Page 37 of Colton On Guard
“What was your life like living in Anchorage,” he asked, partly to pass the time but also because he genuinely wanted to know.
She grimaced. “Do you mean while Chad and I were married? Or after?”
“After,” he replied. Since he couldn’t bear the thought of her married to another man, especially one who had abused her, he wanted to hear how she’d rebuilt her life.
“I rented an apartment,” she said. “It was new and modern and close to the center of town. It didn’t take long to realize Chad and my former best friend Ann intended to make my life hell.”
“Why?” This made no sense to him. “You gave him his divorce. Your so-called friend got what she wanted, your former husband. I don’t understand why they’d feel the need to bother you.”
When she spoke, her voice sounded level and matter-of-fact. “I can talk about this now,” she said. “Because the time I spent in therapy helped me deal with it and dispel any lingering darkness. Chad lied to Ann. He told her I wanted to win him back, that I still considered him mine.”
She sighed, glancing down at her sleeping dog before looking back at him. “Ann believed him to the point that she started harassing me. This gave Chad a kick, so he encouraged it. He even called me several times to gloat. Getting away from them was my only recourse, especially when Ann broke into my apartment and destroyed most of my belongings.”
“Then you came back home,” he said.
“Yes. I came home. Evidently, this made Ann realize I truly wasn’t after my ex, because neither of them has attempted to contact me again.”
“Did you change your phone number?” he asked.
“No. But I did block both of them. If they’d gone on to get disposable phones or something, then I would have changed my number. But as it turned out, I didn’t have to.”
If he hadn’t been driving, Parker would have kissed her. She’d been through so much. And yet she’d managed to continue making a new life for herself and grow stronger.
“To be honest,” Genna continued. “When I saw the broken door to my house, my first thought was Ann. But then I realized she would have had to drive all this way, or fly, and find a place to stay overnight, just to harass me—when I’ve made it as clear as I can that I have no interest in getting Chad back. It doesn’t make sense.”
He agreed and said so. “But then we have to figure out who actually did try to break into your place. Twice.”
Stroking her little dog’s fur, she nodded. “It’s like choosing the best of two evils. I have to say I’d rather deal with Ann than the Fiancée Killer.”
This made him chuckle. He decided not to tell her what he’d like to do to the man to whom she’d once been married. Like it hadn’t been enough to cheat on Genna with a woman she’d considered her best friend, but then to taunt and badger her after she’d given him the divorce he’d wanted?
He managed to bring his anger under control after focusing on driving and taking several deep breaths. Genna didn’t need to know how her words had gutted him.
As he pulled up into his driveway, he realized little June Bug had fallen asleep. Genna gazed down at the dog, her eyes shining with love.
“Isn’t she just perfect?” she asked, clearly not really expecting an answer.
Nodding, he went around and opened her door, ready to help her out. Instead, she waved him off, moving carefully so as not to disturb June Bug.
He grabbed the bags with the food, bowls, toys and the fluffy round dog bed she’d purchased and hurried ahead of her to unlock the front door.
“Thank you,” Genna murmured. As she moved past him, the little dog raised her head and looked around with interest. “I want to give her a spa day first thing.”
A little mystified, he locked up behind them before asking her what she meant.
“You know, a bath, brushing her down, making her look beautiful. I bought some scented dog shampoo. Would you mind bringing it to me?” Without waiting for an answer, she headed into the bathroom. A moment later, he heard the sound of her filling the tub, all the while keeping up a steady conversation with June Bug.
He unpacked the supplies, located the bottle of coconut and passion fruit dog shampoo, and took it to the bathroom. She thanked him and he retreated, thinking of all the other dogs he’d seen in the shelter. They’d been all kinds, big and small, young and old. The one thing they’d all had in common was their desperate need for attention. Many still had remnants of hope shining in their eyes, though others appeared to have long ago given up.
In one way or another, people had failed them. They all needed homes.
Parker had been drawn to an elderly Lab mix in the very last run. Silver decorated the dog’s black muzzle and when Parker had opened the run to go inside, the dog had been slightly unsteady on his feet, no doubt from lack of exercise. He’d still wagged his tail though, the entire time he sniffed Parker from head to toe.
Reading the kennel card been posted on the outside of the cage, Parker saw that his name was Revis and he was eleven years old. His owners had surrendered him because they’d no longer had time to devote to a dog they’d had since he’d been a puppy. While Parker felt sure that each of the other dogs hadtheir own sad stories, for the life of him, he’d never understand how people could treat a canine family member that way. Never.
By the time Genna emerged with her clean and completely transformed pup, Parker had reached his decision.
“I’m going back to the animal shelter,” he told her, glancing at his watch. “Since they’re open until four, I have time.”