against a deadline and I wanted to respect his need to work, so I’d stayed home.
“Yeah . . . watch out for Aunt May. She’s feisty.”
Scott raises an eyebrow. “And you aren’t?”
I chuckle and open the gate. “You’ll see.”
Inside, the fusillade of barks that greets us tells us everyone’s feeling good, and May comes out of the dog wash station, her hands wet and her t-shirt plastered to her. “Well, now, this must be that man you were promising to show me!”
I blush and handle the introductions. “Aunt May, this is Scott Danger. Scott, this is my Aunt May.”
“So nice to meet Maddie’s new boyfriend,” May gushes, offering her slightly pruney hand.
“Aunt May.”
“It’s okay,” Scott says, shaking the offered hand firmly. “If Madison wants to call me her boyfriend, I consider it an honor. She says lovely things about you too, and I can see why.”
May blushes a little. I’ve never seen May blush before. She’s pretty battle-hardened and doesn’t tolerate bullshit easily. “I see why Maddie likes you. You’re smooth. Before you get to thinking I’m an easy sell, though, what are your intentions with my niece?”
I feel like I’m about to die of embarrassment, but Scott chuckles. “If I told you the truth, you’d slap me. If I lied, you’d know I’m lying. I think I’ll just not answer and ask where the pooper scooper is.”
May laughs, winking at me and whispering out of the side of her mouth. “Yep, this one is smooth as silk.” She turns back to Scott. “Good answer, young man. Now, as for work, the poop scooping comes later. For now, let’s get you on food distribution duty while I deal with poor Furby over here.”
“What’s wrong with him?” I ask, looking at the sad-looking Shih-Tzu. “Oh, dear.”
“He looks . . . matted,” Scott says, squatting down slowly and offering Furby his hand for a sniff. His voice is soft, soothing as he talks to the dog. “Where have you been, little fella?”
“Kept outside on a chain collar,” May says grimly, picking up a pair of scissors. “He’s real sensitive around his neck, and I think he’s got some of that chain twisted up in his fur. I need to get the rest of these knots out and get him dipped. He’s a one dog walking flea infestation right now.”
“Can we lend a hand?” I ask, but May shakes her head. “Food?”
“The babies are hungry,” May says. “You two are my only volunteers today, so we need to scoot to get everything done.”
May trims carefully at a knot that’s about the same diameter as a tennis ball before lifting it away from Furby, who licks her hand plaintively as she tosses it into the trash. “Come on,” I quietly tell Scott, who looks concerned.
We head through to the bigger kennel area, and I show him around. “Okay, there are four color tags on the doors. They match the four colors of food container.”
“Why four kinds?” Scott asks, and I point out why as I explain.
“Puppies . . . smaller kibble pieces for small mouths. Regular adult food, just your regular dog food. Then there’s the basic ingredient food for the dogs with sensitive stomachs, and finally, our seniors and dental-challenged ones. They get a scoop and then their food is soaked with water to soften it so they can chew it easily.”
“Dental-challenged?” Scott asks, and I nod, leading him down to Duchess, a beautiful Dalmatian that’s been with us for about four weeks. Going inside, I pet her carefully before having her lie down, and I lift her outer lip. “She’s got no teeth.”
Scott comes in, giving me a supportive look as he rubs Duchess’s tummy. “She’s a sweet little baby. Looks like she’s had puppies too.”
“She didn’t come in with any, but it does look that way,” I reply, standing up. “But Duchess is a sweetheart, and once she’s fixed and all her shots are up to date, we’re going to get her a good home.”
We get started, and it’s heartwarming to watch Scott interact with the dogs. Some volunteers only pay attention to the cute dogs. But Scott has a kind word for all of them, rubbing heads when they let him and even kneeling down to get a few belly scratches in.
More than once, I see him looking over at me as I talk with the dogs, a strange look on his face. “What is it?”
“Just . . . someday, you’re going to make a great mother,” he says, smiling