He grinned at her. “He’s already practically lived at my house for the last month.”
“Yeah, but I was usually the one caring for him, and he came back to the castle with Chandler and me every morning. Anyway, just something to think about.” She turned to leave, calling to Barnaby to follow her. He trotted after her, his leash dragging on the barn floor.
“You know what? Let him stay with me tonight and see what happens.”
“Really?” She paused in the doorway of the barn, looking over her shoulder at him.
“Yeah. But if anyone’s interested in adopting him in the meantime, don’t hold him back on my account.”
She was nodding and smiling. “And I’ll bring him with me to the Spring Fling, unless you tell me not to.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” He stooped to pick up Barnaby’s leash, and the dog moved obediently toward him, tail wagging. “Will I see you tonight, or will it just be me and Barnaby?”
“I wish I could, but I promised Elle and Ruby I’d help with prep for the festival. Apparently, we’ve got brochures to fold or some similarly exciting activity.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Wine will be involved, I’m sure.”
“I’ll leave you ladies to it, then. You’ll give me a chance to catch up on my word count.”
“How close are you to finishing?” she asked.
“I’ve got two chapters left to write, but these last scenes usually go really fast. I might even finish tonight if I pull a late night.”
“Now you’ll have someone to keep you company.” She leaned in for a quick kiss. “Text me later?”
“Count on it.” He watched her walk away before turning to look down at the dog at his side. “You and me tonight, buddy. Guys’ night.”
Barnaby stared at him, blonde tail swooshing in the dirt, a slightly confused look in his eyes.
“I know, this is weird for me too. Guess we’ll figure it out together, okay?” He finished up in the barn and headed for the house. Barnaby trotted along quietly beside him. There was already a dish of water in his kitchen and a small bag of dog food in his pantry from the many times Megan had brought her foster dogs with her to spend the night. In fact, there was even a package of treats on the counter. He pulled one of them out and tossed it to Barnaby before popping open a beer for himself.
“We’re going to spend the afternoon in here,” he told Barnaby as he walked down the hall to the office. “Not very exciting, but if you get bored, just make a nuisance of yourself and we’ll ask Megan to take you back to the castle, okay?”
He sat at the desk and opened his laptop. Barnaby watched for a moment and then lay down on the floor nearby.
“I’ll get you something to lay on next time I’m up,” Jake told him absently, but Barnaby didn’t seem to mind the hardwood floor. He’d spread himself out in a patch of sunlight and was already sound asleep.
Jake opened his manuscript, familiarized himself with where he’d left off, and settled in to write. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he told Megan these last chapters tended to come fast. His main character, Derrick, was closing in on the killer, and all hell was about to break loose. Soon, the only sound in the office was the clatter of Jake’s fingers over the keys and an occasional snore from Barnaby. The next thing Jake knew, the sun hung low in the sky, and he only had one chapter left to write.
“You’re not bad company,” he told the dog as he stood to stretch his legs. Actually, he’d enjoyed the company. Sometimes, he would talk out loud to himself while he was figuring out a scene, and Barnaby had made a great sounding board, all pricked ears and wagging tail, no interrupting chatter or any of the distractions a human companion posed while he was writing. He’d always written in solitude, but this…this he could get used to.
Maybe.
He led the way into the kitchen for refreshments. Since it was dinnertime, he poured some kibble into Barnaby’s bowl and then heated up a pre-packaged meal for himself, something he’d become quite adept at over the years.
Over the last month, though, he’d gotten used to homecooked meals here with Megan at his side. He’d gotten used to a lot of things where she was concerned. He and Barnaby shared dinner before walking down to the barn to check on the horses. Bug and Dusty were out in the riding ring, but Twister and Duchess were in the barn, where he’d left them while he did some work on the fencing earlier. No doubt they were eager to get out to their pastures for the night.
Barnaby had accompanied Jake in the barn without his leash in the past. The dog had good recall. So, he unclipped him now and let him follow Jake into the barn to get Twister. If Barnaby misbehaved in any way, Twister wouldn’t be bothered by it. But Barnaby stayed a respectable distance away as Jake led the horse out to his pasture. All the same, he put Barnaby in an empty stall while he brought Duchess out. That horse was too valuable to take any risks with.
Jake’s pulse kicked up as he thought of his meeting with Mr. Nichols on Monday. If he was impressed, it could really help launch Jake’s career, and frankly, he needed the boost. Training one horse at a time wasn’t sustainable. He needed at least two to live comfortably and hoped to expand that number in the future. But, first things first. With Barnaby in tow, he headed back to the farmhouse to finish writing the book.
* * *
Megan had hardly seen Jake—orBarnaby—over the past two days. She, Ruby, and Elle had been so busy up at the castle getting ready for the Spring Fling festival that she hadn’t had much time for anything else. But she and Jake had texted regularly, and he seemed content having Barnaby with him.
It was strange for Megan, not having a dog in her room the last two nights. Quiet. It was nice not to have to take care of anyone furry for a change, though. She’d never had a dog before coming to the castle, and their foster dogs were a big responsibility. She wasn’t complaining about it, but she wasn’t complaining about having a few nights off either.
On Saturday morning, she, Ruby, and Elle were down at the field behind the Towering Pines downtown area bright and early. Already, it had been transformed into a festival. There were carnival rides and food stands, and along the far edge of the field, vendors were setting up their tables. Mountains rolled behind them, green and lush. It promised to be a beautiful mid-April day, already warm and sunny despite the early hour.
Megan reached automatically for her camera, crouching against the dewy grass to snap a series of photos of the rides silhouetted against the mountains and sky while Ruby and Elle went ahead to walk the dogs around the field before things got busy.
