Magical Weddings (43 page)

She walked into the kitchen with her shoulders hunched and loaded the dishwasher, then turned out the lights. Lucky was lying on the couch in the living room.

He lifted his head as she walked by.
What’s wrong? It’s obvious how much you like Devon.

“I like him, all right. Too much. And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t see him again.”

Don’t be silly. Why would you say that?

“Isn’t it obvious? Because I’m engaged to someone else.

Oh, that. I’d forgotten about Mark. You should dump the guy. He’s not right for you.

“And Devon is?”

Lucky wagged his tail.
I think so.

“It’s impossible to know that after only one kiss.”

It’s not just the kiss, and you know it.

She chewed her lip. “I can’t call off my wedding. It’s not that easy. And what would I tell Mark?”

The truth. You’re not in love with him.

She stared at Lucky for a moment, then turned and headed toward the bedroom. What did he know? He was just a dog. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed,” she said over her shoulder.

Lucky jumped off the couch, and a moment later was at her side.

You know I’m right.

She frowned. “I don’t know anything right now. Hopefully, things will be clearer in the morning.”

Kya hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Devon all day. She kept going back and forth in her mind about what to do. One moment she was sure she’d decided not to see him again, and then the next she couldn’t imagine doing that. Maybe if she heard Mark’s voice, it would set her straight. She hadn’t talked to him since he left. Remembering his words about spotty reception, she knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t pick up, but it was worth a shot. She grabbed her cell phone off the desk and dialed his number. On ring two, Debbie, a new part-time volunteer, came in carrying a filthy small mixed-breed dog that looked to be part collie.

“Sorry to bother you. This is Penny. She just came in, and she really needs a bath. Not only does she stink, but she’s covered in fleas.” The dog wriggled in Debbie’s arms.

“Okay. Take her in back, and I’ll be right there.” This was only Debbie’s third day there. She wasn’t familiar with all of Helping Hearts’ procedures yet. This would be a good learning experience for her.

Kya let the phone continue to ring until voice mail picked up. “Hi, Mark. It’s me. I know you said not to bother to call because I probably wouldn’t reach you, but I thought I’d give it a shot and maybe get lucky. Guess not… Miss you. Love you.” For some reason, she felt weird saying that and quickly hung up. After she set the phone down on her desk, she hurried in back to find Debbie and the new dog.

Penny was jumping around the girl’s feet, barking at one of the cats. Kya shooed it out of the room, then picked up the dog and set her in the tub. She showed Debbie how to use the sprayer and had just lathered up Penny, when Lyn came into the room.

“There’s a woman here for Lucky. She says she’s his owner.”

Kya’s mouth dropped open. “What?” She hadn’t given any more thought to finding the owner after Lucky asked her not to, and as each day passed with no one claiming him, she’d just assumed no one would.

“I know. I’m shocked too. I’d gotten so used to having Lucky around, I nearly forgot he was only here temporarily.”

Kya’s heart pounded as she wiped her hands on her smock. “Lyn would you please take over here while I go talk to her?”

“Of course.”

Kya felt like she was in a fog as she headed toward the reception area. She’d always made it a point not to get too close to an animal for this very reason. Either the animal’s family would come, or the animal would get placed in its forever home. However, Lucky had been different right from the start.

As she reached for the door into the reception area, her hand shook. Kya took a deep breath, then went into the room. A short stocky woman with tight red curls stood in front of the desk. There was a little boy with the same red curls who looked to be no more than ten years old standing beside her. They both turned to stare at her when she came in.

“The dog warden said you had George here.”

Kya’s heart sank. She’d been praying there might have been a mistake and Lucky wasn’t their dog after all. But judging by their appearance and the fact that it matched Lucky’s description of them, along with the fact that their dog’s name was George, confirmed they were his owners.

She walked around the desk as if she was in a dream, a bad dream, and took a claim form from a file, then handed it to the woman. “Please fill this out while I go get your dog.”

