Page 83 of Sanctuary

“No problem, sweetheart. We know you have work to do.”

Gabe wasn’t work at all. Gabe was play, or she very much would be if Saturday went according to plan. But she’d let her mom know that later in the week. They had a lot of planning to do for the auction before Lori could let herself drift into birthday celebrations.

“It was wonderful to meet you both,” Gabe said. “Lori said she was going to bring you to the garage to see the Brewster during the week, so I guess I’ll see you then. My team would love to hear more about your vet plans, Hank.”

“Absolutely, Gabe. And if any of you have any buddies in New York who would benefit from being part of it, write me a list of their names and where to find them, and I’ll make sure they’re some of the first people to be part of the project.”

“Thank you, Hank. We’ll give it some serious thought.”

Lori followed Gabe out of the house. Gabe’s biceps strained at the cuffs of her T-shirt, still pumped from hefting all her parents’ bags upstairs. Lori bit her lip as she thought about Gabe’s arms straining for other, more fun, reasons. “Thank you for playing valet for my parents. Dad doesn’t look like his usual energetic self. I think that might be the first time I’ve ever heard him accept help like that.”

Gabe shrugged. “It was no problem, really. Luckily it was chest and shoulders day at the gym this morning, so my arms could cope.”

Lori laughed and tapped Gabe’s shoulder. “Like those few bags were a strain.” She looked away from Gabe’s inquisitive glance. She had to tone it down, or she’d never make it to Saturday. And she really wanted to make Saturday special. She wanted their first time to be on Egyptian cotton sheets in a room with a view of Lake Michigan, and their second round to be in a steamy, marbled wet room. And their third round over the back of a suede sofa with that same view, city lights and moonlight sparkling off the water’s surface.

She pulled herself together and unlocked Max’s gate. “Max is doing so well,” she said. He was already waiting at the end of his run for Gabe to arrive. Lori put him on a leash and handed it to Gabe. “I think it’s time to start thinking about getting him a forever home.”

“Oh, really?” Gabe ran her hand across the back of her head and nibbled on her bottom lip. “What does that entail? How long does it take?”

“It’s not complicated. Although potential adopters have to fill in an application form, and we do a couple of house visits to make sure they’re a good fit and the family home is stable. But it’s impossible to say how long that might take.”

“House visits?” Gabe didn’t look at Lori and stroked Max’s ears. “Do you only allow locals to adopt?”

Lori shook her head. “Our adoption program covers the whole country. That’s one of the reasons we can attract the funding we do.”

“You make it sound as serious as fostering kids. Do they have a checklist that they have to score a minimum percentage on?”

“It is serious, Gabe.” Lori thought Gabe understood that. “We have to make sure that people aren’t adopting our pups just to put them to work—or worse. There are some horror stories out there, you know? People might think our checks are excessive, but we don’t care. Our primary concern is for our dogs’ welfare.” She eased up, realizing that she’d gone into placard-waving defensive mode. “So yes, we have a comprehensive checklist and a pass percentage.”

Gabe cleared her throat and looked up at Lori. “Do you think I’d pass?”

Lori sighed. That’s what was going on. How had she missed it? “That depends on your answers to the questions and your home situation. Dogs are social animals, and a lot of what we’ve been doing with Max over the past couple of months has been on recultivating that instinct. If you’re out at work all day, every day, then?—”

“I’d take him with me to the shop,” Gabe said. “I wouldn’t leave him at home all day alone. I know that’s not good for a dog.”

“Has this been your plan all along?” Lori asked, not yet certain if she’d be angry if it had been. She didn’t want to think that Gabe had just gotten closer to her so that she’d have a better chance of adopting Max.

Gabe wrapped her arm around Max’s neck and pulled him closer to kiss his snout. “Actually, no. I wasn’t sure I’d be up to it until I got settled. I won’t lie and say that I hadn’t thought about it though, but I didn’t know if it would be possible, if he would ever go back to the Max I knew before the insider attack.”

“And has he?”

Gabe’s wide grin was a far more genuine answer to Lori’s question than any words she could utter. “You’ve got to admit that he’s a different dog from how he was even when I first showed up, right?”

Lori nodded. “I can’t argue that. He advanced more in the first two weeks of you being around than he had in the previous ten months.”

Gabe’s eyes lit up with a joy Lori thought could illuminate the darkest recesses of her fears and put the shadows to rest.

“Exactly,” Gabe said. “So who else do I have to convince that he’d be more than okay if he came to live with me?”

Lori looked toward the house. She had to get back to her parents. They had a lot to discuss, but she also didn’t want to leave this conversation, didn’t want to leave Gabe. “No one else. Whoever the dog or horse takes a shine to more than the other staff gets to do the interview process. Max has always been more comfortable with me, as much as he was comfortable with anyone until you came along, so I’ll be the one assessing anyone who wants to adopt Max.”

Gabe frowned. “Woody showed me the adoptee page on your website. Would Max have to go on there, and I’d have to compete with other people?”

Lori wanted to tease her and say that yes, that was the process, but Gabe seemed so vulnerable and emotional right now that Lori just couldn’t do it. “That’s how it usually works, but when the animal’s old handler shows an interest, they jump the line.”

“Oh my God, really?” Gabe half-moved toward Lori then stopped. She gave Max’s hind quarters a firm pat instead. “Just say the word. I’ll jump through whatever hoops you need me to, but I’m serious about this. I want Max to come live with me.”

Lori squeezed Gabe’s arm and smiled. “We’ll talk about it next week when my parents have gone. My focus is the auction while they’re?—”

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