Chapter Nine
“I’m telling you,this is the kind of dog you should get,” Grady said to his eldest sister, Cait. He brought Sam into the Hart family cabin where she was staying. It wasn’t quite as far from Colson’s Corner as his plot of land, but remote enough so that they weren’t bothered byneighbors.
The dog sniffed everything carefully before tentatively wagging histail.
“He’s definitely a man’s dog,” Cait said. “I’m looking for something a little smaller andsweeter.”
“You mean a powder puff dog?” Grady scratched behind Sam’s ears. “You want to live in the backwoods, you need a guarddog.”
“He looks mean and ugly.” Cait said, sitting as far back on the sofa as she could away from the large dog. “Mixing a German shepherd with a pitbull is asking fortrouble.”
The dog did look like a scrappy fighter, with a flatter snout than a German shepherd, ears that partially folded down, and a barrel chest over stout and powerfullegs.
“Oh, come on, give him a chance.” Grady rubbed Sam’s short-haired coat which was brown underneath with black-tipped hair. The dog sat at attention and wagged the tip of his tail but didn’t make any submissive moves such as lying down and exposing hisunderbelly.
Nope, a German pit was not cuddly or cute, but the veteran who requested one needed a dog like that to help her gain the confidence to live on her own and venture out of herapartment.
“You should keep him,” Cait said, nursing a glass of icetea.
How did she know he’d been entertaining exactly those thoughts? Then again, she knew her younger brothers and sisters better than they knew themselves. And she was also good at finding outthings.
“Can’t do that,” Grady said, steeling himself. “The best dogs go to the vets. This guy is healthy, has a great disposition, and is tough at the sametime.”
“Then keep one that has issues, maybe an elderly one who has a hard time getting adopted,” Caitsaid.
“I don’t want another dog.” Grady swiped his hand over his sweatyforehead.
“Man’s best friend,” she teased in a sing-song voice. “Really, you need to give it anothershot.”
“No, I don’t. All dogs do is die on you, or get lost, or you have to put them down. No, thankyou.”
“Pretty much sums up your story with women, too.” Cait set her glass down on the coffee table and curled her legs onto the couch sideways. “You want to tell me why you’ve givenup?”
“Nope.” Grady rose from the sofa. “Think I’ll take Sam for awalk.”
“I’ll come with you.” Cait pushed herself off the comfortable sofa and waddled to the front door. “Brian and I are in the market for a house in town. If I’m going to put up a wedding business and gift shop next door to the diner and across from the general store, then I need to know whether I’m welcome ornot.”
“You have no problem.” Grady snapped the leash onto Sam’s collar. “You’re Linx’s bestbuddy.”
“Not quite,” Cait said. “Tami King, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, goes back to grade school with her. I haven’t been able to buddy up toher.”
“I can help you with Tami.” Grady grinned as they walked out the door and down the porch. “She and I share office space. Come by on Monday, and I’ll make theintroduction.”
The summer heat permeated the evening air, even at this altitude. Grady’s boots crunched over fallen pine needles as he and Cait strolled under a stand of old sequoia trees along a babblingcreek.
Sam did a great job of heeling, walking precisely one foot behind him, while Cait kept darting curious glances between him and thedog.
“You thinking of keeping him?” she askedagain.
“Thought I told you I can’t.” Grady dragged his voice. “You knowwhy.”
“It’s been years,” Cait said. “Even Connor got a new dog after Beardied.”
“Yeah, well, Bear lived a good long life with him, and he got to saygoodbye.”
“I think you and Sam are a good match,” Cait said. “Look how he follows you. It’s like he’s in the Marines orsomething.”
“No more dogs,” Gradysaid.
