Chapter 3
“How can I help you today?” a woman asked when he walked into the Humane Society the following morning.
Lucky couldn’t believe he was doing this, but Grover was right.
He’d missed having pets underfoot. He grew up on a farm in upstate New York and there were always dogs, cats, pigs, ferrets, goats, or some other furry creatures around.
He could even remember one summer when his parents had decided to try to save an orphaned calf, and it had lived inside their house for three months before it got so big they had no choice but to transition it to sleeping in the barn.
“I’d like to adopt a pet,” Lucky told her.
“Great!” the perky woman said. “Do you know what kind?”
“I think a cat. I travel for work, and I think a cat would be easier to have someone take care of when I’m gone.”
“True. Although cats get just as lonely as dogs. Some people think they can leave their cat home alone with a jug of water and a large bowl of food and they’ll be fine. But they need social interaction too.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t leave it alone,” Lucky said. “I’d have a friend come over every day.”
“Okay, good. Do you want a kitten? Older? What color? We have a lot of black cats. Unfortunately, people still buy into the myth that black cats are bad luck.”
“I’m not really sure what I’m looking for,” Lucky admitted. “I kind of thought I could see what you have and go from there.”
“No problem. We usually have adopters fill out paperwork once they find a furever friend. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where the cats are kept and you can take your time and see if anyone catches your eye!”
Lucky barely kept himself from smirking at the woman’s attempts at humor. He followed her to a door off to the left of the reception area. They passed several empty rooms, obviously spaces where potential adopters could hang out with an animal to make sure they were compatible.
The longer he’d thought about it last night, the more sure he’d become of the decision to adopt a pet. He knew Grover had suggested it somewhat as a joke, but Lucky was actually becoming excited to pick out a cat.
The woman opened a door, and the sound of barking dogs immediately assaulted his ears. Another reason to adopt a cat; they didn’t bark their heads off and annoy the neighbors.
The employee smiled at the animals as she guided him past a long row of kennels holding dogs.
Each space was about six feet long by four feet wide.
There were blankets in most of the kennels, along with toys and bowls of food and water.
A chain link fence ran along the length of the kennels, with gates leading into each small space.
Most of the dogs jumped up against the wire, barking as Lucky and the employee walked past.
They were about to enter another room—which Lucky could see held stacks of cages housing cats—when something caught his eye.
Turning, Lucky glanced at a kennel that looked empty at first glance.
It was movement in the very back that had caught his eye.
A shaggy brown dog was huddled in a back corner.
He could see dark brown eyes peering out at him untrustingly.
It wasn’t barking; in fact, the poor thing was shaking and looked as if it hoped he kept walking away as fast as possible.
“Sir?” the woman asked.
Lucky pointed to the dog. “What’s his story?”
“Her. A worker on a demolition crew called her in. She was living in an abandoned house that was set to be torn down. Thankfully, they didn’t tear down the house before finding her inside.
She had to be darted for us to capture her.
She’s extremely skittish, almost feral. We think she’s part terrier, part retriever, maybe. ”
Then Lucky saw something he hadn’t noticed the first time. A smaller pair of eyes peering out from between the dog’s legs.
“Is that a…cat?” he asked.
“Yeah. They were found in the house together. The dog is very protective of his friend. From what we can tell, the dog had a litter, but the puppies didn’t make it. She probably found the kitten and, since she was still lactating and missing her pups, adopted the kitten as her own.
Lucky’s heart melted.
“We haven’t had any luck in socializing them though.
The dog hasn’t loosened up around any of us.
She had to be sedated just so we could examine her, and the cat meowed pitifully the entire time her companion was gone.
Unfortunately, they’re on the euthanasia list for later this week.
As much as we’d like to save everyone, they need to be adopted out together, and with their skittishness, that’s not likely. ”
“I’ll take them,” Lucky said impulsively.
The woman blinked. “What?”
“I’ll adopt them both.”
“Oh, um…I thought you said you wanted a cat?”
“I do. But I’m not opposed to a dog. And these two probably need to be adopted more than any other animal in here.”
“But we haven’t even gotten into the cat room,” the woman said, still sounding confused.
