Page 60 of Puppy Love

“Oh, she’s done a lot more than curse him,” Derek said. “I was inside Harrison’s house this morning. Hebaby proofedit, Jessica. There was a gate in one doorway and those plastic doohickeys in all the electrical outlets.”

It wasn’tthatstrange. “Puppies are naturally inquisitive creatures,” Sophie protested. “Even the well-trained ones. And to be fair, I thought the toilet locks might end up being the deal breaker. Even his dad was a tough sell.”

Both Jessica and Derek turned to stare at her.

“You’ve tackled Wallace too?” Derek asked. “Damn, honey. I underestimated you—you’re nothing short of a sorceress.”

“I have high hopes of winning the cooking contest now,” Jessica said. Was it Sophie’s imagination, or was that woman looking at her with something akin to awe? “What’s the game plan, oh wise one? Do we attempt to fish this part of the river, or would you rather set traps in hopes of getting something with a little red meat on its bones?”

“Um.”

“Red meat,” Derek said with a nod. “It’s the only way to take home the prize. That or something with wings.”

“Don’t you have a partner of your own?” Jessica angled her body in a possessive stance in front of Sophie. “I already called dibs on Sophie. Besides, I thought you and Harrison always teamed up.”

“We do, but he’s in a mood to sour Mother Mary’s breast milk.” He rubbed his hands together, a wide smile lighting his face. “I’d much rather help you ladies. Shall we do one of each? By air, by land, and by sea?”

“I want sea,” Jessica said, finding nothing strange in this plan.

“Then I call land,” Derek decided. “I saw a family of ground squirrels over by the camp that looked mighty lazy. I can probably catch one with my bare hands.”

Their expectant gazes turned Sophie’s way once more. Their misplaced confidence in her was touching, but she had never purposefully killed anything that didn’t belong to the arachnid family—and even then, she always felt a twinge of conscience. “Um, I’ll take air?”

Jessica started clapping, while Derek slapped a meaty palm on her back. “That’s our girl. Between the three of us, I’m sure we’ll end up with something. Right, sorceress?”

Sophie looked down at the spool of fishing line in her hand and sighed. She could no more trap a bird than she could trap a man, but short of turning tail and asking Harrison to take her home to her mother, she didn’t see what choice she had.

“Why not? I’m sure I’ll bring down a hawk in no time.”

Derek laughed at the doubt in her voice. “Don’t worry so much, Sophie. From the way Harrison was glowering at everyone who so much aslookedat either you or his puppy the wrong way, you’ve already brought down much worse than that.”

* * *

“It’s called a bolas.” Derek lifted his arm overhead and started whipping the long rope in an arc. As the rope was weighted on both ends with a rock the size of Bubbles, Sophie felt it was prudent to duck out of the way.

Wayout of the way. Behind the nearest tree, in fact.

“Hey, where are you going?” Derek called. “I’m just getting to the good part.”

“I can see everything better from over here,” Sophie called back. Then, because he’d spent quite a bit of time handcrafting his weapon and it seemed rude to go into hiding, she added, “So, what happens now? You throw it and hope it murders something midair?”

“First of all, it’s not murder.” Derek’s chest puffed up as he continued his maniacal rotations. Honestly, it was a good thing most of these people were first-aid experts of some sort. It would be a wonder if any of them got out of here alive. “It’s a time-honored gaucho practice that you’re lucky to witness firsthand. And secondly—well, yes, but I’ve never actually brought something down this way.”

Sophie laughed. Apparently, theby land, by sea, and by airidea was more of an excuse to play with ropes than to catch anything. It was a good thing Jessica had the foresight to hand Sophie a pouch and point out which roots were edible, so she could gather a backup plan while she watched Derek at work.

“Am I supposed to scare up some birds or something?” Sophie asked after a few minutes of Derek whirling his bolas in a fruitless effort. “By like…running through the bushes and making lots of noise?”

“If you’re smart, you’ll tell him you saw something over by the trailhead.” A crunch of leaves underfoot and the sound of Harrison’s deep voice caused her to turn.

She tried not to swoon at the sight of him carrying a fishing rod and wearing a puppy strapped to his chest, but it was difficult. A ruggedly handsome man in outdoor gear and a baby sling was a more powerful sight than most people could stand, she was sure—especially as he looked completely at ease while he did it. His wide shoulders and casual stance spoke of a level of confidence Sophie could only dream of.

And dream of it—ofhim—she did.

“Isthere something by the trailhead?” she asked. She was pleased to find that her speaking abilities remained intact, even if her reason wasn’t.

“No. That’s why it’s your best bet. The only person he’ll maim over there is himself.” Without waiting for Sophie to decide whether she wanted to be alone with Harrison, he called out to his friend. “Yo, Derek. Make yourself useful and clear out, would you?”

Derek looked over with a grin. “Why? So you can have Sophie all to yourself? No way. I was just about to impress her with my mad throwing skills. Ladies love mad throwing skills.”