Page 79 of Soldier Cowboy
“Cherisse and I were never engaged,” Colton said with a tight-lipped smile.
She recognized this now as the smile he flashed when extremely irritated but trying to be kind. Over the twenty-four hours of their drive to Texas, she’d witnessed the look numerous times. Proud to say she hadn’t seen it in over a week, at least not directed at her.
“Well, you would have been had Cherisse not turned into an idiot overnight. Honestly, it pains me to say she’s my kin some days. But the boys are awfully cute.” She held a hand to her chest and took a breath. “And I’m sorry aboutthat Taylor. I never did like him.”
“Regina?” Eve called out. “Please send my guests to the back.”
“Sorry, I’m chatting too much as usual. I took this job when Earl retired because he’s home all day and drives me up a clear wall. Anyway, I’ve adopted three cats since I’ve been here so beware. Eve takes them all in. Some folks abandon them here when they can’t pay the bill.” She made a valiant effort at a smile and led them toward the back. “Right this way.”
“Do you mind if I take a few photos?” Jennifer didn’t wait for an answer and pointed her camera to the vibrant colorful walls.
Colton waited for her to come along, which wasn’t necessary, but did make her feel pretty special. Regina, however, was frowning as she backtracked to rejoin them. Maybe she expected Colton would leave Jennifer behind, follow Regina, and secretly ask for Cherisse’s phone number. How irritating.
“Hey, guys!” Eve greeted them from inside a room labeled “X-rays” in bold black letters above the entrance. Next to it, another room said “Surgery.”
Eve spread her arms. “So, this is it. I see you’ve already met our receptionist. Thank you, Regina, I’ve got it from here.”
Regina reluctantly went back to the front desk.
“How about a tour?” Eve led the way. “We remodeled last year and we’re pretty happy with how it all came out. Our website still has all the old photos. With all this effort, the least we can do is also remodel our website, too. But neither one of us is very good with all that, nor do we have the time.”
“I’m happy to do it for you.” Jennifer snapped away as she went down the hall.
There were framed photos of black-and-white sketches of different dog breeds along one long hallway. Chihuahuas, Labradors, Spaniels, Terriers.
“From a local artist,” Eve pointed.
Jennifer took a photo of Eve pointing to the artwork. The best stills were spontaneous ones where the light and aperture worked together. Eve looked pretty and natural, wearing very little makeup, her long dark hair in a single braid. Natural light poured through the windows, making her almost glow.
Eve walked them through the building, telling them how and when she and Annabeth had taken over the business from the previous owner. She explained they were both a small and large animal service and took them through the kennels in the back. Some of the dogs and cats were recovering from surgeries and others had simply been abandoned.
“Sean brought Beer in here after he found the pups on the side of the road in a Miller crate.” Eve laughed. “Did he tell you that? They were in fairly good shape, especially Beer, who was mostly just dehydrated.”
“Ironic.” Colton snorted. “What, he didn’t get enough beer?”
Jennifer elbowed him but bit back a laugh.
“Our mission statement is that every animal will get the care they need whether or not their owner can afford to pay us.”
“That’s generous,” Jennifer said.
“We raise funds. It’s one of the Ladies of SORROW’s pet projects.” Eve made air quotes. “Pun intended.”
She went on to talk about her education and how she’d decided to come back home instead of setting up practice in a bigger city. It seemed like the perfect moment to bring up the difficult subject.
As though sensing the timing, too, Colton slid a hand down Jennifer’s back. “I’m going to go get a drink of water.”
“Next to Regina.” Eve pointed. “There’s a little refrigerator with some bottled water.”
He nodded and was off.
“I heard that you also do some talks on domestic violence in your spare time.”
“Yes.” Eve nodded. “But that doesn’t go on the website. I like to keep them separate. Everyone in town knows my experience by now but making it so public doesn’t feel right, either. Anyone could see the website and I’m protective of Jackson and Lily.”
“That makes a lot of sense.” Jennifer lowered her camera. “I had a bad experience, too.”
Eve quirked a brow. “Yeah?”
