Page 13 of Taming Georgia

I get Skye settled into her kennel and refill her water bowl before latching the door closed.

“How was she?” Ethel asks from behind me.

I turn to face her. “She was incredible. She loves the snow. She couldn’t stop dancing around. It was so cute.”

“She does love it,” Ethel agrees. “I wanted to introduce you to the man in charge. I don’t know if you noticed the new addition since you’ve been back?”

“Yeah, I saw her. Poor baby.”

“Yes, but the good news is that she won’t go hungry anymore, and her puppies won’t be left to fend for themselves on the streets of Detroit. After I introduce you to the boss, I was wondering if you’d like to help me give our new addition a bath before taking the next dog out.”

“Sure, I’d love to help.”

“Great. Bending over to wash the dogs really does a number on my back. I guess that’s a sign that I’m getting old.”

“Come on, you’re not old.” I playfully nudge her arm with mine as we make our way to the office.

“You’re a breath of fresh air, Georgia. Promise you’ll come back tomorrow?” She chuckles.

“Of course. I told you over the phone, not much scares me.”

“Okay, you remember that.” She shoots me a wink as she opens the office door. She whispers, “He can come off as a real ass, but he has a heart of gold. You’ll warm to him, I promise.”

The man standing behind the metal desk raises his stern stare to meet mine and says, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

I’m going to have to tell Ethel, that’s one promise she won’t be keeping.

3

“I could spend the rest of my life never interacting with humans again.”—Wyatt Gates

“It’s okay, baby girl. No one’s going to hurt you.” I make shushing sounds as I pet our new pup’s head.

She’s ready to pop out a litter any day, and she’s still just a puppy herself. She’s also extremely malnourished, so she might be a little older than she appears.

Different day, same shit.

I’ve been in the rescue business for years, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. There aren’t any fewer dogs in need. I don’t know what it’s going to take for people to learn to care for their animals.

After we’ve sat idle for a few minutes, allowing the pregnant pup to calm her nerves a little, I turn off the ignition.

“Ready to go in, eat something, and get cleaned up?” I ask her in a soft voice.

“Easy, Coops,” I say when I see my big boy barreling toward me.

He immediately stops and allows me space to get the crate situated, so I can let the new girl out into her kennel. Cooper is a bull in a china shop; that’s for sure. Yet he’s so good with other dogs. He knows when to back off.

After I’ve given the new girl some food and water and closed her kennel door, Cooper jumps on me, knocking me to my butt while attacking me with his kisses.

“You’re such a brute,” I tell him through a chuckle. “Down, Cooper. Down.”

He sneaks one extra-long tongue swipe against my cheek before hopping off me.

“I missed you, too, dude,” I tell him.

I find Ethel filing paperwork in the office and give her a rundown of the rescue.

“You should’ve taken Xavier or one of the guys with you. You’re lucky you caught her,” she chastises me.

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