Bree jumped to avoid the spray. “There’s a new litter of puppies? Who had puppies?”
Denise threw her free hand up in disgust. “Why do I bother?” She released the trigger on her sprayer, dropped her hose, and led the way into the barn. The eight stalls had been converted into smaller kennels and gave dogs plenty of room to move around. Each kennel had a dog door cut into the back that led to a fenced outdoor pen. Denise walked down to the farthest kennel.
“She’s new. What breed?” Bree asked as she came to the edge of the kennel.
“Some kind of shepherd mix.”
“The K-9 unit interested in any of them?”
“They want three if we think there are any viable candidates,” Denise said.
“Really?” Bree raised her eyebrows.
“Yup. Drug dogs, apparently.”
“Cool.”
“Yes, which is what I’ve been trying to tell you for fifteen minutes.”
“Sorry.” Bree hung her head in mock shame.
“Uh huh. You’ve got it bad, sister. I’ve never seen you like this. Not even when we got tasked to that SEAL team for two months in Jalabad.”
Bree stared off into space. “Mmm…that was good times.”
“My point is you’re completely distracted by Jase.”
“I know.” Bree folded her arms on the stall door and rested her chin on them. “He’s only been gone a few days. It’s ridiculous. Ifeelridiculous and I don’t know what to do. I’m being all… what’s the word for it?”
“Girly.”
“Girly!” Bree snapped her fingers and pointed at Denise like she had just solved the world’s energy crisis. “How do I quit being all girly and emotional?”
“Don’t look at me. I haven’t done girly since I went through puberty. I’m void of emotions.”
“You do emotions,” Bree said.
Denise lifted the latch on the half door and entered the stall. The dog’s tail thumped on the ground as Denise knelt next to her head. “I do some emotions, none of which are girly emotions. My emotions usually involve fireballs and razing insurgent strongholds to the ground.” Denise pat the dog on the head and checked the water and food bowls.
Bree quirked her mouth. “Valid point. Either way, I need to figure out how to quit doing them.”
“Why?” Denise asked.
“Why?” She opened the door for Denise. “Because I don’t want to be girly. I don’t want to moon over some guy and lose who I am in the process.”
“Who says you have to lose yourself?” She swung the door closed and checked the latch. “Why can’t you figure out a way to be who you are and still fall in love with Jase?”
“Um, first, no one said anything about being in love.”
Denise gave her that look again.
“Fuck.” Bree drew the word out as she groaned. She hated it when Denise called her on her bullshit. It was easy to avoid the truth without her around. “I can’t. It’s way too soon.”
“Not according to Gran it’s not,” Denise pointed out.
“Okay, Gran lived a fairy tale. We know that’s not how life really works.”
“Says whom?”
