Page 36 of Wicked Healing

“Yes,” he told her firmly. “If I’m doing this I’m not going to be depending on anyone anymore than I need to.”

She laughed lightly. “That’s awesome, Luca. I have to admit I was a little worried about what you planned to do once you got down here.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, a little lame. She probably thought he’d planned on asking her for rides and stuff. “I’m not going to be a burden, Erin. I promise you that.”

“I never thought you would be,” she told him softly. “Well, you driving yourself means two days I won’t have to cover here. My mom will cover for me, and I have a neighbor that helps out occasionally, but if I don’t have to rely on them it’s better. The dogs don’t always accept changes in their schedules and caretakers well.”

“Yes, completely right,” Luca said. “I will have a few boxes of personal things I’d like to bring, but a lot of it I’ll leave in storage, probably.”

“I’m glad you’re driving. It’s that much less I’ll have to bill your mother, too. She did not appreciate paying for my trip up there last week. Carolina got an earful, the poor thing.”

Luca winced, though she couldn’t see him. “Sorry about that.”

“Carolina deals with every type. She was fine.”

And as much as he loved his father, his mother was going to drive him to the looney bin.

“I’ll tell him you’re good with the visit, then and I’ll text you when I leave here. Thanks, Erin.”

“No problem, babe. And if he needs to spend the night I have the space. Make sure he and Hope are okay with animals, please.”

Luca blinked. Had she called him babe?

“Will do. Later.”

“Later.”

* * *

As soon asLuca disconnected Erin let out a little scream that brought the dogs running. What the hell had her tongue been thinking? Calling him babe… jeez.

She shook her head and reassured the dogs, then headed back into her bathroom for a shower. Reaching into the stall she cranked the water to hot, then stood impatiently waiting for it to heat up. When the steam began to roll she dropped the towel to the floor and stepped inside. Immediately her muscles began to release and soften. She’d been working hard since she’d come home, cleaning the apartment and catching up on the kennel work. When her mother took over for her she took care of feeding and watering and light cleaning, but the heavy scrubbing was Erin’s job. She didn’t mind it. It was mindless, easy work and it allowed her to keep track of the dog’s health.

It was hard juggling as many dogs as she boarded, but after having them for so long she knew which animals would be social and which ones preferred not to be. There was a large run on the far side of the kennel, opposite the horse pasture, with double-diamond fence all around the perimeter. It allowed the dogs to run and be social the way they needed to be. And it allowed her time to clean. Or if it was too hot she just let them into the center aisle of the kennel while she cleaned the dog’s room.

The cats she boarded had their own room and their own wall of cages, but she preferred to let them wander. The room was furnished with cat toys and climbing structures from one end to the other and they usually enjoyed being free.

After Erin did the heavy cleaning she went to her office, at the far end of the kennel. It was light and airy and had a small kitchenette in the corner. Actually, kitchenette was being generous. There was a microwave, a Keurig, a sink and a refrigerator. She washed up and popped a chai tea into the Keurig, then sat down to go over her schedule book. Three dogs would be picked up in the next week, but only one was coming in that she knew of. It tended to change every week. There was always some emergency or some foster. She had two vet runs to two different vets in Phoenix. Paging through the book she looked at Saturday. Two pickups, but they should be in the afternoon. She wasn’t sure what time Luca would arrive. Probably the same time. Seems like things always worked out that way.

The apartment was ready. It hadn’t been dirty, just a little neglected. Erin had changed the sheets and washed the blankets, cleaned the hardwood floors and made sure the thermostat was set on the AC unit. It smelled a little musty when it kicked on, but then it hadn’t run for a while. During her regular grocery trip she grabbed him a few essentials and hauled them up to the apartment, storing them in the fridge.

The entire space was ready by the time he called to confirm he was leaving. It was a short conversation, but her heart pounded with excitement. He was on his way. Wicked seemed to sense something going on as well, because he paced the house, then the yard when she let him out.

Airman Palfrey arrived at noon to pick up his pet, a busy mixed-breed called Rocket. The dog was notorious for slipping out of his kennel to play with the other dogs when they were in the run, but Erin usually didn’t mind. He was a happy-go-lucky dude and she could tell he had to have a large amount of golden retriever in him. As soon as she opened the gate to hook him to the leash he bolted for his owner.

Erin smiled as the two were reunited. No matter how many times she did this, she teared up. She couldn’t help herself. It was a beautiful sight, the love between a dog and their human.

Palfrey settled his bill and drove away. He had no sooner turned onto the main road than an unfamiliar truck pulled in. Erin walked to meet them, crossing her arms as the dark blue truck drifted to a stop. Luca grinned at her as he slid out of the vehicle, hobbling a little as he got his legs moving again.

The look on his face was amazing. Satisfied and happy, tired, but he moved toward her confidently, with no cane. Grinning, he reached out and dragged her into a hug. Erin laughed and squeezed him back, loving the feel of his muscular arms around her.

“You broke out of jail,” she said laughing as she forced herself to step back.

Luca nodded, giving her a crooked smile. “You have no idea how good I feel right now.”

Wicked whined from the security pen near the house, and Luca turned in that direction. Erin had put the dog in the pen when she knew Palfrey was coming because she hadn’t known how the two dogs would respond to each other. Rather than risk an incident she’d put him in here.

Luca released the latch on the gate and Wicked lunged at him, as exhilarated as the first time he’d been reunited with his handler. Luca managed to keep his feet this time, moving with the dog as he jumped around.

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