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“Yeah, I mean…she licked me, so she’s mine, right?”
Dr. Turner laughed. “All right. I’ll have her records transferred to you. According to her records, she’s up to date on distemper, but she’ll need her rabies next month and both boosters in a year. She could also use another deworming.”
“I’m good with whatever she needs, but I was wondering if you could clean her up for me while I run a few errands?” Merry said with a sheepish smile. “She’s pretty rank.”
“We’ll make the time for you. Between you and me, I don’t think this little girl would have lived to see tomorrow if you hadn’t stepped in. I’ve called with concerns about the animals on the Olson ranch multiple times. I would have waived the surrender fee if I’d been up front when he came in.” Dr. Turner took the puppy from Merry. “But this lucky girl had an angel watching out for her today.”
Merry’s eyes stung with tears and she ran her hand over the puppy’s ear. “Thank you. I’ve been talking about getting a dog for a while. I’m glad I was at the right place at the right time.”
“Well, you got quite the dog here. You ever owned a guardian breed before?”
“No, this is my first.”
Dr. Turner winked. “Just remember, even when we’re at our wits end, God never gives us more than we can handle.”
Chapter 11
Clark
“Son of a bitch!” Clark yelled, shaking out his hand and dropping the woodburning tool onto his workbench. The snowman’s face smirked at him crookedly, mocking his clumsiness. Maybe he should have bought some of those heat resistant gloves KnottyGirl25 suggested. Save himself a few scars.
Clark grabbed the burn relief cream off the second shelf to his right, gently applying it over the red skin. He’d only been using the engraver a few months and was still perfecting his technique, but he loved the finished projects. Once he’d covered the burn with a large bandage he picked up the tool and started again, cleaning up the line of the snowman’s smile. He wanted them ready by the weekend, before his date.
Three more days and he’d be sitting across from the faceless woman who had been at the forefront of his mind for nearly two weeks. At least in theory, unless something else cropped up.
Everything should be in place, though. He’d booked Erica to hang with Jace from eight to eleven, and Sam had accepted a job at MistleInk Tattoo Parlor and started this week, so they would both be occupied. Besides the employee pictures for the 75th anniversary of the farm this weekend, he didn’t have anything else going on that could interfere.
Suddenly his shop door was thrown open and Jace raced inside, shouting, “Dad! Merry got a dog!”
Clark put the tool aside and turned, but his son was already running out of the shop, presumably to greet the new addition. Jace knew not to pet strange dogs without asking, but he worried enough to hurry along behind his son.
He came around the front of the house to find his brother and son talking to Merry, who held the end of a bright red leash. The dog in question looked like a cotton ball on a rope, wiggling with excitement as it strained to get close to them.
Merry noticed him coming and waved, her face split in that warm, welcoming smile he’d grown accustomed to seeing. Her hair always seemed to be pulled back, showing off her round cheeks and kissable mouth.
Clark pulled up short at the thought. When the hell did he start thinking of Merry’s lips that way?
“Hey, Clark.”
“Hi. Who is this?”
“I’m not sure yet. We just met today, so we are still getting to know each other.”
“Can I pet her?” Jace asked.
“Of course you can! She’s three months old, so she’s just a puppy.”
“Holy shit,” Sam said. “She’s going to be a big dog.”
“You owe fifty cents to the swear jar, Uncle Sam.” Jace rubbed a palm over the dog’s white, fluffy head. “She’s soft.”
Merry’s face softened, her gaze focused on Jace and the dog. His heart squeezed in response.
“Yeah, she got bathed at the vet. She was pretty stinky.”
“Where did she come from?” Jace asked.
“A very bad man didn’t want her anymore, so I took her.”
