Early on, he’d gone to where he’d stored the belongings from his second life, intending to transfer them here. But as he’d stood, surrounded by the dusty evidence of the person he’d been, his stomach had turned. He was no longer that person with that life.
He’d told the owner of the storage facility he was welcome to the items inside. Then he’d furnished this place with pieces he’d chosen in his mind long ago for his Montana house.
If he’d been in communication with his family or if he’d had friends, no doubt they’d have asked him why he was spending hismoney and sweat on a place he didn’t own. The benefit of not having friends and not being in communication with his family was that he’d only had to explain his actions to himself.
He’d fixed up this apartment because after seven years in prison he’d needed a good place to live and something to occupy his time. Doing so had kept him sane while stuck in this purgatory between incarceration and Montana.
He carried his coffee to the table, woke his laptop, and openedThe Wall Street Journalonline. Instead of seeing the headlines, he saw how Finley had looked sitting across from him in her office. Deep blue eyes. Dark shiny hair slipping forward over one shoulder.
Since meeting her, he’d been unable to get her out of his head. He’d existed alone in this apartment before starting work at Furry Tails. Now she existed in these rooms with him.
He no longer did transitions well. So, on his first workday and all day yesterday, he’d struggled to adapt to his new job. Almost fiercely, he’d focused on his responsibilities. He’d done his best to tune out the other employees, the volunteers, the animals, and, most of all, Finley.
She’d emailed him a list of the things she wanted for the website and a link to a design board that included Furry Tails’ logo, color schemes, inspiration photos, and fonts she liked. Otherwise, she’d mostly left him alone.
Why hadn’t his thoughts returned the favor and left her alone?
Having to look at pugs and listen to barking in the workplace was bad enough. The complication of Finley on top of that?
Too much.
Many years had passed since he’d been intimate with a woman. In his self-destructive second life, he’d been a heavy drinker who’d run through women more often than loaves of bread. Love had never been a factor. But that hadn’t stopped him from experiencing the pleasure.
In this, his fourth life, he wanted freedom, quiet, and simplicity.He was finished with breaking the law, with heavy drinking, and with using women for sex.
Finley was a temptation he couldn’t afford. Ed had been a rusty nail, but his daughter was white as snow. Had she been a singer, actress, or model, that face and body of hers would have made her famous.
Being near her forced him to remember the pleasure he was no longer willing to chase.
And want it again.
Can you lend me a hand bathing a couple of the dogs?” Finley asked Luke later that day. “Arthur is large and can be challenging to control.”
He didn’t answer right away. His posture informed her that he dearly wanted to tell her no. However, she’d made it clear that his job would require some animal care, so she was reasonably certain that he’d comply.
He gave an abbreviated nod. Without enthusiasm, he followed her down the hall. For the past few days, Luke had been sitting at his desk, working intently on his computer, rarely getting up for breaks, and driving off in his old truck for exactly one hour each day at lunchtime.
Deliberately, she’d been giving him space.
For one thing, he clearly wasn’t the type who’d accept micromanagement. Everything about him broadcast a very headstrong brand of independence.
For another thing, it had taken her a few days to adjust to his account of her dad’s death and to accept that he’d be accompanying her as she tracked down clues.
Finally, she’d needed time to ask God what He would have her do regarding the Restoration of Luke. Whenever new animals came into her universe, she assessed them and formulated a plan.
She’d now confidently arrived at a five-step program that had worked well with wounded canines in the past.
Meet Luke’s physical needs. In this case, provide a safe and healthy work environment, food, and water.
Show him extreme patience.
Introduce him to daily quiet time, which was, to her way of thinking, the human equivalent of crate time.
Carefully condition him by exposing him to all the things he’d been avoiding. Including, but not limited to, the town of Misty River, close connections with others, and God.
Train him how to behave constructively.
Bathing dogs fell under numbers four and five. This would give her a chance to expose him to interaction with her and some of God’s beautiful animals. Plus, what behavior could be more constructive than that of serving dogs in need?
