The Unexpected Shelter

by Abby Tyler

  “I like being here.”

  “Well, I will enjoy having you as long as you’re able. The way Sadie Cole was raving about how you fixed her car tells me that you’re going to have a booming repair business very soon. And then I’ll lose you.”

  Luke paused. He felt torn already. He knew his future would change, particularly in the amount of time he could spend out at the shelter. “I won’t allow the car business to get too crazy,” he said. “If for no other reason than because my major aim is to get back into vet school and finish.”

  “And where will you go once that’s done?”

  He shrugged. “No idea. That seems way down the line. For now, though, I will only take the amount of cars I could continue to fix once I start classes again. Which means that vet school time is reserved for you.” He offered her a grin and was rewarded with another smile back, a more genuine one this time.

  “I’m grateful. I’ll try not to get too used to you.”

  Luke walked on to the shed. They were a little ahead on dog feed, since several had been adopted last weekend. The click of dog nails made him turn around. Luigi had followed him into the shed. The pug flopped on his back for a belly rub.

  “You’re spoiled, you know that?”

  Still, Luke took a moment to give him a good scratch. He’d tried leaving Luigi with T-bone at the RV Park, but the poor dog had taken to chasing up the road after his truck. In the end, he’d started bringing the dog back to the shelter on the days that he came out to volunteer.

  Savannah seemed happy to see the dog, particularly after adopting out four at once. If they got too full at the shelter, or it seemed Luigi was causing a problem, he’d figure out a way to get him more attached to T-bone, so he’d be less likely to take off every morning. He wouldn’t be able to go with Luke once he started classes anyway.

  And about that. There’d been a hang up when he tried to transfer his old vet school credits as he applied for the new one. He was hoping to be in by the spring semester. But that deadline was looming. If this didn’t work out soon, he’d definitely be at the shelter for a while. It might be a year before he got back to classes.

  He stood up and began shifting the bags of dog food to make room for the new. While he was at it, he rearranged the boxes of cat litter to be less perilously stacked. He unearthed a bag of miscellaneous cat toys that looked to be donated from the accessories wall at Delilah’s bakery.

  He’d ask Savannah if she wanted to add any new items to the cat room.

  When he eventually got to vet school, he’d have to ask around why they weren’t volunteering at Savannah’s shelter. It might be a forty-five minute drive, but it was a great place to get an all-around picture of what it was like to help these animals.

  He’d learned more in a week there than in his classes so far at vet school. He knew he needed the medical piece as well. But for the average little things that might come through a veterinary practice, this by far was the best way to use your extra time, at least until you did a rotation in an actual veterinarian practice.

  And Savannah sure needed the help. He rearranged the shed and picked up the bag of cat toys to show Savannah. He’d just shooed Luigi out and closed the door when he heard shouting from the side of the house.

  What was that?

  He hurried along the pave stones, noticing all the dogs in the main yard congregated in the corner. Sergeant was particularly on edge, his paws up on the chain-link, his low growl suggesting some sort of threat.

  Luke clutched the bag and broke out in a run. He pushed his way through the dogs to the gate, making sure he closed it well as all the dogs wanted out.

  He rounded the corner of the house, then stopped cold by the overgrown hedge.

  Savannah was standing in an angry posture, hands on her hips.

  A man about their age leaned against a white Camaro. He had a scruffy beard and dressed pretty typical for around here in a T-shirt and jeans.

  He was as laid-back and chill as Savannah was tense.

  “Why not?” the man asked. “Give me one good reason.”

  Luke was about to intervene when the man reached out and grabbed Savannah’s hand in a way that seemed very familiar. Savannah did not shake him off.

  Neither of them had noticed him half-hidden by the bush. What should he do? Barrel into the scene? Or back away slowly?

  “I think it’s a terrible idea,” Savannah said. “I’m sure there are a dozen girls you could take instead.”

