Her Kind of Cowboy (Tying the Knot in Texas #2) - Dylann Crush Page 0,2

out a sigh. “I’ve got a lead on something that might put me in Texas for a while. Give me a day or two to look into it, okay?”

“I’ll manage for the next few days. I can’t do this on my own though. You’re going to have to help. Either we hire a live-in aide and let him go back to the ranch or—”

“I’ll figure something out.”

“Thanks.” Relief vibrated through that one word, fortifying Alex’s resolve to figure out a way to pitch in. It was time he stepped up, and the crazy proposition from the richest man in Texas would give him the opportunity he needed. Assuming the numbers looked good, there was no way he could say no. Not when Char needed him like she did.

His gaze traveled over the blinding white landscape. It would be nice to have a change of scenery. Even if he had promised himself he’d never have to go home again.

* * *

* * *

Zina Baxter kicked the covers off and let her foot drop to the ground. Her toes squished around in something unmistakably dog related. Something unmistakably foul. She groaned. It had to be dog poop. She thought she’d housebroken the rescue pup she’d brought home from the shelter with her last night, but it looked like they still had a way to go.

Typically the sun would have risen by now but with the slew of thunderstorms that had settled over Ido, Texas, for the past several days, Zina couldn’t make out more than a few hazy outlines in the early light of dawn.

“Come on, Herbie. I thought we talked about this.”

The pup hopped off the bed, the tags on his collar jangling, and appeared at her side. With a quick swipe of his tongue, all of her anger dissipated. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t housebroken yet. She’d been running the For Pitties’ Sake pit bull rescue for a few years now. Even the most loving pups came with a ton of baggage. The thunder and lightning during last night’s storm probably set him off.

She ran a hand over the back of his head. “It’s okay, bud.” Then she shifted her weight to her heels and waddled to the bathroom to wipe off her foot. By the time she’d showered, cleaned up Herbie’s mess, and driven the short distance to the dog rescue shelter, the sky had lightened a few shades.

Staff would be in later, but she’d taken the morning shift today. That meant it was up to her to get the dogs fed and out for a potty break. Herbie trotted alongside her as she unlocked the front door and let herself in to the crumbling building For Pitties’ Sake had called home for the last ten years. A puddle of liquid greeted her.

At first she thought one of the dozens of dogs at the rescue had broken out of its kennel and had an accident. But when she flipped on the light and looked toward the ceiling, she immediately spotted the source of the leak. Her stomach twisted. Several tiles of the drop-down ceiling sagged. A line of rainwater dripped in a constant plop-plop, splatting onto her feet as she stood in shock.

Herbie plunged through the puddle, licking up the water and taking the opportunity to splash around.

“This isn’t here to play with.” Zina let out a sigh. She’d been working on an idea for a special event to increase awareness about the shelter. Now she’d have to shift all of her energy into raising enough funds to clean up this mess and make repairs. For a moment she wished she’d never taken on this project. Maybe she should have stayed in the military and never come back to Ido.

A chorus of barks and yips sounded from the back of the building. The dogs. That’s why she’d taken over. And that’s why she’d stayed. As she made her way toward the back where the kennels were set up, her phone rang.

“Good morning, sunshine,” her best friend, Lacey, practically sang into the phone.

“What are you so happy about?”

“Gee, who crapped in your cereal this morning?”

“It wasn’t my cereal. It was my bedroom floor and I put my foot in it.”

“Oh, hon. Which lucky male did you take home with you last night?”

“Herbie.”

“And that’s the way he treated you?”

“Hey, I’m used to getting dumped on by members of the opposite sex. Just look at my last attempt at a relationship.” She should have known the last guy she tried dating