Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“No, it’s true,” I said earnestly. It was true that Kat and the others said he was fair, but it was also true that I wasn’t above using flattery to get him to keep the dogs. “You’re known for being fair.”
“Fair don’t mean I want a pair of dogs all over my place.” He gave me a firm look, but he still hadn’t turned the truck around, which gave me hope.
“Maybe they can just sleep at your place for a few days? Long enough to see if they have an owner?” I was banking on Grayson falling in love with the dogs. I wasn’t sure he got attached to much of anything, but his obvious grief when talking about his father made me cautiously optimistic. “I’ll post on the lost pet boards, and I’ll do all the work for the dogs. I’ll feed them for you. Walk them. Train them.”
“You’re going to train them?” Grayson’s forehead wrinkled as his tone turned skeptical.
“I’ll watch some videos on how to do it.” I waved a hand.
“You’ll watch some videos.” Grayson sounded like my idea was right up there with learning to fly without a plane, but I refused to be deterred.
“I can learn.” Sure, I was new to dogs, but I liked these two. Unlike Grayson, I tended to fall hard and fast, and I couldn’t stand the thought of what might happen to them if we didn’t take them. “If the dogs go to the shelter, the shelter people will likely separate Lorelei and Rory.”
“You named them?” Grayson groaned, tipping his head back and briefly shutting his eyes. “After what?”
“Only the best show to ever exist.” I rolled my eyes at how the walking Jeopardy champ could lack pop culture knowledge.
“I’ll take your word for that.” He exhaled and put the truck in Drive. “Guess names won’t hurt. But don’t you go getting attached.”
“You’re not turning around.” Giddy, I did a victory dance in my seat.
“They can stay long enough for me to make some calls to folks I know.” He sounded resigned. “Someone surely wants a dog.”
Maybe you. But I kept my mouth shut. A win was a win. I’d simply count on the dogs and me wearing him down with our charm.
Chapter Fifteen
Grayson
“Who’s ready for chow?” Adler arrived at my trailer with his usual unbridled enthusiasm. In the week that the dogs had been on the ranch, his sunny smile for the dogs had yet to fade. And true to his word, he’d arrived before the morning meeting every day to let them out and feed them, and he’d returned at the end of the day to do the same. He’d even figured out the peanut butter trick to getting them to take their meds.
The dogs were delighted to see him as always, dancing around, eight paws clattering across the vinyl flooring in my kitchen to greet Adler at the front door. Jude had removed Rory’s bandage two days prior, so she was extra full of puppy energy. Adler was only too happy to stoop and give her kisses and pats. He was way more comfortable around the dogs now, taking to them as easily as he had the horses.
“Are you excited about your new pen?”
He was talking to the dogs, but I was the one who groaned. “I can’t believe you talked me into repairing Blue’s old pen for them.”
My dad had rigged a dog run behind the back door of the trailer for Blue in his later years, when he was no longer spry enough to tag along all the time and needed a safer option for outside time. In the years since, the chicken wire fence had started to sag, but Adler had been on me all week to fix it up so the dogs could have leash-free time. I’d finally agreed to Saturday morning, seeing as how I tried to arrange things so the hands had less work over the weekends. As a result, I had some free time after morning chores.
“You said yourself that they’re not ready for free range on the ranch and that walking them was taking too much time away from my other work.” Adler adopted a reasonable tone as he strode to the kitchen. He set out chow for the dogs before gesturing at the back door and the large box that had appeared on Thursday at the base of the back steps. “And the doghouse Maverick ordered is here. Makes sense to use it, even if the dogs always sleep indoors with you.”
“So much sense.” I didn’t bother hiding my sarcasm. A large round dog bed now lived at the foot of my bed, another result of Maverick and Adler’s shopping spree. For his part, Maverick seemed to feel guilty that he couldn’t keep the dogs at the main house, and both he and Adler were only too happy to spoil the dogs. “Don’t think I missed the pile of toys that arrived in that order as well. I told you not to get your heart set on them staying.”