  He gave her a snake-oil smile. “But baby doll, I just want it the way it used to be. Anna said you’d be willing. And she’s planning to make me a groomsman so you and I can walk down the aisle together. It would be good practice.”

  Practice? Walking down the aisle? Was Savannah engaged to this man?

  Luke took several steps backward. Whatever was making Savannah so stiff, it wasn’t keeping her from holding the man’s hand. This was just some relationship tiff.

  He needed to gracefully exit the situation.

  “No,” Savannah said. “I know what you did and who you did it with. I’m not interested in being made a fool of again.” She jerked her hand away.

  Now Luke stopped. He was starting to get a picture of what happened. This was Savannah’s ex. And he cheated on her. No, Luke wasn’t going to exit the situation gracefully. He would head straight forward.

  He walked swiftly up to them. “Is everything okay here?”

  “I’m okay,” she said. She glanced down at the bag in his hand. “What’s that?”

  “Looks like Delilah donated some cat toys you forgot about.”

  The man sneered at him. “This must be the high and mighty Luke. Son of the mayor.”

  “I am,” Luke said. “I volunteer out here at the shelter. Funny I haven’t seen you around, seeing as Savannah could use the help.”

  The man’s eyes widened. “Now that’s a mighty fine idea.” He turned to Savannah. “I got time. Need me to help feed the dogs?”

  “No,” Savannah said, shooting Luke an angry look. “Luke and I have it well under control.”

  “Luke and I,” the man said with a sneer. “Luke and I. Isn’t that cozy?”

  Savannah let out a disgusted snort. “Luke, this is Billy Ray. He was just leaving.”

  Billy Ray turned to his car. “I’m not sure I’m interested in making his acquaintance. But that’s a mighty fine idea you have there, Lukey boy. Should I come back tomorrow?”

  “No, thank you,” Savannah said.

  “But Lukey boy here said you needed help.”

  “We have it under control,” Luke said. “I only meant to point out that it was interesting that a man with so much leisure time hadn’t bothered to help out.”

  “I’m just now back in town,” Billy Ray said. He winked at Savannah. “You give a thought to what I said. Sure would love to escort you at the wedding. I think the bride’s counting on it.”

  “I’m quite sure she’s not,” Savannah turned to Luke. “Come on. Let’s go look at these cat toys.”

  Savannah took the bag and headed toward the gate. But Luke stayed. He stood there, his feet apart, his arms crossed over his chest, until Billy Ray fired up the Camaro and backed down the dirt driveway.

  Luke was pretty sure they hadn’t seen the last of him.

  Chapter 9

  Savannah found herself riled up all over again about Anna’s interference with Billy Ray as she drove Boone’s old pickup from Applebottom into Branson.

  Today was the final fitting of her bridesmaid dress for the wedding, and based on the text messages she’d been receiving from the other girls, Anna was in a mood.

  Well, so was she.

  Savannah didn’t have much time for friends, not anymore. She’d actually been a little surprised when Anna asked her to be a bridesmaid.

  But the four of them in the wedding party had been friends since childhood.

  Violet was in grad school but was driving back for the fitting. Savannah would be happy to see he
r.

  Candace was still around Applebottom, as she taught at the elementary. No doubt she would be complaining a mile a minute that she’d been paired with Deputy Jeremy Banks as a groomsman. He was her ex.

  Anna herself had never left Applebottom, doing some online college while she waited for her boyfriend Landon to finish his degree. She used to help Savannah out at the shelter, but like so many others, slowed down her visits as Boone got harder to be around.

  Flo had taken the day off from the café to watch Boone. She’d have to do it again next weekend for the wedding. Savannah worried she was taking too much of her aunt’s time, but what else could she do? Not just anybody could wait on Boone.

  She pulled up in front of the boutique. Boone’s truck looked terribly out of place parked along the curb with cute little sports cars on either side of it. But Savannah could only shrug it off. She was a blue-collar working girl. She looked down at her hands as she walked up to the boutique door. She needed a manicure or something before next Saturday. She had the fingernails of a farmer.

