Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,3
“He was just a natural.”
“Have you ever thought about getting another dog?”
Calvin seemed to mull it over. “If I could find one as good as Bear, hell yeah,” he said. “Problem is, I wouldn’t even know where to look.”
Calvin needed someone, that much was clear. I also knew that emotional support animals could do a lot of good for people like Calvin. Properly trained, a dog might also be able to help with some of his mobility issues.
“What if I could find you a trained emotional support dog? Would you like that?”
Calvin narrowed his gaze and pointed at me. “I don’t want you spending any money on me, Mason. We’ve been through this.”
“I know, I know,” I placated, holding both hands up. “But just like with the prosthetic, there’s likely a charity that can help you.”
I’d never told him that I’d paid for the prosthetic. He wouldn’t have let me. And I wouldn’t tell him if I had to pay for the dog either. I had more money than I’d ever need thanks to an inheritance from my dad. My father had been a successful businessman and left my brothers and me millions. I preferred a simple life - give me a piece of land with a cozy cabin on it and I had everything I’d ever need. Why not use the money for good instead of letting it sit in an account forever? I didn’t have kids, had no one to leave it to. Sure, I had some nieces and nephews on the way, but they would get their dads’ money.
Calvin knew all of this, yet being the stubborn old man that he was, still refused the help. Which is why I had to lie to him. I hated it, but it was the difference between him getting the help he needed or him languishing in loneliness.
“I’ve always had a soft spot for dogs. Bear wasn’t my first,” Calvin confessed, his voice almost distant as if he was thinking about long ago. “Growing up, I also had a hunting dog named Red. He was my best friend. Never thought another dog could come close to what we had, then some jackass abandoned a little black pup on the road near my house and well, the rest is history.”
A dog just might be the answer. It would help with his loneliness, as well as his emotional support and mobility needs. Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?
I pulled out my phone and started researching. I typed Emotional Support Dogs near Liberty, Utah. The first link I pulled up was for Safe Haven Animal Rescue. I almost scrolled past, thinking it was just a rescue site, when I read, “Board-certified animal trainer, Danielle Baker, has been training emotional support and service dogs for ten years. She’s an expert at picking out dogs suited for service work, and her passion is helping both humans and animals live better lives. She is happy to assist with all of your training needs.”
A rescue owned by a dog trainer. Talk about two birds with one stone. I quickly google her name, looking for any reviews.
“Danielle is a life-saver. My little boy has seizures, and she not only found us the perfect rescue, but she also trained him to alert us whenever he’s about to have a seizure. It’s allowed our son to have the freedom to be a kid again.”
“We’d heard about Danielle’s stellar reviews, so we drove all the way from Colorado to utilize her services. She really is the best in the industry as all the other reviews say!”
One of the best in the industry, right in our own backyard. I took note of the address and decided it would be worth stopping by, just to see what she had to say.
A sound pulled me away from my research, and I looked up to find Calvin fast asleep on the couch, snoring loudly. I draped a blanket over him and made sure to close the window in the living room before I left.
There was still light in the sky, so I decided to make the most of the day and drove to the address I’d found on the internet for the rescue. As soon as I turned down the road leading to the place, however, my stomach dropped. I knew the spot well because just a couple months prior, the entire area had been flooded due to some of the worst rain we’d ever seen coupled with a broken dam.