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  Publisher’s Note:

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination.

  Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.

  Solstice Publishing - www.solsticepublishing.com

  Copyright 2018 – Noelle Myers

  Dogged Romance

  Noelle Myers

  Part One

  “Gwenyth Iclyn, you come back here this instant.”

  I sighed as the screen door slammed, punctuating my stepmother’s command. I had almost made it. I was going to be late for sure now. Not that my boss would care. She was thrilled to have any help at the shelter. Sliding my MP3 player into the pocket of my hoodie, I turned around to see what Blanche wanted.

  “You still have chores to finish,” Blanche whined at me.

  “I’m not your maid, and I have to get to work,” I said.

  Two years, I had to stay here two more years before I could earn enough money to make Blanche move out.

  “Well you aren’t my kid, and I let you live here rent free, so you’d better earn your keep.” The wind whipped her long blonde hair into her face as she stood in the doorway. My mother had died when I was born. Dad married Blanche a year later. We had never gotten along, not even when I was little.

  I didn’t acknowledge her dig, but did the only thing I knew would irritate her more. I stuck my earbuds in, cranked the volume up, and walked away. Through the strains of my music she sounded like one of those cartoon teachers. Wah whah wha wha. I almost started to giggle, but thought better of it.

  I nearly landed on my face when I tripped over the ridge in the sidewalk. A strong arm stopped my fall. Looking up, I pulled my earbuds back out when I saw my stepfather, Lenny. He and I got along great. Dad had died when I was eleven, and Blanche married Lenny about a week later. He was a good guy.

  “Hey, Gwen, going to the shelter?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m late already. Blanche wanted me to take out the garbage, but I ran out of time since she just about force fed me dinner.” The tuna casserole was not my favorite, but Blanche made it just about every week.

  Lenny rolled his eyes. At least he was on my side.

  “I will get the garbage, go. “ He gave me an affectionate shove toward the road. I walked the two miles to and from work every day, unless it was storming, then Lenny would give me a ride.

  My sneakers squeaked on the pavement as I put as much distance between my stepmother and myself as possible. Blanche didn’t charge me rent, sure, but she didn’t pay for anything I needed either. Clothes, shoes, school books, all of that I paid for from my small paycheck from the shelter. Lenny helped when he could, but Blanche held the purse strings in their relationship. I wasn’t in school anymore, but I still had expenses, plus I was saving for a car. Ugh. The tuna casserole was sitting like lead in my stomach. My head was starting to hurt too.

  “Honey, I’m home,” I shouted as I threw my backpack into my locker at work. It was a longstanding joke between my boss, Honey Wilson, and me. A chorus of barks and yips greeted me as I moved into the play rooms.

  “Hey Gwen, I need you in Room Twelve today. We have a new member of the family, and he needs your touch. He is pretty scared,” Honey hollered from down the hall. The Bone Yard was a no kill shelter, and we rarely refused animals. We had some generous benefactors that kept us up and running. Room Twelve was our isolation chamber. New dogs always went there until we could figure out where they would best fit in the shelter. Only a few dogs had to be kept in crates, most were in suites of rooms where they could play and hang out almost like they were in a home.

  I ran into the supply closet to grab some dog treats, they always helped with the new dogs. I cracked the door open a smidge and peeked in. Our new resident was a medium sized mixed breed cowering in the corner. Sliding inside the door I sat down opposite the frightened dog.

  His ears turned, and I saw his nose twitch as I opened the box of dog biscuits. The poor thing was shaking and his ears were plastered to his head.

  “Hey there, bashful. It’s okay, buddy. I’m not going to hurt you.” I talked to him in a calm steady voice and held out one of the dog biscuits. He licked the air a few times, but wouldn’t move any closer to me. I checked his water and food. He hadn’t eaten any of the food, so he had to be hungry.

  “Come on, buddy, I know you are hungry, you look half starved.” I could see his ribs through the mange. My heart pitter-pattered when he finally made eye contact with me. My cheeks hurt from the grin that spread across my face. I spent my entire shift in the isolation, but he never left the corner.

