyed skirt she wore blue tights and black ankle boosts. Taylor was about Emily’s height, and willowy, her long red bangs all but hiding eyes with far less makeup. She was dressed in a sleeveless, hooded knit tank top that covered her boyish hips, tight jeans and TOMS flats.
Cat moved first, heading toward her. “It looks like we’re the only two left,” she said. “Do you want to work together?”
Her expression impassive, Taylor shrugged. “Guess so.”
Emily moved to the white board attached to the wall and clapped her hands for attention. “Now that everyone has a partner, let’s figure out who comes on what days. Then you can go home, and those who choose Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday can come back later this week.”
What should have been a simple process took almost thirty minutes, but at last everyone was satisfied.
Taylor and Cat had chosen Thursdays. They parted without saying much to each other. Emily hoped they would become friends. She didn’t know about Cat, but Taylor could use one.
* * *
WHEN SETH PARKED in front of The Wagging Tail after orientation, Taylor was outside, waiting for him. He didn’t see Emily or any of the other kids.
“Hey,” he said, sliding out to greet her.
Wearing her trademark earbuds, her head moving to the beat of whatever song she was listening to, she barely glanced up from her phone to acknowledge him. She moved toward the truck.
“Where’s everyone else?” he asked.
She didn’t seem to hear him, so he pulled the buds out of her ears.
“I’m trying to listen to a song,” she said, shooting him a dirty look.
“How about listening to me instead. Where are the other kids?” he repeated.
“Already gone.”
“What about Emily?”
“She’s inside, I guess.”
“I need her to let me into quarantine to check on that new dog,” he said. “You want to come with?”
“I already saw her. She’s skinny and gross looking.” Taylor bit her lip. “How long before her fur grows back?”
“First we have to get rid of the mange. Once she’s healthy, she should have all her hair back in about two months. By then, she’ll have put on a lot of weight, too.”
“Emily can’t keep her that long. She might need the space for another dog.”
“Then let’s hope she finds a good home for this one and the others.”
Taylor nodded. “I’ll wait in the truck.”
“If that’s what you want. There’s a granola bar and a can of the pop you like on the passenger seat for you.”
A look of pure scorn darkened her face. “I’m not a little kid, Seth.”
No, but sometimes she sure acted like one. “You’re welcome,” he said. “Everybody gets hungry after school.”
She didn’t reply. The earbuds were back in place, and she was texting away.
“Be right back,” he said, not expecting a reply.
A heavyset, gray-haired man who looked to be in his seventies sat at Mrs. Oakes’s desk. Seth nodded. “I’m Seth Pettit, the shelter’s vet this semester.”
The older man’s face lit up. “Nice to meet you. I’m Edgar Bell. I volunteer here on Mondays.” They shook hands. “Too bad you’re here for such a short time—we could use a long-term vet. We appreciate your service, though.”
“Thanks. Is Emily around?”
“Check her office.”
Although her door was open, Seth knocked before entering.
Emily was sorting through papers, and looked pleasantly surprised to see him. “Hi,” she said.
Every time he saw that smile, he liked it more. She sure was pretty, especially in the silky blouse that fluttered when she moved. “I like that blue top.”
The flush he’d come to anticipate colored her cheeks. “I dressed up a little today for orientation. Where’s Taylor?”
“Waiting in the pickup. How’d she do this afternoon?”
“Pretty well. This year, I have eight kids, five from Taylor’s school. I asked them to pair up and choose which day of the week to come. Taylor picked Thursdays. She’ll be working with Cat, a girl from Jupiter High.”
Not one of the Trenton kids. That was disappointing—she could use a friend at her school. Still, she’d found someone to work with, which was good news. He grinned. “So she finally she made a friend.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call them friends just yet, but they definitely could be.”
Seth hoped. “Since I’m here, I may as well check on the quarantined dog.”
“Of course. Would you mind going alone? I need to return phone calls from a couple of prospective adopters. The door to the quarantine hut is unlocked.”
Seth left. The female mutt appeared perkier than she had a few days earlier, and her eyes were brighter. “Lookin’ good,” Seth told her before he returned to the pickup.
When he climbed in, he noted that the snack he’d brought Taylor were gone and the can of soda was empty. He wisely refrained from mentioning it. “How was orientation?” he asked as the pickup rolled down the driveway.
“Fine.” She gave him a pained look. “I know Emily needs a veterinarian to volunteer at The Wagging Tail, but why does it have to be you?”
“We’ve already discussed this,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“Everyone knows that I live at your house.”
Her unhappy expression made no secret of how she felt about that. “It’s your house, too,” he reminded her.
No comment. Seth shook his head. “If my volunteering here bothers you that much, I could tell Emily I changed my mind and quit,” he said. “But I’d rather not leave her in the lurch.”
Taylor mumbled something that sounded like, “You’ll probably just leave, anyway,” but Seth wasn’t sure. He wondered what that was about.
She made a face. “Just don’t show up when I’m there.”
* * *
JUST BEFORE ELEVEN O’CLOCK that night, Emily called Seth.
“Hello?” He sounded groggy.
She hated that she’d awakened him, hated bothering him in the evening, period. “It’s Emily,” she said, stepping outside to escape the awful barking in the kennel. “There’s a German shepherd mix who’s been here for almost a week, and I think he just had a seizure.” She shivered in the brisk night air. “Now he’s acting weird, and the other dogs are freaking out. Dr. Addison, the veterinarian before you, didn’t uncover anything wrong with him, but obviously, something is very wrong.”
She hoped that whatever it was could be fixed. Otherwise, no one would ever want to adopt him. “I need to get him out of the kennel and take him to the animal hospital, where they have a twenty-four-hour emergency clinic, only I...” Admitting this next part was unnerving. “I’m a little scared of him. I don’t think I can get him into the car without help.”
