Kane rolled out her seventeenth shelter layout across the wooden table and weighted the corners with smooth river stones. The sketch showed rows of warm beds, a training yard, and spaces where scared kids could sit with rescue dogs. She'd been collecting strays since she was sixteen, teaching them tricks and finding them homes. Tommy had become the shelter's best trainer. Sarah was studying to be a vet now. But they still needed a real building—somewhere abandoned companions could stay safe until their forever families arrived. She folded the sketch and tucked it under her arm. The morning air bit at her cheeks as she walked through the trees, looking for the right place. After an hour, she spotted it through the branches—a charming cottage with a thatched roof and ivy climbing up the walls. The windows were dusty but whole. The door hung crooked on its hinges. Kane pushed it open and stepped inside. The main room was big enough for kennels along both walls. The back area could hold supplies and food. She paced from corner to corner, counting her steps. This could work. This could finally be the shelter she'd been planning for years. Her chest felt tight with something she hadn't let herself feel in a long time—hope.