She shifted the pointer’s leash from one hand to the other. “Would it be possible for me to come by and walk him while he’s here?”

Patrick looked up from the dog for a brief moment before reaching out for the leash. “To walk a dog, you either need to be a staff member or a volunteer. We aren’t hiring now, but we are accepting new volunteers.”

In one swift movement, Patrick guided the pointer into his temporary kennel. It was three times the size of what he’d been in overnight, and while he didn’t fight going in the same way he’d tried to back out of his travel crate, he looked up at her and whined a loud, plaintive whine.

Olivia’s heart twisted into a knot. “What can I do to become a volunteer?”

“There’s an application online. We hold volunteer interviews every other month.”

She swallowed hard. Olivia Graham, you are not going to bawl in front of this guy. “I don’t suppose there’s any way to fast-track an application?”

His forehead knotted into a near-scowl as if she’d just spoken another language. “Who is it that you know here?”

“Um, I don’t think I know anyone here. My sister knows a few people. Ben Thomas and Mia Chambers. And she went to one of your fund-raisers a few months ago.”

He nodded slowly. “I’ve seen a few volunteers fast-tracked over the years because they were brought in by staff or other volunteers and don’t need to wait for the interview process.”

Olivia pressed her lips together. Was he hinting that she could be fast-tracked or just telling her the facts? She wasn’t sure.

His near-scowl deepened. “You volunteer with Deedee?”

“Sort of. My first drive for her was last weekend, only it didn’t quite go as planned. I ended up not transporting the animals that I was supposed to transport because of car trouble, but it worked out for the best. I and, ah…a friend of mine ended up being involved in this guy’s rescue. He nearly died in rising floodwaters.”

“You were involved with Dr. Wentworth’s rescue of him?” Patrick’s face brightened abruptly. “I couldn’t place how I recognized you. Your hair looks different. For a few seconds, you’re in the video we were tagged in yesterday when we agreed to take him.” Patrick pointed to the dog.

Olivia tried to shake off her confusion. “Dr. Wentworth?” Suddenly her pulse burst into a sprint. “Oh! You mean Gabe. Yes, I was there with him. I didn’t realize you knew him. Or that I was in a video. I’ve not actually seen it. I’m winding up a month-long social media hiatus with some of my students.”