  When she entered the dress shop to the tinkle of a little bell, she spotted Anna right away. This was the sort of shop that fawned over a bride, sitting her in a fancy chair and making sure she had sparkling water and a cluster of salespeople.

  Savannah plunked down in the chair beside her. “Am I the first one here?”

  “Candace is already back there trying on her dress.”

  A saleswoman approached in an ivory sheath that looked fancier than anything that Savannah had ever owned. And this woman wore it as part of her job.

  “This must be Savannah,” she said. “I have your dress all ready to try on.”

  Savannah rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. She really should have worn a skirt. She had a couple somewhere. The occasion to break them out was so rare that they generally got buried in the back of her closet. She’d put on a pretty sweater at least. Still, Anna wore a fancy silk shirt and matching pants. And of course, Candace would be dressed to the hilt as always. She prayed Violet would not be too crazy.

  “Do come out here so that we can see it,” Anna said.

  “Okay.”

  Savannah glanced around anxiously as the saleswoman led her to the back. Everyone here was dressed super cute. She wanted to smack herself on the head for looking so hick.

  This whole life was foreign to her. When she closed her eyes at night, all she saw was wagging tails, kennel doors, bags of feed, and of course the never-ending cleanup. Shovel, dirt, poop.

  The woman led her through the dressing room to a door with her name written on a whiteboard. “Let me know if you need any help.”

  Savannah sat on a bench at the back of the stall. How had she ended up in this mess? She was going to look so out of place at Anna’s wedding.

  She stood up and kicked off her boots. Couldn’t she have worn some flats? Something pretty? No, in her rush to get out the door, she had put on her work boots.

  She shimmied out of her jeans and pulled her sweater over her head. She almost snort-laughed when she realized she had on an oversized athletic bra. She really hadn’t thought this through.

  The dress was truly lovely, but it had sheer shoulders and sleeves above the neckline. So Savannah’s options were to go out into the main dressing area showing off the bulky extra wide straps of a running bra through the delicate peach lace. Or not wear a bra at all.

  How did she get into these predicaments?

  She tried pulling her arms out and tucking the straps down into the main bra.

  But when she tried on the dress, it looked bulky and strange from the extra fabric.

  “Why?” she asked. “Why are you so stupid?”

  “Who’s stupid?” The voice was so familiar that Savannah almost melted into the floor with relief.

  “Violet? It’s Savannah.”

  “I know. I could hear you.”

  “I forgot to bring a strapless bra.”

  Violet started to giggle. “You gonna just go without?”

  “I can’t do that!”

  “Why not? You’re still perky.”

  “Can I borrow yours?”

  “Really?”

  “We’re about the same size!”

  “Okay, fine.”

  A bra sailed over the wall between them and landed on the bench.

  “You go out first, then bring it back to me,” Violet said.

  “Oh, thank you. Thank you for saving my life.”

  “Drama!”

  Savannah swiftly lowered the dress, whipped off the athletic bra, and fastened Violet’s. When she pulled on the dress, she couldn’t quite zip the entire thing in the back, but the salesperson could help with that.

  She turned to the mirror on the back wall. Despite her black woolen socks and her messy braid, she didn’t look half bad.

  On impulse, she yanked the band off the bottom of the braid and rolled it onto her wrist. With a few quick swipes of her fingers, the braid worked loose, and her long brown hair tumbled around her face in loose waves.

  Savannah grabbed the bangs section and quickly braided it into a half-crown that circled her head, leaving the rest down. She tied it off with the band and took a deep breath. She was presentable now, even with the thick wool socks.

  Anna and the salespeople clapped as Savannah approached them in the main part of the shop. Candace was out there as well, her matching peach dress fitting her like a dream.

  “Oh, somebody zip it up the rest of the way,” Anna said, lifting her glass of sparkling water.

  One of the women shifted Savannah’s hair aside and fastened the dress. “Did you forget your shoes? We should be checking the length.”

  Savannah’s face flushed hot. “I forgot them.”

