Page 52 of Lee

“Yep. First one is a girl.”

Carisa bent her head over her phone. “I want to make note of all the details of the puppies.”

Lee set the puppy back down in the enclosure, placing it close to the mother.

Over the next two hours, they watched as Penelope birthed an additional three puppies. Lee repeated the process of checking each one over, giving Carisa the information she wanted for her records.

Rori loved watching Lee work and his gentleness with the puppies. It reminded her of how he’d been when holding Charli’s baby. Did he treat everyone with the same gentleness?

“It’s so amazing to see her doing this,” Carisa said. “With just her animal instincts to guide her.”

“It is very awe-inspiring,” Lee agreed. “Knowing that without those instincts, the puppies would perish if the mom delivered on her own. Whenever I witness these instincts in animals, it just reinforces my belief in God as our creator.”

Carisa tilted her head as she looked at him. “Are you a Christian?”

“Yes, I am.”

A beaming smile grew on Carisa’s face. “I am too. So are my parents. Do you have a church you attend here?”

Rori kept her gaze on Penelope and the puppies as she listened to Lee and Carisa talk about the church. An ache grew in her heart. In such a short time, the pair had connected in a way Rori had never experienced with someone herself.

Yet again, she was on the outside looking in.

Pressing her clenched hands against her chest, Rori leaned against the enclosure, trying to keep her hands from shaking. It was such a stupid response whenever her emotions welled up inside her. When they just couldn’t be contained.

She’d learned early on not to let her tears flow when feeling hurt. Tears had never benefited her, and in some cases, they’d actually led to more hurt. Tears had given people power over her, and that had never, ever been a good thing.

Over time, she’d learned to hold her emotions back when they threatened to spill out in the form of tears. However, the trade-off, for whatever reason, was that her hands shook. Thankfully, that was easier to hide or explain away than tears were.

“Well, that appears to be the last puppy,” Lee said at last.

Penelope had seemed to settle and was snuffling each of her puppies, licking them and caring for them in her own way. She showed none of the signs that she had as they’d waited between pups.

“Five puppies. Three boys and two girls,” Carisa announced.

“Do you hope to sell any of them?” Lee asked.

“I hadn’t planned to. Just give them away to friends. Do you know anyone who wants a puppy?”

Lee glanced at Rori, but she had no idea why. She’d mentioned getting a cat because it seemed to suit her lifestyle better. “I’m not sure. I could ask around at the clinic. My nieces really want one. But as long as Elsa and I are living with them, I’m pretty sure my sister is going to say no to that.”

As Penelope took care of her puppies, Lee spent a few minutes going over what Carisa should keep an eye on with regards to both the mom and her babies. It seemed like Carisa had done plenty of research into everything surrounding her dog giving birth because her responses seemed well-informed.

“I can’t thank you enough for coming out so late at night to help Penelope. I really appreciate it.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Lee said as he gathered up his things, dropping his gloves into a nearby trash can. “I’ll come back and check on them in a couple of days.”

“And maybe I’ll see you in church on Sunday. We’ll have to see if my mom is up to it.” Carisa paused. “She’s been dealing with some things, which is why we came here. She’s always loved our time spent here, so my dad is hoping it will do her mental health some good.”

“Well, if she needs any medical attention, my brother is a doctor at the clinic in town. Give me a call, and I’ll put you in contact with him.”

“Oh, that’s good to know. If he’s half as good a doctor as you are a vet, my mom would be in good hands.”

Rori folded her arms across her waist as she waited for them to end their conversation. Tiredness filled her, dragging her down, and all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and sleep.

“It was nice to meet you too, Rori,” Carisa said, a warm smile on her face. “Will I see you at church on Sunday as well?”

“Probably,” Rori replied, unwilling to commit one hundred percent to anything right then.

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