Season of Mercy Read online

  Just then, the back door opened and a woman wearing a white lab coat smiled over at them. “Scout?”

  “Well, that’s us.” Hunter hesitated before placing Sofia’s phone back into her hand. They stood so close, she could easily lean forward to kiss him—or he her. But Hunter Burke was not meant for her.

  “Bye, Sofia,” he said, holding her gaze before finally turning toward the dogs. “Bye, Wolfie. It was nice meeting you both.”

  Sofia watched in silence as man and his dog disappeared through the door.

  Thank goodness.

  Luckily, the welt on Wolfie’s knee turned out to be a heat spot, but the sore did require a pricey medication in order to clear it up. The vet also gave Sofia a huge list of items she needed to buy for her new life as a dog owner. The thing was so long, it had been printed on both the front and back side of the paper.

  No way I'll be able to afford all this.

  She’d already spent her extra money for the month on a new dressmaker’s dummy and a few reams of fabric that she planned to use for her summer looks.

  Sofia knew she should charge more for her designs on Etsy, but she’d always said money wasn’t important, that what really mattered was getting people into clothes she’d designed. Of course, now as she stared down at this unexpected shopping list, combined with the bill for Wolfie’s exam, shots, and after-hours visit, she wished she’d taken a different stance when it came to pricing her online boutique.

  But more than that, Sofia wanted to cry.

  She’d never been a crier, but at the moment, it seemed as if she’d have to choose between her promise to Wolfie or her budding business as a fashion designer. Both were important to her, and she couldn’t picture her life without either. Wolfie needed her just as she needed fashion. Creating the perfect outfit had always been a refuge, a way of celebrating her body instead of feeling confined by it.

  A life without her design work would mean being trapped in her dead-end job for eternity—and that would obviously murder her soul.

  On the other hand, Wolfie was an actual living thing. He’d been put in her path for a reason. She’d liberated him and thus was now responsible for whatever became of him next. How could she choose something as insignificant as clothing over a living, breathing creature?

  There was no way around it. This sucked.

  Unless…

  She’d already “borrowed” a leash from the pet store. Would it really be so wrong if she took a few other supplies, too? She would pay, once she could afford to, but her next paycheck was practically a full two weeks away and Wolfie… Well, he was here now.

  Besides, it’s not like she’d have to stick a thirty-five-pound bag of food up her dress. Her friend who worked for the pet supply store would happily put the supplies she needed aside so Sofia could pick them up after her shift.

  Guilt gnawed at her gut. She’d always believed in making her own rules, but usually those rules merely raised a few eyebrows. They didn’t break the law.

  First, she’d committed a dog-napping, next up would be theft… What about after that?

  No, she couldn’t think like that. She was the hero here. She’d saved a dog’s life, for crying out loud! So what if some billionaire CEO had a couple hundred bucks less in his pocket? Boo freaking hoo.

  Yes, this is what she had to do, and she had to do it today before she left the mall. Once she rang out the lone customer in the store, Sofia picked up her phone and send a text to her friend, Blinky, who worked at Pets R Us. Meet me for lunch in the food court at 12:30? I have a favor to ask.

  Having made up her mind now, the time, of course, dragged by. At least when Elizabeth Jane had still been working here, Sofia had someone to talk to. Ever since Liz had turned in her notice to go back to school and use her surprise inheritance to buy a horse ranch, Sofia had been left to work most of her shifts alone, turning her okay job into one she’d now come to loathe.

  Their mall had undergone an expansion, complete with a new luxury department store and thus far fewer customers for their dinky chain boutique. Besides, who really went to the mall anymore? It was the twenty-first century. Normal human beings did their shopping at Amazon, eBay, or Etsy.

  Heck, Sofia would never step foot in the place if it weren’t for her job. She wished she had the discipline to live as a starving artist, but in the end, working for a soulless franchise would always be preferable to living on the streets… if only slightly.

  When at last her lunch break rolled around, she temporarily shuttered the store and raced to the food court. She had less than a half an hour to herself, although the owner preferred she pack lunch and eat it in the back room rather than taking the legally mandated break.

