Chapter 14
ZINA
I got out of the truck and held tight to Buster’s leash.
It had been his turn to spend the night last night.
He was such a good dog, I had half a mind to adopt him myself.
Maybe I would if he didn’t find a family during the big adoption event I had coming up this weekend.
I’d managed to avoid making a commitment to any of the pups up to this point, but where had it gotten me?
It was my favorite time of day. The sun hadn’t woken up yet, and the town was still quiet. So was the warehouse. With Alex and Toby working until the late evening hours on the penguin habitat for the past two weeks, I’d embraced any chance I got to enjoy the peace and quiet.
That was the main reason I preferred the early morning shift .
. . so I could have a chance to think while I went about the routine of feeding the dogs and letting them out a few at once.
Thinking time had been at a premium lately, especially since it seemed Alex was standing around every corner, muscles bulging, dimple winking, lips curling into any number of smiles.
Seemed like I’d memorized all of his smiles, and he had quite the collection.
My favorite had to be the cocky-into-vulnerable-grin combination.
He didn’t share that one very often. I’d seen plenty of the plain ol’ cocky grin.
If I didn’t know better, I’d assume that was the only one he had.
But when he let down his guard, especially around one of his nieces, the unsure, unconfident, vulnerable part of him came through.
That was the Alex I’d started falling for. Which was no good at all.
The way he’d barged in, taken over the warehouse, and kept making assumptions should have been driving me up a wall. But I could tell it was all a front. Hopefully he’d be long gone before he let down his guard for good. Because he was the kind of man who could ruin me if I let him.
I opened the door, and Buster went in first. The lights were on in the back of the warehouse, where I kept the dogs. My stomach clenched. Did someone forget to turn them off last night?
Before I had a chance to check, the thump of a deep bass came from the radio I’d set up in the back. Morty’s voice punctuated the silence. “Who let the dogs out? Me! Me!”
I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing out loud. I crept closer, trying to see if he had the moves to go with the song. But then Herbie barked and ran over to greet me.
Morty reached out to silence the music.
“Good morning.” I bit down on my bottom lip at the shock on his face.
“How long have you been here?” He whipped a comb out of his back pocket and ran it through his hair.
“Not long.”
“Good, that’s good. I just came out to lend a hand. I’m an early riser so I figured I’d pitch in with the dogs.” He smiled but didn’t make eye contact.
I was afraid I might lose my semblance of control if he did. “Thanks. You don’t have to keep doing that though.”
“I don’t mind. Makes an old man feel useful.” He nodded, slipped his comb back in his pocket, and called to Herbie. “I got them all fed. Do you mind if I take a couple out back so they can get some exercise?”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
He disappeared through the back door, and I let out the laugh I’d been holding back. What would Alex think about his grandpa jamming with the dogs? I unclipped Buster from his leash and filled a bowl of kibble for him.
As I bent to set it down on the ground, Alex came through the door.
“Hey, have you seen my gramps?”
“He’s out back with a couple of the dogs. What are you doing out here so early?” The sun had yet to peek over the horizon. This was supposed to be my “me time” before the Sanders men got going for the day.
“They’re bringing in the pool feature today, so I wanted to make sure everything’s ready. Gramps isn’t bothering you or getting in the way, is he?”
“No, he’s been helping. This is the third time this week he beat me to the breakfast routine.”
“Good.” Alex grinned, and dammit, there was the slightest sliver of vulnerability in the depths of those ocean-blue eyes.
I commanded my heart to stop the funny squeeze-fluttery thing it was doing. “He’s really good with the dogs.”
“He’s been helping a lot with the habitat, too.” Alex moved to the workbench he’d set up along the wall and set out some more of his gramps’s tools he’d collected from the ranch. “He seems, I don’t know, happier since we moved in here.”
“And how about you?” I cocked my head. “Are you acclimating to being back in Texas?”
“I guess I am. It’s been nice getting to know my nieces, even if they thought I was a lot cooler when I lived by the South Pole.” His eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled.
“Kids will keep you humble.”
“Well then, humility is about to become my greatest strength. Did you get coffee yet?” He held out a thermos.
