Chapter 11
Hadley slipped back into the kennel at Refuge Cove just as the late afternoon light began to fade. She set her bag near the door before heading for Juno.
The dog lifted her head when she approached, her tail thumping against the blanket. As she did, the puppies stirred, their small bodies shifting against each other.
“There you are,” Hadley murmured as she opened the gate into the pen and crouched beside them.
She carefully lifted Quirkle, supporting his small body in both hands. He squirmed before settling against her, warm and fragile against her palms.
Hadley settled onto the blanket beside the pen as she cradled him closer.
The steady rhythm of the kennel wrapped around her, familiar and grounding in a way the rest of the day hadn’t been.
She hadn’t been able to shake the bad feeling in her gut all day.
Not during appointments. Not while talking with clients. Not even when she forced herself to focus on paperwork.
Too much had happened. Lyndee disappearing. The bad reviews. The appointment with Travis.
Hadley exhaled and adjusted the puppy in her hands. As her thumb brushed gently along his side, the door opened behind her.
Max.
Her heart skipped before she could stop it.
He stood inside the doorway, one hand resting against the frame before he stepped fully into the room.
“Hey,” Hadley murmured. She didn’t realize how happy she’d feel to see him. When had that started?
“Hey.” He stopped near the edge of the pen, and his attention settled on the puppies.
Hadley shifted the puppy in her hands. “Any updates on Lyndee?”
A frown tugged at Max’s lips. “No, not really. We spent all day looking for her, but it didn’t lead anywhere, unfortunately.
We’re waiting to hear back from some people in Kenny’s hometown.
We’re hoping they might have a lead for us.
But the reality is that Kenny probably took Lyndee somewhere deep in the forest.”
“People can disappear there.”
He scowled. “They have disappeared there before. We don’t want that to happen again.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I’ve been trying to call her brother, Stephen. But he’s somewhere on a mission, and I can’t get up with him.”
Her gaze stayed on him a moment. “I didn’t realize you had a personal connection to Lyndee.”
“Stephen and I served together as Rangers,” Max explained. “We’ve stayed in touch. He asked me to keep an eye on Lyndee while he’s overseas. He begged her not to stay with Kenny, but she didn’t listen. I feel like I’ve let him down.”
“None of this is your fault.”
He shrugged. “I know. But it doesn’t feel that way.”
Hadley nodded, though his words didn’t ease the tight feeling in her chest. Her gut told her that finding Kenny wouldn’t be easy—because she was certain he didn’t want to be found.
She shifted her attention back to the pen and carefully lowered Quirkle back onto the blanket, guiding him closer to his mother. He struggled a second before finding his place.
“I’m still a little worried about that one,” she said.
Max watched the puppy, his expression thoughtful. “He’ll be fine. A little struggle will make him stronger.”
Hadley studied him a second longer. “You say that like you know it personally.”
His gaze stayed on the pen, on the small movement of the puppies as they snuggled against their mother, before he offered a half shrug. “Maybe I do.”
Hadley knew there was more to his words. But she didn’t ask, no matter how curious she felt. She had so many questions for him, so much she wanted to know.
But she didn’t want to interrogate the guy. He was all quiet and strength, not the type to share his life story unless he had to.
And that made Hadley want to know even more.
Instead of acting on her impulses, she looked back at Quirkle. “Then I guess we’ll give him a chance to prove you right.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Max huffed a quiet breath. “How are you doing?”
She considered how much to tell him. She didn’t want to unleash all her problems on him.
However, it would be nice to have someone to talk to about things. She and Naomi didn’t have a chance to catch up as much now that Baby Grace had come into her life. Hadley totally understood that. Having a baby changed things.
And, if Hadley were honest, every time she saw Grace she thought about her own loss. Those were feelings she didn’t want to feel. But reality was she had to face her grief, no matter how hard it was.
She told him about the bad reviews and hang-up phone calls and the appointment with Travis.
His eyes narrowed at each new detail. “I can’t imagine anyone saying those things about you. It’s clear that you deeply care about animals—and people.”
Her cheeks flushed at the sincerity in his voice. “Thank you. But someone doesn’t appear to see it that way.”
For the first time since Hadley had moved here, she had to ask herself: Was coming to Blue Ridge Hollow a mistake?
The kennel hummed with its usual rhythm as Max moved down the rows. He checked latches and topped off water bowls. The routine anchored him the way it always did.
As he did, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
Max frowned and pulled it out, glancing at the screen. Unknown number.
A small knot formed in his stomach as he stepped toward the far end of the kennel, away from Hadley. “Be right back.”
Then he opened the message.
You act like you’re good and noble. I know you’re not. I know what you did to that man five years ago. If your parole officer finds out you broke your terms, you’ll end up back in prison. Is that what you want?
Max went still.
The noise of the kennel seemed to dull around him as the words sank in. His jaw tightened, and for a moment he simply stared at the screen. His pulse picked up in a way he couldn’t control.
He forced himself to type a reply.
Who is this?
The reply came almost immediately.
Wouldn’t you like to know?
Another message followed before he could respond.
No one will trust you if they know the truth. Your life will be destroyed. Just wanted to remind you in case you forgot.
Max’s grip tightened around the phone, his thumb hovering before he typed again.
What do you want?
He waited.