  It was hard to miss her friend, Blinky, who sat waiting for her in front of the A&W as he munched on fries and took long, slow sips from his root beer. “Sofi!” he said with a wave when he spotted her.

  She hated when he called her that, but whatever. That wasn’t what was important today. She needed a favor, and she needed it bad.

  She plunked down into the chair across from her friend and stole a fistful of fries.

  “Hey, get your own!” he said, batting her hand away before blinking three times hard. This was exactly why everyone called him “Blinky.” His real name was Matt, but whenever he felt under pressure he developed this nervous tic where he’d—you guessed it—blink hard, fast, and a whole heck of a lot. And, apparently, Sofia stealing his fries warranted the twitch.

  “I can’t,” she answered with a sigh. “I’m dead broke.”

  “Then why did you ask me to lunch? Miss me?” He puckered his lips at her and winked, which led to another fit of blinks.

  “Sure, let’s go with that.” She had to fight back a groan. Blinky was so not her type. Sofia’s type was the tall, inked, and handsome cop she’d met last night at the vet’s office. As she liked to say, the forbidden fruit always tastes the best. She’d even gotten a tattoo to that effect.

  Blinky teased her by plopping another fry into his mouth, letting a look of ecstasy cross his squinty features.

  “Yeah, they’re delicious,” Sofia said, letting her groan out in full force. “Okay, you win. Look, I need a favor…”

  Matt smiled as if he’d known all along Sofia needed his help with something crucial. Apparently he was the kind of friend who delighted in making others squirm. “I’m listening.”

  Sofia hated that she needed him as much as she did, but Wolfie was counting on her—and she refused to let him down.

  After closing up her store for the night, Sofia met Blinky by the dumpsters behind the mall as he’d instructed.

  “Hey,” Blinky called, motioning her over with a noticeable lack of twitching. Apparently stealing was already second nature to him. Would it soon be for Sofia as well?

  No, she wasn’t a criminal—merely a woman providing for her dog by whatever means necessary.

  “I thought you’d lose your nerve for sure.” Her partner in crime looked her over with an approving gaze.

  Sofia kicked at a broken hanger on the asphalt. “You thought I was joking? That I’d joke about something like this?”

  “Not joking. Not exactly.” He waited for her to look back up at him before saying, “I just always thought rebel was more of a fashion choice than a way of life for you.”

  “Har har.” So, she was too different to fit in with the normies, but not different enough to belong to Blinky and his crew. Lovely.

  Blinky scuttled behind the dumpster, talking to her as he worked to dislodge whatever he’d hidden back there. “Seems I underestimated you then. And, honestly, I like this version of Sofia Stepanov way better, anyway.

  “Here you go.” He pushed a box into her arms, then went back for more loot. And kept going back. The amount of contraband he’d set aside seemed like way too much for just one dog.

  “Okay, that’s everything,” he said at last, dusting his hands off on the seat of his work-issued khakis.

  �
�Great. Thanks for the help.” Sofia turned to go, eager to be done with the actual act of stealing from Blinky’s unwitting employer, but he stopped her by placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

  “Look, I’ve got a meeting with my probation officer next week. I need to show him I’m working on turning my life around. That’s what they expect, you know?” He shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. “Anyway, I sure could use a good outfit for that meeting.”

  Sofia’s heart twisted in her chest. Everything came with a price. Of course. So why was she surprised that Blinky expected something in return for helping her? “When is it?”

  Blinky dropped his hand from her shoulder, now that he had Sofia’s full attention. “Next Tuesday.”

  She sighed, hating this. “I’m sorry… There’s no way I have time to make you something that fast.”

  He laughed at her again, still no trace of his signature tick. “No, not make. Just borrow me something nice from your store.”

  She took a deep breath. Of course she’d known what he meant the moment he said it, but she still didn’t want to believe it was true. “You want me to steal?” she asked for clarification.

  Blinky continued to laugh at her. She’d never heard him laugh so much in all her life. Apparently, little fledgling criminal Sofia was a real hoot. “What do you think we’re doing now, cupcake?”

