Finally A Bride. Renee Andrews
no time in crouching to his eye level, she performed a perfunctory scan of the quivering puppy in his arms. A mixed breed, brown and black, with quite a bit of Yorkie in him. Bones were visible beneath his thin coat but, at first glance, none appeared to be broken. Probably dropped off on the side of the road, poor thing.
“He wouldn’t eat my snack. I tried to feed him, but he wouldn’t eat it.”
Haley took one of the tissues and tenderly wiped beneath the boy’s left eye, then followed suit with the right. Doubling up the last two tissues, she asked, “Can you blow your nose for me?”
He nodded, placed his nose in the center and proceeded to make a sound like something she’d expect to hear from one of her animals instead of a darling little boy. Sniffing, he completed by rubbing his nose against the tissues before glancing at Haley. “Sorry. I blow loud.”
She smiled. “Yes, you do, but that’s okay.” She wiped the wadded tissues beneath his nose again, then tossed them in a small trash can in the lobby. “What’s your name?”
Another sniff. “Eli.”
“That’s a nice name.”
“It’s from the Bible.” His eyes blinked overtime to battle more tears.
Haley nodded, not wanting to stir the pot by acknowledging she knew the story about Eli and Samuel. Mrs. Martin would enter the lobby soon, and Haley didn’t want any additional reminders that she should be at church. Therefore, she changed her focus from the boy’s name to the quivering animal and held her palm in front of the puppy’s nose. He made no attempt to move toward her to get a better scent, which should have come from mere instinct. “And what is this little guy’s name?”
“Mr. Gavin called him Buddy when we found him in the woods.”
Haley glanced toward the opposite side of the lobby, where a man had his back turned to her and talked quietly on his phone. Mr. Gavin, she presumed. He didn’t seem overly concerned with the little boy’s dilemma, which didn’t earn him any brownie points in Haley’s book. Was he the boy’s stepdad? A teacher? Mom’s apathetic boyfriend?
It bothered her tremendously to see adults neglecting a child. Her own parents had been amazing at supporting her growing up, attending every activity and encouraging her through every step of her veterinary dreams.
A shame that, after being the model husband to her mother and perfect dad to Haley, her father had turned his back on them completely.
She winced, not wanting to go there again.
The truth was, in spite of her dad eventually letting her down, she’d wanted to be the kind of parent and have the kind of family she’d had growing up. She’d wanted children desperately and had planned to have at least one by the time she was thirty.
That milestone birthday had passed last month and since she’d now decided against all dating and relationships, children certainly weren’t in the picture. But she could still be around them and show them that someone cared. That’d been her main reason for wanting to start the new Adopt-an-Animal program for Willow’s Haven.
Mr. Gavin continued talking on his phone and Haley all but snarled toward his back.
She returned her attention to the one who needed it. “Buddy—that’s a great name.” She scanned the puppy. His fur was dull and brittle, eyes opened marginally then closed again, as if he didn’t have the energy to look at who held him. Running a finger along his back, she easily felt his spine, which would have been visible had it not been for a thin layer of scruffy, dry hair.
“He wouldn’t eat my fruit snacks,” Eli said, anxious to provide insight as to what was wrong with his new friend. He’d made this statement a couple of times already, obviously wanting her to know he’d done his best to assist the little pup.
Haley nodded. “He hasn’t eaten a lot of food in a while, so he’ll have to take his time learning to eat normally again. But it was very thoughtful of you to try to feed him.”
Eli’s top teeth tugged his lower lip, his eyes blinking as he soaked up every word.
“Think about when you’re sick. When you aren’t feeling well, do you eat a lot?”
“Just soup. And maybe Sprite.” He was absolutely adorable, with his dirty little face and pleading eyes, and so concerned for the puppy in his arms.
“Right. Well, he will need to work up to eating again, too, like you do after you’ve been sick.” She’d continued probing and performing a preexam on the tiny dog while talking to the boy, and she was now fairly certain that no bones were broken. The pup didn’t show signs of distemper, and though his breathing was shallow, he wasn’t struggling for breath. Even so, he wasn’t out of the woods yet. She would need to keep him for treatment, and she hoped the boy would understand.
“He doesn’t eat soup, does he?” Eli asked. “’Cause I could get him some if that’ll make him better.”
“No, he doesn’t, but I can try some other things that his tummy should be okay with, until he can work his way up to eating normal food again.” She placed a finger under Eli’s chin. “Would that be okay, for me to take care of him here for a little while? To help him feel better?” Haley knew the puppy wouldn’t have made it very long in the woods on his own. This little boy, whether he realized it or not, had potentially saved him.
“Do I have to leave him here?” The panic in his voice pierced her heart and his grip on the puppy increased, so that the little animal let out a squeaky yelp.
Haley barely noticed the man on the other side of the lobby turn to face them, because she was too intent on capturing the boy’s attention. “Eli, calm down, honey. I am going to do my best to get him well. I promise.”
He stared at the puppy, still whimpering. “Did I hurt him?”
“You just don’t need to squeeze him so much,” she said. “But I can tell that you aren’t trying to hurt him, and he knows that, too.”
“He does?” Eli looked imploringly to Haley. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Of course. Puppies can tell when someone cares about them, just like people can tell when someone cares about them.” She fought the impulse to glare at the man who had shifted his stance and was now undoubtedly watching their interaction.
“I want to keep him.” Eli took a small step away from Haley. “He doesn’t have anyone to love him, and he’s scared.”
A muffled clearing of a throat caused Haley to finally glance up at Mr. Gavin and, for a moment, her breath caught in her chest. Not what she’d expected. She’d anticipated an older, grumpy, stern-faced gentleman who wouldn’t show concern for the brokenhearted boy. But this man was young, around Haley’s age, she’d guess, with one of the most strikingly masculine faces she’d ever seen.
Haley swallowed, forcing herself to get a grip on the awareness flooding through her. She wouldn’t be swayed by his gorgeous good looks and rugged presence.
The bottom line was that he didn’t seem to care about this little boy’s pain.
And that was reason enough for Haley to dislike the man.
So when he glared at Haley, she glared right back.
* * *
Gavin Thomason had thought taking the seven-year-olds from his cabin for an adventure hike would be a great way to enjoy the crisp October afternoon.
The Claremont Community Church had bought the kids new coats, hats and gloves this afternoon for the upcoming winter months. Knowing the boys had been eager to try out their new things, he’d thought the hike had seemed like a great idea.
So, after assisting all of them with their homework, he’d given each boy a sheet with photos of leaves to find and told them they could don their new winter duds for the adventure, even though the temperature was in the midsixties. He’d planned