Howl (Monster Boyfriends #1)

Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

RAEGAN

J o’s rescue is located about half a mile past the werewolf pack’s territory. It sits on the edge of the forest, tucked into a section of trees that surround the property. Two large barns, outfitted with playrooms, bathing areas, and a clinic, sit on the western side of the farm. On the eastern side is the main building, and pushing back into the forest is an open area of paddocks and farm land stretching for about ten acres. Besides running a rescue for abandoned dogs, and sometimes cats, she also takes care of three cows, two horses, one pig, one turtle, and six chickens.

I head straight for the barns and find Jo dragging out a plastic kiddie pool. It kicks up dust as it slides across the bumpy dirt lot and settles with a poof when she drops it into place.

“Hey!” Jo greets me, hands on her hips. She’s wearing a pair of dark rounded sunglasses, and her brown hair, a shade or two lighter than mine, is plaited into two long braids that drape over her shoulders. A red bandana is tied around her head like a headband, the bow resting above her right ear. She’s wearing a pair of tan cargo pants with about a dozen pockets and a cropped navy crewneck. She looks like she’s ready to paint a house, or maybe plant some flowers.

Before I can say anything, two large dogs bound from the barn and start circling Joanna. They pounce and wag their tails happily, eager for whatever it is they think is happening.

“Sorry, guys,” Jo tells them. “This isn’t for you.” The lab with short black fur and floppy ears lets out a sad but adorable whine, and the other, a brown-colored mix with pointed ears, sits without command, then huffs out a breath of air when it doesn’t gain him anything. Joanna looks at me. “These two love B.A.T.H. time.” She spells it out so the balls of energy nipping at her heels don’t understand her, then narrows her eyes on them while still directing her next statement at me. “But they already had their time in the sprinklers yesterday.”

The brown mix then proceeds to roll onto his back and wiggle, purposefully coating his fur in dried leaves and dirt.

I let out a laugh. “He’s smart.”

“Too smart.” Joanna groans then commands, “Get up, Moose.” He snaps to attention, ears perked and waiting to see if his plan has worked. It hasn’t.

She points a finger to the barn. “Go inside.” Slowly, he moseys back inside. “You too, Thumper.” The black lab just looks confused, but listens to the command nonetheless.

“You’ve got some characters,” I say.

“Those two are nothing compared to the princess you’re about to meet.”

My heart swells as I follow Jo into the larger barn. I’ve been looking forward to spending time here since agreeing to help yesterday afternoon, but not only because of the chance to spend time with adorable animals. As I wrestled to sleep last night, lying next to Jamie, I realized I don’t have anyone to talk to about everything that’s happened. If this were any other situation, I would go to Jamie, but for obvious reasons that’s not an option. I’ve never truly confided in Joanna before, but right now I really need another woman’s advice. Afterall, she told me herself that she’s a great listener, so I want to take her up on that.

She leads me to the back of the building where there are two rows of spacious kennels, each with a lattice fence serving as a door. The moment we approach, I expect to be met with enthusiastic barks and the sound of paws tapping against the barriers, but it’s mostly quiet, other than the sound of mouths scarfing food from bowls. It seems I arrived just after breakfast was served.

At the end of the first row, in kennel number five, is the small pit bull Joanna mentioned being the newest resident. She’s a mix of tan and white and has the cutest little rolls I’ve seen in my life. I lean over the door to let her sniff me and after hesitating for only a few seconds she starts licking the inside of my arm.

“She’s so sweet,” I coo. “What made those people think she was aggressive?”

“I’m pretty sure all she did was bark a little too loudly at their baby, but I have no doubt it was warranted. Children are way more unpredictable than dogs. The baby probably screamed all day and she was just trying to scream along with it.”

I can feel Joanna’s frustration. Taking care of abandoned animals is a hard job, especially when you have to face the humans that do it and keep a professional manner. I’m sure Jo has had to fight the urge to punch people like that on more than one occasion.

The pit bumps her head against my hand signaling for me to pet her, so I scratch the top of her head.

“If you can’t properly take care of a dog, then don’t get one,” Joanna declares. “She just needs training, that’s all.” I wholeheartedly agree. “They named her Lucy, but she doesn’t really respond to it, so I’m going to start calling her Juno.”

“Why Juno?” I ask.

Joanna smiles down at the dog. “Because I’m gonna treat her like a queen.”

