"Ayla?" he asked with a dry chuckle. "Yeah, Pepper's always liked women."
"Ayla's looking for more dogs," I said as gently as I could. "I don't know if you're even considering it, but - "
"Yes!" he said, thrusting Pepper's leash at me, even though it wasn't attached to the dog. "Every time I see her, she reminds me of my partner. She..." He cleared his throat quickly. "I'm a disappointment to her, and that would mean to Narina too. She wanted the best for Pepper..."
"How much do you want for her?" I asked, tucking the leash under my arm.
"Would Ayla even want her?" he asked. "She has one of Lansin's dogs, and a nice one at that!"
"And Ayla can handle two dogs," I assured him. "She loves the animals so much. It wasn't something she'd ever thought was possible, so she's doing everything she can to get a few so she canbecome a dog trainer herself. Not just a handler, Moldan, but a trainer too."
"She'll be good at it," he said, looking over at where Pepper was sniffing around, ignoring both of us completely. "And I'd give her to you for that. I just want Narina's baby to be loved by someone, and I'm not that person."
"Money makes recovery easier," I pointed out. "It rebuilds. It removes one problem when you're already overwhelmed, so name your price. I don't want you togiveme that dog. I want to buy her. It's only fair after your partner put so much into her."
"Fifteen hundred," he said, sounding like he was pulling it out of the air.
"How old is she?" I asked.
"Two? Two and a half? She'll turn three in the spring, I know that much." He shrugged. "I don't even know all her commands, Rymar."
"Which is fine," I assured him. "So, how about we agree to an even three thousand, and I'll have Ayla finish training her with disarm, okay?"
The man leaned to look at the dog, making me turn as well. Pepper didn't even look at him, but he looked at the dog. There was a sad little twist to his lips. Not a smile, but not a scowl either. It was as if he knew this was the best thing, but would trade it all to have his partner back.
"Pepper?" he called.
She continued to ignore him.
Moldan just sighed. "I don't need the money. I can also guess you don't have it, but I saw how Pepper looked at Ayla. I hope she can make something out of her, because I think she'll be a good dog with the right person. I'm just not it. I wish I could give her one last hug, though."
"C'mon, Pepper," I said, patting my leg. "Don't be a bitch."
The dog looked over, and when Moldan crouched, she came closer, but hunched and wary, as if she wasn't sure what was happening. The man simply reached out to pet her, and when Pepper didn't pull away, he gave her one last hug, then stood.
"Be a good girl, Pepper," he said, then smiled at me and simply walked off.
This was not what I'd expected. Somehow, I'd ended up with my arms laden with the dog's things, and a dog who didn't listen to men. Okay. If I wanted to make this work, the first thing I had to do was get her back to our borrowed cabin.
"Pepper, heel!" I said, looking down at her.
She tilted her head as if she'd heard something strange.
"Please don't be a bad decision," I told her. "Ayla can't have a puppy, but you like her. I like how happy she is with you dogs, so help me out a little?"
The black and tan dog came closer, sniffed my leg, then wagged her tail. I knew she didn't understand me, but I was going to take this as a sign she'd at least follow me.
"C'mon," I told her - and started walking.
I may have watched her the whole time, and I almost ran into two people doing it, but surprisingly, she did follow me back to the cabin. Not perfectly, though. She meandered, sniffing at what she wanted, then rushing to catch back up. I had a feeling it was the treats I was holding more than anything else.
"Someone lose a dog?" Kanik asked when he saw us heading his way.
"Not exactly," I said, waiting until I was close enough to drop Pepper's things on the ground so I could sort them out better. "I may have bought Ayla another dog. Her name's Pepper."
"Hey, Pepper!" Kanik cooed as he knelt with his hands out. "Who's a pretty girl?"
She watched him for a little too long, then walked off as if she'd just decided he was unimportant.
