Luke simply gestured to the woman behind the desk. "Maybe we can see both of those first?"
She nodded as she got out of her chair. "Give me a minute, and I'll have them in the room for you." She turned for the door behind her desk, but paused. "You should probably know that that puppy looks like it's a pig dog."
Then she was gone, but the way she said that sounded like it was a warning.
"Pig dog?" I asked, hoping someone could fill me in on what that meant.
Luke hummed a little noise as if he was thinking. "Pig dogs are usually pit bulls crossed with something bigger like a ridgeback," he explained. "The hunters want something strong so that the wild pigs out here won't kill them, but calm enough that they can be called off if things get out of hand."
"So will it be a big dog or a little dog?" Violet asked.
"It'd be a perfect size dog," Luke admitted. "Probably about seventy-five pounds, maybe a little bigger, so the horses wouldn't be able to squish it."
"And it's a puppy," Violet fake-whispered to Faith. "I've never had a puppy."
Cy leaned in towards my ear. "I don't need a damn dog," he insisted.
"I don't think you need anything," I agreed. "But it looks like youwanta dog, and I want to give you everything you want. Cy, why not? Are you planning on leaving soon? Are you worried about the pet deposit?"
"No," he admitted. "It's just supposed to be Faith's puppy."
"Well," Luke said, his tone completely calm and reasonable, "Faith has a point about the puppy classes. If you have a dog, then you'll have to go with her. Then the two of you would be able to share dog duties all week."
Faith was nodding her head vigorously, as if the harder she shook it, the more it might convince Cy to agree. "We can get dogs together, Cy."
This funny little smile kept playing across Cy's lips. He didn't want to admit how much he wanted this, but he also wouldn't deny it. He just wasn't used to ever getting anything for himself. Violet and I had been spoiled when we toured Europe. Our lives as models had been extravagant and lavish. I'd been trying to spoil Luke, but his wants were a little different and a lot more functional.
Cy deserved this as much as Faith did. I had a funny feeling that his problem had more to do with the recent trauma in the household than whether or not he thought he'd be a good dog dad. He was worried that if anything else happened, he would be the one that needed to leave. Considering the history we had, I couldn't blame him for it.
I was working up to a good argument that wouldn't embarrass him when the receptionist opened that door. "Okay," she said, "I have your two dogs in here if you want to get to know them."
Naturally, we all headed that way. Faith went first, but Luke grabbed her shoulder to keep her from running into the room. His grip was the only thing that kept her at a walk. Violet followed right behind them, but Cy stalled out. I hooked my fingers against his and tugged, tilting my head to make it clear that he was definitely going to do this.
"I've never had a dog before," he whispered. "I've lived with them, but I've never been able to call one mine before."
"Me neither," I admitted. "Cy, I like dogs. I like cats. I've even realized that I like horses. I have more money than sense, you are my boyfriend, and I am going to spoil you. If you want a fucking dog, then you have to let me know if it's the right dog."
That seemed to get him moving, but his hand never pulled away from mine. Instead, his grip tightened, actually holding me back instead of our fingers simply being hooked together. When we stepped into the room, he still didn't let go. A loud peal of giggles made us both turn to the left just in time to see Faith scoop up the little red puppy.
"Careful," Luke told her. "What would you do if she bit you?"
"I'd tell her no and make sure she wasn't scared," Faith told him, making it sound as if she was quoting that from somewhere. "But she was wagging, so that means she's not scared, right?"
Then Cy sucked in a breath. "Oh, she's so cute," he murmured as he knelt down and opened his arms for the little white dog.
The thing was filthy, its hair was matted, and it kinda smelled bad. No, she. The receptionist said that both of these were girls, which meant that the white fluff that resembled a used mop was a she, not it. Granted, the poor thing wasn't exactly attractive, but seeing Cy make baby faces at her was the most adorable thing I could imagine.
"So," Violet said, "these two seem to know each other. They are obviously friends."
Then Cy and Faith both sat on the floor and watched the dogs. The white one turned back around as if she was more interested in Cy, but the puppy made the most adorable sound as it tried to paw at the older dog. It wasn't a bark, not quite a howl, and I wasn't sure if there was a word for thewoo woosound, but it was cute.
"Those are some big feet," Luke said. "She might take up your whole bed when she's full-grown."
"And I will need a teddy bear," Faith assured him. "Daddy, I love her. Look, she's so good, and she's got the cutest tail and floppy ears, and she'd be perfect for the barn. We can teach her to follow you everywhere so that when I get off the bus after school, she can come meet me down by the gate, right?"
"Mhm," Luke agreed, but he was watching Cy. "I don't know, she might get really lonely without her friend."
"We'll have to go to a pet store today," I added. "The white one definitely needs a bath and a haircut."
