Page 13 of Puppy Love

She nodded toward it. “Dog treats.”

“Wait. Treats? But when I gave her that granola bar, you—”

“Table scraps and human foods are a big no-no, but treats during basic training are fine. In fact, you’ll find them necessary if you want to get any real results.”

“I will?”

“She’s a great dog, but she still needs encouragement every now and then. Most of us do.” That long, careful look became downright intense, but she moved on before he could come up with a suitable reply. “She’s ready to learn scent alerts, and we’ll start those within the next few days, but you’ll still need to reinforce rudimentary behaviors.”

When he still didn’t say anything, she added, “Sit. Stay. Heel. Down. Come.”

Despite the gentle rap of her words—or maybe because of them—Harrison felt compelled to follow each of those commands as she uttered them. Which was a dangerous thing for a lot of reasons, but mostly because those last few held decidedly sexual undertones.

When he didn’t say anything other than to grunt a noncommittal sound, she added, “I’ve been working with her on those since she arrived, but it’ll be better for the rest to come from you.”

“But I don’t know how—”

“I’ll come over to your house every day, of course. It’s part of our process. For the first few weeks, Bubbles and I will be on the job from nine to five. Once we move to more intense training, we’ll vary the schedule so it includes some nights.”

So many parts of that plan blinked red and warning in Harrison’s vision.Every day? Nights? His house?

The last one caused the biggest flash. His house wasn’t a place he’d willingly bring a woman like Sophie. Hell, he could barely stand being there himself.

“Oscar never mentioned anything about that,” he said, taking a wide step back. The distance seemed necessary. With any luck, the earth would open up between them and he could fall through to the other side. “Can’t we just do it here?”

“Bubbles has to learn in the environment where she’ll be spending most of her time,” Sophie said. “It’s not really optional, I’m afraid. That’s kind of the thing that makes Puppy Promise what it is. Each dog is personally selected and trained for the individual.”

It was impossible to argue with that. A highly trained and specialized animal was exactly what this was supposed to be all about. He clamped down on his tongue and stretched a tight smile across his face. “Sure. That will be fine.”

His attempts at moderation didn’t go over as well as he’d hoped. Sophie’s expression fell. “Oscar didn’t explain this very well, did he?”

Actually, Oscar hadn’t explained it at all. As soon as Harrison had checked himself out of the hospital—against the doctor’s recommendation—he’d walked out to find Oscar sitting in his sleek black Suburban like a limo driver. “Get in or I’m putting you behind a desk,” he’d said. The rest of the conversation had followed much along the same lines.

Take care of yourself or I’m putting you behind a desk.

Get a service dog or I’m putting you behind a desk.

Get a service dog from this place I’ve already selected and laid out tens of thousands dollars for or I’m putting you behind a desk.

Service dogs didn’t come cheap, but Harrison’s dignity did.

“Does this mean Bubbles is coming home with me tonight?” he asked warily.

Sophie glanced at the thin silver watch on her wrist and nodded. “It’s a little past five now. She’s officially off duty. Not,” she added in a warning tone, “that this means you can indulge in her every whim. Just get her used to you and your house. Make her comfortable. See if she’ll sit for you. There’s a box of supplies in the kennel for you to take home as well as a list of directions about her feeding times and quantities. You can grab it on your way out.”

It was as good as a dismissal. Harrison would have been relieved to hear it if not for the fact that Bubbles sat at his feet, awaiting events with the air of one resigned to an unpleasant fate.

“She won’t hurt you, Mr. Pa—I mean, Harrison.” Sophie blushed as she spoke, as if surprised at her own daring. “Just be nice to her, and she’ll come around.”

Being nice wasn’t something Harrison excelled at. In fact, being nice was usually the last quality anyone associated with him.

“What if she doesn’t?” he asked.

“I’m still not giving you the Great Dane.”

He was startled into another one of those laughs that felt so foreign. “Don’t worry. I learned that lesson already. Size and stability aren’t for me. Instead, I get…” He glanced down at Bubbles and tried to think of the least offensive way to phrase it.

It was more difficult than he thought.