Final Mend Read Online Free PDF Page A

time.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “I mean, a bar probably isn’t the best place for a recovering alcoholic.”
    He stiffened his jaw as berating thoughts flashed through his mind. Her gaze flicked upward as her lips pinched together. He noticed her hands briefly clench as she fought the urge to clasp her hands in front of her like a shield. He had no retaliation except to slam the door in her face.
    So—he slammed the door in her face.

Chapter Four
    Winona hefted a bag of dog food and carried it to the back where the bowls were kept. Five dogs bustled up to her, wagging their tails and barking as she poured each of them a bowl of chow. Several other dogs played together outside, inside the fence, but those were the ones who could get along. Later, she would let Gruff out. He didn’t like other dogs, barely liked people, and wasn’t crazy about getting his paws dirty. Winona wondered if he even liked himself.
    Overall, twelve dogs lived in the shelter, which wasn’t bad in comparison to some shelters she’d volunteered at. But most of those shelters were larger, and twelve dogs with no home were twelve too many.
    She loved the dogs. It broke her heart to see them lose their homes. Some people just decided they didn’t want them anymore, couldn’t afford them anymore, or maybe they got a divorce and couldn’t handle them anymore. For whatever reason, Winona didn’t approve. Would you give up your child just because you lost your income? She thought not, though many gave up their child after a divorce.
    When someone wanted to adopt a pet, she always counseled them to make sure they knew what they were getting into. Yes, the animals needed a home, but she tried to make this shelter as good a home as they could get, and she’d rather they stay here than go somewhere they’d be ignored or abandoned. The other volunteers felt the same, and the owner would take them all home if she could.
    Winona had often thought of adopting one, but it wouldn’t fit in her lifestyle right now. It was easier to take care of them from the shelter. For one, she was staying in Reagan’s condo and for two, she wasn’t sure how long she’d be here.
    An hour later, Winona left the dogs and tended to the cats. Twenty-three cats, eight of them kittens and nine of them old enough they would probably never have a forever home.
    She’d felt that way at one point in her life.
    She held the ones that would let her. Petted them, played with them, and scooped their litter. There was a small room set up that she put them in so they could get out of their cages and stretch their feet. When Winona had arrived, she made sure the cages and the rooms grew so it wouldn’t feel so much like a prison. Chayton and Garret had both donated money to help with the additions.
    She volunteered several hours a week after working at Air Dog and usually ended up here on weekends, too. She didn’t need the money, would rather do some good in her life, and she was content. Working with the animals brought her more fulfillment than anything she’d ever done, including searching for lost people.
    She’d discovered over the years that most people weren’t lost. They just didn’t want to be found. There were those who didn’t know they were lost but would never be the same after they were found.
    And then there were those who could never be found. Lost forever. Those were the cases that had ultimately destroyed her.
    “Hello?”
    Lost in thought, she hadn’t heard the front door open. She glanced at the clock, saw that it was thirty minutes to closing time, and stood as anxiety scratched her spine. She hated to be caught unaware, and not knowing that someone had approached made her unaware. The voice was deep and boisterous. A man’s voice.
    “One second,” she called. She returned Tabby to her cage and closed the door. Walking out, her footsteps faltered when she recognized Jake.
    He stood in the doorway, his broad frame filling the room with