Page 2 of Frozen Hearts
“He came with the name,” Jordan offered with a laugh.
“The big dog with the bone is Jazz,” Reese smiled. Mel took in the sight of a huge dog chewing a bone, his jowls hung loose and his head was bigger than Mel’s.
“Okay, I probably need to bring home someone smaller than that. I don’t think Jazz would fit in my townhome,” Mel chuckled.
“That’s fair,” Reese laughed. Mel watched as Reese looked over the remaining dogs.
“We have Jade. She’s over there,” Reese pointed to a furry dog in the corner.
Mel looked over and saw a large dog with thick black fur.” Mel considered internally whether she’d want to clean up all that hair when Jade started to shed. Or the amount of time grooming would likely take.
“I don’t have a lot of time for grooming,” Mel offered.
“Hmm, someone with shorter hair then,” Reese nodded her head in understanding.
“I think I have the perfect dog for you,” Reese said excitedly. Mel watched as Reese’s eyes grew wide and her smile broadened. Reese grabbed Melanie by the arm and pulled her outside.
In a patch of grass laying in the sun was a brown dog. At first he seemed rather oblivious to their arrival. Mel looked at him laying there soaking up the moment. His fur was short and he had the squishy face of a bully-type of breed.
“This is Mase. He’s a fun-loving, goofy boy. I have no doubt he would be able to keep up with you. So he’d be perfect for runs on the beach. And he’s short hair so minimum time needed for grooming. What do you think?” Reese asked.
“I think I’d love to meet him,” Mel chuckled.
Reese called out and Mase turned his head. Mase’s expression was almost serene as he met Mel’s eyes. The dog stood and stretched before making his way over to them. Mel sat on her knees and waited for the dog to approach her. When Mase came up his butt was wiggling along with his tail. Mase gave Mel’s hand a lick. His eyes were a bright caramel color.
Mel spent a couple of hours playing with Mase. She threw a ball for him, which he excitedly chased. Then she took him for a short walk on the leash. By the end of two hours Mel was completely sold. Mase was going home with her.
“Do we have a verdict?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah. I would like to move forward with adopting this guy,” Mel smiled.
“Oh, my goodness. This is so exciting,” Reese said, clapping her hands together. At Mel’s feet, Mase gave an enthusiastic bark.
“What’s the next step?” Mel asked.
“We’ll make sure he’s up to date on shots and neutered. Then I’ll do one final home assessment. Then you bring him home,” Jordan answered.
Mel sank back to her knees and gave Mase a scratch behind the ears.
“Did you hear that? You’ll be home before you know it,” Mel said to Mase. The dog cocked his head to the side and met her eyes.
Mase seemed as if he was genuinely trying to understand her. The moment was broken a second later as Mase bounded off to play with a group of dogs with a tug toy.
“You guys seem like a great match,” Jordan suggested.
“Yeah. I feel like we’re meant for each other,” Mel laughed.
“Great. I’ll process the paperwork and let you know the timeframe you can expect,” Jordan said.
Jordan gave Reese a simple kiss on the lips, then directed Mel back towards the door. Mel followed Jordan. She was surprised by how quiet the hallway was. Jordan stopped beside the front desk and offered Mel one final hug.
“Thanks again for choosing one of our guys to give a forever home to,” Jordan beamed a smile.
“Of course, I’m so excited that I’m finally all set up and ready,” Mel laughed.
Mel spent the rest of the day gathering supplies for Mase. The Florida rain beat down on her car as she drove home.
As she pulled into her section of the community, she saw a woman walking on the sidewalk. Mel’s eyes were immediately drawn to the woman. She wore a red dress with white polka dots. Her movements were graceful even in the rain. She had a wave of red hair that hung past her shoulders. A pastel pink umbrella kept her perfectly dry. At her feet a cute beagle kept pace with her. Mel was struck by the sight of the happy little dog.