Page 90 of Puppy Love

And now he won’t even let me try.

“Sophie, you’re a lot of things, but a quitter isn’t one of them,” Lila said. They all knew, without words, what Lila meant. Although all of their lives had been shaped by Sophie’s childhood illness, it wasn’t something they discussed in the general way of things—mostly because Sophie wouldn’t let them. She was tired of living in the past, exhausted with trying to prove herself worthy of this life she’d been given. “I think every single person in this room can agree about that.”

“Without a doubt,” Dawn agreed.

As if by tacit consent, the three sisters looked to the one person in the room they weren’t so sure of—their mother, who was watching them with an air of bewilderment and a frown pulling a line down her forehead.

“Don’t you agree, Mom?” Dawn prodded.

“Girls, you’re kidding, right?” That frown was pointed at each of them in succession, full of maternal solicitude and concern. Sophie felt her heart sink, sure she was about to be reduced to the barest minimum yet again—and just as sure that she was going to have to continue being a soft, overprotected piece of fluff for as long as her mother lived.

When her mom finally spoke, however, it wasn’t to castigate Sophie alone. It was to criticize all three sisters as equals.

“Please tell me you don’t actually have a clause in your employee handbook about what to do if you sleep with your clients. I raised you better than that.” She paused, expectancy pursing her mouth into a tight bow.

When no one said anything, all of them mute with mingled surprise and guilt, she sighed and shook her head. “Oh dear. I alwaysmeantto raise you better than that. I guess I didn’t do a very good job, did I?”

Dawn was the first to respond—a thing she did with her usual laugh on her lips. “You failed miserably, I’m afraid,” she said as she took their mother into her arms. “But don’t worry too much about it. The lesson on practicing safe sex went through just fine.”

Sophie held back an inelegant snort.

“That one’s not in our handbook though.” Lila’s expression was perfectly grave, but her eyes danced with mischief as she added, “The lawyers insisted we keep it out.”

* * *

Sophie arrived at the Department of Natural Resources fully prepared for battle.

Her armor was the official Puppy Promise uniform, that bland and nondescript khaki outfit that proclaimed her status as an untouchable professional. Dawn had insisted that nothing would be more effective at showing Harrison that she didn’t care than seeing Sophie appear for work unruffled and calm.

She brought weapons too. A clipboard, a dog clicker, and treats contained in a pouch on her belt might not have looked like much to an outsider, but they filled Sophie with a sense of purpose. She was Sophie the Dog Trainer, ready to report for duty. Forget heartbreak and pain. Screw the man who’d made her feel smaller than any man had ever made her feel before.

She wasn’t going to apologize for having people who loved her.

“Oh dear. What’s going on? Is there a fire?” Sophie barely made it through the front door before she realized something was amiss. The woman working at the reception desk didn’t look ruffled as she directed people to and fro, but there was a calm efficiency to her that Sophie knew well. She’d spent enough time around medical professionals in emergency situations to recognize a 9-1-1 situation when she saw it.

“At the base of Mount Spokane—a house fire that’s spread and is threatening a logging road,” the woman said in a clipped but kind tone. “The local firefighters aren’t able to contain it alone. We have a team prepping to head out now. Can I help you with something?”

Sophie didn’t waste any time. “Harrison Parks. Is he here?”

“Yes.”

“Is he trying to join the team?”

“Yes.”

“Is Oscar letting him?”

The woman laughed. “Go right on through, hon. You seem to know what you’re doing.”

Sophie didn’t bother correcting her. She had no idea what she was doing, especially where Harrison was concerned, but that hadn’t stopped her before.

“Half the team is out of town right now, and the other half is working their regular jobs.” Harrison’s voice, loud and resolute, could be heard long before Sophie reached Oscar’s office. “If you don’t let me go, you’ll only have Jessica and Derek and that weird, skinny kid who always puts his pants on backward.”

“Jessica and Derek are perfectly capable of handling a fire of this size, and Benji almost always gets his pants the right way now.”

“Dammit, Oscar. You know I’m fine.”

“I don’t know anything. I’m not a doctor.”