found herself turning into the driveway. There was a gray-shingled house and a small outbuilding from which the sound of barking could be heard.
“Hello there!” called a young woman as Parker got out of the car. She came over, wiping her hands on her jeans. “Can I help you?” She glanced at Parker’s Rhode Island plates. “You must be Julia Harrington’s niece. Hi, I’m Beth Seymour. Sorry. Small towns. We know everyone’s business.”
“Parker Welles. Nice to meet you.”
“You looking for a pet?” Beth asked.
“No, I just stopped. I’ve never had a pet before.” Except Apollo, if you could count that thing. She wondered briefly what had happened to it. Harry probably gave it to a minion. Or ate it.
“Come on in, since you’re here,” Beth said. Crafty woman. Parker followed. She was not going to get a dog. Or a cat—Lucy had a cat, and it was always leaping onto Parker’s lap and sniffing her lips, which Parker found quite repulsive. Why she was even standing here was a mystery.
“Pets take a lot of work. I won’t lie,” Beth said, opening the door of the outbuilding. “But the love they give you…it’s worth any price.”
Nice sale line. “So what have you got here? Not that I’m really looking.” You could be! sang the Holy Rollers. Pets can fill those giant voids in people’s lives!
“Well, we try to be a no-kill shelter,” Beth said, “but times are kind of hard, and donations have been down. We have a lot of animals, sad to say, and we’re running out of room. The vet’s coming to put a couple to sleep today, actually.”
Shee-it. Parker could picture a chunk of resolve crumbling like sand. “That’s really sad.”
At the sight of their caregiver, several dogs leaped to their feet, barking joyfully. Or savagely. Parker couldn’t tell. “This girl’s going on to her great reward today.” Beth stopped in front of the first enclosure and pointed to an orange tabby cat. To Parker’s eyes, it already looked dead, its filmy eyes half-open, fur dull and uneven. “She’s twenty-one, can you believe it? Her owner died two weeks ago. At least they’ll be in heaven together.”
It’s true, the Holy Rollers confirmed.
“This girl is the other one we have to let go.” Beth knelt down in front of the next kennel. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she crooned. “Don’t be scared.”
Parker looked in. A brown-and-white dog sat in the corner, as far away from the door of her cage as she could get, trembling. Parker couldn’t see her face, but her fur was long and feathery.
“You think she knows?” Parker asked, shoving her hands in her pockets. “She looks scared.”
“No. She’s always like this. Bob Castellano—have you met him yet? No? Well, he was behind someone out on Route 119, and they pushed the dog right out the window. Didn’t even stop! Can you believe that? She had a broken leg and two broken ribs, not to mention a bunch of cuts and bruises. She’s all mended now, but no one wants her. She’s too shy.”
“Guess you can’t blame her.”
“Yeah. She’s been with us four months now.”
“Think she’d bite? Since she’s so scared?”
“I’ve never even heard her growl. She’s too afraid.” Beth stood up and sighed. “So. She’ll be put down later on, too, poor thing. But down here, we have kittens. Christy and Will Jones are taking two of them, but there are two left. And we have this very cute little pit-bull mutt—he’s an absolute sweetheart.”
Parker didn’t move. Thrown out of a moving car, huh? Unbelievable. Well, it was one of a thousand horror stories, she was sure. She couldn’t afford a pet, no matter how sad its life had been thus far. And she didn’t know anything about dogs. She liked them, often stopped to admire one here and there, but she didn’t know how to train one or take care of it.
Even if she wanted to have a dog, she had nowhere to put the thing. Parker wasn’t sure where she herself would be sleeping tonight. Most likely, the car once again.
“I’ll take her,” she said.
Fifty bucks later—really, not so much—with another fifty in dog supplies—collar, leash, shampoo, food, heartworm pills, brush—Parker went slowly into the dog’s cage. The poor thing bowed her head and looked away as if certain Parker was about to kick her.
“Hi,” Parker said, squatting down. “Want to come home with me?” The dog didn’t move, but she didn’t flinch, either, when Parker reached out and petted her neck, working her way up to the dog’s cheeks, which were as soft and plush as velvet. The dog didn’t resist, but didn’t look at her. “I won’t hurt you, sweetie,” Parker murmured. Slowly, as if picking up Nicky while he was asleep, she lifted the dog into her arms. No resistance.
“Looks like she found her forever family,” Beth said.
The Holy Rollers sighed in deep satisfaction. Spike even wiped away a tear.
“What will you name her?” Beth asked.
Parker looked down at her new best friend. Not the most attractive dog, with her drooping ears and sorrowful face. She had a bald spot behind one ear, and one of her eyes didn’t open quite as much as the other. Her head seemed too big for her body. Parker looked at Beth and smiled. “Beauty.”
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