By the time they entered the canine area, he wasn’t just amazed by the shelter, he was impressed by the woman giving the tour. Since that wasn’t the reason Holden was there, he pushed through those thoughts and admired the kennels instead.
Like everything else on the property, the area was state-of-the-art. The front and outside doors of the kennels were made of plexiglass, with another in the middle that could be shut to keep the dog inside the air-conditioning. Bright blue painted cinderblock walls separated the dogs, who had their own posh bed and a raised food and water station.
“Amazing,” he said, noting how much quieter the new kennels kept the room, which in turn, removed a stressor from the dogs.
It was relatively quiet, considering he counted over thirty dogs in the space.
Emily smiled. “No chain link in sight means no possible way to cut their paws. And the large ventilation fans will prevent the spread of disease and cut down on odors. The acoustic tiles and cork floors help with noise reduction too.”
He was impressed and told her as much.
Her smile widened. “Just wait. You haven’t seen the largeanimal areas yet.”
By the time she took him to three other buildings and they finished the tour at the horse shelter where she’d introduced him to the owner, Kade Dalton, Holden was more than a little taken with the place. He admired Emily, too. He could tell by the flush on the beauty’s face and the light in her eyes as she’d interacted with the livestock that she loved all animals, especially helping them. Animal Control and Rescue wasn’t a job to Emily, it was a passion, as important to her as air.
She was an animal advocate for sure, and as someone who had once held the same passion for helping people, Holden understood what made her tick.
An unrelenting drive to make a difference in the lives of the animals she rescued.
“So, what do you think?” she asked as they stood outside the horse barn next to Kade and Sinjin.
“The entire place is outstanding,” he replied. “You must have one hell of a fundraising staff.”
The space, the set-up, the amazing equipment—none of it was cheap.
Emily laughed. “We do have some great people as well as some wonderful benefactors. We’re blessed.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Kade spoke up. “There would be no Harland County Humane Society if it weren’t for Emily. For over two years, she petitioned the county council to open one, going so far as to get a few key people to back her, including Mac’s aunt and uncle and his cousins. But her smartest move was getting Jordan McCall involved.”
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
He frowned. “Jordan? Oh, wait. She’s married to one of Mac’s cousins, right? I think he said she’s part owner of the bar and grill in town.”
Texas Republic was located across the street from thecottages, and from the high praise of his buddies, the place was definitely worth frequenting.
“Oh, she’s more than that.” Kade chuckled. “Jordan is a force of nature, as I’m sure you’ll see because you’re bound to meet her around here since she just enrolled in classes to become a part-time Animal Control Officer.”
“She did?” Emily sucked in a breath and exchanged a high-five with Kade. “That’s great! She’s going to be awesome.”
“Wasn’t she a sheriff at one time?” Sinjin asked.
Sheriff?
Damn.
“Yes, she took over from me,” Kade informed with a grin. “Before that, she was a cop in LA.”
Holden turned to Emily and nodded. “Getting her on board was definitely a great strategy on your part. Well done.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and that sweet blush filled her cheeks again, which messed with his pulse. “Jordan helped facilitate the donations from McCall Enterprises as well as private donations from her husband and all his relatives, plus Kevin Dalton, Kade’s cousin.”
The name instantly clicked in his mind. “Wait. Kevin Dalton, as in the video game programming genius?”
Kade winced. “Yeah, but please don’t let him hear you call him a genius. There’ll be no living with him after that.”
Holy shit. The creator of Holden’s favorite video RPG—role-playing game—lived in Harland County?
Emily chuckled. “Kevin is cute and smart.”
