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She could feel the tug, as if a string had been tied to her heart

"There you go, little guy She loves you, see?" As Jake palpated the dog’s stoether "Has he been off his feed? He’s way underweight And full of burrs Do you live in the country?"

"What?" She ritty dirt "He’s not mine--I mean I picked him up when the Boston butt-head hit him"

"Boston’s your boyfriend?"

"No A car in front of e control" And speaking of daet to work"

When she looked at her watch, her heart sank She was horrendously late And her suit et andfur "I need to leave Or I’ll be fired"

"I see" Jake’s dark brown hair fell over his forehead as he watched her with green eyes the color of leaves in midsummer "I don’t think any bones are broken, but I’d like to take soe You can pick hiht on your way ho"

"Maybe Maybe not Our tech will check if anyone’s looking for hi the curly fur Rainie could see the hollowing below the ribs "I’d say he’s been living on the streets Might’ve been dumped"

"Seriously? A little dog?" That was just wrong A ave of kinship to the anih her She kne it felt to be abandoned Alone and not wanted Surviving on the streets "Poor baby" She gently ruffled the dog’s ears and heard his soft whine of…gratitude? Longing?

Oh heavens, as she thinking? Brows pulling together, she scowled at Jake "You are not going to coerce s change, subbie," he said softly, for her ears alone The light amusement of an utterly confident Dom made her insides shiver His voice returned to a nore you for his care"

Herworse She hadn’t even thought about a vet bill, and from the professional appearance of the office, the clinic probably charged a whack of a lot

But, to be fair, it was Jake’s living

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the cost of a vet visit in her savings If he’d take care of the little dog for free…

In return, she’d be stuck finding the little guy a good hoave him the iciest look she could muster "Fine I’ll be in around five-thirty"

"Mmmhmm" His firm lips quirked "That works"

Half an hour later, Rainie’s new boss sneered at her "You think to work in -hauler at the truck stop? Haven’t changed ly allusion to when she’d been a teenager, but she didn’t dignify his rudeness by checking her ruined suit "A dog was hit by a car I took it to the vet"

"Nice to know you have priorities," he said "It’s a shame your job doesn’t head up the list"

"Listen, I--"

"No, you listen" He walked over, close enough that her breasts alot to give --that he wanted ust held its own taste--a foul one "I work harder than anyone else you’d find for this job That’s why your father er"

And Cory’d never worked hard a day in his life