  “But that’s different. I need this stuff for my dog, and I’ll pay for it as soon as I get the chance.”

  He rolled his eyes and yanked the box away from her. “Yeah, and I need my new outfit. So, you want this stuff or not?”

  “Fine.” Sofia grabbed the box back from a laughing Blinky. “Just text me your sizes and I’ll figure something out.”

  “Now that’s more like it. Besides, one good favor deserves another, right?”

  Sofia frowned. The stolen supplies felt unnaturally heavy within her outstretched arms. “I guess.”

  At last her friend’s tic made itself known. He didn’t speak until the blinks had worked themselves out. When he did, he seemed almost sorry, his voice kind and placating. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who asked me to do this for you.”

  And it made her feel terribly guilty. “I know. I’m sorry. Thank you so much for the help. I’m just nervous, is all. This isn’t something I normally do.”

  “It gets easier,” he said with a conciliatory pat on her shoulder.

  “I don’t want it to get easier,” Sofia said with a frustrated groan. “This is a one-time thing, remember?”

  “Sure. Yes, of course.” He hoisted up the large bag of dog food and carried it over to Sofia’s car.

  Once they’d packed all the supplies into her trunk, he turned to her and said, “Hey, listen, a bunch of us are hanging out at the Miners Pub Friday night. You should come on out. It’s about time we took our friendship beyond the mall, don’t you think?”

  Guilt. Always with the guilt. She hated to say no, but she also hated the thought of saying yes. “I don’t know. I have Wolfie now, and that’s not really my scene, so…”

  Blinky puckered his lips flirtatiously, laughing at her again. “If you’re worried it’s a date, it’s not. My girlfriend will be there, too.”

  “Oh. Okay.” That helped a little, but still, Sofia didn’t really want to hang out with the kind of people who were okay with stealing. Even if she was suddenly becoming one of them.

  Hope lit in his eyes. “So, you’ll come?” he asked, slightly out of breath from the work of carrying the heavier supplies.

  “I’ll think about it,” she promised.

  Turned out she had a lot to think about these days. Too bad all this thinking wasn’t providing any of the answers she needed.

  Sofia drove home in a hurry. She’d left Wolfie alone in the apartment all day and had no idea what he could have done to keep himself busy during that time.

  Sure, she’d considered closing him into the bathroom or confining him to the bedroom, but she hated the idea of locking him up when he’d only just secured his freedom. Still, the last thing she needed after the day she’d had was to come home to a scene straight out a disaster movie.

  Hesitantly, she pushed open the door, calling out with a level voice as she did. “Wolfie? I’m home.”

  A joyous bark sounded from somewhere deep within the apartment, and a moment later her new pet appeared, wagging his tail furiously while sprinting toward her in a giant gray blur. He took a running leap and knocked her back into the doorframe, jumping and licking… and peeing everywhere.

  “Ugh, Wolfie, gross!” Sofia shouted before she could remember that Wolfie didn’t respond well to raised voices.

  Back under the table he went, the peeing having intensified.

  “Aww, boy. I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m happy to see you, too. And, look, I brought you some cool stuff.”

  She found a dry patch of carpet and sat down so that Wolfie could watch as she unpacked the supplies Blinky had set aside for her. She hadn’t noticed during their exchange at the dumpster, but apparently, Blinky had thought of everything. One by one she pulled out toys, chews, treats, and all matter of canine paraphernalia.

  She offered Wolfie a stuffed duck toy with a squeaker inside, but he remained firmly ensconced beneath the table without so much as sniffing her offering. He didn’t even budge when she opened up a bag of treats and held out a milk bone in her cupped palm.

  Again, Sofia wanted to cry. She’d already risked so much for this dog and he didn’t even care. “Oh, c’mon, Wolfie. I’m sorry I raised my voice. I missed you today. Come out and see me.”

  The dog made no move to join her.

  “Please?” she begged.

  Wolfie sighed as if she, too, was exasperating him.

