Opening Her Heart

by Deb Kastner

  Maybe it was because she wasn’t facing Jake alone. So far, she’d managed to always have others with her when she was around him, and though she knew she needed to guard her heart, she especially liked Elaine and Lottie.

  She smiled as Elaine unfolded herself from the passenger seat with a great deal more grace than Avery thought she herself would have been able to do. She imagined she probably would have been all awkward arms and legs at best. The sports car wasn’t exactly meant for ease of use. And it only took Jake a moment to unlatch a wiggling Lottie from her car seat so she could crawl from the back seat and into his arms.

  Lottie’s eyes were wide as she took in the tree farm and all of the dogs running around in the pen behind Avery. Avery suspected Winslow’s Woodlands would have nearly the same impact on the little girl, being from the city, as going to Disneyland, full of excitement and fun and new experiences.

  “Sissy!” Lottie squealed, opening her arms to the dog lying obediently at Avery’s heel.

  Avery released Sissy from her down-stay position, and the dog promptly ran into Lottie’s arms, giving her a welcome nuzzle under her chin.

  “I told Sissy you were coming today,” she told Lottie with a laugh. “As you can tell, she’s been waiting for you all morning and is super excited to see you.”

  “We’re happy to be here, as well,” Elaine answered enthusiastically, since Lottie was busy rolling around in the grass with the dog, giggling and squealing in delight. “Lottie’s been chattering about it since breakfast this morning. It was so kind of you to invite us.”

  “I’m glad you could all come,” Avery said and was surprised to find she genuinely meant it.

  Mostly.

  She didn’t miss the way Jake’s eyebrows shot up at her declaration. Clearly, he didn’t believe she could put aside their differences in order to give his daughter a day she wouldn’t quickly forget.

  As if she would be so petty. Okay, well, she could be, especially with a man with as much bluster as Jake, but she had it in her to put her own feelings aside, with the Lord’s help.

  She’d show him. She loved children, and Lottie was especially dear to her after seeing her suffer through a grand mal seizure with such bravery.

  Not that it would be easy for her, but not for the reasons Jake might believe. He would have no idea just how hard it would really be for her to be here interacting with his family. She’d promised herself she’d avoid situations like this—spending time with an attractive man who was also a father to a darling child.

  As she well knew, that way led only to double heartbreak.

  But it wasn’t as if this was a date or anything, or even close to something romantic. After all, his mother was here accompanying them. A chaperone and a child should be more than enough to keep them behaving properly.

  He just stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his what must have been brand-spanking-new black denim jeans and rocked back on the heels of his boots, a heartwarming half smile lingering on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes. She had to admit he looked nice in his jeans and comfortable yellow-and-black checked flannel shirt, a marked difference from the suits he usually wore.

  Nice.

  And relaxed.

  Far more than she was.

  “We’ve got a lot to see today, but how about we start by my showing you around the dog-rescue center,” Avery suggested. “And then we can head over to the tree farm and petting zoo. Do you want to see some more doggies, Lottie? We’ve got lots of them.”

  “That sounds delightful,” exclaimed Elaine, sounding almost as excited as her granddaughter. Lottie bounded around, pumping her arms, a little ball of energy the puppies were sure to pick up on.

  Jake was watching his daughter, a smile on his face.

  “This is our dog run,” Avery said, pointing behind her to a huge, fenced yard that stretched beyond where her eyes could see. Inside were dozens of dog toys—everything from squeaky toys to tennis balls to rope pulls—a full agility course and a couple of plastic swimming pools filled to the rim with water.

  “Swim?” Lottie asked eagerly.

  Avery laughed. “Maybe another time. That water is freezing cold right now. We have to keep an eye on it in the wintertime, or it freezes over. The pools are actually for some of our dogs who especially like water. Right now we have a couple of Labrador retrievers, a big, fluffy Newfoundland and a standard Poodle who absolutely love getting wet, winter or summer, even when the water is freezing cold. And there’s Sissy, of course. She’s a golden retriever and splashes around with the best of them. We clean out the pools every day, but it doesn’t take much for them to get dirty and muddy again, especially this time of year.”

  “So, how do you keep ’em clean?” Jake asked.

  “The pools or the dogs?” Avery quipped back, somehow unable to stop from smiling at him.

  “What with all the dogs running around on the lawn, for some reason I’m picturing a dog wash similar to a car wash, with twirling brushes and tons of soapsuds.”

  “Not such a bad idea,” Avery said with a genuine laugh—something she hadn’t really expected to do much of today. “I could see that working. Maybe I can run that idea by my brother Sharpe. He does most of the building and tinkering around here. As it is right now, all the dogs get scrubbed up and hosed down in a warm shower made specially for that purpose and then blow-dried every evening.”

  “I’m picturing a doggy salon here. Sounds like a lot of work,” Jake said with a chuckle.

  “Oh, it is, believe me. But it’s a joy working with the dogs. They show their appreciation. And it’s totally worth it when we are able to pair one of our pups up with an owner in need. Watching a service dog discover its job is like nothing else in this world.”

  “Jake told me what happened at Sally’s Pizza,” Elaine said. “He couldn’t believe the way Sissy reacted, how she responded to Lottie without having to be told what to do.”

