Chapter 3

"Are you sure about this sweetie?" Dave asked. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to the pound. Some sweet dogs end up in the pound you know."

"No, my friend Shonda told me about this place and it's a lot closer. Apparently, she adopted a dog from there very recently. She says the dog she adopted is an absolute sweetheart and that at this place they're stuck in cages and some of them are too small for the dogs. It's apparently an operation between a father and his children. Shonda didn't say so, but I got the impression that this place could use an infusion of cash. She said that she thinks that the family believes they're providing a public service."

"Well, we'll see I suppose," Dave said following Jazz's directions.

"Shonda's really good at reading people," Jazz explained, not telling Dave that her friend was a telepath. Telepaths really weren't all that common, especially ones as powerful as her friend, particularly in a small town like Moonlight Gorge. Since the family who ran the place didn't have any magical ability, they had been very easy to read, as they'd had no barriers to protect their thoughts.

"I believe you," Dave said. He hadn't met Shonda yet, but he would he knew. Apparently, this Shonda had been very busy lately or perhaps out-of-town as Jazz had already introduced him to most of her close circle of friends.

The two were silent as Dave listened to the directions his girlfriend gave him.

What Jazz didn't know was that he was immortal, and she was actually his mate, and he had known it the first time he had set eyes on her. It was one of the reasons he had worked so hard to get her to date him and then to trust him. The day was getting close to where he told her, but not quite yet.

He had actually owned quite a few dogs over the last couple hundred years, as he liked the companionship, but unfortunately, they did eventually die. He'd never gotten one from a puppy mill before, but there was always a first time for everything. It would be a new experience for him and there was nothing wrong with that considering that he was hundreds of years old, so new experiences were occasionally, it kept life from being stagnant.

As for Jazz's current problem he would take care of it if he had too. Right now, Jorge was nothing more than an annoyance and not an actual danger though that could quickly change. He'd seen it happen more than once over the centuries. Jorge had apparently been obsessed with Jazz since they were both teenagers, which wasn't good, as most obsessions faded over time so long as they weren't encouraged. He knew, Jazz had done everything to discourage him but had failed.

Dave knew very well that some people were like that and wouldn't be discouraged unless they were locked up or dead. He only hoped that Jorge didn't go that far, because he would have no problem with taking him down, permanently if necessary. He wasn't about to share his thoughts with his mate though, as they would only upset her. The fact that Jorge had tried his best to blame a murder of a tourist on her was the first sign that he was very obsessed. It was the first sign that he had tried his best to control her, where Jorge likely would've swooped in and supposedly saved her from her fate. That likely would've made Jazz grateful to him at least and might've been enough to where she would have agreed to date him out of gratitude if nothing else. Dave could see Jorge trying to cut Jazz off from her friends and family, but in such a small town it probably wouldn't work that well since families in such places tended to be close. Her parents at least were bound to notice if they hardly ever saw her.

"Turn here," Jazz ordered, and Dave did as bid. "We're here."

Where they were, was in front of a house where the puppy mill was apparently run from. The paint on the house was peeling and the windows were filthy, the lawn uncut. Apparently, not much went into keeping up the maintenance, but then, from what he understood this place didn't make much and they were probably having trouble paying for hot water, electricity and food for both humans and beast.

Apparently, the father didn't have any other job, and the children probably didn't either, well, other than chores, school and perhaps helping out their neighbors for a few extra dollars. Dave wondered briefly what had happened to the mother. It was possible she was dead or maybe she had simply left the family. Either was possible.

"Can I help you?" asked a girl who opened the door, she looked no more than 16.

"Yes, we heard about this place from a friend of mine," Jazz explained. "I've been thinking about getting a pet, either a cat or a dog for about six months or so and when I heard about this place, I just decided it was fate. That it was time I got off my butt to do what I've been meaning to do anyway."

"Who's your friend?" asked a girl.

"Shonda Walters," Jazz said.

"Yes, she was here just a week or so ago," the girl said moving aside. "My father's not here right now, but still, why don't you come in and look. See if you can find one that you like. So, what were you thinking about a dog the cat? While we have mostly dogs here, we do have a few cats as well."

"I don't really know," Jazz admitted. "I like both, so it will likely be hard to decide. I grew up with cats, but Shonda and her family had a dog until she died over 10 years ago of old age."

"That is so sad," the girl said with real sympathy in her voice.

"Yes, it's sad, but it happens," Dave said, and the girl nodded. "It's simply the circle of life."

"I'm Jackie," The girl introduced yourself.

"I'm Dave and this is Jazz," Dave introduced himself.

Jackie led the way to where the cages were.

"Oh, these poor little darlings," Jazz cooed, as she knelt in front of some of the cages and it was clear that she wanted to release all the animals as she hated to see anything caged. Jazz well knew however, it was either here or the pound where they would eventually be put down if they weren't adopted. "They're all so cute and adorable it's going to be hard to decide which one to get. I really wish I could adopt all of them, but I don't have the money or the space unfortunately."

"I wouldn't mind adopting one as well," David admitted. "I've had several dogs over the years, but the last one died some time ago. It's probably about time I got another."

