Lakeside Redemption

The good news was the past disastrous year hadn’t kept him from still wanting the Hallmark version of marriage and family.

Someday.

But right now he lay on the couch in a half-unpacked house with little girls who cried out for their mom in their sleep and a puppy that whined and chewed everything in sight.

He needed help.

It took a lot for him to admit that, but a twelve-pound fur ball had him licked.

Once daylight broke, he’d call Canine Companions and request Zoe’s dog-training services, which he had read about in the adoption packet he received with Riley. The girls needed to know how to handle their new pup safely and with care. After all, how hard could it be?

And the thought of seeing Zoe rekindled a spark he thought had burned out. As he closed his eyes, memories tumbled through his thoughts. The way Zoe’s eyes lit up when she laughed. The way she hid behind her chestnut-brown hair when she was embarrassed. The butterfly-shaped birthmark on the inside of her right wrist was another way she stood out from the other girls he knew.

His crush on her was so long ago. Besides, she probably had her life together and didn’t need a train wreck like him crashing into it.

Riley scampered down the hall, his nails clicking on the laminate flooring. He ran back into the living room with one of Caleb’s ties in his mouth. Of course it had to be an expensive silk one.

Caleb grabbed it out of his mouth, traded it for a rubber chew toy and carried the tie back to his closet. Halfway down the hall, he stepped in a warm puddle. “Riley!”

He made it to his room and fell forward on the bed, burying his head under the pillow.

He needed a hot shower, a heavy dose of caffeine, then he’d put in a call to Canine Companions.

Too bad there wasn’t a service for broken single dads to help them come back to life after they’d lost everything.

Chapter Two (#ulink_a36ef1f9-0659-53de-a0fb-55cb2b7f1eae)

Working with animals reminded Zoe she wasn’t a total failure.

“Fetch it back, Winston.” She tossed the tennis ball over the German shepherd’s head.

The dog bounded after it, his tags jingling on his collar, and returned with the ball in his firm jaws. She held out her hand. “Release.”

Winston dropped it on her open palm.

“Good dog.” She wrapped her arms around his solid neck and patted his fur. “You’re such a good boy.”

He barked, then licked her cheek with his coarse tongue.

For as long as she could remember, Zoe had preferred stuffed animals to dolls. As a child, she’d set up animal clinics and offer free checkups to her assorted teddy bears, unicorns and puppies.

She understood animals, especially dogs, and they understood her. They could look deep in her heart and see she was sorry for her actions. And they didn’t continue to cast blame on her.

Working at Canine Companions gave her a sense of fulfillment. Not only was she able to use her skills, but also she was getting paid to do something she truly enjoyed.

Canine Companions owner Leona Billings believed dogs were an important part of a family, and her center reflected her values. The bright, leash-free, doggie-daycare play area, with its tiled floor, climber cubes with steps and comfy cots, offered their canine friends plenty of socialization and free play as well as structured walks and exercise.

In addition to the doggie daycare, Canine Companions offered training, grooming and shelter for rescued stray or surrendered dogs, which were housed in the other building until they could be placed in their forever homes.

Today they cared for six dogs in the daycare—Winston, the German shepherd; Maisy, an aging cocker spaniel; a tiny Maltese named Emma, who arrived dressed in a pink dress covered in daisies; Penny, a black Chihuahua-dachshund mix, snoozing on one of the cots; Max, a black-and-white poodle mix and Earl, a Tennessee Brindle, who sprawled in front of one of the climbers, chewing on his rubber bone.

The door to the play area opened, and Travis, Leona’s twenty-two-year-old son and Zoe’s coworker, popped his head around the door. “Yo, girl. What’s up?”

“Playing with the pups. How’s it going with you?”

Dressed in a royal blue Canine Companions T-shirt and faded jeans with his long tea-colored hair pulled back into a ponytail, he moved into the room, closing the door behind him. Penny and Max rushed over to him. He scooped them up, one in each arm, before sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Going good. Ma wants a word. Got time to chat with her?”

“Sure. Can you hang out here with the dogs while I’m gone?” What could Leona want in the middle of her shift?

“Can do.”

“Great.” Zoe pushed to her feet, brushed off her jeans and bumped knuckles with Travis as they traded places.

She closed the door behind her, shutting out the barking, and followed the paw-print decals on the floor that led to Leona’s office at the end of the hall. The scents of bleach and dog were replaced by coffee and cinnamon.

Zoe knocked on Leona’s open office door.

Leona looked up from her laptop, smiled broadly and waved her in. “Hey, Zoe. Having a good morning?”

“Yes, they’re an energetic bunch today, but it’s all good. We’re going for a walk in a bit.”

“Great. Glad to hear it. Want some coffee or tea?”

“Coffee would be great, thanks.”

Leona left her desk that was tucked in the corner of the room and crossed to the table near the windows. She poured coffee into an “I Heart Dogs” mug and handed it to Zoe.

She cupped her hands around the warm ceramic mug and tried not to feel like she had been summoned to the principal’s office. Her mind raced, trying to think of different reasons why Leona wanted to talk with her. Was her job performance suffering? Was she being fired?

Her stomach knotted, and she forced her hands to remain steady. She closed her eyes and drew in a soothing breath. No sense in getting worked up until she had details.

Focus on something else.

Leona’s office looked more like a family room with red-and-tan-plaid couches and matching chairs, end tables piled with dog magazines and a large-screen TV tucked in an oak cabinet used for training videos. Beige valances hung over large picture windows that overlooked the fenced-in backyard.

Not even five feet tall with an apple-shaped body decked out in a leopard-print blouse and matching shorts, with a shock of spiked purple hair, Leona had the kindest heart in Shelby Lake. In the year Zoe had been employed at Canine Companions, she’d learned Leona was a woman of second chances and fairness.

Her boss understood the need for redemption after serving time a couple of decades ago before she’d found God, a wonderful husband, and started her family. Except for her sons, all of the Canine Companions employees were people to whom Leona had offered a second chance. Her compassion kept them wanting to stay on as staff.

Leona refilled her own cup and carried it to one of the couches. She kicked off her sequined flip-flops, then tucked her feet under her tanned thighs, not one to stand on formality. Instead she embraced her staff as family—she was all some of them had.

She waved a hand for Zoe to sit. “I just got off the phone with a man who attended Paws in the Park last weekend with his family. He was quite impressed with the way you responded to his daughters.”

Sully. Had to be him.

Zoe sat on one of the matching chairs next to the couch and melted against the cushions. The busyness of the day caught up with her as she sipped her coffee. “I didn’t do much. I helped the girls handle the puppies safely.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Zoe. You know your stuff when it comes to animals. I watched you with this family. So I’m glad he called and mentioned it, too.”