Page 14 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

“You look like you needed it. Your heart is always so heavy, sweetie. Far too heavy for someone so young.”

I looked down, not sure what to say. I was saved when the employee door opened to the back.

“Doreen…oh, Fawn, you’re here. Perfect, you’re with me,” Dr. Taylor said and then darted into the back once more.

“Oh…okay. See you later, Doreen.”

“Bye, sweetie.”

Dr. Taylor carried two large bags of medical supplies and was already heading out the backdoor when I caught up to him.

“What’s going on,” I asked as he tossed the duffels into the backseat of his truck.

“Got a call that someone abandoned a farm outside of the city. They didn’t do anything about the animals.

They just left them all locked up. One of the large animal vets is coming to look after the horses, but there are cats and a dog.

Half of the livestock is already too far gone,” he said before jumping into the driver’s seat.

As fast as I could, I got in beside him and buckled my seatbelt. “That’s horrible. How can people be so cruel?”

Starting the truck, he shook his head. “I have no idea.”

Dr. Taylor was a remarkable surgeon, practically a legend. I was so happy that he’d hired me to work here while I finished my degree. My classmates were jealous that I’d gotten the position for the one-on-one training.

It also didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

Matthew Taylor had electric baby blues, an easy smile, and a short, cropped hairstyle with a dusting of salt and pepper that gave him a distinguished look.

He was fit, ran marathons, and could easily pass for ten years younger than forty.

The girls in my class had nicknamed him Doc Hottie.

I silently gloated when he chose me for the placement.

We flew out of the clinic driveway and sped along the roads as we made our way out of the city. Neither of us spoke, and I was just as happy not to make small talk while my mind swirled around what I’d overheard before I left the house.

After I’d changed, I went downstairs to find Titus.

But when I found him, he was telling Naji about a ten-day trip with Vera.

I’d darted out the front door before I burst into tears and made a fool of myself.

It didn’t matter. I cried all the way to the clinic.

It had been almost three weeks since I’d learned of his engagement, and yet, each day was as painful as the one before.

“That’s the place,” Dr. Taylor said, pointing to an old farm. Part of the roof was missing on the barn, the paint had faded away long ago, fence rails hung from their posts, and the house’s windows were smashed.

Three other trucks and a horse trailer were parked near the barn when we pulled up the drive. It looked like a massacre had taken place, and my throat tightened just seeing the plastic tarps covering deceased animals.

Dr. Taylor laid his hand on mine.

“If anything is too much for you, come back to the truck.”

His eyes were sincere when I looked over, but something about his kindness spurred my need to prove that I could handle the situation, not just to him but to myself. If I really wanted to help animals, then this was part of the job.

Hopping out of the truck, the animal rescue personnel walked over and gave us the rundown of everything that had happened and who we were there to see.

Walking into the barn triggered my gag reflex.

Normally, the fresh smell of hay and animals made my heart happy, but there was nothing joyous here in this place.

The smell of manure and ammonia was so strong that it stung my eyes and the back of my throat. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The stench of death hung in the air. I covered my nose with my sleeve, but it hardly helped.

Stall after stall, the animals had either been removed or were so far decayed that their remains would be left until the rescue was complete.

We had been directed to the very end of the barn.

Dr. Taylor looked in the last stall to the left, and I looked in the one on the right.

My heart broke when I spotted the curled-up golden ball.

“Hey baby, we’re here to help you,” I said, my voice soft.

“Most of the ones left alive over here are kittens. I’m going to get the cages. You okay there,” Dr. Taylor asked, and I nodded. “Be careful. We don’t know what kind of abuse any of these animals have lived through.”

“I’m fine. Did you bring the dog food packages and water?” Dr. Taylor pointed to his large bag as he left.

Unzipping the top, I found the food and pulled out two small pouches, a collapsable dish, and a bottle of water. Consuming too much food too quickly could cause a slew of other issues. The dog’s head lifted when I opened the stall door, and I smiled at the golden retriever.