  “Fine, I guess I’ll just make us some dinner.” Sofia pushed herself up and returned to the hallway where she’d left the giant bag of large breed kibble. She peeled the sticker off the new metal dog dish from Blinky and then filled the bowl to the brim with smelly brown nibblets.

  Wolfie remained uninterested, which meant Sofia was out of options. Why was he acting like this today? He’d been warmer toward her yesterday, when they hardly even knew each other. What had changed? Wasn’t he happy to have been rescued?

  So many questions, but none seemed to have answers she liked.

  Maybe her friend, Elizabeth Jane, could help here. She’d grown up alongside many sled dogs, given that her father was a race officiant. And Wolfie was at least part sled dog. Could he really be part wolf, too, as Hunter had said?

  The memory of Hunter’s handsome smile drifted before her. Of course she had met the most attractive man in the whole world the same day she had committed her first serious crime in more than ten years.

  And he was a cop!

  Even if she hadn’t stolen her dog, she still wouldn’t be into the idea of dating someone so tied to the establishment. Yeah, maybe Blinky had thought she was a rebel by looks only, but Sofia had grown accustomed to living life on the periphery. No reason to change that now.

  “Wolfie? Want some yummies?” she tried again, shaking the bowl at the still terrified dog.

  “Okay, I’m calling Liz,” she decided when the dog didn’t react.

  “Sofia. Everything okay?” her friend answered after three long rings.

  “I’m not sure. He won’t come out from under the table, and he won’t eat.”

  “Yeah, that’s the thing with rescues. You don’t really know what their situations were like before you found them.”

  Sofia knew exactly what Wolfie’s situation had been, but she couldn’t tell Elizabeth Jane that. Straight-laced Liz would demand Sofia turn Wolfie over to a shelter, and Sofia refused to do that. For better or for worse, she and this dog were an item now. And she was beginning to realize that she needed him every bit as much as he needed her.

  “So, what should I do?” Sofia asked.

  “I’m over at my old roommate Scarlett’s apartment now. It’s not too
far from you, I think. See if Wolfie wants to go for a car ride. If he does, come on over. If he’s used to roaming free, maybe he’s just stressed about having been cooped up all day.”

  “Is that true, Wolfie?” Sofia said to the dog in a goochie-goo voice. “Want to go for a walk?”

  Wolfie looked to the door, then back at Sofia.

  She nodded vigorously. “Yes, a walk? Want to go outside?”

  At last the dog yawned, stretched, and then stepped out from under the table.

  “Oh, that worked,” Sofia announced, making sure to keep her voice neutral so as not to scare the poor dog again. “I guess we’re coming over.”

  “Great! Can’t wait to see you!” Liz cooed before hanging up the phone. Although she hadn’t had time for Sofia yesterday, she seemed to be bending over backward to help today.

  Well, Sofia would take whatever help she could get. Her evening with Blinky had proven that.

  “What is it about you that always gets me into trouble?” she asked Wolfie as they charged down the apartment stairs.

  Of course, he did not have an answer for her.

  Riding in the car, Wolfie became a completely different dog. He panted happily and shifted from one side of the seat to the other, back and forth. It seemed he was afraid of missing even a single thing on their journey.

  Sofia laughed and rolled down the windows so he could stick his head through and sniff the crisp Anchorage air.

  Luckily for the happy canine, Scarlett’s apartment lay on the other, nicer side of town, which made their journey a lengthy one. When at last they arrived, Wolfie sobered up, following her calmly into the new building—the perfect picture of canine obedience. He sure liked to keep her guessing.

  “Whoa, big dog,” Elizabeth Jane clucked when she took in the sight of Wolfie at the doorway. He hadn’t seemed that big to Sofia, but when she saw him beside Scarlett’s two huskies, Fantine and Cosette, the size difference became very, very obvious.

  “He’s almost as big as Fred,” Scarlett pointed out with a smile, then explained, “Fred was my wheel dog when I ran the Iditarod a couple years back. He’s still on Lauren Ramsey’s team to this day. Hey, do you know Lauren?”