He pulled the door open a little, and I watched her slip inside with Mike. I couldn’t help but smile because Mike cared just as much about the animals. He worked long hours, getting the animals what they needed. When a new dog started, they all received a clean kennel with their own bed and toys. He stated they deserved a home as if they were being adopted.
I turned back to cleaning up poop and watching the dogs. I hummed as I moved, enjoying the piece and the quiet that came with it. I heard the gate near the parking lot open, and I looked over my shoulder, feeling my heart sink.
Ryan stepped into the gated area, and I felt every fiber in my being tense up as I took his stern, serious face in. He walked straight for me, and I felt my stomach drop, knowing I had nowhere to turn or run. It was just me and the dogs outside.
It was the one downside to working here: Ryan came and went as he pleased. He didn’t work here, but he sure liked to act like he ran the joint. Like his father, owning the place meant he had a say in things.
“We need to talk,” Ryan said, stopping a few feet away from him.
“About?” I asked, setting the bottom part of the pooper scooper to my feet. I tightened my fingers on it, knowing I would use it as a weapon if it came down to it.
“You didn’t tell me you were dating Kaleb. Of all the times we had a conversation, all the times we spoke, you never once brought him up. You never once said you weren’t single.”
I swallowed. I had expected this. Ever since the farmers’ market, I managed to avoid him, but my luck was running out. “It’s new.”
“How new?” Ryan snapped, taking a step toward me. I hated how his presence always made me feel off. It was like a bad energy was coming off him in waves.
I took one step back and scowled. “I don’t know the exact date. Why does it even matter?”
“Because everyone saw what happened! Everyone saw me ask you out at the farmers’ market. Everyone saw him come up and announce you were his.”
So he was embarrassed and was going to take it out on me. Typical Ryan.
I offered a tight smile, trying to look sympathetic. “It was an honest mistake. Like I said, it’s new.”
“No.” He waved a hand and pointed at me. “You should have told me you weren’t single! You didn’t! You let me go around thinking you were available when you weren’t! I look like an idiot because of you.”
I swallowed. Charlie growled as he stopped next to me, and Ryan tensed up slightly as Charlie barked. Ryan took a step back, which calmed Charlie. But it didn’t stop him.
Ryan’s voice dropped low into a warning tone, “I know you like your job, and it would really suck for something to besaid to my father that would make him get rid of you. I would walk very carefully.”
I felt my heart stop beating. I knew Ryan was capable of being like this, but I hadn’t seen it firsthand yet. I knew it was there. I heard things around town. I always feared he would pull that move, use my passion for animals and his connection to his father to ruin the one amazing thing in my life.
Sure, I had Jade and Ilsa. I had a great apartment and people who were amazing friends. But this job was my life. It was my relaxation and my soul. I came to the shelter, and I knew I was doing something right. These animals depended on me for help. They looked at me with hope and love in their eyes every time they saw me. And he knew that. He saw how much I cared. He knew it would rip me apart to leave this place.
“What do you want me to say, Ryan?”
He stared at me, his hands curling into fists. “Tell me it’s a lie. That you aren’t dating him because I don’t believe you. There is no way that you’re dating Kaleb, and no one knew about it. I asked around, and not a single person knew you guys were dating.”
I tried to rack my brain for what to say. How could I prove that Kaleb wasn’t lying? I couldn’t. I had no evidence to back it up. I didn’t even have him saved in my phone yet.
But before I was even able to think further, I heard my name. I knew the voice that spoke and turned just as Kaleb came through the back door of the shelter. The very door Mike had just been at a few moments ago. He was wearing some ratty jeans and a navy blue shirt. He smiled brightly as he walked across the yard toward us, holding nothing but joy in his eyes. He didn’t even glance at Ryan like he wasn’t there, which I could see irritated Ryan even more.
“There you are. Did you forget about our plans again?”
Ryan looked between us quickly, his eyes narrowing. Kaleb stopped next to me, taking the pooper scooper out of my hands as he pulled me into a side hug. I inhaled his scent, feeling his arms tighten around me as he held me against him. I felt Kaleb sigh softly, like he was content. “I missed you all day. I would have been here sooner, but I was held up.”
I gave Kaleb the best smile I could muster up. “That’s okay.”
Kaleb beamed and turned to acknowledge Ryan. “Oh, Ryan, nice to see you again.”
Ryan looked between us, and I knew he was looking for a mistake, something to prove we weren’t an item. I tried not to tense up or let it appear I was uncomfortable. Ryan held the same happy smile he had since he spotted me. He didn’t look like he was trying to hide the truth.
Ryan offered a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Kaleb, I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to be back here. My father is pretty clear on that rule.”
I almost snorted because he followed that rule just as well as Kaleb was at the moment. He wasn’t supposed to be back here, yet he was.
Kaleb’s fingers tightened on my hip, and I watched Ryan’s eyes track the moment. “I know, your dad actually told me to just come back here. Had nothing but great things to say about you.” Kaleb looked at me. “He said it was refreshing to have someone so passionate about the animals as he was.”
