Page 16 of Lee

His cursory check of the dog revealed nothing alarming, and hopefully now that he’d warmed up to Rachel, they’d be able to bathe and groom him and then do a few more tests.

Cap joined them a few minutes later, greeting Rori before turning his attention to Rachel and the dog. “We gonna give this guy a bath?”

“Yep,” Rachel said. “Hopefully he’s relaxed enough to tolerate it.”

Lee got to his feet. “Let me know when you’re done.”

Rachel looked up at him and nodded.

As he walked back to the gate, Lee saw that Rori was watching them all with wide eyes and a smile. “I’m heading back to the other side. Are you going to hang out here?”

Rori shook her head. “I should probably get back to Cheryl. Pretty sure my job description doesn’t include spending all my time hanging out with the animals.”

“No, probably not all your time,” Lee agreed as they made their way back to the clinic side of the building. “But it’s good that you’re aware of how the shelter operates too. Even if most of your attention will be on the clinic.”

“Thank you for allowing me to go with you to see the dog,” she said as they reached the reception desk. Her smile was warm, lighting up her eyes, and it made Lee smile in return.

“You’re welcome.” Lee dragged his attention from Rori to Cheryl. “I’ll be in the back. Please let me know when the Carrols arrive.”

She nodded. “Will do.”

The slower pace of the Serenity clinic was both good and bad. He appreciated not having to rush through appointments, but sometimes the work hours passed slowly if there were only a few patients coming in.

After his last appointment of the morning, Lee made his way to the staff room. He’d just finished a quick prayer for his lunch when Alys came into the room with Rori. The women got their lunches from the fridge, then joined him at the round table.

“How has your morning gone, Rori?” Alys asked as she opened her floral lunch bag.

Rori looked up from where she was unwrapping a sandwich and smiled. “It’s been great.”

“You spent some time on the shelter side, huh?”

She nodded. “I saw the newest dog there. He seemed so sweet, especially the way he responded to Rachel.”

“Everyone loves Rachel, especially the animals,” Alys said.

Rori’s smile seemed to falter for a moment before taking over her face again. “I can see why. She’s very sweet.”

“The downside is that she gets so attached to the animals that it can be upsetting for her when they leave,” Alys said.

“I think I’d cry too.” Rori took a small bite of her sandwich, then set it down to take a drink from her water bottle. “But as long as they’re going to a good home, that might make it a little easier.”

“We try our best to vet anyone adopting an animal,” Lee said.

“And we follow up a few days after they take it home,” Alys added. “We also let them know that if it turns out the animal isn’t a good fit, they’re welcome to bring it back. The last thing we want is for a pet to be in a place that doesn’t work well for them.”

“It’s good that you all care so much about the animals,” Rori said.

“Yep.” Alys got up to put her lunch in the microwave. “Do you think you’ll want to adopt a pet?”

Rori took another small bite of her sandwich and shook her head. “Not for a while. I need to get a bit more settled first.”

“Are you a dog or cat person?” Alys asked.

“After hanging out with my mom’s cat, I’m thinking perhaps I’m more of a dog-person.”

Alys glanced at Lee. “Did she meet the kittens?”

“Nope. Just the newest dog.”

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