Waiting for Wyatt (Red Dirt #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

as the deep words floated between us. They came from a person who was filled with more on the inside than the mask he wore on the outside. He was a good apple, just a bruised one full of compassion for his animals.
    The invisible pull was there again. The invisible fingers tugged at my hands, my heart, and my feet. I moved closer to where Wyatt stood by the next kennel. His body visibly tensed, but I didn’t let it affect me.
    “What about that one?” I pointed to the rat terrier with a pink scar shooting across his back hip instead of a leg. He bounced around on tripod feet.
    “Ricky Bobby.” Wyatt reached over the kennel fence, scratching behind the dog’s ears. He smiled faintly as the rat terrier licked the palm of his hand. The animals seemed to melt the granite wall, surrounding this broken guy. I saw it every time he touched one.
    “What’s his story?” I whispered.
    Wyatt glanced at me as the smile lingered on his lips. “This guy thinks he can outrace cars. Got hit by one. His owner wanted to put him down instead of amputate. The vet called Diana, and he came here.”
    “Why would someone just put him down for that?”
    “You shouldn’t ask why in this place. There is no why for them. Some people are just selfish bastards.” His eyes lifted up, catching mine for a brief moment.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ask it that way.”
    “I told you. You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
    “That’s not what I meant. I know I rescued Charlie, but I haven’t seen a place like this before. There’s so many of them.”
    Wyatt didn’t respond that time. I let out a deep breath, moving toward the next pen, but it appeared empty. Looking toward the back, I saw a black shape huddled in the corner. The more I looked, the more it pressed back as far as it could get from the gate.
    “That’s Cye.” His voice grated on the words. “He’s a little timid. And he’s only got one eye. I think it scares him, not being able to see everything clearly.”
    “What happened?”
    Wyatt didn’t answer, and his jaw gritted up. He came over and stood just a few inches away, which surprised me. We both studied the sad creature in the back of the pen. Then he started to talk again. “The vet thinks he was beat with a hammer. It’s taking awhile for him to trust people.”
    “Not even you?”
    “No, and I’m not sure if he ever will.”
    “How long has Cye been here?” I whispered.
    “A year. I touched him the night he arrived. Diana had the poor guy sedated. Cye hasn’t let anyone touch him since.”
    “I don’t know how someone could do that to an animal.” My throat burned as the scared eyes watched me from the back corner. The more I invaded his space, the more he hunkered to the floor. It felt wrong to even look at Cye. “Does he ever go outside to the other part of the kennel?”
    “He’s like a ghost. I know he goes outside because I scoop it out of the grass. But I never see him do it though.”
    “How do you do this, Wyatt?” I looked up at his face. “It’s just so sad.
    His green eyes stayed guarded even though mine were close to tears from hearing the stories. Wyatt’s jaw tightened as he swallowed hard. “Some of their stories are worse than others. But I do my best to make it better for them.”
    “Oh,” I whispered. “You’re like the keeper of the island of misfit toys.”
    “The what?” He frowned.
    “You know, from Rudolf—the movie?”
    “Hmm,” he grunted.
    The longer I stood in his personal space, the more I felt his hidden pain, weaving back and forth between us. I wanted to step even closer. I wanted to let him know that whatever was tearing him up inside would be okay.
    Wyatt got fidgety and rubbed the side of his neck. I got a whiff of his scent. It wasn’t cologne. Not that I expected any. Wyatt didn’t seem like the type to wear something fancy. Instead he just smelled clean, like he’d rubbed dryer sheets into his skin.
    “How long have you been doing