afraid.”
“I’m not afraid. I like dogs. And Elaine would never accept a dog that would be a danger to anyone. He probably just needs some additional training.”
The dog broke off in mid-howl as Maddie started to open the bedroom door. He whirled on Kendra and then bounded toward her. She had a lightning glance of a large, golden-tan dog, either a German shepherd or a retriever or…something, and braced herself for the leap. But before he reached her, he fell to the floor and made a sound deep in his throat.
Chills ran down her back. He sounded like a hungry lion snarling. “He’s going to attack.” She instinctively backed away as the dog snarled at her again. “I’ve never heard anything like that.”
“None of us have,” Maddie said. “But he’s not growling, Kendra. Elaine said that he’s barking. He’s not threatening you. She thought it was his attempt to make friends.”
“He’s growling,” Kendra said positively. And it was the deepest, roughest, fiercest growl she’d ever heard. “And forget the bit where I told you I wasn’t afraid of dogs.” She tried to get a grip on herself. “You’re sure he’s not on the attack?”
“I’m sure. You saw how he dropped and lay at attention before he reached you. That was part of his training as a service dog. Harley was probably the most affectionate dog you’ve ever met until he was injured. Elaine said she believed that’s part of his problem now. Just ignore that blasted sound he’s making and look at him. You’ll see it.”
Kendra was already looking at him. His tail was wagging and his large, dark eyes were shining at her from that big, square retriever face. No, one dark eye, she realized. The other was a crystal light blue, but it was shining at her with just as much eagerness as its darker mate. It was as if he was trying to tell her something. His golden fur clung tightly to his lean, powerful shepherd body, and his ears were long and floppy. He looked unusual, funny, and maybe even almost huggable…as long as he didn’t open his mouth. “What breed is he?”
“Mutt,” Maddie said flatly. “He was donated to the Seeing Eye program by a breeder of German shepherds. But evidently some other dog of dubious ancestry saw fit to pay his mother a clandestine visit. He appeared healthy and had a wonderful temperament so he was accepted in the program.”
Kendra took a step forward and then she knelt, tentatively reaching out and gently stroking Harley’s ears. He lifted his head and gazed at her intently…and she was aware once more of that feeling that he was trying to tell her something…
And then he growled.
Kendra shuddered. “Oh, shit.” She glanced at Maddie. “That snarl sounds like a cross between a panther and a lion and totally deadly. No way would anyone see that ‘wonderful temperament’ if they heard that. It doesn’t make sense.”
“And everything has to make sense to you, it all has to fit together. You haven’t changed.” Maddie shrugged. “I can see it. It was hard for me to understand what Elaine was talking about. I still have trouble. I don’t have her empathy for animals. But when Elaine first brought Harley home from the vet, she knew he was going to be a headache. He was very depressed and so quiet it was almost a relief when he’d give that lion roar.”
“Difficult to imagine.” But now that Kendra was up close and personal with Harley, she could see what Maddie meant. In the dog’s silence, she could sense the intensity, the aloneness, even…desperation. “You said she brought him home from the vet? What was wrong with him?”
“Elaine said he’d had a battle with a fire caused by an exploding gas pipe.” She shrugged. “And I don’t want to sound schmaltzy, but she really thought he had a broken heart. That’s a little harder to fix.”
“If anyone could do it, Elaine could.” Kendra was looking into those strange eyes, trying to read what Elaine had seen. Did she heal you, boy? She healed a lot of us over the years. But no one can heal her now.
“You’re right.” Maddie had to clear her throat. “But she didn’t have much time to do it, though I believe she was making progress. The dog was responding to Elaine, and she was even bringing him here to stay in her office during the day so that she could work with him on her breaks. And I