Ed’s nickname had been Mountain Man. He’d had thick white hair. A white-gray beard. His features were strong and even, but his skin had been deeply lined and permanently tanned.

Luke would never have expected Ed’s daughter to look like this. Skin as pale as the moon. Bright blue eyes. Long black hair. Around five foot eight with slender limbs. Her beige sweater looked like it had been knitted by a person instead of a machine. She wore brown clogs and gold rings on almost every finger.

Why would anyone wear a hat indoors to work with animals? Her body was perfect, though. And those lips—

Stop it. He needed to think straight. It’s just . . . How could this be Ed’s daughter? “How old are you?” he asked bluntly.

“I’m about to turn thirty.” She beckoned him to follow. “Come. Let me give you a tour.”

They walked past the baby gate, which she clicked closed behind them.

“This is a big day for us because you’re Furry Tails’ fifth official employee,” she announced. “For the most part, we function thanks to a large number of volunteers.” She gestured right and left. “Our offices are through there. This is our meeting and training room. This is the classroom for the after-school program. Here are the restrooms. This is the equipment room. This is where we bathe the dogs.”

Through a doorway, they entered a wide space lined with kennels on both sides. About half were occupied with dogs.

“Hello, sweethearts,” she said to them as they made their way toward a door marked with an exit sign.

Luke had only had one dog in his life, when he’d been in elementary school. A golden retriever named Caramel. She’d been very laid-back and he’d gotten along with her fine. But he definitely hadn’t been an animal-crazy kid and wasn’t an animal-crazy adult.

“The rest of the dogs are outside having recess,” Finley told him as they stepped into a large fenced yard. Beyond, forested hills arched toward the sky. Here, toys littered the ground. So did short tunnels and equipment for the dogs to climb.

Dogs of all ages ran around, yipping. One of them was missing an eye. Another had three legs. Another had wheels strapped to his hips, which functioned in the place of his limp back legs.

Mentally, he tried to count how many hours he’d have to work here before he could fulfill his promise and quit.

“When I started Furry Tails, I rescued all kinds of animals near and far,” she said. “But I quickly figured out how important it was to concentrate my mission. Now we focus on dogs in Rabun County. Specifically abandoned puppies, senior pets who’ve been surrendered by their owners, and dogs with special needs. As you probably noticed, several of the dogs here are pugs.”

He hadn’t noticed, nor cared.