  Candace kicked hers off. “Here’s mine. They’re so big that anyone can wear them. Even in your socks.”

  Her voice had that usual flat Candace quality. Candace had always hated her big feet. But then, Candace hated most things.

  “Thank you,” Savannah said. Her friends were saving her today.

  She slid the shoes on, and they did indeed fit even with the thick socks. She turned in a circle for Anna, who pronounced her perfect.

  She handed the shoes back to Candace. “I’m going to run back and check on Violet,” she said.

  She hoped Anna didn’t want to see the three bridesmaids together, because it was not going to happen today.

  The girls reconvened at a restaurant a couple blocks down from the dress shop.

  When they’d ordered, Anna leaned forward against the table, her red hair falling over her shoulders. “Okay, Savannah. Out with it. Why aren’t you coming to my wedding with Billy Ray?”

  There it was. She’d been waiting for this moment all afternoon.

  Savannah decided to just let the truth fly. Clearly it was time. “Billy Ray cheated on me with that girl from Blue Eye. It went on for months without me even knowing.”

  Anna held up a hand. “I know.”

  Wait. What? “How do you know?” Savannah blushed at the shocked looks from her friends. She hadn’t told anyone. It was too humiliating.

  “He told me,” Anna said. “And he’s sorry. He was so downtrodden the other night when Landon and I had them over.”

  “You asked Billy Ray over?” What had been going on with them while she was stuck out at the shelter?

  “He just came over for some barbecue.”

  Candace sat back in her chair, her perfect black hair swinging behind her shoulders. “Anna, just stop. Don’t force Savannah to walk with that creep. You’ve been trying to make me go with Jeremy Banks, and I’m not doing that either.”

  Violet agreed. “Anna, you’ve got to let this go.”

  Anna slammed her hand down on the table, causing all the dishes to rattle. “Girls! You know that Landon’s best pals can’t make it down for the wedding. So we’re struggling with the groomsmen situation.”

  “The wedding is in a week,” Candace said. “You should have s
ettled the groomsmen situation three months ago.”

  “Well, Billy Ray and Jeremy are taking Landon out for his stag night,” Anna said. “That makes them groomsmen to us.”

  Savannah fiddled with her napkin. She didn’t want to upset Anna, but this matchmaking was not going to happen. “You can have Billy Ray and Jeremy as groomsmen. But that doesn’t mean Candace and I have to actually show up with them as dates.”

  Anna’s face pinched like she might cry. “It’s not like either one of you have somebody to bring otherwise. It’s not gonna hurt you for one night to sit beside these men you used to love and be happy at my wedding.”

  Candace’s mouth flattened in a tight line. She looked like she was about to blow. Violet looked down at her hands. She never was very confrontational.

  Savannah would have to be the one to handle this.

  “Anna. We’re happy to sit with Jeremy and Billy Ray at the tables. But that doesn’t mean that they are our dates. We will go to the reception and take our pictures with them. We will smile, and we will do the first dance.”

  “I’ll dance with Billy Ray,” Candace said quickly. “Savannah can dance with Jeremy.”

  “You should dance with your dates!” Anna whined.

  “They are not our dates,” Candace insisted. “And it’s not very fair of you to insist on it. I’ve never even been to a wedding where the bridesmaids and groomsman were actual couples.”

  Anna lifted her napkin to her nose. “That’s what made it so romantic.”

  “For you, maybe!” Candace snapped. “For us, it’s a nightmare.”

  “The best man’s already married,” Violet said. “It’s not like he’s going to be my date.”

  Anna hid her face.

  Savannah sighed. “We don’t want these boys to think that we’re there to get handsy with, or to kiss under the lights. Any of that.”

  “Billy Ray will totally get handsy,” Candace said. “You have to spare Savannah.”

  “We’re gonna do this right for you,” Savannah said. “You don’t have to worry about that part.”

  Anna sniffed again. “Well, all right. If that’s how it has to be.”