“Hi there, baby. Don’t be scared. I promise we’re not here to hurt you,” I cooed, closing the door behind me.

I bit my lip to keep the tears from falling when he sat up and pressed his emaciated frame as far back as he could into the corner of the stall.

It was the only clean spot in the feces-smeared space.

Flies buzzed around the remains of another dog in the opposite corner.

The body seemed undisturbed, which told me a lot about this dog’s personality and gave me hope.

Keeping my movements small and quiet, I pulled out the water dish.

I pushed it open so he could see and poured a third of the bottle.

Crouching low, I inched closer. The shaking increased until he was practically vibrating.

His fur was matted and knotted in places, and his nails were long enough to be classified as talons.

Signs of abuse were evident. I wanted to cry and kill whoever had done this at the same time.

“It’s okay, baby. I have some water for you. Are you thirsty? I promise no one will ever hurt you again,” I said, getting as close as I could before setting the bowl down.

Pulling out a package of soft kibble, I tore open the top, and the rattle of the bag perked his ears.

“Yeah, that’s right, I have food for you,” I said, rambling non-stop to try and ease some of his fear.

I poured half of the specially formulated food out beside the water and then squatted down to wait.

“I’m sorry that you watched your friend pass away. That must have made you feel so helpless. I used to feel helpless all the time, but I found someone kind who let me see that there are good people in the world. I promise I’d never hurt you, baby.”

My legs were numb from holding this position, but eventually, the scent of food and water was too tempting.

He got low and crawled to the dish, eyeing me the whole time.

The food was devoured with one lick, quickly followed by the water.

That was enough for him to look at me with hope-filled eyes. The first tear trickled down my cheek.

Pouring a little more food out, this time into my palm, I coaxed him over. One slow step at a time, he inched closer until he could sniff the small pile of kibble. As hungry as he obviously was, he was gentle. All I ever felt was his tongue as he ate.

“That’s a good boy.”

As slowly as possible, I moved the leash within reach. Emptying the rest of the small package into my hand, I brought him a little closer. While he was eating, I slipped the leash over his neck.

Step one was done, but we still had a very long way to go. The next obstacle was getting him into the truck. If I ever found out who did this…they would be sorry.

Three Hours Later

“How is he,” Dr. Taylor asked as he walked over.

“Still scared, but at least he’s clean,” I said with a sigh.

Dr. Taylor sat down beside me. The golden retriever was curled up against the back of the kennel and, thankfully, no longer shaking.

We’d managed to save eight kittens, two cats, and this sweet boy.

It took a little bit of tranquilizer, but we got him bathed, his fur unmatted, his nails trimmed, and the collar removed from his neck, which was just starting to cut his skin.

His ID tag named him Winston. I’d been tempted to change it but figured that with everything he went through, a new name would be confusing.

“He looks a lot better. Luckily, and surprisingly, he doesn’t have any major health issues and no fleas or worms. No idea how he managed that,” Dr. Taylor said, looking at me. “His prognosis is good, Fawn. You did well today and saved a life. It’s a win.”

“Thanks, but it seems so endless. I don’t know how the animal rescue employees deal with seeing that all the time. It would crush my heart. How can people be so evil? It just boggles my mind.”

Dr. Taylor stood. “Try not to focus too much on the dark side of the job. There are just as many people out there fighting the good fight. Focus on the wins, or you’ll be sucked down by the shadows.”

My brow arched. “The shadows?”

He shrugged. “It’s what I call the memories that try to pull me from focusing on the animals I can save. They are like evil beings who set out to sabotage the good. You should head home and leave the shadows here,” he said and walked out.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, Winston. I made you a promise, and we start by finding you the perfect forever home.” He lifted his head and looked at me as I stood. “I never break a promise.”

I loved Dr. Taylor’s imagery of our memories, but at this point, I had so many shadows that they’d decided to stay and throw a rave in my brain. How did you remove that many without them sneaking back into the party? It felt impossible.