Page 46 of Puppy Kisses

Until that bit about Gigi, Dawn’s plans had been sounding pretty good. Adam did quite a bit of his shopping online, and he was able to get around most places with his cane, but it would be nice to diversify his options. However, he didn’t much care for the implication that Gigi wasn’t fit for duty. It might be impossible to teach an old dog like himself new tricks, but Gigi was young. She had her whole life ahead of her.

“It’s not too late,” he protested. “Gigi’s been doing really well with your basic training instructions. We did sitting and staying for thirty minutes last night without a single hitch.”

He could hear the smirk in Dawn’s voice. “Okay, okay. Don’t shoot the dog trainer. I only meant that it might take her a few weeks to catch up. Sheesh. You really love that little puppy, don’t you?”

His chest clenched. Love was only the start of it. “I care about her well-being, that’s all. If you bring me a broken animal, I’m going to fix it.”

“What about broken women?” she asked. “Do you fix them, too?”

The coffeepot dinged its cheerful completion, making it impossible for him to get an accurate read on Dawn’s tone. She seemed lighthearted enough, and she’d never given him reason to doubt her word before, but he had no way of knowing for sure.

He took the easy out.

“I have a destination in mind, but I don’t know how realistic it is,” he said as he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.

“The sky’s the limit,” she replied. “Literally. Short of parachuting out of an airplane, I can’t think of anywhere you might want to go where these two can’t follow. What’s on your mind? The feed store? The Deer Park bowling alley? Oh, I know—it’s Bea’s house. You had such a good time last week, you’re dying to go back, aren’t you?”

Adam took a long, careful sip of his coffee. “No, it’s not Bea’s house,” he said. “But if you want company the next time you head over there, say the word. No one should have to face that woman alone.”

“My white knight. So gallant.”

“It’s not gallantry. It’s basic human decency—especially since you’re only going over there for me.” He ran his free hand along the back of his neck, finding it strangely difficult to get this next part out. “The thing is, I’d really like to go to Medical Lake.”

“Medical Lake?” she echoed. “You mean, to watch Zeke’s race?”

“I know, it’s dumb. Phoebe told me once that the spectators sit there for hours just to cheer for five seconds when their racer flashes by, but I’ve always wondered what it was like. It’s supposed to be ridiculously hot today, and I don’t know if all the crowds will be good for the puppies, but—”

Dawn’s hand stole to his cheek, stopping him short. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“You do?”

“Absolutely. I mean, I don’t know how Gigi is going to react to all those people, but Uncle loves crowds. He’s like a circus strongman walking through the center of town. Everyone oohs and aahs over him, and he eats it up. Don’t you, Uncle? Your secret ambition is to be adored.”

Actually, his secret ambition was to sleep lengthwise next to Adam and Gigi in the bed rather than on the special cushion next to the door, but he wasn’t going to rat the poor animal out.

“Besides, I’ve always wanted to watch Zeke in action,” Dawn added. “He loves that stuff.”

“I know.”

“Do you? I sometimes wonder how much either of you knows about the other.” She lifted the coffee cup from his hand. He thought that was rather rude considering he’d had to brew a whole second pot for himself, but she replaced it with the warm, squirming bundle of golden retriever. “I’ve got a couple of training vests for them in the car, but we can wait to put the harnesses on when we get there. I think you’ll be surprised at how much Uncle loves it.”

No, he wouldn’t. If there was duty and obligation involved, then Adam knew full well that Uncle would rise nobly to the task like, well, the white knight Dawn had accused him of being.

“One of these days, we’re going to have to give Uncle a day off just to have fun,” he said. “You’re working that poor animal to death.”

That poor animal gave a long, happy whine and began thumping his leg—both clear signs that Dawn was scratching the back of his ears.Andthat he was loving it.

“You’re right,” she replied, laughing. “Uncle is definitely starting to show signs of strain.”

* * *

“So, all you have to do is hold the harness at his level like this.” Dawn put a slim handle into Adam’s hand and showed him where to hold it. “Say ‘harness,’ and he’ll walk right into it.”

“This feels an awful lot like a metal cage,” he said as he ran his free hand over the harness. It was simple in design, the handle a U-shaped piece that connected directly to the apparatus so that the animal wearing it could quickly and easily lead him in any direction. “You’re sure he won’t mind?”

“I’m one hundred percent sure. Uncle has been using one of these since he was just a few weeks old. He likes it.”

“Okay,” Adam said doubtfully, but he did as Dawn instructed. Both of the puppies had been well behaved on the long drive out here, but while Uncle was now standing at attention and ready for duty, Gigi was prancing around and nipping playfully at Adam’s feet. He suspected it was his shoes she was really after, but he didn’t dare say so in front of Dawn. That woman had enough ammunition against him—and against Gigi—already.