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“Onyx,” I repeated in a huff.
Rett cursed as he pried open the puppy’s jaws from around poor Timber’s tail. “You can change it if you don’t like it.”
I blinked. “Why would I change the name of your dog?”
With a sigh—since Onyx now had a hold of the bottom of his pant leg and was ripping on it with gusto, all while growling, of course—Rett plopped into the seat next to me. “Because she’s yours.”
I stared at him like he’d lost his damn mind. Because he had. “I’m sorry… what?”
“You don’t have to be sorry, just thank me.”
I shook my head. “For what?”
“For getting you a loyal companion.”
“You must have knocked that thick head of yours hard enough to make you forget that I told you I didn’t want a dog.”
“She’s a puppy.”
“That will grow into a dog.” I needed to dial down my rising voice as well as my panic of possibly being responsible for another living, breathing thing.
Rett flipped a hand toward the lake. “You like to swim in that cold-ass water. In case you’re unaware, Newfies love to swim. You shouldn’t swim alone and now you won’t have to.”
“Why would I need a dog to go swimming with me?”
“What if you drown?”
“That answer is simple. I drown. What’s a dufus-looking puppy going to do?”
“Drag you out of the water.”
“You have a lot of faith in that twenty-pound puppy that’s all paws and hair.”
He ignored that. “I brought you supplies, too. You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t thank you and I don’t need supplies because I don’t want a damn dog.”
Rett shrugged. “Too late.”
“Does it shed?”
“Does a dog have hair? I included a shedding comb and a brush in the bag of supplies. I’ll grab it from my truck later.”
He would do what? “Does it drool?”
Rett shook his head. I wasn’t sure if that was a negative answer or him being impatient.
“How big is it going to get?”
“Can you just say thank you?”
“No.”
“It’s only two words.”
“And that,” I pointed to the puppy now chewing on a chair leg, “is at least a ten year commitment.”
“One you’ll thank me for later.”
“You mean once all of my furniture is destroyed by teeth marks? Sure I will. Don’t be surprised if you find a puppy tied to the front porch of your store.”
He sighed. “Then I will load her into my truck again and drive her back up here.”
“I don’t want a dog.”
“You’ve made that clear.”
“Then you should respect my decision.”
“If it was a valid one.”
“Rett.”
“Chase. Trust me on this. I promise you’ll thank me later.”
“With bags of lit dog shit on your welcome mat?”
“I thought we were long past the part where you’re a complete asshole.”
I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows at him. “We are?”
He huffed, “If we’re not, can you hurry up and get there?”
I sighed and once the puppy stopped gnawing on my wood chair, she came over and flopped into a sloppy sit in front of me.
I stared at her. She was damn big for a ten-week-old puppy. “How big is she going to get?”
“Oh… Uh…” He rubbed his forehead and avoided my eyes. “I don’t know… A hundred pounds… or so?”
I picked my jaw up off the wood-planked floor. “Or so? Why the hell would you think I’d want a dog that will be almost half my size when full grown and probably out eat me?”
“Because I see how good you are with Timber.” I opened my mouth, but he stopped me with a raised palm. “Take it from me, Onyx will be good for you.”
“I can’t afford to feed her.”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh please. You told me how much the advance was for the book you’re working on. I don’t want to hear that you can’t afford it. Onyx could eat filet mignon every night and you’d still be okay financially.”
“Why are you being so damn stubborn?”
He turned toward me with a raised eyebrow. “Me?”
“Yes, you.”
His second eyebrow joined the first halfway up his forehead. “Have you looked in the mirror?”
“Yes, and what’s reflected back at me in that mirror is a perfectly reasonable guy.”
Rett snort-laughed. “Ooooo-kay, then. I see someone’s delusional this evening.”
“Yes he is, since he, without asking me first, brought me a hundred-pound dog that will eat me out of house and home.”
“Oh my god,” Rett muttered, dropping his head and shaking it. “You win. I’ll take her back to the breeder tomorrow.”
He would do what?
I pursed my lips and stared at the puppy as I considered my options. I could kill Rett for overstepping once again, I could send Onyx home with him and have him take her back to where she came from or…
I groaned. “Fine. I can take her for a test drive.”
“She’s not a car.”
“She’ll probably be as big as one.”
“On the days you don’t take a dip in that ice bath, you can take her hiking with you. She’ll also be a good snuggler on cold winter nights and—”
