Lara shook her head.
“I’m the guy who’s hoping to marry Lara.”
“It’s a secret for now,” Lara stressed.
“Well, the dog thinks you’re all right.She’s usually a good judge.But I’m reserving comment.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed.“We’ll let Suzy-Q make the decision.”
At the sound of her name, Suzy-Q tipped her head to one side, looked up at him and whimpered.“Stay,” he told her.
She broke their grips on her collar to lie on the floor at his feet.After extending her dessert-plate sized paws, she dropped her head on top of them with a soft whimper.
“Don’t get used to it,” Lara whispered.
“Obedience is heady,” he responded.
“What did you say?”Mrs.Fuhrman asked, putting her hand to her ear.
“Everyone likes a well-behaved dog,” he lied.
Lara smothered a laugh.
“They do, indeed.”
“Can I help you get them all back home?”Lara offered.
None of the five had leashes, he noted.
“They’re fine,” Mrs.Fuhrman said.
“Everything okay?”the man with the lawnmower shouted out.
“Lara’s talking to the moving company,” Mrs.Fuhrman replied.
“You putting the house for sale?”he asked.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she replied.
Connor felt as if he’d stepped onto a movie set.And, he had to admit, Lara made a hell of a leading lady.He couldn’t remember when he’d been more charmed.
“Come along,” Mrs.Fuhrman said to her pack as she started to walk away.Three followed immediately.Happy wagged its whole body a few times before trailing behind.
Suzy-Q remained in place.
“Go home,” he said, pointing toward the house next door.
Instead, she inched closer to him.How she managed that with her massive bulk, he had no idea.
“Suzyyyyyyyyy!”
“Go,” he repeated.
Lara crouched to stroke the dog behind the ears.With obvious reluctance, Suzy-Q stood and started to walk home.She stopped midway to look back.
“Go.”
Finally, she started to gallop toward Mrs.Fuhrman, who was standing on the stoop with her hands on her hips.
