Revealing Annie - Freya Barker Page 0,7

home I put my stuff away, hop in the shower for a quick rinse, and dive into bed for a nap. I do make sure to set my alarm for two thirty.

I changed my mind a number of times on the way over here.

Mostly about the dog.

No one is in the small front office when I walk into the shelter. I look around for a bell or something but there isn’t one. Then I spot a small window in the door to the back and peek through.

Annie is sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of an aisle, which runs all the way to a door in the back, with kennels on either side. She has an open book on her lap and a fierce-looking pit bull is lying beside her, his ugly head on her knee.

The dog is the first one to notice me and starts barking as he jumps to his feet. His muscular body blocks Annie, who scrambles to her feet. She holds up a finger for me to wait, and grabs the white and gray dog by the collar. She has to drag him to what I presume is his kennel and locks him inside before she walks this way.

“Hey. Sorry, the buzzer on the front entrance is broken; otherwise I would’ve heard you come in. Were you waiting long?”

She seems a little flustered. Without the City Market visor pulled over her eyes, I have a better view of her face. Her hair is short and messy, it looks like she does little more than occasionally run a hand through it, but it suits her face. A high forehead, full, nicely arched eyebrows, the pert nose, and that perfectly shaped mouth. The only thing out of place is those glasses, the frame much too overwhelming for her face.

“Not long.”

I smile down at her, liking the way the top of her head just comes up to my nose. I’m average, not particularly tall, but Annie is a good six inches shorter. Nice.

“So, what are you looking for? In a dog, I mean,” she quickly adds, as she slips behind the reception desk, placing it conveniently between us.

“I don’t really know. I’ve never had to pick a pet before,” I admit.

“All right, let’s figure this out. How many people in your household?”

I narrow my eyes on her. I’m not sure of it’s an innocent question or if this is her way of finding out if I’m single. Her expression doesn’t tell me much.

“Just me.”

“Okay, so you’d need a dog who can handle staying alone. Might be a stretch though, with your hours, Blue says you do twenty-four-hour shifts?”

I nod my acknowledgement. I never really considered that might be a problem, but I remember now when Blue got Arthur—her first rescue—Tony helped her look after the dog.

“Shit. That’s a problem, right?”

“Could be.” She shrugs. “Although, I guess you could hire a dog walker.”

I put my forearms on the desk and lean across, putting all the charm I can muster in the smile I flash her.

“Are you offering?”

Her bark of laughter is unexpected, but something I said is apparently funny.

“You’re shameless,” she chides, but she does it smiling.

Annie

He leaves without a dog, but with the promise he’ll be back the day after tomorrow.

I’m not sure why—it’s clear he hasn’t really thought this adoption thing through—but I’m willing to indulge him. For now. Besides, it’s not a hardship to have him in my space.

My first judgment of him may have been a little harsh. Sure, he’s a charmer, but he seems to do it in an almost mischievous way. It seems he doesn’t really expect to be taken seriously and it’s just the way he communicates. At least with the opposite sex. Even of the canine persuasion.

He’d asked to meet Daisy, the pittie he caught me reading to. Actually, he asked to meet him, assuming the muscular dog to be male. I was a little hesitant. Daisy doesn’t trust men easily, but Sumo suggested he pick up where I left off with the story. He surprised me by sitting down on the floor, reading from my book in a calm, even voice.

After her initial reluctance when I opened the gate to her kennel, Daisy slowly ventured out and sat down at a safe distance. She wouldn’t let him touch her, but she didn’t snarl at him, which I’d consider a win.

“Who was that?” Margaret, my boss, says when she walks in.

“Actually, that’s Blue’s EMT partner.”

She swings around and follows his