Page 53 of The Cowgirl's Chosen Love
She planted her fists on her hips and glared at him. Josiah stiffened his spine to stop from caving instantly to her request.
“That’s the best I can do,” he said as kindly as possible but in a tone that brooked no argument. “Not because I don’t want to help, but it’s one of the things they gave us a special class on in school. Donating our time to a good cause—that’s up to us. Donating supplies, though, is the quickest way to kill a business. No business means none of the animals in the area get the care they deserve. I can’t lower the price of the medical supplies any farther.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t asking you to bankrupt your business for the sake of the animals. I do understand—I’ve worked the land for many years, and robbing Peter to pay Paul never ends well.”
Josiah shook his head. “Then I don’t understand.”
“I need help figuring out how to afford to run this place, and don’t you dare repeat that to Ashton.” She glanced over his shoulder as if the older man was going to pop out of the woodwork. “I have money, but the truth is if I want this to work properly, even astheseanimals get adopted, I’m going to end up with more. At some point my family is going to protest. Even though it’s my savings I’m digging into, I want to do this the smart way.”
That made a whole lot of sense. Josiah nodded. “I don’t have any answers for you right now, but let me do some brainstorming, and we’ll see what we come up with.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Sonora stooped to offer Ollie a scratch behind her ears. “This one seems to be doing well.”
“Other than she’s pouty whenever she’s not near Lisa,” Josiah said with a tolerant grin. “I posted her information on all the boards I know, but I haven’t heard back from anyone yet.”
“You needed a dog,” Sonora said easily.
He chuckled, but there wasn’t much to say to that.
They headed home, Josiah’s head filled with half-baked plans to help Sonora, but nothing that was brilliant or long-term. Ollie jumped into the cab with him as if the height was nothing, running from board to floor to seat. She stood on the passenger side, peering with interest out the windows.
Back at home, Finn was in the living room, feet on the coffee table, fingers moving rapidly over a laptop.
“How goes the war?” he asked without looking away from the screen.
“Won another battle.” Josiah settled into his easy chair and flipped up the foot rest. “If you consider it a battle when you have to convince a sow you’re not actually taking her piglets away forever.”
Finn nodded. “Protective.”
“I’m thankful they don’t have horns like bulls.”
The other man grinned, then pressed his laptop closed. “What’s on your mind?”
“Am I that transparent?”
Finn shrugged. “I’ve been here for a month. You’re not that hard to read.”
Josiah folded his hands behind his head. “Zach said you’re the money man. That you front other people’s ideas with cash.”
“He’s not lying.” Finn examined Josiah. “Looking to expand your clinic?”
Josiah waved off the suggestion. “Not me. Thinking about the new animal rescue Sonora Fallen wants to set up. She’s in a good location, and she can probably get some grants, but it’s not going to be enough. Not at the beginning.”
“Most startups fail within the first year,” Finn agreed. “What makes this one different?”
It was an honest question. “Not sure. Might be one of a hundred places out there trying to do the right thing. Picking up the animals that have been abused or abandoned, hoping to give them a chance to enjoy life.”
“Ahh, so you’re appealing to the kindhearted animal lover in me,” Finn said.
Josiah eyed the other man. “Is there one?”
“Hell, yes. I have ranching in my bones. I love the land, and I love the creatures that live in the country, the four-legged ones a lot more than most two-legged to be honest.” He put his computer aside and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Again. What makes this shelter different?”
Josiah went a little deeper. “Community involvement? Training programs in conjunction with the schools? Integrated programs?”
Finn nodded. “You’re getting the idea. Those things mean being able to run the shelter year-to-year for a long time.”
“If it can last long enough to get any of them into place,” Josiah pointed out.