  “I will have the vet look at him tomorrow. One of our new patrons found him wandering near his house in the hills.” Honey said as I shut the door behind me.

  “He’s been pretty poorly treated.” I folded my arms and leaned against the wall.

  “Do you think he will rehabilitate?” It was not lost on me that my boss took my opinion seriously. She was one of few who did, so it stood out. I was invisible to most.

  “Yes, I think so, give me a few days.” Pushing back from the wall I looked through the window in to Room 12. Our new friend was chowing down on his food. Good.

  “See you tomorrow?” Honey asked as we walked into the back room.

  “Yeah, if Blanche isn’t in too bad a mood.” I rolled my eyes.

  Honey gave me a sympathetic smile. “I want to get our newbie settled as soon as we can. We will have a new volunteer next week, I think you two will get along great, but I would like Jazz to be more comfortable before we get new people in with him.”

  “Jazz is his name?” I asked.

  “Yeah, pulled it out of the hat.”

  “I like it.”

  “You can always take the day off if you need it you know.”

  I scrunched my nose. “Believe me, I would much rather be here.”

  “You can always come stay with me if it gets too bad, I have an extra bedroom, and Greg wouldn’t mind. He likes you.” Honey gave me a hug.

  “Thanks, I will keep it in mind.” It was becoming more and more tempting, but I couldn’t support myself yet, and I didn’t have a car. At nineteen, it was frustrating to not be able to drive yet, but Blanche wouldn’t co-sign on a loan, not that I would trust her not to take the car as her own, but make me pay for it even if she did. So, for now I was stuck.

  “Do you want a ride?” Honey asked. “Greg is picking me up, and you are not out of the way.

  My boss was far too nice, my house was in the opposite direction from hers. “No thanks, it is a nice night, and it won’t be dark for another hour yet. I enjoy the walk.” I waved goodbye before I put my earbuds in and zoned out to the music.

  I loved summer evenings. Lots of people sat out on the porches and waved to me as I walked by. I waved back.

  I took the three steps up to my porch in one jump, so I didn’t make the second step squeak. I was hoping to sneak into my room and avoid the wrath of Blanche, but she was waiting inside.

  “How’s the little princess and her mutts?” She sneered.

  Ignoring her, I shut my door and flopped onto my bed. My life was far from being a fairytale, but one thing was certain, I definitely had the evil stepmother.

  Part Two

  It took me almost a week to get Jazz to trust me enough to come over for a dog biscuit. Honey was watching through the observation window a
nd I could hear her cheering through the glass. Jazz’s ears twitched and he hunched over, but didn’t run away.

  We brought a few other dogs in over the course of the next week, and he seemed to get along with them, so by the end of his second week at The Bone Yard, Jazz joined the dogs in Room 3, bringing the total to seven. The group of dogs in there were my favorite, and Honey said the feeling was mutual. I was the dogs’ favorite too.

  Today had been a beast between Blanche and chores, and I was looking forward to getting mobbed by my “men.”

  “Heads up.” a male voice yelled as I walked into the door. An orange blur of fur streaked towards me.

  “Jinkies!” I shouted as I braced myself. The golden retriever barreled into me at full tilt, knocking me onto the seat of my not so padded jeans. “Hey, buddy, did you miss me?” I laughed, trying to dodge a few of his exuberant kisses.

  “I’m so sorry, I was supposed to be getting him ready for a bath and he got away from me.” A large hand reached out to help me to my feet. My gaze travelled up the masculine arm to a broad chest and a handsome face. Dark brown eyes crinkled at the corners as the face smiled, showing perfect white teeth, except for one tooth, slightly behind the others.

  I took his hand and found myself on my feet in an instant. The man was strong as well as good looking. The dog chose that moment to jump up and put his front paws in the middle of my back propelling me forward into the tall stranger’s chest. The handsome stranger caught me. We were just getting our footing when Jinkies ran around and bumped into him. We both ended up on the floor in a heap.