I spend the next hour letting Juno warm up to me before giving her a bath. I take her on a long walk around the perimeter of the rescue, letting her stop and smell everything that peaks her interest. With such a round body and short legs, she has to move quickly to keep up with my longer stride, but that doesn’t stop her from darting ahead and attacking piles of leaves whenever they seem to offend her.

After I’m sure she’s gotten out her energy and we’ve formed a good connection, I take her back to the barn into one of the bathing rooms. Joanna has a station already set up with all the tools we’ll need. I adjust the knobs to the perfect temp and fill the tub with about four inches of water, then I coax Juno into the bath. To my surprise, she jumps in willingly, excited to splash about. I scrub her down and rinse, moisturize her nose and paws, and add a fresh smelling dog safe perfume to her fur. When we’re all done, she looks happy and sleepy, so I take her back to her room so she can take a nap.

By the time I’m done, Joanna enters the barn after finishing whatever tasks that have kept her busy. There are a few strands of straw in her hair and she reaches to pick them out as she asks, “How did it go?”

“Juno was great. We really bonded over our shared love of stopping to smell the flowers. And leaves. And the grass.”

Jo coughs out a laugh. "I knew she'd be great. She's a sweetheart. I'm so tired of people labeling puppies as difficult simply because they are puppies." She looks toward Juno's stall thoughtfully. "I have a bunch of leftover charcuterie board shit at the house if you feel like sticking around a bit longer."

“That sounds fantastic.”

I follow her to the main house and up the steps. She leads me to a large farmhouse style kitchen complete with a massive sink and exposed hardware. Jo places crackers, cheese, a mix of veggies, and a jar of olives on the counter, and we both assemble our own snack plates. I make mini cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese and buttery crackers, and we sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes while we eat.

I decide now is as good a time as any to have that heart to heart. But before I can open my mouth to say anything, Joanna speaks up first.

“Listen, I’m sorry for being so pushy about you and Jamie yesterday.”

Her apology is unnecessary, but based on the look she’s giving me, she seems to be genuinely concerned about upsetting me.

“You don’t need to apologize,” I tell her.

“Yes I do. I thought about how I acted on the way home, and I realized I might have made you a little uncomfortable,” she admits. “I don’t know the situation between you two, so it’s not my place to joke about it. I just thought you guys fit so well together, and…I don’t know.” She shrugs in defeat and pops an olive unceremoniously into her mouth.

“It’s okay. I swear.” Here goes nothing. “If I’m being completely honest,” I say, “you were right.”

Jo’s ears perk up and she tilts her head. “I was?”

“Things between Jamie and I have changed recently, and we hooked up for the first time the other day.” I rush on before I lose my courage, “He kinda got me off on the kitchen counter and now things are weird and I don’t want them to be weird and I’m not sure what to do.”

“Wait, kinda ?”

It’s not the first question I thought she’d ask, but I should have been more clear about that part.

“Sorry, he did,” I clarify, stumbling over my words. “He definitely did the job. Great job. Five stars.”

Jo doesn’t react, only gives me a blank stare.

“What?”

“Oh nothing. It’s just, for someone whose best friend since high school just touched their pussy for the first time, you were acting like it was a normal Saturday.”

“Well I didn’t want to bring it up first thing in the morning.”

“Why not?” she demands, smacking her palm flat on the counter for emphasis. “That’s very important information. You should be screaming about it!”

Her bluntness nails my reaction to this entire situation on the head. I haven’t known how to act when it comes to this new dynamic between Jamie and me. I think I’ve subconsciously been trying to keep everything the same, but that’s not the reality of the situation. If we’re going to move forward, I have to embrace the change.

So I tell her the truth.

“I’m afraid to start something serious,” I confess, “because if we break up, I’ll lose him as my friend.”

Jo nods sympathetically and reaches her hand across the counter to take mine. “First of all, that’s stupid. From what I know about Jamie, even if he hated you, he would never leave your side.” She pats the top of my hand with her other and adds, “Besides, you have me.”

It makes me sad that I never gave Jo enough credit. All this time I let a great friendship go to waste, simply because I never thought to confide in her. Though I wish I could have realized sooner, I’m happy I have her now.

I smile and give her hand a light squeeze.

“I think you just have to trust the connection you already have,” she says. “If something is going to happen between you, it will happen naturally. Don’t let yourself feel embarrassed or scared just because he’s your friend. If anything, that should make you feel more comfortable with each other.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but she has a point.

“And if you do decide to go forward with it,” she adds, “just think of it like taking a car for a test drive. Take him for a ride, girl. And I’m going to need all the details.”