“I told you,” Pete said quickly. “He’s not mine. A guy was giving away puppies in Glacier Falls. I thought maybe Susie would forgive me for going out with Taylor if I…well, it doesn’t matter. She didn’t. And I can’t keep him. My mom’s allergic.”
I glanced down at the dog who was watching me with deep-brown eyes. He was pretty cute. I scratched his head. “We’ll figure out what to do with him. I’m sure we can find him a good home.” The pup whined and licked my hand.
We hiked down the trailhead where my oldest brother, Brody, was already leaning against his truck, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
“You need to stop playing hero alone, Pres,” he said when we got closer.
“Nice to see you too, brother.” I slipped my pack off. “This is Pete. He got himself into a little trouble on the trail, but we sorted it, didn’t we, Pete?”
The kid nodded as he looked uncertainly between us.
“You should have waited for?—”
“And this here is…Summit.” The name occurred to me as I pulled the puppy out of my coat and set the mostly white fur ball down on the ground, where he immediately started to attack the laces of my boots. Apparently, his near-death experience hadn’t affected him too much.
I bent to scratch his ears before I looked up at my brother, ready to deflect the lecture he’d been waiting to give me.
“You know better, Preston. There are protocols for a reason.”
“I was already out here,” I said. “It took me half the time it would have if I’d waited for the team. Besides, it was an easy one. In and out.”
Brody groaned and shook his head. As the oldest of five brothers, he was used to trying, and failing, to keep us in line. Especially me.
I had plenty of experience dealing with Brody’s bluster. He’d let it go. He always did.
“Besides,” I said, pushing my luck. “If I hadn’t been there,Pete here might have frozen to death. Looks like a storm is coming in.”
He muttered a few more things about teamwork and procedures, but I ignored most of it as I dug through my pack in search of a snack for the pup.
“Can you at least promise totryto wait for the team next time?”
I produced a piece of beef jerky from my pack, but took a moment to look at my big brother. “I promise,” I told him seriously. “Despite what you might believe, I understand why we have procedures and protocols, Brody. I don’t go out of my way to break the rules.”
He snorted, and even I had to admit it didn’t sound super convincing.
“How old’s your puppy?” He directed the question to Pete, who’d been standing by, watching the exchange, as I knelt and gave Summit the treat.
“He’s not mine.” Pete held up his hands and backed away.
Brody shot me a look as the fur ball gobbled up his snack.
“It’s a long story,” I told him. “Involves a girl.”
“Ah.” Brody nodded and glanced at the kid who, now that he was safe, looked as if he might burst into tears. I had no idea whether it was because of his near-death experience or the girl he’d screwed things up with.
Given his age, it was probably the girl.
“Come on, Pete.” I put an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s get you home.” I guided him to my truck and settled him into the passenger seat before I climbed into the driver’s seat.
Summit hopped straight up into my lap, like he’d already made himself at home.
“Oh no,” I said. “This is temporary.”
He licked my cheek.
“Very temporary,” I tried again, but the puppy only settled into my lap.
In the seat next to me, Pete chuckled, but I shot him a look.
