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“Afternoon, Sheriff,” he says, and Aiden straightens, crossing his arms.
“You realize this is a race for charity?” Aiden’s voice is level.
Raif drops his chin, running a hand over his mouth, as if to hide his grin before answering. “I support the humane society.” Then he cuts his blue eyes at me. “Good luck, Miss Bailey. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Thanks.” My voice is quiet, and I move slightly behind Aiden’s shoulder.
Aiden steps forward. “Where’s your brother today?”
The younger Jones shrugs. “You know Bull. He’s not much for town gatherings.”
“I hope he’s staying out of trouble.” Aiden’s demeanor is pure dominance, which is brutally hot.
Raif glances at his tan boots, exhaling a shew-noise. “I hope he is.”
Harold’s voice cuts through our discussion. He’s on a ladder at the side of the track with a megaphone to call the race to order. Raif ambles to the end of the line, and I turn from him to our little team.
“I’m going to get in my position now!” Owen jumps up, giving Edward another scrub around the ears. “You got this, boy! You gotta come get my socks.”
Owen’s so excited, I wish we’d practiced a few times last night using his socks instead of Zander. Now I’m worried Edward only has eyes for stuffed zebra.
When I glance at Aiden again, his square jaw is tight, and he’s watching Raif at the other end of the group talking to a skinny girl holding a package of hot dogs.
“They’re not supposed to use food.” A growl is in his voice.
“It’s okay.” I tug on his arm, pulling him back to our trio. “It’s just a fun run. It’s probably going to be a big mess anyway.”
When his gray eyes meet mine, his brow relaxes. “You’re right.” He smiles and a little thrill sizzles in my stomach. Then he leans forward, speaking low. “I hope Edward wins.”
“Me too!” I give his bicep another squeeze before squatting down behind my dog, getting ready to unhook his leash.
Harold is back on the megaphone. “We’re keeping it real simple, people. All dogs must run to their second team member to finish the race. If they don’t get to the second team member, they don’t finish. The first dog to make it to the second team member is the winner. All good?”
A resounding affirmation rises from the group, and a moderate-sized crowd has gathered on the sidelines to watch the spectacle. Gran is there, and she gives me two thumbs up.
I wave to her, chewing my lip and wondering if Owen and I ought to switch places.
“Too late now,” I sigh. “Don’t let us down, Mr. Ed.”
I give my dog another good scrubbing around the neck, and Owen jumps up and down at the opposite end of the track waving his socks over his head and yelling, “You got this, ole boy!”
Harold’s amplified voice prepares us to start. It’s nothing like when I kicked off the fun run. In that case, all I did was blow an air horn and everybody took off. I didn’t have to make any speeches or explain the rules.
“Everybody ready? We’re doing this on three,” Harold calls, and I hear the noise of growling and a little yip at the other end of the line.
Looking down, I see Raif’s dog is nose-to-nose with the feisty little dachshund. Harold doesn’t waste any time.
“One… two… three!” The whistle blows long and loud, and I release Edward with a whisperedGo!
For a moment, all the dogs hesitate, and the Team 2 members start yelling and jumping up and down at the same time.
“Come on Edward! Come on, boy!” Owen is waving his socks wildly.
Edward zeroes in on him at once and starts loping down the track. He’s not too fast, but he’s focused.
Sarah Magee’s helper has a squeaky toy, and she’s squeaking it furiously while calling for Periwinkle. The teeny-tiny little dog takes off running like a rabbit in the grass, which just leaves Terra of our friends. Her Number 2 has a pickle with a bell on it, and she’s waving it wildly.
Sparky takes off fast, and my stomach twists. The other dogs towards the end of the line start running for their team members as well, until the skinny girl with Raif yells, “Porkchop!” and waves the hot dogs over her head.