  “Sorry.”

  “Sorry.” We both apologized as we tried to untangle ourselves from each other.

  “S…” I tried to say again, but Jinkie’s tail smacked me in the face. I sputtered trying to get the dog hair out of my mouth.

  My heart fluttered when he reached out and wiped a stray hair from the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

  “Are you two all right?” Honey’s voice and concerned face broke the intimacy of the moment.

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  The stranger was polite too. Impressive. I didn’t think men like him still existed. Not that it mattered. He was way out of my league. His good looks and designer jeans told me that much.

  “You okay, Gwen?” Honey knelt in front of me.

  I realized I still lay across the tall stranger’s chest.

  Scrambling off of him, I could feel my face heating. I must be a dull shade of red by now. “Y-yes.” I stammered.

  “You have been so busy with Jazz that I haven’t had a chance to introduce you two. Gwen, this is Brandon Kendal, our newest volunteer.” Honey wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me forward. “Brandon, this is Gwenyth Iclyn. She is one of the best workers I have ever had, and a good friend.” I flushed even deeper.

  “It is nice to meet you, Gwen. “ Brandon held out his hand once again. An expensive gold watch glinted off his wrist. Yep, far out of my league.

  “Hi.” I squeaked. Ugh, seriously? What was wrong with me? This was just another guy volunteering for kicks at the shelter. The amused glint in Honey’s eyes told me I would hear about my reaction later. Great.

  “Why don’t you take Jinkies back to Room Three and introduce Brandon to the rest of the dogs. It will be a good test for Jazz, his first man.” Honey laughed as she walked away.

  “What did she mean, ‘his first man’?” Brandon asked.

  His deep voice was buttery and smooth, sending shivers down my spine.

  “Gwen? Or do you prefer Gwenyth?”

  I stared at him stupidly for a moment.

  “Gwen?”

  “Huh? Oh, sorry. Gwen is fine.” I could feel my face heating again. “Jazz… when I met him he was so shy. He came from an abusive situation we think. There were no tags, Honey drew his name out of a hat. He hasn’t seen a man since he has come in here. Sometimes the dogs react differently to men or women, depending on how they were previously treated,” I babbled.

  I held onto Jinkies’ collar as I opened the door to the suite. Thankful for something other than the gorgeous Brandon to pay attention to, I let the dog loose as soon as the door shut behind us. He went bounding into the room, while the other dogs trotted forward to greet us.

  Kneeling on the floor, I picked up the little fluff ball of a Pomeranian who reached me first. He licked my face wildly. “Enough, Sneezer.” I pulled back with a laugh.

  “Sneezer?” Brandon asked.

  “His real name is Fitz. Fitzwilliam in fact. His owner had to give him up because of her allergies. I call him Sneezer…” before I could finish my explanation, the dog let out three sneezes in a row.

  “Ah.” Brandon smiled.

  I buried my face in Sneezer’s fur to disguise my staring. He was so gorgeous.

  “I know Jinkies, although he responds far better to you than anyone else it seems.” Brandon said, looking around.

  “Yes, that is my fault.” I sighed. “I have always loved dogs, but my stepmother won’t let me have any pets. So I work here, and pretend that they are mine. Until they get adopted.” I looked down to see Jazz sitting at my feet. He didn’t seem at all afraid of Brandon.

  “This is Jazz.” I said. “He is a little skittish, so move slow.”

  “I know this dog.” Brandon said, his voice soft. “I brought him in.”

  So that meant he lived in the hills and had money. Why was he working in this neighborhood?

  Brandon hunkered down and held the back of his hand out for Jazz to sniff. The tawny canine sniffed him tentatively, wagged his tail and stretched his head forward for a scratch behind his ears.

  I couldn’t help but smile. I trusted the dogs more than people, and if they liked Brandon, he must be a nice guy.

  “And who is this?” Brandon asked, pointing to the shaggy black and white sheepdog laying belly up, begging for a tummy rub.

