“Nope.” Maudie grinned. “If you have time after you get that done, you can take the animals out one at a time again and give them some TLC. Poor little things get tired of being caged, and I hardly ever have time to love on them.”

“I can sure do that.” April threw her empty bottle in the trash can and headed back into the shelter. She hummed a lullaby as she cleaned the floor and organized the cabinets. She kept humming as she took the first kitten out and held it like a baby in her arms. When it got tired of being petted and began to squirm, she put it back and got another one out, alternating working and loving on all the sweet animals. By five thirty she had the cabinets in decent order. She had given each of the cats and dogs a little individual time. She made sure they all had food and fresh water and then waved goodbye to them as she closed the door.

Flynn didn’t have a dry spot on his T-shirt when it was time to close up shop that afternoon. The hours had flown by as he listened to the radio—thank goodness he and Jackson shared a love for the same kind of music—and sanded two hope chests. But in spite of the sweltering work, he felt so much more alive than he had when he’d finished a day in his air-conditioned office down in South Texas.

“Ever think of air-conditioning this place?” he asked as Jackson locked the door to the shop.

“Oh, yeah, lots of times,” Jackson answered, “but the building isn’t insulated. The electric bill would eat up all my profits. Uncle D. J. used to say that sweat was good for us. I do use a couple of space heaters in the wintertime, and on the rare occasion that it snows, I take a few days off. Want to cool off in the house and have a beer before you go home?”

“Love to.” Flynn followed Jackson across the backyard and up onto the porch.

Tex was already waiting for them at the door, his tail slinging drops of water every which way when he wagged it.

“Looks like he’s been splashing around in the creek to cool off. I might do the same before I make a sandwich for supper.” Jackson opened the door and stood to the side. “Welcome to the Devereaux home. Have a seat anywhere. Got a preference for your beer? I’ve got Coors in bottles and Budweiser in cans.”