Page 47 of Crossroads of Innocence
Jude clapped her hands under her chin and melted into a pile of mush. Dogs sat quietly in their enclosures with rounded eyes trained on her. “They’re all so cute. Oh my goodness, are those their names on the little mats?” she asked, pointing at a bone-shaped rug in front of one of the gates.
Tucker walked from each kennel to the next and lifted the latches for the doors. “Yep. These dogs are treated like royalty around here.”
She waited for them to dart toward her, but all the dogs continued sitting even with freedom in sight. “Don’t they want to see me?”
Wade laughed. “They don’t do anything Tucker doesn’t give them permission to do.”
Once the last gate was unlatched, Tucker clapped his hands twice. “Release.”
The dogs sprang forward, tails wagging and tongues lolling. A German Shepherd leaned against her knees and threatened her balance. She crouched low and hugged the black and tan mound of fur. “I think I’m in love.”
Tucker grinned. “If you want them to love you back you should take them outside. I know it’s a little chilly, but they need to relieve themselves. If you throw a ball a few times, you’ll be their queen.”
“How can I resist that?” She stood and led the pack to the door Tucker indicated.
A buzzing from Wade’s pocket stalled her progress. He plucked out his phone and frowned. “I’ll be outside in few. I need to take this.”
She offered him a smile, letting him know he didn’t need to worry about the green-eyed monster emerging this time, then stepped into the cold mid-morning air.
The dogs dispersed around her. Noses to the long blades of grass and ears twitching to the sounds around them.
Tucker ruffled the head of a Golden Retriever. “I hate why you’re here, but damn, it’s good to see you. You think you’ll stick around after all this shit’s behind you?”
She shrugged and picked up a tennis ball. “A part of me wants to hit the road as soon as I can, but another part knows I’m running from something I can never shake.”
He frowned. “What are you running from?”
“My demons,” she said, chucking the ball across the fenced-in yard. The dogs darted for the toy in a huge cluster.
“Those darn demons stick to you like a burr, no matter how far you run. The secret to getting those suckers to let you go is meeting them head on.”
“I’m realizing that. And the first thing I need to do is make things right with my sister.” She had no desire to fix anything with her father. Jenson was toxic and that would never change. The key to surviving him was separation on all levels. But her sister deserved better. Then there was her mom…
Tucker winced. “We’ve tried to help her. I promise, we have. But me, Chet, and Wade have all had our own fair share of shit to work out over the years and she doesn’t want to hear anything we’ve had to say.”
Her stomach knotted. “She won’t want to listen to me either, but I have to try. And not just once. I need to show her I’m here to stay and will be here to help her in any way I can. In any way she’s willing to accept.”
A slow smile spread on Tucker’s scruffy face. “So you are staying.”
“I guess I am.” Tingles of excitement burst inside her. After all these years, she’d finally found her way home. If she were lucky, that meant Wade was in her life for good.
The door that led into the kennel swung open and Wade hurried outside. “I have to get to the hospital.”
Alarm snuffed out all the building excitement her decision created. “Is it Matthew?”
“No. My mom. She fell and needs surgery.”
Her heart stuttered. Wade had already fought guilt over not seeing his mom yesterday, and now this. “Okay. Let’s go. Tucker, we’ll talk more later.”
“Wait,” Tucker said. “Is it safe for Jude to go with you? Maybe she should stay here.”
The idea of being separated from Wade was like a fist to the gut. “No way. Benji’s dead. Besides, Wade’s bent over backwards for me since the moment I landed back in town. It’s time I do the same for him. Can we leave Macey here?”
“Sure,” Tucker said.
“Thanks.” She captured Wade’s hand and gave a decisive nod, as if to let them both know not to fight her on her decision. The trouble had passed—was dead at the bottom of a mountain road, and it was time she took her life back.
A life where she fought to right her wrongs. A life with Wade by her side.
