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“At what?”
“Taking care of things.”
Sure you are. “Give it a shot. If you screw it up, we’ll find another home for him.”
Sam gave a reluctant nod.
Riley pretended not to see when he very slowly, very subtly brought the puppy close to his face and pressed his lips against its tiny head.
Not good at taking care of things, my ass.
* * *
“How long until the puppies go to sleep?”
Riley paused in the process of tossing a stuffed squirrel for the two dogs. “They’re not toddlers, Sam. I don’t think we get to establish a bedtime.”
He held up the iPad that he’d been studying carefully for the past twenty minutes. “Says right here. The most effective crate-training technique involves consistency. We’re supposed to put them in their crates at the same time every evening, take them out at the same time every morning.”
Riley pouted and glared at the twin crates Sam had insisted they buy. “But what if they want to play after we put them in there?”
Sam gave her a look. “What if I want to play?”
Riley scrambled to her feet. “Okay, puppies! Bedtime!”
But first there was outdoor puppy business to attend to.
“Well, I think we can rule out Dauntless as a name,” Riley mused as they watched the boy dog attempt to move past the big, bad, scary dragonfly to the grassy area where Riley’s dog had already done her business and was now furiously chasing her own tail.
“He’s just cautious,” Sam said, crossing his arms. “Your wild woman out there’s going to be a handful when she gets older.”
“Nah. My dog is just getting it out of her system now. Your dog will go through a rebellious stage, getting all sassy in his teens.”
They both watched as he opted to poop on the porch rather than deal with the scary bugs. “Or maybe not,” Riley amended. “Maybe he’ll always be timid.”
“Mellow. Mellow is the word you’re looking for.”
Riley’s dog came bounding over and head butted her brother, who went scampering behind Sam’s legs.
“Have you considered Kamikaze for a name?” Sam asked, watching as the girl dog turned its attention toward Sam’s shoelaces. “Or maybe Armageddon?”
Riley scooped up the puppy. “I was thinking Pippy. Or Lady.”
“Yeah, I’m going to go with no on the second one,” he said. “She’s already peed—twice—on my bath mat and eaten both of their food portions.”
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Compton,” she said, heading back inside. “Kill or be killed and all that.”
“You’re so scary,” Sam muttered as they both went to put their dogs in their respective crates.
Riley noticed the way he hesitated before putting the squirming puppy into the crate alone. She wasn’t having any better luck on her end, looking into those pleading brown eyes. Pet me! Play with me!
“Can’t they cuddle with us? Just for one night?” she asked.
He glanced over at her. “It’ll create bad habits.”
“But those are the best kind,” she said, stroking the dog’s silky ear.
Sam took a deep breath, put his dog into the crate, and locked the door. “I’ll make it up to you?”