  “This...” I said reaching down and giving the dog what he wanted, ruffling the fur on his stomach. “…lazy guy, is, believe it or not, the Alpha. His name is Kildare. Oh look out…” I reached forward and grabbed Brandon’s arm before he stepped on the Basset Hound waddling up behind him.

  “You almost stepped on Dug He has no sense of personal space.” I laughed.

  “You really love these guys don’t you?” Brandon stared down at me.

  I blushed, but nodded. “Dozer is a Senior Citizen, he still has several good years left, but he naps a lot.” I pointed to the Cocker Spaniel sleeping away on the couch. “The older lady who brought him in had to go to the nursing home. Poor things, they were both distraught over it all. Sometimes Honey lets me take him to the home to visit her. They both love it.”

  “That is kind of you.”

  Something strange in Brandon’s voice made me glance at him. He watched me with an odd expression on his face. I felt oddly embarrassed by his compliment, and couldn’t think of a response. All I had done was blush and stutter in front of him, he must think me daft.

  “It’s nothing, really. We all enjoy it. Mrs. Phillips is a sweetheart and I enjoy visiting with her too.” My embarrassment broke when Ebenezer, the bulldog, waddled over to say hi. The dogs always made things better. They made for some pretty fabulous sidekicks in life. They never disappointed me, and they always loved me, no matter what mood I showed up in.

  Brandon and I played with them for a while. I helped Brandon give Jinkies his bath and then we fed all of rooms three, four and five before it was time to knock off for the night.

  “Hey, Gwen, you going to be okay getting home? I would give you a ride but I have to meet Greg at the airport in twenty minutes.” Honey shrugged her rain coat on.

  The rain drummed on the roof, and through the front windows, I could see the trees whipping around in the wind. I pulled my hood up over my head and tightened the laces. “Yeah, it doesn’t look too bad. I will run.” I sighed.

  “No need for that, I can give you a ride.” Brandon said.

  My stom
ach flipped. I didn’t want to get in a car with a near stranger. I started to shake my head no, but Honey spoke up.

  “Would you? That would be great. Thanks!” She slipped out the door before I could argue.

  I turned to Brandon. “No, really, I can’t.”

  “It is starting to thunder and lightning out there, I don’t think it is safe for you to walk home. If you won’t let me drive you, let me call you a taxi.” Brandon said.

  “I can’t afford a taxi.” I said, shaking my head no.

  “Can you call your stepmother?” he asked.

  “Blanche? No, she won’t come. But Lenny might. If I had a cell, I could call him.”

  “Who is Lenny?”

  “Lenny is my stepfather.” I laughed at the confused look on Brandon’s face.

  “Here, use my cell. I will wait here with you until he gets here. You can explain while we wait.”

  “I don’t want be a bother.” I protested.

  “No bother at all.” Brandon said, holding out a sleek black phone. The newest model of course. He swiped in the password and pressed the phone into my hand.

  I dialed Lenny and waited for him to answer.

  “Hey, kid, what’s up?”

  I told him the situation and he agreed to pick me up. I heard him shouting to Blanche that he was going to the store as he hung up.

  “He will be here in about five minutes.” I said, handing the phone back to Brandon.

  He took it and put it in his pocket. “So, tell me about Lenny.” He grinned.

  We stood by the front door of the shelter and chatted while we waited for Lenny to show. As soon as I saw Lenny’s truck pull into the parking lot I shut the lights off to the foyer. “He’s here. I will lock up. Thanks for waiting with me.”

  “Anytime, and Gwen.” He paused, waiting until I looked up at him.

  “Yes?”

  “If you ever need anything, let me know. I’m always happy to help a friend. Even a new one.” His deep, husky voice sent my insides all jiggly. I nodded at him, but couldn’t trust my voice to speak. I caught myself watching as he walked out into the parking lot, into the pouring rain, to a sleek gray sedan. If anyone embodied a charming prince in this day and age, it would be Brandon Kendal. I shook my head and turned the key, locking the shelter doors.