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She wouldn’t be easy to walk away from. That thought he trampled into a dark corner, somewhere back behind his routine, and concentrated on driving.
* * *
BROOKE CONCENTRATED ON Archie and avoided looking out the truck windows. This time she was inside the vehicle, she reminded herself, not watching a large van barrel toward her. She had to stay focused, be in the moment. Archie was her priority.
“Sophie’s place is up here, just around this corner.” Dan parked the truck in a loading zone and jumped out onto the street. He helped Brooke onto the sidewalk, swung open the front door to The Pampered Pooch and shouted, “Sophie, it’s an emergency. We need you now.”
Dan guided Brooke ahead of him, shielding her from the busy sidewalk and gaping storefront windows. And then she was inside, Dan and her fears bracketing her on either side. The city loomed outside. Archie was lying limp in her arms.
A woman, her blond hair tied back in a ponytail, sprinted down the center aisle. “Dan, what’s wrong?”
Dan pointed at the bundled cat. “Archie needs your expertise.”
The woman skidded to a halt and gasped at the injured cat. “Upstairs. Follow me.”
She led them outside to a wide staircase. On the second-floor landing, she pulled out a set of keys from her back pocket, pushed open the old wooden door and motioned them inside.
A deep male voice echoed down the hallway. “Sophie Callahan, that’s an emergency exit, not your private entrance. There are landlord-lessee rules and a code of conduct, you know.”
“Iain, we don’t have time for that. You have an emergency patient,” Sophie called back.
She led them into an examination room, complete with a stainless-steel exam table, white industrial cabinets and a carpeted cat tower in the corner. Only the cushioned seat built under the bay window revealed the room’s former use as a bedroom. Not all the Victorian charm had been renovated out of the old building, softening the commercial space.
“I have no more kennel space, Sophie. We went through this last night.” The man’s deep voice continued to blast from somewhere inside the flat. “I won’t be able to get into my supply room if we add another kennel in this place.”
Bare feet slapped on the wooden floor. A tall man moved into the room, slipped on his Crocs and stepped into the adjoining bathroom to wash his hands. “My landlord is very bossy. Hello, everyone. I’m Dr. Porter and who do we have here?”
“This is Archie.” Brooke stepped to the table and unwrapped the towel. “He had abdominal surgery after being dropped out of a moving car on the interstate. I think he and my dog, Luna, took out all his stitches.”
Iain zeroed in on the cat and took over for Brooke, his touch gentle, his voice mild. “When was the surgery?”
“Four days ago.” Her fingers dug into the clean section of the towel, but the tremor inside Brooke refused to surrender. She couldn’t lose Archie. She’d lost most of her family already. Brooke pushed her words past her panic and filled in Iain on the rest of the details.
“The shelters were full. My dad brought Brooke and her pets to the city the night before last.” Dan’s hand landed on Brooke’s shoulder.
His simple touch—steady and composed—held her together. But he was a stranger. And she couldn’t rely on his touch.
Iain looked at Sophie, his gaze intent and his voice urgent. “Can you find Gwen? Tell her to prep for surgery now.”
Sophie sprinted out of the exam room.
“This will take some time.” Iain lifted Archie into his arms and moved to the doorway. “You’re welcome to wait. There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen.”
Iain offered nothing more. No false platitudes or false hope. She stood in a strange veterinarian’s office, relying on an unknown veterinarian to save a part of her family. Leaned into a stranger’s touch on her shoulder for comfort. She was surrounded by strangers. Yet the loneliness forgot to claim her. Rather, these strangers offered reassurance. But surely that was only their jobs. Only their training. After all, she was every bit a stranger to them.
Voices bounced against the hallway walls outside the exam room. A door opened and shut.
Sophie stepped into the room. “Iain Porter is the best veterinarian I’ve worked with. He’ll do everything he can for Archie.”
Dan’s hand dropped away from Brooke’s shoulder. She missed his touch before she could caution herself not to. “What now?”
“We wait.” Compassion radiated from Sophie. In her positive voice. In her soft grip. “I don’t know about you, but if I can stay busy in moments like these, it stops the worry from consuming me.”
“Sophie owns the pet store downstairs.” Dan’s small smile offered silent encouragement. “If you want to stay busy, I’m sure she can help.”
“I accept only willing helpers,” Sophie corrected. “As it happens, I have new guests downstairs. They’re also fire evacuees. Several foster families couldn’t take the animals into the shelters with them, so I brought the animals here.”
“How many animals did you take in?” Dan asked.
“Eight last night.” Sophie rubbed her cheek. The visor of her Pampered Pooch baseball cap failed to hide the dark circles under her puffy eyes. “We had to move the cats up here with Iain to make room for the dogs. Then three more dogs arrived before sunrise.”
The pet shop owner looked exhausted, yet she hadn’t stumbled once with Archie and Brooke. She’d jumped in and helped. The same way Brooke had never ignored a call for help from one of the overcrowded animal shelters up north. She tossed the towel in the trash can and faced Sophie. “What can I do?”
