“Always good to talk to you too, Sis.”
“I’m serious. Did you see my e-mail? Gramps has really done it this time. The nursing home threatened to kick him out.”
I scoffed. “He’s been kicked out of other places at least a half dozen times before. Just deliver a batch of your killer cookies to the office and they’ll find a way to forget about it.”
“Not this time. I even put in a call to the state director, and he said Gramps has taken things too far. He’s got one more strike, and then they’ll ban him for good.”
“What did he do?” I’d seen a series of e-mails come through from Char last night, but after spending eight hours working outside in subzero temps, all I’d wanted to do was sit in the lounge with a tumbler of whiskey.
“You didn’t read my e-mails, did you?” Her frustration trickled through the phone line and wrapped tight around my chest.
“I’m sorry. It was a long day, and?—”
“They’re all long days for you. And how is that? You’ve got no one but yourself to worry about down there. Meanwhile, I’m trying to manage two jobs, an absent husband, four kids, and a man who refuses to grow up.”
I raked a hand through my hair. “Isn’t there another home nearby? Maybe somewhere we haven’t tried yet?”
“Not that I know of. He’s either been kicked out, or they’ve heard about him and won’t take him.” She groaned. “What are we going to do?”
That was the million-dollar question. Our grandfather had outlived his wife and kids. With no one left to look after him but me and my sister, Gramps was wreaking havoc all over the county. It wasn’t fair for Char to have to deal with him on her own, not on top of everything else she had going on.
“I’ll see what I can do, okay?”
“That’s what you always say. I know you’d rather cut off an arm than come home, and I don’t blame you, but . . .”
My heart cracked at the pain in her voice.
“I need you.”
“I know.” I let out a sigh. “I’ve got a lead on something that might put me in Texas for a while. Give me a day or two to look into it, okay?”
“I’ll manage for the next few days. I can’t do this on my own though. You’re going to have to help. Either we hire a live-in aide and let him go back to the ranch, or?—”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Thanks.” Relief vibrated through that one word, fortifying my resolve to figure out a way to pitch in. It was time I stepped up, and the crazy proposition from the richest man in Texas would give me the opportunity I needed. Assuming the numbers looked good, there was no way I could say no. Not when Char needed me like she did.
My gaze traveled over the blinding white landscape. It would be nice to have a change of scenery. Even if I had promised myself I’d never have to go home again.
Zina
I kicked the covers off and let my foot drop to the ground. My toes squished around in something unmistakably dog related. Something unmistakably foul. I groaned. It had to be dog poop. I thought I’d housebroken the rescue pup I’d brought home from the shelter with me last night, but it looked like we still had a way to go.
Usually, the sun would have risen by now, but with the slew of thunderstorms that had settled over Ido, Texas, for the past several days, I couldn’t make out more than a few hazy outlines in the early light of dawn.
“Come on, Herbie. I thought we talked about this.”
The pup hopped off the bed, the tags on his collar jangling, and appeared at my side. With a quick swipe of his tongue, all of my anger dissipated. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t housebroken yet. I’d been running the For Pitties’ Sake pit bull rescue for a few years now. Even the most loving pups came with a ton of baggage. The thunder and lightning during last night’s storm probably set him off.
I ran a hand over the back of his head. “It’s okay, bud.” Then I shifted my weight to my heels and waddled to the bathroom to wipe off my foot. By the time I’d showered, cleaned up Herbie’s mess, and driven the short distance to the dog rescue shelter, the sky had lightened a few shades.
Staff would be in later, but I’d taken the morning shift today. That meant it was up to me to get the dogs fed and out for a potty break. Herbie trotted alongside me as I unlocked the front door and let myself in to the crumbling building For Pitties’ Sake had called home for the last ten years. A puddle of liquid greeted me.
At first, I thought one of the dozens of dogs at the rescue had broken out of its kennel and had an accident. But when I flipped on the light and looked toward the ceiling, I immediately spotted the source of the leak. My stomach twisted. Several tiles of the drop-down ceiling sagged. A line of rainwater dripped in a constant plop-plop, splatting onto my feet as I stood in shock.
Herbie plunged through the puddle, licking up the water and taking the opportunity to splash around.
“This isn’t here to play with.” I let out a sigh. I’d been working on an idea for a special event to increase awareness about the shelter. Now I’d have to shift all of my energy into raising enough funds to clean up this mess and make repairs. For a moment, I wished I’d never taken on this project. Maybe I should have stayed in the military and never come back to Ido.
