Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
He strokes Stella’s massive head, his fingers moving over one ear. “She doesn’t feel like she has a curly coat. You sure she’s a goldendoodle?”
“She might be. Then again, maybe her momma was named Doodle. I don’t recall exactly.” Aggie shrugs, putting up a hand to avoid Stella’s happily whipping tail. “All you need to know is that Stella is the best companion and I bet her babies will be, too.”
There’s a whine from one of the puppies as it wakes up, and Stella goes into the pool-nest and licks one of the babies, which leads to even more whimpering and crying. The dog settles back in, lying on her side so her babies can nurse.
Aggie waves me forward. “Don’t just stand there hovering in the doorway, Dakota. I’m tired from all this fussing. Hand him one of the babies and let’s get him a puppy to hold.”
I pick my way forward, stepping around legs and chairs. “Boy or girl?” I ask Jonah. “Preference to anything?”
“Just happy and healthy,” he says, putting his hands out.
One of the nearest puppies is just now waking up. It yawns with the pinkest, tiny little mouth, and my heart aches with how precious it is. I scoop it up with two hands and carefully give it to Jonah. “I’m not sure which one this one is. I wasn’t part of the naming.”
“That one’s Sleepy,” Aggie says in a soft voice. “And she’s one of my favorites.”
CHAPTER 106
DAKOTA
Jonah cradles the puppy so carefully that it makes my heart ache. “It’s so small.”
“It’s still a tiny baby,” Aggie says. “I don’t even know if it’s been two weeks yet. Gonna be a while before it gets as big as Stella.”
His eyes are wet as he cradles it against his chest. His hands look enormous as he holds it, but the puppy just yawns and settles in against him. “Can you describe her to me a bit?”
“Well…she looks like a blob,” Aggie says helpfully.
“Oh lord,” I say, and decide to step in. I study the puppy in his hands. “Jonah, she’s got a black muzzle. I don’t know if it’s short or long. Mid-length, I guess. It’s a little wrinkly but it might be because she’s so little. Stella has a really long nose and jowls, so it’s safe to say that this one might have that, too. She’s got two gold spots over her eyes and the rest of her is a brownish black down her neck. Past her shoulders, she’s mostly white, but she’s got speckles of darker colors, too. And her belly is pink.”
“She sounds amazing.”
“She’s pretty cute,” I agree. The puppy yawns and makes a baby sound as she does, and all three of us melt with a chorus of “awws.”
Aggie looks over at the other puppies. “Doc looks like he’s not nursing. You wanna hold him, too?”
“Doc?” Jonah’s head lifts. “You named them after the seven dwarves?”
“Well, yeah. There’s nine of them. We’ve got a Prince Charming and a Snow White, too. Too many to name ’em after the cast of Friends.”
“Nine puppies. That’s incredible.” He shakes his head and lifts the sleeping puppy closer to his face, gently rubbing his cheek against the tiny paws. “And if it’s all right, I’ll just hold this one for a bit.”
“Take your time. We ain’t going anywhere.” Aggie’s smile is pleased. It’s clear she likes how besotted Jonah is with the puppies. I get it. Baby animals of all kinds are adorable, and Jonah is dazzled by getting to meet the puppies. He’s a good pick if Aggie is truly going to give one away.
Hell, Rabbit’s going to be ecstatic on his behalf.
I…wonder if I need to have The Talk with her.
Dear God.
Again, I feel a ripple of amusement moving through me, and somewhere out there, Murr is picking up my vibes and laughing to himself. Fair enough. I can acknowledge when I’m overreacting.
“Nine puppies is a lot for us,” Aggie says, her words slow. Her gaze seeks out mine, and she gives me a pointed look even as she speaks to Jonah. “We’ve already got a lot of cats here and it’d break my heart if the dogs chased them or made them scared. You know Murr lives for those cats and they were here first. I might be needing homes for more than just one puppy. Can you think of any kids in the fort that might need a therapy dog? Or hell, even just a buddy? And that would make sure they had a good home?”
Jonah goes still. He carefully pets Sleepy’s tiny head, his fingers smoothing one of the many wrinkles in her baby snout. “There’s a few kids, yeah. I know one or two that have lost their parents. Another one that has bad anxiety, but Dad doesn’t have the medicine to help her. I’m not sure they can pay, if I’m being honest.”