“I plan to work on rearranging the storage room in case I need to add more kennels.” Sophie paused in the doorway. “I could use someone to feed and walk the dogs, if you’re up for it.”
Walking meant sidewalks. Shop windows. Six blocks away, the site of the accident loomed. But in what direction? Panic pinched the back of her neck. There had to be something else. Something inside. Brooke pointed at her bloodstained sweatshirt. “I’m not sure this is appropriate dog-walking attire.”
“I’ve got you covered.” Sophie motioned into the hallway as if she was a tour guide. “We have extra Pampered Pooch clothing in the stockroom. Someone usually needs to change during the day.”
“I’m not very good with city streets and directions.” She wasn’t very good with the city. Dread streamed through Brooke, alarm rushed her words. “Are there small dogs that need a bath or exercise in the play yard?”
She bit into her lip. She’d seen a play yard in the back, hadn’t she? Everything had blurred after she’d discovered Archie bloody and limp on the apartment floor. Everything except Dan’s presence.
“Good point.” Sophie poured herself a cup of coffee in Iain’s kitchen. “Laura can walk outside. Yes, there are several small dogs requiring baths and even more who need playtime.”
Brooke exhaled. She could handle this. She’d avoid the shop windows, keep to the back rooms and concentrate on the animals, not her worries.
“I’m going to take Sophie up on her offer.” Brooke held her hand out toward Dan and struggled not to feel awkward. There was nothing to be awkward about. “Thanks for the ride. I’m sure you’d like to get on with your day. Sleep or something.”
“Dan is a machine.” Sophie laughed. “The only person I know who can function on less sleep is Ava, his best friend and former partner.”
Brooke studied Dan. “What happened to Ava?”
Dan took Brooke’s hand and looked into her eyes. “She fell in love.”
“You make it sound like a disease.” Sophie elbowed Dan in the side and glanced at Brooke. “Don’t listen to him.”
Brooke tried not to listen to that hum of awareness inside her. Tried to ignore the feel of his hand wrapped around hers. When had she last held a man’s hand? When had she last wanted to? “You don’t need to wait for me and disrupt your schedule.”
“You’ll need a ride back to my place.” Dan tilted his head and eyed her. A challenge in his green gaze, as if daring her to refuse his help.
She should. She managed just fine on her own. Always had. But Brooke said, “That would be nice.” She turned and followed Sophie onto the fire-escape landing.
Behind her, Dan asked, “How much rearranging in the storage room are you doing, Sophie?”
“I’ve got it handled.” Sophie skipped down several steps, her pace quickening along with her voice.
“Where’s Brad?” Dan persisted.
“Working a case.” Sophie opened the back door into the kennel area and eyed him. “Before you ask, Erin and Troy have the morning off after staying late last night. I’ve got this figured out.”
“Show me what we’re moving, Sophie.” Dan motioned the women inside.
“Rearranging my storage room is not on your list today, Dan.” Inside the back room, Sophie spun around and set her hands on her hips. “I know you have a list of your own things to do like you always do.”
“I could be wide-open, all day,” Dan countered.
His gaze bounced away from Sophie and Brooke. He had a list and driving Archie here hadn’t been on it.
“Not a chance.” Sophie narrowed her eyes. “You can’t fool me. We’re both overcommitters who really need to work on saying no.”
“Okay. I have a full schedule,” Dan admitted. “But I can give you a hand rearranging the storage area, too. Besides it’ll go faster with two of us.”
“I’m not asking.” Sophie sorted through a drawer of purple shirts and handed one to Brooke. “You already help me out so much that you should be put on payroll.”
“I don’t want your money, Sophie.” Dan held out his arms. “Now, are we going to stand here and waste more time arguing or just get to work?”
“We’re getting to work.” Sophie shut the drawer with more force than required. “And I’m going to figure out how to pay you back.”
“It’s really not necessary,” Dan said.
That had been the same answer he’d given to Brooke after she’d wanted to pay for the groceries. Brooke looked at Sophie. “Does he always help out without being asked?”
“Always,” Sophie said. “He’s the most reliable person I’ve ever known. Once he’s given his word, he doesn’t break it.”
He kept his commitments. That was something to admire. But he had limits. He’d told Brooke that Luna couldn’t use his perfectly good backyard. He’d doubted Archie would survive the drive to the pet store. That she’d seen in his shadowed gaze. And he hadn’t introduced Brooke to his son yesterday. She’d watched the pair return from school, stroll through the backyard and disappear inside their house. Their laughter had lingered in the afternoon breeze long after the back door had closed.
His heart might have limits. Brooke’s did, too.
She stepped into the bathroom to change into the Pampered Pooch shirt and retrace those boundaries around herself. Reminding herself that she preferred to be fine over heartbroken.
CHAPTER FIVE (#u317858f7-1d8d-5407-b1f1-3c4c43bd59f4)
DAN JOINED SOPHIE and Brooke on their tour of the pet store and mentally rearranged his schedule, building an hour at the pet store into his timeline. Iain would care for the cat. Archie was one of the lucky ones. As for Brooke, who would care for her?
