Page 5 of Shattered
I could feel my smile grow wider as my little boy tried to describe his dream in the only way a preschooler could—in great detail. He was just a little thing, but he'd impacted my life in such a large way. Without knowing it, he'd saved me. His presence had given me the strength to get away from an abusive husband and start fresh.
Life hadn't been easy. We'd lived in various shelters over the years. I'd worked dead-end jobs and moved more times than I could count. But, I had Flynn.
"I want pancakes for breakfast." His little voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Do you now?"
Flynn's blue eyes sparkled and his face split into a wide smile. "Chocolate chip pancakes."
"Pancakes it is."
After dropping Flynn at preschool, I made my way to work. Like every other morning, I stopped by the animals first before getting everything ready for Chase at the clinic. Dozer's hoarse bark reached my ears before I was even within visual distance.
"Good morning to you too," I crouched in front of the pup's cage and was instantly rewarded with doggy kisses. My heart bled for every animal in the shelter. How people could just abandon their pets without a thought, boggled my mind completely. Maybe one day, when running was no longer needed, I could find a nice big place and adopt as many animals as possible. Flynn would love that.
When all of the animals were fed and loved up, I headed for the clinic only to find that Chase was already there.
"Morning," he always greeted me with a warm smile on his face. Out of the three brothers, Chase was the only one with whom I could have a conversation with. He was open and friendly, and I'd felt at ease in his company within days of meeting him. Maybe because there was no spark, he was nothing more than a friend.
Eli, the oldest of the Jackson brother—also the town Sheriff - made me feel uncomfortable. He always stared at me with a suspicious glint in his eye. I was confident that the man did not like me at all. And then there was Logan. The only man who'd succeeded in waking my body up with nothing more than a look.
Yes, Chase was undoubtedly the safer option.
"You're here early," I said as I rounded my desk and stabbed my computer's power button.
"Yeah," deep frown lines formed on Chase's forehead. "Had to pick up an abandoned kitten early this morning. Poor girl has it rough. She's missing a leg and her sight."
"Oh, how sad." I busied myself with pulling the day's patient files. "I didn't see a newcomer in the den." The den was the building that housed all the animals that either needed forever homes or were there to be looked after while their owners were away.
"She's in the kitchen. I wanted to give her some food and water, but she refused to go near the bowls while I was there." Chase pulled the appointment book closer and scanned over it.
"We did good this weekend. Enough funds were raised to care for the animals for another couple of months, and a few pups were adopted."
"That's great."
Chase tapped the wooden surface twice. "You've done good work here, Harper." As I watched my boss disappear down the hall, I couldn't stop the smile from spreading on my face. Being appreciated felt amazing.
The morning flew by in a blur, and before long it was time for lunch. Hungry, I pushed out of my chair at the same time as the little bell above the door chimed. With my butt halfway off my seat and my body still awkwardly bent over, a pair of soft brown eyes locked onto mine.
On cue, my heart kick-started, and it just seemed to thump faster as Logan steadily ambled toward my desk. The man moved with an unapologetic swagger. Each step exuded confidence and pure masculinity.
When he came to a stop in front of me, my nostrils flared as his manly scent assaulted my senses. Something woody and spicy and, because he was the town mechanic, there was the slightest hint of motor oil too. It was all very appealing to me. He seemed like a man who knew how to work with his hands. And, I'd like to have those hands-
"Hey, Sugar. Chase in?"
If I was capable of blushing, my cheeks would have burned bright red. Luckily for me, and thanks to Drew, I'd mastered the art of schooling my expressions a long time ago. Straightening to my full height—which was a measly five foot four—I braced my fingertips on the edge of my desk.
"No, he left a couple of minutes ago. Mr. Henderson's mare has difficulty calving."
As casual as can be, Logan ran his palm over his beard and scanned the empty waiting room. When those soul-searching eyes of his landed on me again, his lip quirked into a small smile. "Maybe you can help me then?"
"Uh…sure. What can I do for you?"
For a long second, he just stared at me, his lip twitching as if he was holding back a full-on grin. "I'm looking to add to my family."
Momentarily stunned into silence, I blinked a couple of times, looking like a loon in the process. "Uh…" and apparently I'd forgotten how to speak too.
"Wanna adopt a furry companion, Sugar. Can you help me or is it just my brother who handles re-homing?"
