The puppy made a cute little squeal as she crawled unsteadily with Cedar encouraging her by nudging her onto her wobblyfeet.
Linx quickly switched her camera phone to video mode to capture Ginger’s first tentative little steps as the puppy pulled herself with her stronger front legs and tottered with collapsing hind legs across theroom.
A warm gooey feeling spread through Linx’s chest, and her heart swelled with pride. Her two dogs were going to be best sisters. She encouraged Cedar and praised her, then rubbed her fur with extraattention.
After recording the scenes, she published it to the website, then texted the video to Grady, even though he wouldn’t receiveit.
She added a message.I can’t thank you enough for letting me keep Cedar. I hope you’ll forgive me for everything I did. You have a wonderful heart. Don’t ever let anyone tell you you don’t. I miss you, and I wish you would comeback.
The resulting chime on Grady’s phone made her feel stupid, but somehow special at the same time. Someday, he’d retrieve his phone and see the video of Cedar and Ginger, and hopefully, it would let him know that she appreciated hissacrifice.
If only there was something she could do for him. Something more than sleeping with him—although that seemed to be all he wanted withher.
To her, sex was more than purely physical, maybe. She couldn’t read Grady, and while he enjoyed sex with her, he could be enjoying it with others too, like this Vanessa Ransom woman who was a much better catch than her—a stable, sensible-soundingwoman.
“I better get ready to meet Grady’s girlfriend,” Linx said to the dogs as she turned on her computer. A few clicks later, she was even more intimidated. Dr. Vanessa Ransom was a psychotherapist dealing with post traumatic stress disorder, abuse, and addiction recovery. And she was a certified dog trainer for therapy and servicedogs.
She sounded like she’d be good for Grady. She could help him deal with his traumas and talk him down from the guilt he suffered from Salem’sdeath.
In other words, Grady’s perfectwoman.
Linx had no standing to be jealous, especially if another woman was better for him. She should be happy for him and wish them well. Grady needed someone with a level head on hershoulders.
With a heavy heart, Linx straightened her desk and swept the wooden floor of the cabin as she waited forVanessa.
The doorbell rang and for a moment, Linx wondered if it was Grady. When Cedar lowered her ears and gave a warning bark, she knew it was astranger.
Standing at the door was Dr. Vanessa Ransom and Sam, the German shepherd pitbullmix.
“Come in, it’s good to meet you.” Linx forced a smile as Cedar lunged forward and sniffedSam.
The two dogs greeted each other with wagging tails, and Vanessa stepped in with a worried look on her face. She glanced briefly around the small cabin. “It’s good to meet you, too. Grady says you do a great job with socializing the dogs under yourcare.”
“We get a lot of abused animals and those who’ve been foraging for themselves. We nurse them back to health and try to give them hope, although it’s hard when there are so many,” Linxsaid.
“What you’re doing is a good thing.” Vanessa touched her arm. “Grady and I hope to do the same for the veterans. So many are hurt and scarred from their experiences. A dog who’s been through grief and abandonment connects better with some of our veterans—gives them something to relate to eachother.”
Linx moved away from the therapist’s touch. “That’s why Grady and I go over each dog’s past, as much as we can glean, and assess their personalities, any challenges they may have, and specialneeds.”
“Anyway, it’s not like Grady to leave thingshanging.”
“Right. I’m surprised,” Linx said, bending down to pick up Ginger. “Please, sit down. Would you like to see some of the dogs Grady picked out for yourclients?”
“Sure. Did you get our email about the husband and wife who want tworetrievers?”
“Yes, we got their applications, but things are kind of hectic here.” Linx swiped a loose strand of hair from herforehead.
Vanessa’s smile was stiff. “What a cute puppy. I’m following her updates on your website. Is she starting towalk?”
“Barely, but yes, I just posted a video a few minutesago.”
“May I hold her?” Vanessa held out herhands.
“Sure,” Linx said, even though it felt like letting another woman hold her baby—well, duh, she’d already done that, hadn’tshe?
Linx’s mind flashed back to the day Jessie was born. She’d had to have a C-section because her water had broken and she wasn’t making progress. As soon as the doctor pulled Jessie, all bloody and wet, from the slit in her abdomen, they’d wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to Mrs.Patterson.
Empty hadn’t even begun to describe the hollowness in herheart.