The wildfires had displaced so many families, changed lives and taken lives. He wanted to be with his dad, helping as much as he could. But he had Ben, and his son came first. For now, he’d assist the rescues inside Sophie’s store and figure out later how to do more for the victims of the fires.
“This is the new calm, quiet area. Several of the rescues needed to be away from the day care.” Sophie opened a door with Cats Only swirled across the glass insert. “Obviously it’s a work in progress.”
Brooke stepped over to a floor-level kennel, knelt down and peered inside. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Are they sick?”
“Traumatized.” Sophie lowered her voice. “Rex is the worst case I’ve seen in a long time.”
Brooke set her palm flat on the kennel door. “I used classical music for Luna. Fleece blankets and mood lighting, as well. She was an abused and terrified one-year-old puppy when I took her in.”
“That’ll be perfect for in here.” Sophie lowered to one knee on the other side of Brooke. “Comfortable and soothing is very much needed right now.”
Did his in-law unit have the same soothing effect for Brooke? He should pick up softer towels and thicker blankets for the unit. Dan straightened. The unit was perfectly fine as it was. Still, purchasing a few new items was nothing more than he’d do for any evacuee from the fires, not just Brooke.
Dan peered inside the kennel at the dog burrowed in the far corner, curled in on himself in a tangle of skin and bones. A pair of deep soulful eyes watched them without blinking. Brooke had given him a similar wide-eyed look in his driveway earlier. Both proved hard to disregard. “Rex doesn’t look like he’s eaten in the last month.”
“He was rescued from a hoarding situation up north. The homeowners had left before the fire and abandoned every animal on the property.” Sophie stood up, bitterness and fury ricocheting through her voice.
Horror and anger shifted over Brooke’s face.
“We don’t know much more, but it wasn’t good or safe for Rex and the others.” Sophie wiped a hand over her eyes as if that would rearrange the reality of the dogs’ lives.
Dan knew firsthand it wasn’t so easy. He’d witnessed neglect and abuse, both human and animal, over the years as a firefighter and paramedic that left him speechless. No matter how many times he’d blinked, the reality never changed. Now those images were a part of him.
“But, hey, we can change that.” Brooke looked into Rex’s kennel. “I’m going to feed your friends, then I’ll be back. I promise I’ll be back.”
Dan believed her. But would Brooke be back if it was him and Ben? He shook himself, hoping to knock that thought out of his head. He wasn’t asking.
Dan followed Sophie and Brooke into the storeroom. Sophie directed Brooke to the dog kennels and new arrivals before introducing her to Laura, one of Sophie’s part-time employees. Laura and Brooke disappeared outside with two rescues.
Sophie turned toward Dan. “Ready for the heavy lifting?”
“Let’s do this,” Dan said.
The one hour extended into two. Dan finished off a bottle of water and pushed his phone calls to his supervisor and Valerie to the following day. He allowed himself a minute to admire the reorganized storage unit. He had to get back on schedule.
“Dan.” Sophie motioned for Dan to join her at the cats-only entrance. She pointed inside the room. Relief shifted through her voice. “Look at that.”
Brooke sat on a pile of blankets in front of an open kennel. Rex’s head rested on her thigh. Beside her, an empty food bowl sat. Two misplaced souls found comfort in each other. Dan struggled to look away from the sweet pair. Worse, he wanted to wrap Brooke and Rex in his embrace and make promises he couldn’t keep. He squeezed the water bottle until the plastic crackled and crumpled, trying to break up his stray impulses, too.
“Am I interrupting?” Iain asked behind them.
No, the vet was saving Dan from himself. Dan turned around, concentrated on Iain Porter and on the fact that his life was perfectly fine. Perfectly full with his son, his dad and his friends. Dan was happy and content and definitely not interested in messing that up. Besides, Brooke was a temporary tenant in his in-law unit and little more than a stranger. He only hoped his reckless thoughts to comfort Brooke were temporary, too.
“Brooke coaxed Rex out of his kennel and got him to eat.” Sophie wiped at her eyes.
“Impressive.” Iain shifted to look inside the room and waved to Brooke. “I still need to examine Rex when he’s ready.”
“You might need Brooke with you,” Dan suggested. Dan, on the other hand, did not need Brooke with him. He’d prove that as soon as he left and got on with his day.
“Not a bad idea,” Iain said. Brooke stepped out of the room. Iain didn’t waste time. “Archie made it through, but I’d like to keep him overnight for observation.”
Brooke nodded. Dan tensed, waited for the impact, ready to offer his support.
Yet Brooke stood stoic, clearly able to support herself. Dan retreated a small step, reminding himself he was content supporting himself and his son.
“Can I see him?” Brooke asked.
“In about an hour,” Iain said. “We’ll have him moved into a more comfortable kennel.”
“Did Archie cause more damage to himself?” Brooke squeezed her hands together. Worry flattened her mouth, and she lowered her voice. “Did Luna cause damage?”
“There was an infection at the surgery site. Several clots beneath the incision.” Iain touched Brooke’s shoulder, his voice reassuring. “They were trying to heal him.”