Before Kya left, she turned back to the woman and said, “Luck—George is a big, strong dog and can be quite a handful, but I’m sure you know that. We make sure that when we find an animal’s forever home that both the pet and the animal are a good match.”

The woman stared at her. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I just want you to know that if George isn’t the right fit for your family, that’s okay. We’ll—”

The little boy’s face had turned beet red, and he cut her off by yelling and stamping his foot. “I want my doggie. I want him now.”

“You heard my son. We are not giving up our dog.”

Kya swallowed hard. “I’ll get him. I’ll be right back.”

She blinked back tears as she walked. She had to keep it together. When she reached the outside pen where Lucky was playing with Pepper and two of the other dogs, it was almost too much for her to bear. She felt her knees begin to buckle, but a strong arm guided her back up.

“Hang in there, boss,” Lyn said.

Kya looked up at her friend and saw there were tears in her eyes too. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she whispered.

“You can and you will…because you have to.”

Kya sucked in a deep ragged breath. “I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Lyn handed her a leash. “I’ll get the other guys inside and give you a few minutes alone with Lucky.”

“Thanks.” She waited until Lyn and the dogs disappeared down the hall before she went outside.

The first thing Lucky spotted was the leash.
Where are we going? To the park, I hope.
He wagged his tail furiously, but when his eyes moved up to her face, it stopped.
What’s wrong?

She stood before him, and it felt like her heart was breaking in two. “I’ve been hoping and praying this day would never come.”

Lucky froze.
What are you talking about?

“You know.”

This is a joke, right? You’re just playing a game with me.

Kya got down on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Please don’t make this any harder than it is.”

They’re here? That woman and her bratty kid?

Kya sank her fingers into his fur. “Yes.”

No. I’m not going to go.

Kya stroked his back. “I tried to get them to release you to me, but they won’t.”

I can’t go back there.
Lucky’s eyes scanned the back fence, and she knew he was looking for a way to escape.
You can let me out and say I ran away.

“I wish I could, but you know that’s not an option. They’d never fall for that, and I could risk losing this place if they filed a complaint against me. I’m not worried about myself, but what about Pepper and all the other animals? What would happen to them?”

Lucky laid his head on her shoulder.
You’re right.

“I love you,” she whispered against his neck, then she kissed him as tears rolled down her cheeks.

He licked her face.
I know you do. Now let’s get this over with, before I chicken out and make a beeline for that fence.

Kya put the leash on, then wiped the tears from her face as they walked toward the reception area. She desperately wanted to find something positive to grasp on to. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad with his family. The little boy really wanted Lucky—George—back and no doubt loved him.

When they entered the reception area, Lyn was talking with the woman. The little boy spotted them first and came bolting over.

“Georgie, Georgie,” he yelled at the top of his lungs while clapping his hands and jumping up and down.

Lucky’s ears were pinned back and his tail was tucked between his legs.
It’s so annoying when he does that.

Lyn took the clipboard from the woman’s hands, looked over the paper, and asked, “All set?”

Kya could barely croak out a “yes” when the woman came up to her and yanked the leash out of her hands.

“Come on. Let’s go.” She took hold of the boy’s hand and marched toward the front door.

Lucky walked beside them with his head down. He turned to look back at Kya one last time before being pulled out the front door. His eyes locked with hers.
I’ll never forget you!

That was the last straw. As soon as the door closed behind him, she ran from the room into her office, where she slammed the door. She collapsed in her chair and buried her head in her arms. The heartbreak was almost too much to take. This was exactly why she hadn’t gotten another dog after Max’s death. Yet Lucky had come into her life, and she’d immediately fallen in love with him. And now he was gone.

Something jumped onto her desk. She looked up to find Felix, a gray-and-white-striped cat, sitting in front of her. She hadn’t even known he was in her office. A moment later, there was scratching on her door, then a loud bark. Pepper. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She got up, grabbed her purse from the back of her chair, and rushed out.