Lucky turned to face her, cocking his head. “Are you trying to talk me out of adopting them?” he asked.
“Well, no, not really. But we don’t even know the full extent of their medical needs. And that dog isn’t going to be the best pet. She’s been on her own too long. Doesn’t trust anyone.”
“Does she have a name? The dog, I mean,” he asked.
“Not officially. But the staff has been calling her Lucky.”
Lucky grinned. Why wasn’t he surprised?
“I’ll need to get some paperwork for you to fill out,” she told him, still sounding doubtful. “If you’ll come with me—”
“Can I go in there with them?” Lucky asked. “I’d like to see if I can get them used to me. At least a little bit. To try to make me transporting them to my place a little less traumatic.”
At that, the woman looked extremely skeptical. “Well, it’s against policy…” she said, her voice trailing off.
“Are you going to be able to get them into one of the visitation rooms without completely freaking them out?” Lucky asked.
She looked uncomfortable at the question.
“I won’t let them out. I just want them to get used to the sound of my voice.
” Lucky wasn’t sure that was even possible, with the riot of barking dogs all around them, but he didn’t want to traumatize the pair by having them dragged out of the kennel and thrown into a strange room.
This was what they were familiar with at the moment.
“All right. And you can change your mind at any time,” she told him.
That wasn’t happening.
Relieved, however, that he would be allowed to greet the new members of his household on their turf, he nodded at the employee.
She opened the door to the kennel and Lucky slipped inside.
“Rebecca?” a woman called from the door to the reception area. “I’m getting slammed up here. Can you come help me?”
The woman who’d been helping him, Rebecca, looked at him uncertainly.
“I’m fine,” Lucky told her. “Take your time. I’ll just be here hanging out with my new friends.”
“Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Lucky nodded and then she scurried back down the walkway, toward the reception area.
Lucky breathed out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure he could gain the pair’s confidence, but he was glad he wouldn’t have an audience while he tried.
He eased himself onto his ass at the gate, then rolled onto his belly with his legs bent at the knees so he fit in the space.
Propping his chin on his hands, he gazed at the pathetic-looking dog and her kitty friend.
“Hi,” he said softly. “I’m Lucky. I know that’s what people around here have been calling you, but it would get confusing if we both had the same name. And while you really have been lucky, I think something more feminine would suit you better. How about Gretta?”
The dog didn’t even blink.
“No? Yeah, maybe not. Abby? Belle? Charlie? Nikki? Pepper?” Lucky knew some people would think he was being ridiculous, asking a dog what she wanted her name to be.
But when he was younger, he’d always been in charge of naming their pets, and he’d taken his job seriously.
He believed that the animal would let him know when they liked one of the names he chose.
“Layla? Trixie? Ginger? Angel?”
The second he said the name Angel, the dog’s ears perked forward and she lifted her head a bit.
“Angel, huh? You like that?” Lucky asked.
Of course the dog didn’t answer him with words, but he saw the tip of her tail move slightly.
“Okay, Angel. Here’s the deal. You’re going to come home with me today.
You and your friend. I live in a townhouse, and there’s lots of room for you both.
I know things have been scary recently, but from here on out, you’re safe.
I won’t hurt you, and you’ll have lots of food and water.
I don’t know what happened to you before, but you’ve got a whole new life ahead of you now.
One where you don’t have to worry about your house being torn down with you still in it. ”
Angel continued to stare at him, as if she understood every word he was saying.
Lucky moved slowly, staying prone on the ground.
He wasn’t looking at Angel or the cat anymore, but he stretched his hands out toward the pair, palms up.
He continued talking about nothing in particular.
Telling his new friends about his team and their women.
He told them about Devyn, and how she was skittish too, and how he hoped to gain her trust.
Basically, Lucky wanted the pair to get used to the sound of his voice. To see that he wasn’t going to hurt them.
He didn’t know how long he lay on the floor, but when he felt a cold nose against his fingers, he didn’t move an inch.
He kept talking, telling Angel what a good dog she was, what an amazing mother she’d been to the kitten. He felt the dog’s nose sniffing his palms a bit more…then the weight of her head resting on the fingers of one of his hands.