Animal Angel Read Online Free Page A

longer contain his chuckle.
    Weston held Bryant’s stare.
    â€œOr not?” Bryant’s chair slammed into the upright position. He picked up his coffee, blew, and took a sip.
    â€œBehind all that beauty, she has a mouth on her that could cut the meanest mope to the quick.”
    â€œMaybe after sleeping on it she’ll recognize the tragic mistake she made letting you slip through her fingers.” Bryant tilted his head down, failing to hide his smirk.
    Weston scowled at him. “Thanks for your support.”
    â€œI feel for you… honestly I do, but don’t give up. I mean, did that cartoon skunk take no from the black-and-white pussycat? Negative. No matter how many times she rejected him, she remained the object of his affection!” He slammed his fist on the desktop.
    Weston couldn’t help but laugh, even though he was being made fun of. “Your knowledge of cartoon characters is disturbing.”
    â€œIt’s not as troublesome as your knowledge of a romantic comedy’s most famous restaurant scene,” Bryant quipped.
    He shook his head and turned his attention to the report on his desk that seemed to be missing the first three pages. He pushed his chair back and grabbed the missing pages and his pen from under his desk.
    Weston’s thoughts drifted to his encounter with the dog lady several times throughout the day, and by the end of work, he’d psyched himself up enough to stop by the rescue again. To fill out the forgotten paperwork , or so he kept telling himself as he sat in his car out in Animal Angel Rescue’s parking lot. The late-day sun reflected off his windshield, making it difficult to see anything going on inside through the large bay window on the front of the building. Truth be told, he was too chicken to go inside.
    Weston watched a family of four leaving the building with a dog that looked like a Chihuahua bred with an opossum. “Ugly” was the only word that came to mind, but the two smiling-and-laughing kids that took turns holding the neon-pink leash didn’t seem to notice. “Guess there is someone out there for everyone… or thing,” he said, surveying the dog one last time.
    He tapped the steering wheel with his open palm as he stared, unblinking, at the front door. He took a slow, deep breath and grasped the door handle, letting himself out into parking lot. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the warm breeze that had kicked up or his nerves. “This is my job,” he reminded himself. He strode to the front door and stepped inside. The wind caught the door and it slammed shut behind him. Five heads snapped up to look directly at him, one being Stella’s. The others belonged to two couples sitting in the chairs in the waiting area filling out papers.
    â€œSorry,” Weston said.
    Stella’s jaw dropped. “Detective Speier, you’re back.”
    He surveyed her, unsure what to say, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
    â€œI mean, getting a taste of Mavis’s charm firsthand is usually enough to send most folks running for the hills.” Stella chuckled.
    Weston cleared his throat, but he couldn’t find his voice. I’m sweating. This is ridiculous. He fought the undying urge to leave and tried to speak again. He grunted.
    Stella leaned forward, resting her forearms on top of the counter. She raised her eyes to meet his. “I’m sorry? I didn’t catch that.”
    To keep from loosening his tie, Weston interlaced his fingers behind his back in a death grip. Extreme heat was radiating from every pore in his body, and he was sure Stella would yank out a fire extinguisher soon if he didn’t get his hormones under control… and fast. This was humiliating. No woman had ever affected him like this. He had turned into a mute halfwit.
    Taking a deep breath, he stepped farther into the reception area and approached the counter. “I