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With my compliments
to add some spice in your life
(your meatloaf sandwiches, anyway).
Bon appétit!
Violet
Chapter Nine
“YOU SEEM TIRED TONIGHT. Is everything okay?” Violet hiked her purse on her shoulder as she prepared to depart the studio the following evening. Hayden’s eyes were puffy, he looked like he hadn’t shaved, and his cotton shirt was wrinkled.
Lord, please don’t let him be sick.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Even more telling, he hadn’t flirted, insulted, or otherwise tried to spar with her. He had, however, expressed his sincere appreciation for the spicy brown mustard she’d left him on the desk. Not only that, but he promised to bring her a meatloaf sandwich one night next week. Her mouth watered at the thought.
“You sure?” She put her hand on his forehead. “Warm, but notsickwarm.”
“It’s a good thing you’re not a nurse.” He half-laughed when she gave him a look. “I have a new roommate. He’s such a dog.” Hayden swallowed a yawn. “Don’t mind me. I’m thrilled down to mytoesby your obvious concern for my welfare.”
“If you’re talking about a human dog, please spare me the details.”
He scrubbed one hand over his face. “Nah. He’s a puppy with tons of energy.”
Violet dropped back onto her chair. “I didn’t know you had a dog.”
“It’s new. We kind of adopted each other.”
“Tell me about him.”
Blinking hard, Hayden pushed up higher on the chair. “I found him on the side of the road on my way home one night. He didn’t have tags or a collar. I was afraid his back right leg was broken, so I called Doc Turner, and he met me in his office.”
“Oh, no! The poor pup.”
“Turns out, his leg was severely bruised, but it wasn’t broken. Doc made a call and confirmed Haystack was part of a litter born to the Hanford family a couple of months ago. I guess the pup kept escaping, and they were more than happy for me to take him off their hands. Thankfully, he’d just been weaned and was up-to-date on his shots.”
“His name is Haystack?”
Hayden stopped massaging neck. “After all that,that’syour question?”
“Yes, well, anything with ‘hay’ in the name is a little suspect.”
“It’s not self-serving, Violet. I assure you. He’s a German Sheprador, according to Doc. His mom’s a Labrador Retriever, and his father’s a German Shepherd.”
“Interesting,” Violet mused. “He’ll probably get pretty big. Is there a reason for his name?”
“Don’t laugh, but his coloring reminds me of a haystack cookie with butterscotch and chocolate chips. And peanuts. Ever had one?”
“I’m well-acquainted with them,” she said. “I’ll have you to thank when I get cravings.YourHaystack sounds absolutely adorable.”
“He is, but the stinker’s determined to keep me up at night.” Hayden didn’t bother stifling his yawn. “We’re in the training stage, and it’s . . . tedious. We had a Sheltie growing up. Have you ever had a dog?”
“We had two dogs when I was growing up, both mutts,” Violet told him. “Dad believes they’re better family pets than a purebred dog. My parents believed that having a pet taught responsibility, loyalty, discipline, all those good things.”
“Ditto learning an instrument, participating in sports, or joining a school club.”
