Page 4 of I Hate You More

Relief started to touch Spencer’s lips, but Ruby stopped it short. “Wheezy isn’t just going toenterthe dog show. He’s going to win. Can’t you tell a pedigree champion when you’re looking at one?”

Apparently, he could. “This dog is overweight.”

“Don’t be rude. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.”

“He isn’t properly trained.”

“That’s not true,” Ruby protested. “He knows all the commands. He just doesn’t always feel like listening to them.”

“He doesn’t look like a purebred.”

Ruby had no response for that one. Mrs. Orson swore up and down that Wheezy was as much a pedigreed golden retriever as his papers claimed, but Ruby was pretty sure she’d had them forged. For such a sweet old lady, Mrs. Orson had some pretty shady connections.

“I have his paperwork.” Ruby crossed her arms defensively. “And the full entrance fee. He deserves his chance as much as any other dog.”

“Let me see his papers.”

Ruby blinked. Spencer might be in charge, but she’d never responded well to demands—particularly when they were uttered by people in positions of authority. Police officers, bosses, teachers…the more power they had to shape her life, the less likely she was to fall in line.

She was a lot like Wheezy that way. She knew all the commands. She just didn’t always feel like doing them.

“Why?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”

She’d never know the answer to that question. The poodle owner walked up, looking a lot less worried about her chances now that she’d seen Wheezy in action.

“Is it Muffin’s turn now?” the poodle owner asked. “She’s ready to show you what she can do.”

Ruby felt a smug smile cross her face. It was beneath her, she knew, and alienating one of the judges of the dog show she was trying to enter was hardly a strategic move, but she couldn’t help it. If this man wanted to keep Wheezy from entering the dog show, then he’d have to refuse that gorgeous poodle, too.

And men could never resist a pretty face. Goodness knows her mother had taught her that, if nothing else.

“Sure.” He shot a look of annoyance at Ruby, which she absorbed like it was a blast of sunshine. It was obvious this manhatedthat she’d put him in this position but equally obvious that he’d abide by the rules no matter what it cost him.

They all watched, unsurprised, as the poodle bowed and pranced and otherwise acted the way a show dog was supposed to in front of an audience. At the end of it, the woman triumphantly handed Spencer the dog’s papers. Ruby slipped Wheezy’s in a few seconds later.

“In case you have questions about his legitimacy,” she said, unable to stop a laugh from escaping. “It should all be there.”

Spencer rifled through the papers with a sigh, but Ruby could tell that the decision had already been made.

“Thank you,” he said as he tucked the application under his arm. “Muffin has been cleared for entry.”

Ruby waited for the same courtesy to be extended to her. “Well?”

Spencer drew closer. His lips were pressed in a tight line, but Ruby recognized the glimmer in his eyes. That particular glimmer—of determination and drive, ofdaring—was one she knew well. He might not like having Wheezy in his precious dog show, but the die had been cast.

And now he had to play.

“This dog needs to be put on a healthier diet or he’ll be disqualified before the first competition,” he said in a stern voice that Ruby found much more appealing than all his brother’s schmoozing charm. “No table scraps and lots of long, brisk walks. If he doesn’t show signs of improvement, I won’t hesitate to forfeit your entry. Understood?”

Ruby nodded. “Absolutely. Deprivation and exercise. I know them well.”

His glance was suspicious, but he kept going. “You’ll also need to get him some training. And not just a few hoops in your backyard. I meanrealtraining from a professional. We can’t allow dogs who will disrupt or distract the others, and this animal, I’m sorry to say, will do both.”

She hesitated. “You mean a pageant coach?”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

It was, but not for the reasons he suspected. “I, uh, haven’t always had the greatest experience with pageant coaches,” she admitted.