“Not yet. I was hoping to bum some off of your grandpa after I fed the dogs.” I took the mug Alex handed me, grateful for the incoming kick of caffeine.
“It’s been nice spending some time with him. Makes me wonder what it might have been like if I hadn’t left in the first place.”
I sensed the opportunity for a few minutes of real talk, not the flirtatious banter we’d been slinging back and forth for the past two weeks. “What do you think would have happened?”
He shrugged. “Probably would have finished college, then gone on to vet school like I’d planned.”
“And it’s too late for that now?” I pressed.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something and then closed it again, just as fast. “Hey, I think Toby’s here.”
Saved by the contractor. I silently cursed the man for his unintended interruption.
Alex
I spent the rest of the morning working side by side with Toby and his crew.
Finally, just after one, I sat back and wiped my arm across my forehead.
Somehow the sweat still trickled down to my eyes.
At least the water feature was installed.
I’d rigged the hose to start filling the pool.
Toby promised to have the dome set up by the end of the week and then we’d be ready for the penguins.
All I needed now was for Zina to get those dogs out of here. The insurance adjuster was giving her a major runaround on the settlement to get the roof repaired, but she’d promised multiple times to get the dogs moved out before the penguins moved in.
I didn’t know what I’d do if she didn’t come through.
Dogs were a lot more adaptable than a half dozen penguins.
With any luck her numbers would go down after the adoption event she had planned for this weekend.
I’d even been roped into volunteering to help, starting with giving all of the dogs a bath.
Anything I could do to clear the warehouse of dogs and the sexy do-gooder who’d been getting under my skin.
I felt bad for how much time she was spending with those dogs.
Losing the shelter made everything worse for her.
What used to take her an hour to do in the mornings now took about three times as long since she had to take the dogs out one or two at a time on leashes instead of letting them run free in a fenced-in yard.
“Hey, Alex. Can you get the door?” Gramps asked.
“Sure.” I pushed open the door so Gramps and the two dogs he had with him could make their way through. “What are you doing?”
Gramps held tight as the dogs tugged in opposite directions on their leashes. “Come on, girls. We’re going this way today.” He increased his pace and the dogs moved to stay ahead of him.
“Gramps?” I increased my pace to keep up. “What’s going on?”
“Just pitching in. I don’t want to be thought of as deadweight around here.”
“Who called you deadweight?” I immediately tensed. Did Lacey say something about us staying at the house?
“No one. But a man can feel when he’s not doing his fair share. That girl needs help with the dogs and I’ve got the time, so I’m pitching in.”
I stepped back as the trio passed me. Was I seeing things or was Gramps holding his head a little bit higher?
There seemed to be a new bounce in his step as well.
Maybe the old man had found some purpose.
If that was the case, I was glad. I could only imagine what it might feel like to have my best days behind me.
Although, if I didn’t pull this wedding off, my best days might be behind me, too.
Maybe now that Gramps had something to help with, he might not be as down.
One could hope. That reminded me. I hadn’t called for an update on where Gramps stood on the waiting list for a while.
I picked up my phone and pulled up the number to the nursing home over in Cramden.
Gramps might not like it, but even he would have to agree that once we were done with the wedding, he couldn’t go back to Char’s.
It just wasn’t a long-term solution. Once I figured out where I was headed after this, Gramps wouldn’t have a choice but to make peace with the fact he couldn’t live on his own anymore and get used to someplace new.
I waited for someone to pick up the phone.
“Water’s Edge. How can I help you?” The voice on the other end of the phone held no warmth.
“I’m calling to check up on where my grandfather’s name falls on your waiting list,” I said.
“Name?”
“Mortimer Sanders.”
“Hold, please.” An irritating rendition of a song I vaguely recognized blared through the phone. I tried to curb my annoyance while I waited.
With a jarring click, the woman was back on the line. “I’m sorry but we don’t have a Mortimer Sanders on the list.”
“That’s impossible.” I put my hand to my forehead. “I called a couple of weeks ago and added him myself. There’s got to be a mistake.”
“Hold, please.” The music came back on the line.
With my stomach flip-flopping, I didn’t have a choice but to stand by.
“I see we had Mortimer Sanders on the list, but he was removed last week. If there’s nothing else I can help you with—”