  “She was amazing,” agreed Avery. “It’s exactly what we look for in our dogs. They are mostly rescue dogs when they come into our facilities. We give them lots of love, put them through basic and advanced training, and then start watching for them to show us what they’re meant to do with their lives.”

  Avery wanted to say more—that the Lord was speaking to her heart about Sissy, and that she’d like to start training her for Lottie with her epilepsy. But how could that be, when another part of her was screaming that she wanted nothing whatsoever to do with Lottie’s father?

  She couldn’t train Sissy and Lottie together without Jake being there and taking part. Yet, there was no way for them to resolve the situation between them with the Meyers’ land, and for that reason, Avery remained silent.

  It wasn’t Lottie’s fault her father and Avery were very much on opposite sides of the fence in this quarrel, and yet Avery wasn’t quite ready to let go of her dream house. But she needed to put aside her personal feelings, especially if it meant helping a little girl. She’d need to mentally prepare herself to make the offer, though.

  “Let me show you where our dogs stay during the night and cold winter storms, and give you a glimpse of our indoor training facility, as well,” she said instead, gesturing to a building made of brick with maroon siding and gray shingles. “You’ll get to see my sisters Ruby and Felicity in action. I think they’re both training dogs this afternoon.”

  Jake whistled under his breath. “That’s a big building. How many dogs do you house there?”

  “It depends,” Avery said as she opened the door to the training facility and gestured them inside. “Usually somewhere between five and ten, but we’ve had up to twenty, and there have been a couple of times we’ve found or been given a mama with a litter of pups needing our assistance. We do what we can for them.”

  Everyone, even Lottie, quieted as they entered the training facility, where Ruby and Felicity were puttin
g dogs through their motions. When her sisters saw her with Jake and his family, they immediately stopped and put the dogs they were working with into a down-stay, then approached the Cutters with friendly smiles all around.

  “Welcome,” Felicity said. “Have you all come to watch us train today?”

  “Not really,” Avery said. “Maybe for a minute or two. Mostly I’m just showing them around the farm and rescue today.”

  “Don’t miss the petting zoo,” Felicity said enthusiastically.

  “No, of course not,” Avery said, wishing she had a moment to speak with her sisters without Jake and his family overhearing. “Felicity, maybe you can show them what you’re doing with Roxie,” she suggested, linking her arm with Ruby in an unspoken bid for support.

  “Sure,” said Felicity, calling Roxie to her side. The dog automatically rounded about Felicity’s feet and sat at her heel. “This dog is really cool, Lottie. Isn’t she funny looking, almost like a Teddy bear?”

  Lottie squealed in delight while nodding.

  “Roxie can do all kinds of things,” Felicity continued. “Would you like to see her open a refrigerator door and bring you back a cold pop?”

  Felicity glanced at Jake, who nodded his assent, his expression as full of surprise and curiosity as his daughter’s was.

  Meanwhile, Avery pulled Ruby aside.

  “What’s up, sis?” Ruby asked, keeping her voice low and her gaze on what was happening across the room.

  “I’m thinking about Sissy,” Avery said in a low whisper. “You should have seen it. She naturally responded to Lottie the other day when she had an epileptic seizure. I’d like to train her specifically for Lottie.”

  Ruby’s gaze widened. “I’m all for that. It’s always exciting when one of our dogs shows us what she’s destined for. But doesn’t it put you in an awkward position, with Jake being her dad and all? You two are still arguing over the Meyers’ land, right?”

  Avery shrugged. “Very much so. And I’ve been doing a lot of research, which may help me win my case against him. There are a lot of endangered plants and animals around here, along with lots of Rocky Mountain Columbines growing on the Meyers’ lot. I’m not giving up on my dream so fast.”

  She paused and watched the dog-training display for a moment. “But that’s not what I’m talking about right now,” she continued. “There’s a little girl over there who needs the help that I believe Sissy can provide. I have to be mature enough to set aside my feelings about Lottie’s father to do the right thing, to do what’s best for Lottie.”

  Ruby put a hand on her forearm. “Of course you do. I’m so proud of you. You are—mature enough to handle it, I mean. I applaud you for putting aside your own feelings this way. I’ll talk with the others, but it sounds to me as if Sissy is exactly what Lottie needs to help her with her episodes. We’ll put her on the whiteboard starting today for special training in epilepsy events. Do you want to be the one to approach Jake with the idea, or would you rather one of us do it?”

  Avery sighed, very much wanting to take herself out of the equation as much as possible. But that was ridiculous and shallow, and besides, she wanted to be the one to train Sissy. She already knew Jake better than the others, and she suspected they would be spending a lot more time together before he either gave up on Marston’s plans and left town or else squashed her dreams for a bed-and-breakfast like a tiny bug, which seemed more and more likely as time went on.

  “No, let me be the one to speak to him,” she said, wishing she sounded stronger than she felt. “I’ve already been working with Sissy on all of her basic and advanced training. It only makes sense for me to be the one to do it.”

  Lottie ran up, her face beaming as she held out a cold can of soda. “Roxie got this for me. Right out of the refrigerator. She used her mouth and a rope. So cool!”

