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Pete stopped next to an enclosed space near the rear of the building. A small fence surrounded a litter of puppies, five total, in varying shades of black and brown and white, what might be bully breeds or mixes. Inside the fence was an assortment of entertainments, like a playground for kids, but for dog babies instead. There was a tunnel to crawl through, a little platform to climb, and a handcrafted trellis with chew toys dangling from it. The puppies were clustered under the trellis, reaching for the toys with paws and mouths, trying to catch them as they swung around.
As soon as they reached the enclosure Pete stopped and said to Wyatt, “Down.”
Wyatt sank onto his stomach and watched the puppies while his tail flapped on the ground. Pete slipped him a treat so small Delaney never saw it leave Pete’s fingers as Wyatt took it into his mouth and chewed it.
Delaney’s eyebrows rose at Sunny.
“I told you he was good.” Sunny eyed Pete with a look Delaney recognized as a smitten woman. She couldn’t blame her. Pete was quietly commanding, made a woman feel safe in such a way that you knew he would protect you if necessary but would never use that power to harm you.
“That’s ingenious,” Delaney said, laughing as she watched the puppies try to snag the chew toys that dangled from the trellis.
“Roger made that,” Sunny said with a grin. “Those are theBreakfast Clubpups.”
“Ha. Cute. Like Trinity was from theMatrixlitter.”
“Right.” Pointing at each one, Sunny said, “The one trying not to get dirty is Claire. The goofy one is Allison. The one who’s wrestling all the others for their toys is Andrew. The one who overthinks before he leaps is Brian. And that one—” Sunny pointed to the only puppy who was running through the tunnel, ignoring all the others “—is Bender.”
“Oh, wow.” Delaney shook her head. “They’re amazing. Bender has my heart already.”
“Did you say Trinity?” Pete’s eyes lit up.
“Yeah. Tabitha and I were in Afghanistan together.”
“How are they doing?” The hope that flickered over Pete’s features told Delaney everything she needed to know about this guy, if she hadn’t known before.
“She’s getting by, from what I can tell. Has already made herself a home at Semper Fit.”
“That’s great.” Pete stripped off his ball cap and tapped it against his palm. “Tabitha and Trinity were such a good fit, they were like pieces of a jigsaw. Trinity was the perfect size. Perfect temperament. Took about a year to train them.”
“Trainthem?”
“Yes,” Sunny piped in. “The veterans have to work very hard with their dogs before they can graduate and take them home.”
“I bet.” Delaney turned her attention back to the pups, who squeaked and rolled, bumping into each other, running over to the fence to see who the humans were, then rushing back to the trellis to have another go at getting those chew toys down. Dad would’ve loved this place, where all the dogs were wild and free and allowed to be themselves.
“We got a call from the local animal shelter last night. There’s a girl over there named Lily who is absolutely rabid about animal welfare and has my number programmed into her cell. The whole litter was dropped off at their back door, inside a refrigerator box. The shelter is full, so Lily called me.” Sunny shook her head. “But hey. At least whoever abandoned them didn’t dump them in the woods. Or drown them in the Potomac.”
Delaney glanced over at Wyatt, who was still lying on the ground, patiently watching the puppies. He didn’t behave exactly like the dog who’d stolen into her shop so many times to find his dog bed or beg for food, constantly digging escape tunnels to run away from the only people who had ever treated him right. But he didn’t look one hundred percent comfortable in his own skin, either. Not that that was a bad thing. Like a human kid, Wyatt was young and wild and still figuring himself out.
Sunny elbowed her in the ribs. “You say Bender has your heart—” she nodded at the puppy tearing through the tunnel “—but something tells me the dog who’s really got a hold on you is outside the fence.”
Delaney tore her gaze away from Wyatt. Sunny had a glint in her pretty blue eyes. “I’m worried about his safety. I’m busy in the shop and I leave the bay open when it’s not so humid. So far all he’s done is take off to go between your place and mine. I don’t want him to get stuck in a ditch again. Or get hit by a car.”
Sunny pointed at her boyfriend. “That’s why this big lug trained him. He can teach you the commands. And Wyatt already likes you and your shop.” After some silence Sunny cocked her head to the side. “You came all the way out here just to visit him. For God’s sake, younamedhim.”
Delaney eyed the lonely pit bull with the brown eye patch and sad face, nose twitching in the air as he watched the puppies run and play. Something about him made Delaney think of a young man who’d never had a chance to be a kid, envious of the playful abandon of the youth before him. He reminded her so much of Dad. Maybe too much of Dad.
“I don’t know.”
“Foster him,” Pete piped in. “You don’t have to be his forever home. Just give him a safe space to figure out if you’re a good fit for each other.”
Delaney’s eyes locked with Wyatt’s. He’d been lying still, admiring the puppies, but when he saw Delaney his tail started thumping. Why did it feel like Wyatt was desperately trying to tell her something important all the time? Something only he knew. Something Delaney needed to hear. She just needed to figure out what he was saying. “Okay.” Delaney smiled, despite herself.
“You got to be anywhere?” Pete said.
“Shop’s closed for the night. Worked out this morning. I’m done for the day.”
“Good. Let’s spend some time working with him. If you feel comfortable keeping him safe, you can take him home tonight.”