It had actually been about 20 years, since Dave's last dog died, and it was way past time to get himself another companion. Of course, he would make sure that whatever dog he chose got along with Jazz's animal, as he intended to make their relationship a permanent thing. In fact, if he ever wanted to procreate it was necessary. He couldn't have a child unless he had found their mate. It was the way that it had been arranged so that the immortal species wouldn't overpopulate the earth or turn someone not their mate immortal. Not all immortals would be responsible after all.

Finally, Jazz chose a cute little ball of fluff that couldn't be more than a few months old.

"That's Jasper," Jackie said.

Jackie charged $300, something that most people wouldn't pay. The pound after all was much cheaper, but Dave understood that she was trying to keep the business afloat. Besides, 300 wasn't so much, even if they weren't purebreds. You had to pay for the food they'd been fed at least.

"He'll need his shots, and you'll probably want to get a chip installed just in case he gets stolen or lost," Jackie said.

"Both good suggestions," Dave said, studying the cages. "I want one that will get along with Jazz's puppy. We're dating you see and will likely tie the knot at some point. It wouldn't be good to have two dogs fighting for dominance."

Jazz blushed at Dave's comment but didn't disagree. She would love to marry Dave someday, but that was several months in the future at least. Still, it gave her a warm, fuzzy glow to know that Dave wanted to marry her.

Dave had Jackie open one of the cages and took out a black-and-white fluffball. "This one looks like Jazz's puppy sibling."

"She is," Jackie confirmed. "While Jazz's puppy is a male yours is a female. Her name in Amethyst."

"So, the two are sister and brother," Jazz said as she petted Jasper's soft fur and got her chin licked for her trouble.

"I see that somebody gave them matching names," Dave said smiling. "Jasper and Amethyst are both names of gems."

"Yes, they're from the same litter and they were born here, which is one reason they're so much. They aren't from the street like most of them. I brought the female from the streets, and she was already heavily pregnant at the time. And yes, the whole litter was named after gemstones. We had a Mica, a Diamond, a Ruby, an Emerald, an Onyx, an Obsidian and the mother was Sapphire. I named the mother so, because of her spectacular blue eyes. As for the puppies, a few of them have been sold, but we still have Topaz and Onyx. The others went to happy homes."

"Pretty large litter," Jazz whistled appreciatively.

"Yes, it really was. That all the pups survived really says something," Jackie said. "Jasper there, was the runt of the litter, which is probably why no one else has wanted him. I'm glad he's going with you and that he'll have a good home."

"I don't really care if he was the runt I already love him," Jazz said, cuddling the black and white puppy close. Jasper licked her chin in response causing Jazz to giggle.

"So, I assume that will be $600 dollars," Dave said.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, though I know the pound would be cheaper," Jackie said.

"You have to pay the bills, while the pound is government supported, even if they don't get as much funding as they really need," Dave said, and Jackie nodded.

"My father would be very upset with me if he found out I had told you, but you basically figured it out yourself and all I did was confirm it," Jackie said. "Besides, I can tell you're not going to use this information to harm us."

"No, we won't, we just wanted to adopt a couple of dogs or cats as the case might be."

Jazz looked at the few cats that were in their cages and wished she could adopt one of those as well, but cats and dogs tended to not get along, though sometimes they could live together peacefully.

"We can always come back," Dave suggested. "Let's get these two settled, get them their shots and everything before we consider adopting a cat too. I know you hate to see all these animals cooped up, but this is better than the pound where they're put down if they're not adopted."

"I suppose," Jazz agreed as Dave paid the Jackie the $600 dollars. "I'll pay you back," Jazz promised Dave.

"Don't worry about it, consider it a gift," Dave said.

"But..." Jazz protested.

"I can more than afford it I promise you. I have made some sound investments over the years that has left me well off," Dave said and finally Jazz gave in knowing how stubborn Dave could be.

This was very true, though Dave didn't say that he was actually more than well-off, but filthy, stinking rich. He didn't flaunt his wealth because that just led to trouble in the long run. Conmen and others would come out of the woodwork wanting donations for their various causes. He could easily be kidnapped so that somebody would supposedly pay a large ransom for him and even once it was paid, they still might kill him. Not that he would stay dead, but it was a point of consideration.

"Alright," Jazz said finally giving in. She would just give Dave free desserts and coffee for the next year at least, since he wouldn't accept any form of payment.

"My little brother should be home anytime now," Jackie said. "He'll be glad to know that these two went to good homes. He loves all the dogs and even the cats that we have. He's always bringing home strays that he encounters."

"That's actually a good thing, as it means, your brother is compassionate, for those that are less fortunate, even if that's just for animals," Dave said.

"Having compassion for animals though can lead him to having compassion for people as well," Jazz pointed out. "Who knows he might become a veterinarian, or something that has to do with animals once he grows up."

"That's what he wants to be, a veterinarian, so let's hope he can get a scholarship because dad can't afford to send him to college."

Dave and Jazz left together, and Jackie watched them go wondering if they would be back. $600 dollars was a lot for her family to make in one sitting and she sincerely hoped that'd they had plenty of friends they could recommend, that just wanted a dog a cat to love.

~~~Dave and Jazzlyn~~~