Page 8 of The Darkest Knight

“That’s the truth.” He took a long drink of the coffee, feeling it burn all the way down into his stomach.

“Head injuries are a problem for veterans, but I won’t go into detail because it’s not your problem.” She waved a hand.

He could feel the cool breeze from her stare. “We got off to a bad start.”

“Oh really? That wasn’t your usual friendly welcome? All that charm brings all the girls to the yard, I’m sure.”

He deserved that he guessed. “You’re not the first person to show up with your hand held out. Angelina fell for every sad story.” Once the words were out he wanted to fish them back in. He saw the hurt in her gaze.

“You’ve definitely taught me a lesson. Never ask a millionaire to share his wealth in helping. I guess those tattoos of Ranger pride are just for show.”

Although he laughed, her words cut him to the quick. Then he reminded himself how many charities he’d donated to, including the new wing at the Veteran’s Affairs hospital here in Tennessee. “That was a bit low, but apparently, you didn’t do enough research.”

“I’m not here asking for help for me.”

“You don’t profit in any way?”

“I profit, of course. I see injured men and women get the help they need to lead fairly normal lives after they gave so much to this country.”

The horn beep from outside made them both look toward the door.

She sighed and stood, laying the towel on the table. “That must be my cab.”

“Must be.”

“Come on, Abs.” She had the leash in hand and strolled to the door.

Seth joined her, his mind rapid firing thoughts through his head. One thought stuck in his crawl. Angelina had seen something in either the woman or her project that interested her. Knowing his sister, she would have helped Reese no matter what, but Angelina had wanted Seth to be a part of it. Why? He remembered how she would constantly pester him about doing something with Landing Knight. Now he’d give anything to have her pestering him about everything from his relationship status to his demons. The least he could do was give this woman a chance to explain what she wanted from him. He had to admit that he found the project, and her, fascinating.

The door opened, but Seth stepped in front of her. “Would you still be interested in going over the details of your project?”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Yes. I’d be more than willing to. What do I do with the cab?”

“I’ll make sure you get safely to where you need to be.”

Scrubbing his jaw, he stepped out onto the porch and up to the passenger side of the cab. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a fifty and slipped it to the driver, sending him on his way.

*****

Reese looked across the coffee table at Seth who was eased back into the chair, his legs stretched out and his bare feet propped up. He looked so casual and relaxed, quite opposite to her bundled nerves. She’d planned this moment out in her head and on paper, preparing every detail down to each word that she’d say if given the opportunity. Wanting him to see how important the funding was for the project. Without it there wouldn’t be a chance. And now that the moment was here, she suddenly felt like she’d knocked back a fifth of whisky and her tongue refused to function and form logical words.

“Okay?” he urged.

Come on. Stop this ridiculousness. “Thousands of veterans are coming home, suffering from seizures due to head injuries. Some of them are given meds that can stop the seizures or reduce them, like the treatment I’ve received, but then there are many who have more serious injuries and are having so many episodes that they are incapable of doing simple things, but lack the proper care due to many reasons. I’ve found that most insurance companies don’t cover the costs for aides or nurses for seizure patients. And sometimes medications aren’t covered. I diverse slightly.” She inhaled deeply. “Many are injured from falling during an epileptic episode. This danger could be reduced by providing them with service dogs, but currently insurance companies don’t provide coverage for these exotic, non-medical remedies, and yet they prevent doctor and emergency visits for accidents that occur during an episode. While some can afford a service dog, many cannot. As you probably already know, many veterans come home and find they’re financially worse off than when they left for deployment. Along with the cost of medication....”

“Service dogs have been used for years with the visually impaired, but why haven’t I heard of them being used for those with seizures?”

“Alert dogs are becoming more common in therapeutic areas, but not fast enough to help the veterans that are needing them now. If many of these men and women had an alert dog, their quality of life would improve greatly.”

“I get how alert dogs can help, but I need to better understand how my investment can help, how it will be spent?”

“We will work closely with animal trainers who say it takes around two years to train a dog on basic obedience and service dog skills. It has been found that many dogs already have an innate ability to know when a person is ill, or has an impending illness. Trainers use a positive click and treat method to train dogs, just like Abby was. Unfortunately, considering this is a long, tedious process, it’s not cheap. We need startup costs for pedigreed dogs, trainers, food, and so much more.”

“Would the service dogs be given free to a host?”

“Yes, and hopefully, as the project grows, we can find donations.”

He nodded, steepling his fingers, looking at her over the tips. “How has this training worked for you?”

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