Page 104 of Reckless Harmony

“Uh oh,” Stark said.

“She’s okay,” Rayna said. “Well, she fell and broke her hip, but she’s in the hospital and doing well. However, when Ian went into the house, he discovered she had a lot of dogs.”

“How many?” Stark asked.

“Twenty-seven,” she said.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. They’re all Shih-tzu crosses, and all of them have matted fur and overgrown nails, and a bunch of them have eye infections. The house smelled terrible.” Rayna shuddered in his arms. “Urine and feces were ankle deep on the floor.”

“That’s awful,” he said.

“It really is,” she said. “The poor woman was honestly trying her best with the dogs, but she got overwhelmed, and it devolved into a hoarding problem.”

He rubbed her lower back as she sighed. “For the last few days, I’ve been working on getting the dogs examined by a vet, having the more severely matted ones groomed, and trying to find a place for them to go. The woman has agreed to surrender all of the dogs, but Little Whiskers doesn’t have the financial capacity or the number of fosters needed to help all of them.”

“Where are they now?” he asked.

“Still at the house,” she said, her face twisting. “I feel terrible about that, but we don’t have anywhere else for them to go currently. Myself and other volunteers go to the house every few hours to take them outside and check on them, but it’s still a pretty awful environment for them.”

She hesitated before resting her forehead on his chest. He continued to rub her back, and they stood in silence, the only sound in the room the rasp of Molly's tongue as she groomed her babies.

When Rayna slid her arms around his waist and let her whole body lean against him, warmth flooded his chest. He hated that she’d had such a terrible few days but loved that she was seeking comfort from him.

Her voice muffled, Rayna said, “Between my regular job, the normal rescue stuff I take care of, and trying to help these dogs, it’s been a really long fucking week.”

“What can I do to help?” he asked. “I could keep a couple of the dogs here if that helps.”

She lifted her head to smile at him. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve found a rescue that’s willing to take all of the dogs.”

“That’s great,” he said.

“It is, but the rescue is in New York, which means I need to find a way to get the dogs to them,” she said. “Between myself and two other volunteers, we can drive all of the dogs to New Cassel this weekend, but getting them from New Cassel to New York isn’t as easy. I’ve already talked to my boss and am taking vacation days on Monday and Tuesday, but my driver volunteers only have Sunday to help, and that isn’t enough time to drive all of the dogs to New York and return home.”

She leaned her head against his chest again, and he kneaded the back of her neck. She made a soft groan of relief. “That feels good. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Sorry to dump all of this on you,” she said.

“It’s fine.”

Her stomach growled loudly, and she grimaced.

“When did you eat last?” he asked.

“I had some toast for breakfast.” She pushed away from him, and he was surprised by his intense desire to pull her back into his arms immediately.

“I need to go.” She glanced at her watch. “I have a few different people in the rescue community that I can contact who might be able to help arrange a dog transport train to New York. But it’s a huge coordination effort, and the rescue in New York wants them there by Tuesday at the latest. Otherwise, they won’t be able to help.”

“Why not?” he asked.

She rubbed her forehead, another look of weariness crossing her face. “I have no idea, and I didn’t ask. I lucked out that they’ll even take the dogs, and I don’t want to do anything to annoy them.”

She turned to leave, and he caught her hand. “I haven’t eaten dinner either. Why don’t you relax on the couch, and I’ll order us something?”

“That’s okay,” she said. “I’ll grab some cereal at home.”

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