Page 43 of Vetted for Vengeance
“Eleven pups,” Noah corrects Laura softly, still holding the runt. “We won't let this one suffer.”
“Noah, let me see him,” I call. “Tree, take over recovery. I need to check these pups.”
Why am I doing this? Taking the runt from Noah’s hands, I check it over with one goal… to prove runts are worth saving.
He isn't being heartless, just compassionate in a blunt way.
“I know you are used to the farm rules, but here, everyone lives.”
“The brothers were very clear that the runts had to go. But they weren't around enough to check, so when I first started working there, I'd leave them with their moms and give them a chance. They usually only lasted a few days. I realized quickly that it waskinder not to try. For them and for me.” He gives the puppy a gentle stroke. “I'm not trying to be mean.”
“Noah, you are not mean.” I put the pup back in his warm hands. “You are being practical.”
And that explains perfectly how he can shrug off the brothers’ deaths. They were runts. Not the smallest people, but the ones who brought the least good into the world.
Chapter twenty-two
Noah
Delivering puppies at midnight is something I've become used to. Dogs always seem to do it then. Maybe it's safer in the wild to give birth at night. But whatever the reason, I’m used to pushing past exhaustion.
Honey is awake, looking at me with sleepy eyes that can't quite work out what happened. I sit next to her, stroking her head. For weeks, my only real goal has been keeping her alive. Now that the fear of her delivery is over, I have to decide whether I want her to be mine.
Do I fight for what I want? Push past the little voice in my mind that says I don't deserve this. I don't deserve any of this. I don't deserve him.
Rhys.
The man who has only stayed here after the operation because I'm here. He's going to be tired tomorrow. So am I, but I'm not as important as he is. I should go to bed, if only to force him to follow, but I want to stay with Honey. I want to help her realize her puppies are beside her, suckling. Even the runt.
I want Honey.
But I also want Rhys.
Or at least, I want him to want whatever this strange arrangement is between us.
I want to live and work with him, and hold his tape measure while he rewrites the world around me. But I can't do that while sitting here showing Honey her puppies.
“Do you want me to leave?” I whisper, catching him in a moment where neither Tree nor Laura are nearby.
“I like watching you,” he replies from the chair he’s gently rocking back and forth in.
“That’s… not creepy…at all.”
“Good. Some people think it is.”
That… backfired. I think it's a little creepy. Or at least slightly off-putting. In a way that makes me question my entire existence.
But if we are questioning existence, then I have a much more immediate candidate. Bunny. The runt. I shouldn’t be naming him after making such a big deal about letting everyone else do it. I was hoping Tree or Laura would suggest something, not open it up to the entire country.
“Honey!” Rhys declares.
“Yes, darling,” I joke, knowing full well he's talking to the dog.
He doesn't acknowledge my reply, just stands up and walks out.
I'm left alone with 12 puppies that can't keep warm and a dog who doesn't realize she needs to move carefully.
“Here we are.” Rhys returns with his hands full and sits against the wall by Honey's back legs. He lifts the top leg to see the puppies. “Where is it?”
