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Barney almost knocked her down as he raced to the door but had enough training to know once he reached it, he needed to sit still long enough for Dakota to put the lead on him. Finally ready, with his tail wagging furiously, he hopped into the passenger side of her Highlander.
They made their way to World’s End, the nature preserve not far from the city.
Barney barked excitedly when she pulled into the parking lot and put the hybrid SUV in park. The pup’s excitement was contagious, and she couldn’t help but laugh when he bound out once she opened the passenger door.
Unfortunately, Dakota didn’t have a good grasp on his leash, and Barney, being quite the ladies’ man, galloped straight toward two blonde teenagers who had just gotten out of an expensive looking white Audi about thirty yards away.
“Barney!” she yelled and sprinted off after him. She knew he just wanted to see if the girls would pet him, but also knew that a random pit bull charging toward them could be misinterpreted.
The two girls froze in their tracks as the dog approached with his entire butt wiggling.
“He’s harmless! He loves people!” Dakota called out in reassurance as she approached. That’s when she noticed the man come around from the driver’s side, holding a can of pepper spray aimed directly at Barney.
“He better be,” the guy snarled.
The dog must have sensed the man’s animosity, because he immediately rolled onto his back and exposed his belly, his tail still wagging.
Dakota drew near, holding her side as she caught her breath and gestured to the submissive pup with her other hand.
“Obviously, he’s ferocious,” she huffed.
“Aw!” the girls said in unison and crouched down, prompting Barney to flip back over and belly crawl to them to get the attention he’d originally been seeking. His tail furiously thumped the ground as they reached down to scratch his flattened ears.
“Well…” he groused. “You never know. And I’m not taking any chances with my girls.”
Dakota scrutinized him. He was exceptionally handsome; his dark brown hair with greying temples and lines around his blue eyes only made him more distinguished. But it was his aura that had her the most intrigued.
At first glance, it almost looked like a Valentine’s Day card with shades of pink, red, and orange. The love for his daughters was obvious. But there were also black and grey shadows around the vibrant colors; Dakota wondered what that was about. Why was he suffering? Angry? Grieving? Or was he sick?
He didn’t look sick, but she knew appearances could be deceiving. Yet, the overwhelming sense she got was he had pent-up anger and grief that needed to be healed.
Her shoulders softened as she glanced at the girls, now fully immersed in pit bull love. They obviously meant the world to him, and he just wanted to protect them.
With a warm smile, she said, “Of course. I wouldn’t either if they were my children. I’m sorry he got away from me and frightened you.”
He pulled his shoulders back. “I wasn’t frightened.”
Dakota tilted her head toward the can of pepper spray still in his hand. “You sure about that?”
“I was concerned. It’s not the same thing.”
“Okay.” She pressed her lips together to keep from smirking.
“Dad! Isn’t Barney the sweetest?” the younger of the two exclaimed.
“How do you know his name?”
“It’s on his tags.” She looked at Dakota standing next to her dad. “Is your name really Dakota?”
“Dakota Douglas. Nice to meet you.”
The older girl interjected, “I love your name! I’m Kailey, this is my sister Brianna.”
“Hi, Kailey and Brianna. Nice to meet you, too.”
“And you’ve met our dad, Dr. Aiden Matthews.”
It was adorable how his daughters threw in thedoctorpart.
