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There was a dog’s bed on the opposite side of the cage that he’d ignored. There was just something about him that screamed loneliness. I could relate.

“What’s his name?”

“Jake, although that was the name we gave him,” she answered.

“A stray?”

“No, he was brought in by someone and left.”

How could anyone do that to an animal?

“Sadly, we don’t know much about him, although he appears to be under two years old. We think mostly a pure black lab. Maybe a little German Shepherd in him. He’s completely house trained, but he hasn’t responded to anyone since he’s been here.”

“How long?”

“Five months.”

I gritted my teeth. His tail wasn’t thumping. People were fickle. They wanted dogs who acted happy to see them.

“Is it alright if I sit with him for a little while?”

“Of course. Take your time. We’ll be closing in about an hour. You can open the cage if you want. Just see how he responds. I’d love for him to find a good home.”

Yeah, well, I wasn’t certain I could be considered good for anyone. As she walked away, I crouched down, staring at his sweet face. “Well, Jake. What do you think?”

He offered no response nor did he come close to the door. I opened the cage anyway, resisting reaching inside. If he was comfortable, he’d come to me.

He didn’t.

So I sat on the floor. Minutes ticked by and he wasn’t curious in the least. At least I’d managed to drown out the other noise, doing nothing more than concentrating on my breathing.

When I finally looked at my watch, I realized the rescue facility would be closing soon. I wasn’t sure the fit was right. I shifted, almost getting up when he did instead. He came to me slowly, still in a timid position, fear rolling off his huge body. I returned to the way I’d been sitting before with my long legs stuck out. Just waiting.

Jake finally crawled from his cage just enough to be able to lay his head on my thigh. I slowly placed my hand on his muzzle, stroking behind his ear. His sigh was heavy, but he closed his eyes almost immediately.

A smile broke across my face, something that hadn’t happened in a very long time.

We sat together for a few minutes until the same lady walked back toward us. I could tell by the look in her eyes she believed this was a fit.

“Should I get the paperwork ready?” Margie asked.

Jake lifted his head once again and I nodded. “Yeah. Please do.”

CHAPTER 3

Kage

“Come on, Jake. You gotta eat.”

I pushed his food bowl closer by a few inches. He was completely disinterested as he’d been since coming home with me. Three days of no eating, the dog doing nothing more than lying in front of the fire. He hadn’t come to bed with me nor wanted to take a walk. He’d gone out and done his business, but that was it.

He peered up at me briefly before trotting away, lying down two feet away from his huge bed I’d bought for him. He’d even walked by the toys scattered on the floor. Nothing interested him. Not even steak, which I’d made the night before.

What was the deal with this boy? My gut told me he was in mourning. Well, that made two of us. There were no signs of abuse, but something was way off. There had to be more information about him. Something. Anything. I wasn’t going to allow him to starve himself to death. I took the bowl to him, hoping the change in scenery would help.

I stared out the window at the barn sitting empty on one side of the property. It was a nice building, seemingly built in the last couple of years. There was a corral in front, maybe meant for horses, but there was no sign my uncle had ever owned a horse.

Granted, what the fuck did I know about the man? Nothing.