Page 93 of Newly Tied

“He’s awful pretty.”

“I suspect he knows,” she said, offering me her hand. “Aruna Duffy.”

“Delroy McCabe,” I replied, taking her hand in mine.

“Are you a marshal as well?”

“I am. How do you know Miro and Ian?”

“Miro and I have been friends since college.”

“Oh, that’s great. I have good college friends I still see once or twice a year unless somebody’s gettin’ married, has a kid, or loses someone. I like goin’ to see new babies the best. I wish some of them lived here.”

“It’s been good to have Miro close,” she said as Chickie came charging up to us, whimpering and whining at Aruna’s feet.

She crouched down to pet the wolf, and he howled his happiness, licked her, shoved his muzzle in her hand, his nose in her eye, and generally made a nuisance of himself before she threw the ball and he was gone in a blaze.

“Oh, watch this,” she said, laughing, then went suddenly still and gasped loudly. “What is that?”

Chickie was back in seconds, standing in front of her, ears up, nose sniffing the air, the picture of alertness.

She pointed at the closest oak tree. “Squirrel!”

And the dog went up the tree. Like straight up the tree, as if running on the ground.

“Holy shit,” I said, in absolute awe.

She was cackling.

“Aruna Duffy,” I heard Miro yell behind me. “Get that dog down from that tree right this second!”

“Oooh, you’re in trouble,” I whispered.

She cackled. “That’ll be the day.”

“Will he kill the squirrels?”

“As if the moose dog could catch a squirrel,” she scoffed, then turned and yelled, “Ohmygod, a stranger!”

Instantly, Chickie ran right down the tree, leaping from ten feet off the ground, and immediately ran the perimeter of the fence, checking that nothing was awry.

“Aruna!”

We both turned to Miro, who was standing on the porch.

“You need to get in here. The rest of the food finally arrived, and I don’t know what’s what. Ian said you told him what to order, so he’s claiming ignorance.”

“Oh, he’s a filthy liar,” she told him, starting toward the stairs.

“Thank you again for the pizza, Del,” Miro called over to me. “You and your partner saved my life.”

“Your partner is a beautiful man,” she said, climbing the stairs, but then stopped and turned to look at me. “As are you.”

I grinned at her. “Please, we all know what he looks like. His sister will be here later, and she’s stunnin’ as well.”

“Sounds like a good gene pool, but you’re not lacking either, Delroy McCabe. I love blond men with golden tans. Big fan.”

“You’re gonna make me blush.”