  “I’ll have to agree with her there,” Jake said, walking toward her with his usual swagger, his hands in his jeans pockets and a grin on his face. “I can’t believe Roxie opened the fridge all by herself. What a smart pup you’ve got here. In fact, I think you’ve got a whole lot of superdogs here.”

  “Oh, don’t you know it! Roxie also turns lights on and off, among other things,” Ruby said. “And she can be used to steady a person trying to stand up if they have difficulty with their balance.”

  Jake’s eyebrows shot upward. “Color me impressed.”

  Avery’s eyebrows did the exact opposite, lowering over her eyes in annoyance. The man was far too handsome for his own good when something as simple as moving his eyebrows made her stomach flutter.

  Or maybe it was just that she hadn’t had lunch.

  Yeah. That had to be it. Because she was absolutely not going to let her head be turned by a man like Jake Cutter.

  She changed her expression before anyone else could see she’d been affected by Jake’s posturing. “I’m sure Ruby and Felicity would be happy to have you all come and watch them train with the dogs sometime,” she said. “It’s really quite interesting, given the number and ages of dogs we have who are all learning different parts of the program. However, right now, why don’t we continue the tour. Let’s check out the dog kennel, where they spend their evenings.”

  * * *

  Jake’s eyes widened and he whistled. A New Leash on Love had a whole other definition for the term dog kennel. He’d been expecting chain-link fences and wooden doghouses. Maybe larger than normal, given that the whole operation tended to be that way, but he hadn’t been the least bit prepared for what the program actually used.

  It was one very large room that looked more like what Marston Enterprises offered its guests in the lobby than anything remotely resembling a dog kennel.

  Several couches lined the room, as well as a couple of deep armchairs where various breeds of dogs both large and small were stretched out, their tongues lolling as they peacefully slept. Dog beds and pillows were haphazardly tossed about the room at random intervals. There was a toy box entirely full of various chew toys, which apparently the dogs could use whenever they chose.

  They even had a television that offered soft background noise.

  “You gave your dogs a television?” Jake asked, lifting his cowboy hat and scratching his head. He felt as if he’d just stepped into The Twilight Zone, where dogs had been anthropomorphized and were living a life of luxury.

  “You don’t have a TV at your house?” Avery parried lightly.

  “Well, sure we do, but—”

  “And so does everyone else I know. People these days almost always have their televisions on running in the background, even when they aren’t paying attention to whatever is on. We want our dogs completely prepared for the environments in which they’ll be living. As part of our adoption process, we vet everyone who wants one of our dogs to make sure their new family member will be staying inside the house, whether they end up as service dogs or simply beloved family pets. With the pups being able to come in here and relax when they’re not working, the dogs are already comfortable with the sights, sounds and smells of a typical living room, and it will be easier for them to adjust.”

  Jake snorted. “This looks more like a hotel suite, if you ask me.”

  Avery grinned. “Very much so. And my sisters and I are the concierges. No hors d’oeuvres or anything like that, but we make sure they get regular treats at various times of the day, whether or not they will end up passing the program as service dogs.”

  “So, you adopt out dogs, as well as train them, if for some reason they don’t work out for you?” Jake asked. He was beginning to realize just how blessed these pups were. They may have come from bad situations, but they’d just landed in doggy playland. Even if they didn’t end up being service dogs, it looked to him as if the Winslows went above and beyond taking care of their charges.

  “A little more than half our dogs are adopted out to regular families t
o be family pets. Not every dog who comes into our center is meant for service in the traditional sense, and many of them—I don’t want to say they fail in any way—they’re just not quite what we’re looking for in terms of a work program. Service dogs must have a strong drive—food or play, for example—which we can use when we train them for their special jobs.

  “Other dogs just want to love on their people and be couch potatoes or running buddies or snuggle bugs, and that’s okay, too. Better than okay. We’ve made dozens of wonderful matches with families just looking for the perfect pet. Our goal is to try to take the best possible care of the dogs we have as they come in. The way we look at it is God gives us every one of these special pups. Even if they don’t end up as service dogs, they’ll all have been trained in basic commands using the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program. It’s our ministry, and the dogs we put out prove that.”

  “Do you actively search out dogs to train, or do they come to you?” Jake’s mother asked, sitting on one of the couches between a few of the dogs, who immediately scooched to make room for her and then curled up against her and gave her plenty of love, nuzzling her with their noses and licking her chin. Lottie crawled on her grandmother’s lap, delighted by all the canine attention she received as one of the smaller dogs snuggled on her lap.

  “It depends on how many service dogs we’re training and what we discover our biggest needs are at any given moment. Occasionally, we visit local shelters and look for dogs that might specifically fit into our service program. We have detailed tests we use to see if the dog has the correct drive to make a go of it. Sometimes they are motivated by food. Other times all it takes to maintain their interest is their favorite toy, so they feel like they are always playing a game.

  “So, to answer your question, yes, we’re always on the lookout, although not always actively so. Mostly, God provides. It’s an unfortunate fact that there are far more dogs that need to be rescued than there are people willing to open their hearts to these precious pups.”