“What? I’m not keeping a dog. You’ve already got one. How much harder is it to add another to the mix?”
“I’ve got a highly trained rescue dog. I haven’t been in the puppy stage in a long time. It’s a whole different ballgame.”
It had started to snow, little, wet flakes that smattered against Lance’s visor in blurry droplets. He took the back of his hand to wipe it clean and keep his vision clear. “I don’t have time to devote to a puppy, Hold.”
“You sure? Wouldn’t he be perfect to snuggle up with when you’re busy doing all that reading?”
Holden didn’t mean it as a jab, but that’s how Lance felt it. A quick, one-two punch to his already bruised ego. Because Holden was right; of the two of them, Lance was the obvious option. Holden already had a dog to care for, not to mention the uptick in snowmobiling tours since they were currently down one guide due to Lance’s bum knee. And on top of that, Holden had a wedding to plan. A puppy didn’t fit into his current schedule.
Lance wasn’t cruel hearted. Maybe he could take care of the little guy until they located his owners. The community wassmall, and information spread as quickly as wildfire. They would surely find his home in no time. It wasn’t permanent.
Even if he pretended to have a choice in the matter, the moment they returned to the shop with Tahoe in tow, it became clear that Scout was having no part in the puppy shenanigans.
A slow introduction involving lots of sniffing and snorting devolved into outright rejection of the little guy. With a low snarl, Scout stomped a circle on her dog blanket and plopped into a ball of golden fur with a huff, backside to the husky.
Tahoe jumped squarely onto her back.
“Scout’s typically more welcoming,” Holden noted. Scout was the unofficial mascot and greeter at Major Hart Mountain Sports. Everyone loved her and vice versa.
“I mean, the little guy is adorable, but I wouldn’t want those sharp puppy teeth tugging on my ears, either,” Lance pointed out.
Poor Scout did her best to tolerate Tahoe’s playful ear-pulling, but a quick snap of her teeth proved she had her limits.
Lance loved that sweet girl. She didn’t deserve an energetic puppy pestering her like this.
“Fine.” Lance crouched to scoop up Tahoe. “I’ll take him. But this is temporary. Just until we can find his owners.” Like she could comprehend his words, Scout nudged her wet nose against Lance’s hand in a wordless thank-you. “I’m doing this for you, Scouty Girl. Don’t make me regret it.”
Holden just eyed his buddy, a smirk on his face like he was in on something Lance wasn’t. “I don’t think you’re going to regret this one bit.”
CHAPTER 13
Friday was a half day at the library for Sarah, which meant she could attend the knitting circle at In Stitches with her mother that afternoon while her dad stayed back at the cabin while Laney napped.
It still wasn’t second nature to take her parents up on things like that, but Zeke insisted he had no other plans than to watch the Niners game on the television. Keeping the baby monitor nearby while Laney snoozed would be no problem at all.
With a sigh and thank you, Sarah relented, realizing she would need to be a little less unwilling to accept help in the future. ‘It takes a village’ was a true sentiment; Sarah just didn’t want to be the one knocking on the doors of all those villagers constantly requiring favors.
“Let your father do this for you, sweetie,” Jill said as she pulled up to the yarn shoppe and powered down her vehicle. “This time with our grandbaby is precious and fleeting. Please share her with us.”
Sarah needed to look at things that way but knew it would take a while. For the time being, she was grateful her parents were patient with her lingering reluctance.
The little shop was crowded today, every chair full and the steady hum of happy chatter reverberating about the room. Ruth, the craft store’s owner, greeted them instantly with a hug that rocked Sarah side to side so many times, it looked like the two women were dancing a choreographed waltz across the hardwood floor.
“So glad to have you back in town, Sarah Bear!” Ruth squeezed Sarah so tightly a little yelp slipped out. “You’ve been sorely missed.”
She would also bephysicallysore if the joyful woman didn’t lessen her enthusiastic grip.
“It’s good to be back.” Sarah beamed.
“What’re we working on today?” Jill took her designated seat, picking up a skein of mustard colored yarn, along with the knitting needles left on the chair for the crafters.
“Today’s Free-For-All-Friday, so let your imagination run wild.” Ruth’s eyes sparkled. “And if that color doesn’t suit you, you know where to find more.” She gestured toward the wall lined with cubbies. It was a rainbow of yarn, all stacked by color and texture.
Sarah preferred crocheting over knitting and had brought along her own hook with her, tucked neatly into her canvas tote bag. One thing she didn’t bring, however, was her creativity, because as she sat on the metal folding chair, watching the other women busily fiddling with their sticks and their yarn while they talked about the latest town gossip and happenings, she couldn’t come up with anything to crochet.
Jill got to work on a mitten to match one she’d started last week. Across the circle, it looked like Faith from the bakery was hard at work on a granny square potholder. Every woman in attendance had a project, and yet Sarah couldn’t come up with a single thing.
“Knitter’s block?” Ruth’s mouth hooked up on one side when she came over, noticing Sarah’s creative stagnancy.
