There is no reason for me to overthink this, as I am wont to do. The explanation is simple. Of course, Mrs. Culpepper and Claudia, his sister, would want to add a feminine touch to his space.
“Your room is so ...” I gesture around, taking in the contrast. “It’s like a sports bar and a comfy reading nook had a baby.”
He swallows. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
“It’s just soyou.” The words slip out before I can stop them and I smile so he knows that I like him—as a friend. Duh.Sheesh.
Clark’s expression softens.
Then, there, among the pillows, I spot movement. Gasping, I ask, “Is one of the throw pillows alive?”
“Purdy?” he calls softly. “Where’d you go, sweet girl?”
A tiny whimper comes from the bed.
I carefully move aside the mountain of pillows—seriously,he might have a problem—and there, curled into the smallest possible ball between a fuzzy brown pillow and a dark one, is the tiniest, most terrified Shih Tzu I’ve ever seen.
“Oh,” I breathe. “Oh, Clark.”
All my teasing evaporates. She’s shaking, her dark eyes are huge and frightened, and my heart immediately breaks and melts and leaps all at the same time.
I sit on the edge of the bed—Clark’s bed,my brain helpfully supplies—moving slowly and cautiously. Purdy tracks me, but she doesn’t bolt.
“Hey, sweet baby,” I murmur in my softest voice. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. I know you’re scared, but you’re going to be okay.”
Leaving this part to me, Clark leans against the doorframe all manly-like. I tell those lady buffalo in my belly that now is not the time!
“What’s her story?” I ask quietly, still focused on Purdy.
“She was at the Love at First Wag pop up adoption event at the arena today. They told me she’s been passed over ten times because she’s too scared. The volunteers said she just hides in the back of her kennel, shaking.”
“So naturally you adopted her.”
“I couldn’t just leave her there.”
Of course, he couldn’t. This is prime Clark—a guy who sees the scared and shy ones, makes friends with them, and shows them he cares. He also befriends the zany, the overzealous and the overthinkers. That would be me.
When it comes to dogs, Clark has the biggest heart in the world. Mine becomes an even bigger lava pit of hot, melting flares. At this rate, I’ll soon be little more than ash.
However, this is reason seven hundred and one on the list of why I love him. Not only because he’s handsome and successful and good at hockey. He also has a great sense ofhumor, is smart, and is an amazing cook. But also because he saw a scared dog that nobody wanted and decided she was worth taking home.
“I figured we needed another girl in this house.” He strokes her paw with his forefinger.
She nuzzles her tiny snout into the crook of my elbow like she’s trying to burrow inside.
“Can you help me introduce her to the others? I don’t want her to be more scared.”
“I’m your girl.” Then what he said about having another girl in the house catches up to me. For a heartbeat, I think he means in addition to me, but I have an internal record scratch moment because surely he means that whoever he’s dating probably likes little dogs rather than what we affectionately call the “Bacon Boy Mongrels”—they go bonkers for the stuff.
All the same, I cannot say no to Clark or this sweet lil pupper.
I lose track of time as we carefully let Purdy sniff the other dogs from the safety of Clark’s arms. Moose, bless him, seems to understand that she needs gentleness. He approaches slowly, lets her sniff his enormous nose, and then settles down on the floor like he’s trying to make himself a hill rather than a mountain.
Scout is more enthusiastic but takes my corrections well, backing off when I signal. And Buster just waddles over, sniffs once, and promptly falls asleep at Clark’s feet like this is all very routine.
We both sit on the floor and eventually, Clark sets Purdy down. Tail lowered, she makes her way over to me and tries to get into my lap. I use a soft voice and stroke her gently, like her mom would lick her to soothe her. Eventually, Purdy stops shaking. Clark shifts closer to me and strokes her head.
“We’re making progress,” he says.
