Page 15 of Lee

As he was talking, the door to the room opened, and Rachel slipped in.

“Hey, Rachel,” Lee said as he turned to face her. “Come to meet our newest resident?”

“And the newest employee.” Rachel held her hand out to Rori, a friendly smile lighting up her face. “I’m Rachel.”

“Rori,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”

Lee could see the curiosity on the teen’s face. From the moment he’d started work at the clinic, he’d appreciated the outgoing and friendly attitude Rachel had. She was great with people who came into the shelter, and he was sure that more than one person had adopted a pet because of Rachel.

She was also good at reading a person’s character, and there had been a couple of times when she’d advised them not to allow someone to adopt a pet. Her passion for the care and wellbeing of the animals at the shelter was great to see, and as someone else who loved animals, he appreciated that.

“How’s this beautiful pup?” Rachel said, switching her attention to the dog. She moved to stand next to Lee and crooned softly at the dog.

Lee let her do her thing because there were times she could reach a dog that he hadn’t been able to.

“Can I go in?” Rachel asked, glancing over at him.

“He was skittish when he was brought in but didn’t seem aggressive.”

With a nod, Rachel opened the gate and stepped into the area with the dog. Lee crossed his arms as he watched her.

Rori leaned closer to him. “Is it safe for her?”

“Yes. She knows the rules, and she has experience with animals like this.”

“She’s so young,” Rori murmured.

“Yep. But she loves animals, and she’s been working here for a couple of years already. Longer than me.”

Rori looked up at him. “How long have you been here?”

“A couple of months.”

“Oooh, look,” Rori said, her attention back on Rachel, who was now seated with her legs crossed not far from the dog.

She held a treat out, talking softly to the animal. When the dog’s tail thumped once, Lee smiled. It wasn’t long before the dog lay down, his head pointed in Rachel’s direction, resting on his paws.

“Aren’t you a pretty boy?” Rachel said. “Do you want a treat?”

Her voice was a bit louder, but still gentle. The dog’s response was to thump his tail a few more times.

“That is so amazing,” Rori said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Lee glanced over to see a big smile lighting up Rori’s face as she watched Rachel interact with the dog. Her joy was clearly visible, and it gave Lee hope that she really would fit in well at the clinic.

Soon, Rachel had the dog eating out of her hand. Literally.

Once the dog had warmed up to the teen, Lee joined them, keeping his movements slow and cautious. He was aware of Rori behind them as they continued to work with the dog. Lee was relieved when they got to the point where he could get close enough to check the dog over.

“I think we should name him…” Rachel paused and leaned over to cup the dog’s face in her hands. The dog’s tail continued to thump against the floor. “Oslo.”

“Why Oslo?” Lee asked.

Rachel had taken on the job of naming the animals that came into the shelter, and she usually had an interesting reason for the names she chose.

“We were watching a documentary about Norway last night, and I liked the name.”

Lee chuckled softly as he checked over the dog.

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