She flushed a pretty pink. “That makes it worse. I got you out of bed to deal with my irrational fears.”

“They’re not irrational. It’s a new place and you’re from the city. The bayou can be daunting at first.”

She sank down to one of the four chairs around the small round kitchen table. “Oh, trust me, the panic I felt was irrational, and worse, it’s absolutely not who I want to be. I’m very sorry I got you out of bed. I’ll be all right now. The dog can stay here with me until I figure something out.”

It did not surprise him at all that she would be hard on herself. He sat down at the small kitchen table. It was covered with a plastic tablecloth that looked like it had been there since the seventies. It was definitely not the kind of décor he saw her using, but then, he was having a hard time seeing her in this house at all. There was an air of neglect that clung to the place, and she wasn’t a woman who neglected things. It took her a moment, but she found a small bowl and filled it with water.

“We have a vet but his office is about thirty minutes away. He runs a small shelter.” He watched her as she managed to find a can opener. He would offer to do it all for her, but she needed control. It had been stripped from her by fear, and she needed to get it back. He could understand that. “He can help you rehome the boy. You should do that soon or you know what will happen.”

She frowned and scooped a couple of spoonfuls of the wet food into a separate bowl. “I can’t have a dog. I work long hours.”

She got to one knee and Peanut was right there. His tail was wagging like crazy as he wolfed down those bites and looked back up to her for more.

“You also work in a place where no one will question you having a dog at the office.” He didn’t hate the idea of Peanut staying with her. He might not be much of a guard dog, but he was big enough to scare off people who didn’t know how easily he could be manipulated by beef jerky. “I think he’s still hungry.”

She gave the pup a pat on the head. “He’s been starving. I can see his ribs. I’ve got to go slow or he’ll make himself sick. He can have a bit more in an hour or so. The good news is he seems to have managed to not get fleas. I bet his owner kept him up to date on his medications.”