Several dogs jumped up and put their paws flat on the kennel doors as she walked by.Three huskies.A few pitbull mixes.Each of them with excited tails and hopeful eyes that begged her to stop and give them a chance.
Nooooo, sweet babies...
She looked away, a horrible weight forming in the pit of her stomach.Along with a thick layer of guilt.
Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea.How was she going to forget those hopeful little faces?
Around the corner, she found Mae hunkered down in front of a chain-link kennel door, talking softly to its occupant.“Hey, Rufus.Remember me?I brought someone to meet you.You wanna come over and say hello?”
Willow stopped behind her, peering into the shadows as a low, warning growl came from the back of the kennel.
Oh, wow.The growl was concerning.
A dog-shaped shadow stood up, head lowered, and took a cautious step forward.
“That’s it,” Mae coaxed brightly, seeming completely unfazed by the growl or the dog’s obvious reluctance.“Good boy.Come on, come say hi.”
Rufus slowly emerged into the light.He was mostly a solid chocolate brown, with a white chest and sock on each foot.Definitely a mutt, with some shepherd in him.One triangular ear pointed up, and the tip of his right one flopped over in a totally endearing way.
He looked so worried as he stared at them, and his little face was starting to gray slightly.But his eyes were a piercing, deep gold that seemed to see right into her soul.
“There he is,” Mae crooned like a proud grandmother.“What a handsome boy.Aren’t you?Yes.Come on.You know me, and my friend’s really nice.Promise.She won’t hurt you.”
SEVEN
O
h, God, he was scared someone would hurt him?
Rufus’s ears drooped in submission, the end of his tail wagging slightly as he stretched his neck out to sniff at the fingers Mae had stuck through the cage.His pink tongue flashed out to lick her.
Mae chuckled and looked up at her.“See?He’s actually a softie once you get to know him.Or rather, once he gets to know you.He just acts all tough to keep people at a distance when he doesn’t know them.”
Willow moved closer.Rufus quickly backed away, body stiffening.She stopped.
“Just stay still and give him a minute,” Mae said.
