Page 34 of Summer Ride

When the sun finally came up, she realized the gravity of the situation and almost arranged for another ride back into town so that she could shower and get ready for work.

Looking around at the dozen or so people helping out, she realized they really needed her help. She called Andrea and had her cancel her appointments or move them to the following day.

She knew that after something like this, she needed to be there for Carter.

No matter how wonderful of a vet he was, things like this always got to him. Situations like this broke pieces of him off, pieces of herself too.

Axel had been a monster in her past. He’d been pure evil. Whoever had done this to so many innocent creatures, they were monsters too.

Watching Carter work, she realized why she had been drawn to him. He was good, pure and simple.

Any man who would dedicate his life to helping animals that couldn’t fend for themselves was someone she could trust. He donated so much of his life, his time, and yes, his money to helping.

There was no doubt that he’d take that thousand dollars he’d won the night before and spend it on helping these animals. It wouldn’t be the first time either. He’d given his holiday bonuses to the sanctuary every year that she’d been with him.

When he could have been spending it on his house or getting a new truck, he’d given it away to animals that could only show their gratitude through love.

Carter was, without a doubt, one of the greatest souls she had ever met. He was the opposite of her and deserving of more than she could ever be for him. What did she really offer him? Lies. Secrets.

Yet, through it all, he had stuck around.

Not only had he stayed, but he’d also told her that he loved her.

Why?

Even though he’d said the three words every woman longed to hear from the man of her dreams, she was a realist. She knew that she could never say them back to him, even if she did feel that way towards him, had always felt that way. From the very first look he’d given her, that very first kiss, she’d been doomed to love him. Fated.

But that wasn’t the point. She was damaged goods.

She’d spent years denying it, but she knew that part of Mary Ester had survived. Buried deep inside her, hidden in the dark places that she never ventured in her mind and in her soul. There was enough of her old self that she knew there would be no happy-ever-afters in life. She wasn’t due any.

She, much like her parents had spent the first thirteen years of her life telling her, was damned.

Chapter Ten

Carter blocked everything out as he worked. More than a dozen animals had slipped away in his arms. Those, along with the ones that had been gone long before they’d arrived, added up to almost thirty.

As for the ones that had survived, the pain in their eyes as he lifted their feces-covered, dirt-matted bodies, riddled with fleas and ticks, was almost too much to bear. Some had worms or maggots crawling in their open wounds, and he gave them pain-relieving medicine until they could be cleaned up.

When they cried out in pain, he did his best to comfort them, did what he’d been trained to do. But the desire to hunt down the animal who had allowed this to go on built inside him.

All of the chickens that had been recovered would be taken somewhere and disposed of. That hurt. But he knew all ten of them were beyond his help. Whoever had crammed them into the small cages hadn’t even given them fresh water.

He knew that Larry, another veterinarian on staff, would look after the larger animals. Some would be put down, while others might have a fighting chance.

The horses, if in good condition, would be shipped off to Alaqua for rehabilitation. All were in good enough shape to be given another chance at life, just like the more than fifty healthy dogs he’d seen to already. And it wasn’t even noon.

Kara had stood by his side the entire time, lending a hand where she could, soothing the cries of the dogs as he worked quickly.

He’d overheard one of the officers talking about how the owners had skipped town weeks ago and left all of the animals to fend for themselves. He hoped they’d be hunted down and pay for every single animal’s suffering.

Still, he tried to push his anger away since he knew the animals could sense it. Instead, he talked to them in a soothing voice, gently worked with them, even the skittish ones that snapped at him.

By the time he’d assessed the last of the dogs, it was just past noon. His back ached, his stomach growled, and he smelled of piss, blood, and death.

He knew he’d be needed at the sanctuary to help settle the animals there, but he told Leslie that he’d need the rest of the day and that he’d be in first thing in the morning to help out.

Then he and Kara climbed back in his truck and drove home. They had a quick but necessary shower together before falling into bed and holding onto one another.