Oscar wriggled out of the makeshift doghouse and chased his tail round and round bumping into furniture and yipping.
She scooped him up and cuddled him close. “Hey, little guy. Don’t give us away to our grumpy neighbor. He’ll kick both of us out and I’m not certain I want to live in a doghouse.” She fondled hisenormous feet. Cute though he was, Oscar was going to grow into a large dog. Maybe the vet was mistaken, and he wouldn’t get too large. Hiding a puppy was one thing. Hiding a full-sized lab, or bigger, was impossible.
For two nights, she kept Oscar a secret. She snuck him in and out in his little box. She kept him tied up at work and checked on him every twenty minutes. Sage popped in and took him for a walk when Ford was due for his final inspection.
“Where’s the dog?” Ford asked as he filled in the final paperwork.
“Outside. Tied up.” There was no sense lying, he’d probably already seen Oscar out there by now.
“Where is he at night? I noticed he wasn’t there last night.” He fixed her with a penetrating stare that stopped her heart for a second.
“I don’t see how that is relevant to this discussion. He does not enter the shop. Ever. Not when it is open. Not when it is closed. Though, if he is around in the summer, regulations permit him to be on the patio.” She banked her ire and gave him the warmest smile she could muster. “Did you have any other questions?” she asked sweetly.
His brows met in the middle and the corners of his mouth turned down. “No. That’s everything.” She could almost see the gears turning in his head. She was in trouble, with a capital T.
“You passed your inspection.” He handed her the completed form. “You’ll get a wall certificate in the mail. Want to have a late dinner together?” he asked.
“Oh, I wish I could. I already have other plans.” Plans to play with her dog and keep him quiet. She’d posted on every community page, put an ad in the paper, and hung flyers everywhere. She’d called the shelter, which thankfully wasn’t a kill shelter, and left messages with both veterinary offices in town. She’d covered all the bases, but nobody seemed to be missing their dog. At least not this one.
She was keeping Oscar and had begun her search for a pet-friendly home they could move to. She’d be leaving as soon as her lease was up, or sooner if she could manage it without penalty.
“Maybe another night,” she offered hopefully. She could get Sage and Brad to puppysit. She’d had tea with them last night. Oscar and theircat Tiara got along well. Puppies and kittens could be friends if brought together before they were old enough to know they were sworn enemies.
She was barely home that night when someone knocked on her door. Luckily, Oscar was a quiet dog. He didn’t bark at strange sounds. In fact, he rarely barked at all. He whimpered and growled but she’d only heard him bark three times.
She corralled him into his kennel in the kitchen and peeked out the front door peephole.
Ford!
Flattened frosting!
Just her luck.
She double-checked that the kennel was out of sight and opened the door. “Ford. What’s up?”
“I heard a noise and thought that since you were home, I’d see if you had time for tea.”
He heard a noise. She never heard him make noise! He could hear her? Shoot! She was in big trouble.
“That’s so weird. I didn’t hear anything.” She would have to keep the radio on to hide Oscar’s small noises.
“I’d love tea, but I’ve got a headache coming on and need to get some sleep. Can I get a raincheck on that?”
“Do you need anything?”
Dang. Did he have to be so accommodating? Guilt pooled in her stomach. “No, but thank you. I’ll text if I need anything.” She needed to get her life together and find a new home.
She gently closed the door. It took him a full thirty seconds to walk away. While he stood there, his expression was comical. Half concern, half total confusion. She stifled a giggle. She missed him. They’d barely been together since their near kiss. She wasn’t avoiding him; they were just busy. Okay, she was avoiding him tonight, but that was different.
She turnedthe radio on low to cover any noise Oscar might make. She cuddled up with a cup of tea and a book and prayed that she could keep Oscar hidden from Ford. What a mess, she was risking her home and her burgeoning relationship with Ford for a dog.
Chapter Twelve
Four days later, Ford jogged up his front steps. He was surprisingly excited about tonight. Dinner with Drinda and then a planning meeting. Only two weeks left until the Big V Day. He was looking forward to it. Both the meeting and the dinner. Drinda would be working the dessert portion of dinner with a couple of staff she’d hired for the event. He intended to hang out in the community center’s kitchen and help where he could.
Tonight, however, he had her all to himself. A quiet dinner out. Then maybe relax and watch a movie together. That new superhero movie was out on pay-per-view and they were going to watch it.
He rapped on her door. Inside there was the sound of shuffling and was that shushing? He shook his head. Probably just reflected sound from the car that had just passed. A full half-minute later she opened the door.
