“That’s ridiculous. You can get a nice dog at the pound for free.”
“Not one of those. Their dad was a grand champion and their mother is as pure as they come.”
And that was the information Molly was looking for, but she let him continue the story.
“Then we walked over to the stables where the pups were running around and I said something like, ‘You’re telling me those pups are worth thousands of dollars each?’”
“At least that.”
“Okay, I’ll take the darkest one.”
“No way. Absolutely no way. He’s the pick of the litter, worth $3,000 easy.”
Molly interrupted, “Okay, that’s what I needed to know. Does your sister have the papers?”
“Yes. She’s very organized about that stuff. She’ll have a file on Bear with all the history, photos, and papers.”
“Is she somewhere I can reach her?”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll give you an email. You can tell her the story. She’ll get you what you need.”
Molly turned to Shadow. “Okay, girl, go do your thing.” And she waved her arm. Shadow was off in a flash and disappeared around the cabin, Bear in hot pursuit.
Bart said, “So you’re looking to breed Shadow and sell the pups.”
“Yes, this is her first breeding.”
“What are they worth?”
“Kitty’s estimate was right on. I’m hoping to average $2,000 each.”
“I probably should have mentioned the stud fee. Bear charges a $5,000 breeding fee.”
“And that would be in your dreams.”
They were both laughing. The second beer was half gone.
Bart said, a gleam in his eye, “And what makes the pups yours? Seems like they belong half and half to Shadow and Bear. Isn’t this a community property state?”
At that, Bart held up his hand to quiet the conversation. Molly rolled her eyes as she could hear Shadow whimpering on the other side of the cabin.
She put her bottle up for a toast. “That was pretty impressive. Does Bear’s recharge rate run in the family?”
That got Molly a double eyebrow raise, a smile that showed off the perfect whites, and a blue-eyed gaze that she felt between her legs. Two beers on an empty stomach and she needed the third, reloading them both out of the ice chest.
“Oh, by the way, Bear charges double for a twofer.”
“Good luck with that. I assume you know that the first time in a day is loaded with sperm. The count dramatically drops with the second round.”
“This isn’t your first rodeo, is it?”
“I know a little about breeding. I used to do it for a living.”
Molly watched him bite his lip. There was just so much to work with in her statement.
She clarified, “I wasn’t breeding myself.”
That brought a good chuckle. “Shoot. I was just wondering about the stud fee for that?”
