Page 58 of No Bones About It

Next, she had Garrett and Olaf take their spot. Piper held out her hand. “I’ll take the camera. You need to be in the picture.”

Kimi shook her head. “Olaf is totally Garrett’s dog.”

Instead of arguing, Garrett tugged her hand and brought her over to the photo area. He sat on the stool and settled her on his knee. Giving in, she rested her arm around his shoulder. Olaf stood in front of them, looking proud and happy.

“Say Gotcha!”

It wasn’t long before the pictures were printed, and Nina set several paper plates on the conference table. Each was filled with a small amount of animal friendly paint in different colors.

Owen held Flups as they walked around the table three times, discussing the pros and cons of each color.

Flups barked when they stopped at the turquoise, so they used that color for his paw print on the wall.

Olaf walked around the table on his own and inspected the plates. When he stopped to sniff at the soft brown, she laughed. “That’s the same color as your Stetson, Garrett. I wonder if he associates it with you?”

Garrett’s smile widened, and he rubbed down the dog. “Good choice, buddy. Now, let’s get some paint on your paw.”

Olaf let Garrett stick his paw in the paint and then press his paw into the wall beside their picture. He looked confused but was willing to help out his human.

After they’d cleaned the paws, Nina brought out the treats Fiona had brought. Dog biscuits for the guests of honor, and cupcakes for the humans.

When everyone was eating, she joined Garrett, who stood in front of the wall of pictures. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hair. “This wall sent me running on the first day I met you. I hadn’t realized all my buddies had dogs. The sight of them nearly knocked me on my ass. I couldn’t handle it then.”

“And now?”

He chuckled. “It’s good. All good. I’ve got my heart back, Kimi. Shaggy would love all of this. She’d love you.”

Her heart filled with joy at his words. “We can add her picture up here, too.”

He shook his head. “No. I think I’ll put that up in the other barn or up at the house. This is the Phail Gotcha Wall.”

They laughed together, and he hugged her close. “That sounds ridiculous.”

She grinned. “Which means it perfectly suits this town.”

CHAPTER 20

Names Will Never Hurt You

Aweek later

Kimi smiled as she checked her email. The lab where she’d sent Onigis’s bloodwork had been backed up, and it had taken far more than the usual two weeks to get the results.

She clicked open the email and studied the chart. Definite evidence of illegal steroid use. She’d expected Wade Hendry to be the kind of trainer who would stoop to that level, and he’d proven her right.

She documented the information for her own files and forwarded the results, along with her own testing and data, to the appropriate authorities in New York. Hendry should be out of business in short order.

In her email, she offered to assist with the care of any horses that would be seized. Being in a different state meant she’d have to jump a few hoops, but her reputation and Garrett’s newly minted therapy business should be enough. As long as the horses went to safe places, she didn’t care where. She hadn’t met any of them yet, so she wasn’t attached.

Which brought her thoughts back to Astro. She had talked with Terese several times to get updates on all the dogs, but especially the one who’d stolen their hearts.

The dogs were being cared for by vets and people with experience with traumatized animals. They didn’t want any of the dogs up for adoption until they were assured they wouldn’t act aggressively. She’d put in a request for Astro and offered to help with rehabilitation for other dogs as needed. She hoped assisting with the FBI op would help her case, even if she was in a different state.

Done with her paperwork for the day, she left her office and headed to the stall containing the cats and rabbits. The animals were content together, and this space would be great for winter, but they needed a better summertime option for the bunnies.

For now, she was going to test the most outgoing kitten over in Garrett’s barn with the horses. She grabbed Bill from where he sat on top of the hay bales that were supposed to keep them contained. “Now that you’re all old enough, I guess it’s time to take down the hay bales and let you explore. We’ll do that later. For now, how about we introduce you to some horses?”

Bill curled into her, and she headed outside. They stopped and spoke with Onigis. “I think it’s moving day for you as well. How would you like to move in with Kitty, Oscar, and Grover? We can do that this evening when traffic on the road should be lighter.”

---