She talked to each animal as she carefully took it from its cage, and by midafternoon she had finished cleaning the cages. She grabbed a broom in the corner and was busy sweeping the floor when Maudie arrived with two bottles of sweet tea in her hands. She handed one to April and motioned her back into the office.

“Have a seat.” Maudie pointed to the chair again. “Willie is sleeping under the desk right now. You’ve really done good. The shelter looks clean, and the animals seem happier than I’ve seen them in a while. Are you a cat and dog whisperer?” She twisted the cap off her tea and took a long drink.

“I’ve teased folks about that,” April said. “I just love animals. I think they know when you’re afraid of them or don’t like them. I’m so glad that Jackson told me about this job.”

Maudie raised an eyebrow. “You got a little crush on Jackson?”

“Not me,” April answered. “My life is in too big of a mess for guys right now.”

“Smart girl.” Maudie nodded. “And a hard worker. I remember Lucy talking about you grandchildren when she brought Waylon in for his shots. You’re the oldest, right?”

“No, that would be Nessa. Then Flynn was born the very next month. I came last, but we were all born within four months of each other,” April explained.

“Then your mother was the sixteen-year-old that died when you were just a few days old. The baby of the O’Riley family, right?” Maudie asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” April answered. “My mother was the youngest child. Uncle Isaac was the oldest, and he’s the preacher. Uncle Matthew is in the middle, and he’s Flynn’s father.”

“She talked about Isaac more than Matthew,” Maudie said.

“Do you have children?” April asked.

“No, I don’t. My sweet husband, who was also a vet, and I were married for thirty years. He’s been gone for thirty years now. We wanted a big family, but the good Lord never saw fit to give us children. Maybe that’s why we loved working with animals so much. If you love them, they know it, and”—a grin covered her face—“they never talk back.”

“You got that right,” April chuckled.

“It’s hard to believe that now he’s been gone for thirty years.” The grin faded as Maudie sighed, no doubt remembering the good times she’d had with her husband. “I never remarried. I figured that once you’ve had steak, it’s kind of hard to go back to bologna.”

“Amen to that.” April smiled and pointed to the clock. “Break time is over. I’m going to scrub the floor in the shelter and then get the cabinets all put to rights, unless you’ve got something else for me to do?”