Right.After that impromptu kiss, he might have been…compromised, but thanks to the cold, he was only sporting a softy. Clearly their connection hadn’t been long enough or deep enough to cause more than a stirring below, for which—considering the public nature of their surroundings—they should both be incredibly grateful.
After his brothers gave Buck some good-natured teasing about the whole thing—because they were filter-less when it came to family—they all waited for Buck to pull on his clothes.They also let their dogs down to explore a little, and surprise, surprise, the black lab mix headed straight back for the water.
“Hey!” Spencer called out to the pup as the intrepid beast pranced into the drink until he was chest height. “Haven’t you had enough of that today?”
Spence reached the tiny troublemaker in three strides and scooped him up, looking incredulously toward the others. “Did you see that? You’d think he’d have a phobia or something, right?”
The dog looked happy, and yipped a sharp, puppy-like bark.
“You’re so brave,” Spencer crooned, using a baby-talk voice that had his brothers cracking up.
Bobbie laughed, too. “Uh, uh. Either brave, or your little guy thinks he’s a freaking duck.”
Spencer scratched the black beauty under his chin while regarding him seriously. “Yeah? You think you’re a duck, do you? Hey.” He snapped his fingers. “You know what? That’s not a bad name. Duck.”
The dog yipped happily again.
“You like that? I do, too. Duck. It fits.”
“Well, you’re obviously keeping him then,” Chief Ildavorg put in with a chuckle as he joined the group.
Spencer didn’t deny it.
“What about the rest of you?” the chief continued. “Are you all smitten, as well?”
Bobbie was the first to answer. “I am. This little girl is mine, and I already know what I’m going to name her. I just finished a book where the kickass Irish heroine’s name was Reyghan. And since this baby is an Irish Setter…” She trailed off. No other explanation was necessary
Buck tugged his shirt on over his head after struggling to pull his jeans up his wet legs, and looked over athisnewest friend, cuddled down comfortably on the discarded quilt. “I guess I’vegot myself a dog, too. I always wanted one, but being in the Coast Guard… Well. Now I’ve kind of fished-my-wish, huh? I’m not sure of a name yet. I’ll keep you posted.” He turned to his brother. “And where do you stand, Mason?”
Mason was still cradling the petite dachshund, looking like he wasn’t letting go anytime soon. “Yeah. Me, too. You all know Everlee is a soft touch as well, so we’ll be keeping him.”
As if Mason, at the moment, wasn’t exactly the same kind of push-over.
Mason continued. “Ever won’t mind having this little guy around.” And his toddler daughter, Reilly, was going to be beside herself. “If I can wrangle it, I’ll get him some rescue training with our friend Harvé Pangler. I’m sure Harvé’s dog Muddy will take this little guy under his wing, then I can use him for SWAT business.”
“Cool. But…paw,” Buck corrected with a grin.
“Huh?” Mase looked confused.
“Muddy will take him under hispaw,” Buck reiterated.
“Smart-ass,” Mason rebutted with a snort.
“Any idea on names?” Bobbie asked Mase.
“Nah. I think I’ll let Everlee take care of that. She’s better with that kind of stuff than I am. I’d just end up calling him Axel or Gunner or something tough sounding, and I have a feeling that might not fly with her. I’m gonna head home right after the vet and hash it out.Ifthat’s okay with you, Chief? My shift isn’t officially over yet.”
“Not a problem,” Ildavorg assured him. “You’ve already put in enough overtime this week to break the bank.”
Apparently, Mason was an over-achiever.
Buck interrupted.
“Okay. I’m dressed,” he told the group as he scuffed his feet into his sneakers before bending over to sweep up his pupand the quilt. “We can go. Let’s get these bedraggled bundles checked out at the vet.”
Bobbie agreed, then paused, looking back at the chief after having taken a few steps up the embankment. “Umm, will we still be meeting with you this afternoon?”
Chief Ildavorg shook his head, standing his ground, below. “I think the window of opportunity on that has passed. Why don’t you take care of the dogs, I’ll keep an eye on the investigation here, and we’ll meet up tomorrow afternoon. How does that sound?”