Lyn and Debbie were talking at the front desk and stopped immediately when they saw her.

“I’m leaving for the day. Lyn, please make sure everyone has food and water before you lock up tonight.”

“Of course. Kya, I’m—”

She held out her hand, stopping her. “Don’t. I know you mean well, but I just need some time. Alone.”

After she left the shelter and was sitting in her car, another flood of tears overwhelmed her. She sat there for a long time, not holding back, letting her feelings out for once. When she was able to regain her composure, she headed home, but before turning down Marshall, she realized she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted to be with someone who would comfort her. She wanted Devon.

****

Devon rinsed his plate, then placed it in the dishwasher. He looked over at Daisy lying in the doorway and said, “Want to go to the park?” He’d gone back and forth in his mind all day at school about whether they should go there today or not. He wasn’t sure what to do after having kissed Kya last night. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it. Quite the opposite. She felt better than he’d ever hoped. But he’d planned to keep their relationship platonic. He wasn’t ready to get romantically involved with someone…and she was engaged to another man. All that kiss did was leave him feeling awkward and confused, and he was sure Kya felt the same way. For all he knew, she might not want to see him again, and he wouldn’t blame her in the least. Although he hoped that wasn’t the case.

“Come on, Dais. Let’s get some fresh air.”

The dog sprang to her feet and ran around him. The sound of the doorbell surprised him. But he was even more shocked to see Kya standing on his front step. Her eyes were red and swollen. Something was terribly wrong. He looked for Lucky, and when he didn’t see the dog, a terrible thought crept into his mind.

Without saying a word, he opened his arms, and she went into them immediately, burying her face against his chest. “What happened?” he asked softly.

“It’s Lucky. He’s gone,” she cried.

“You found his owner?”

“She found me.”

Devon stroked the back of her head. “Oh, Kya, I’m so sorry. I was afraid that might happen.”

“I know. That’s why I told myself not to get too attached, but it didn’t work. I can’t imagine not having Lucky…”

Devon ushered her into the house. “Sit down.” He led her over to the couch. “I’m going to put some water on for tea.”

When he came back a couple of minutes later carrying two teacups, he found Daisy curled up on the couch beside Kya with her head in her lap. He set the cups on the coffee table in front of the couch, then sat on the other side of Kya.

She reached for her cup, but before taking a sip said almost to herself, “He didn’t want to go with them.”

“Who came for him?”

“A woman and a boy.” She brushed a tear from her eye and said, “I feel like I’ve let Lucky down.”

“There was nothing you could do. He had to go home.”

“He
was
home.”

Devon’s heart went out to her, and he wished there was something he could do to make her feel better. He imagined how awful he’d feel if he lost Daisy. “What do you say we go for a ride? It’s a beautiful evening.” Before she could answer, he took hold of her hands and pulled her onto her feet. “Come on. You’ll feel better.” With her hand wrapped in his, he led her out the door.

Devon knew exactly where he was going to take her—Cedar Bluff. The view was spectacular and the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore had a calming effect. It was his favorite place to go when he needed to clear his head. He’d gone there a lot since Char’s death.

As he drove along the shoreline road, he put in a CD of soft jazz. Kya leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. He maneuvered the car with ease along the twisting road. When he reached the top and put the car in Park, she opened her eyes. “Have you been here before?”

“No, never. It’s beautiful.”

He followed her gaze along the white-capped waves. “There’s a much better view out here.” Devon turned off the engine, then opened his door and stepped out of the car. He walked around the hood to help her out, and then led her to the front of the car. “I come here a lot when I need to relax.”

“I can see why. There’s something about the sound of the ocean that’s so soothing.”

She leaned against him, and the feel of her skin against his sent a spasm of desire shooting through him. Without overthinking it, he took her in his arms, then bent his head to meet her soft warm lips.

This kiss was different from the one the other night. This one had a passion, an urgency to it that had him hungering for more. Her response equaled his, and they stood wrapped in each other’s arms for a long time.