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I mean, I trust my dog, but he has no reason to. I can’t decide if he’s inherently stupid or unquestionably brave.
Using my thumb, I scratch the side of my freckled nose. “She’s also blind.”
He groans and scrubs a hand over his face. “This is fun for you, isn’t it? I bet she’s not even the teensiest bit dangerous.”
I push away from my car. “Yeah, I’m going to have to stop you from trying that theory out yourself. I don’t need my dog taken away because you decided to test her limits.”
“Wait.” He holds up a large palm to stop me. I comply because I have nothing better to do, and this has been the highlight of my week. The slight tremble of his fingers isn’t hard to miss as he extends his hand toward my baby. He clenches it in a single tight fist before finally placing an open palm on her head. The relief in his exhale is audible.
“Please don’t tell me you’re afraid of dogs,” I tease.
He pets her more confidently. “Dogs? Never. I love the creatures. She-demons are a whole other breed.” She pushes her snout into his palm. He gives her another quick rub before rising. Ghost ignores his sharp tug and plops into a sit.
“Tap twice between her shoulder blades if you’re trying to take her for a walk.”
His skeptical glance has me biting back another grin. When she responds to his touch in the proper place, the awe on his face sends a proud mother thrill through me.
“If you think she’s a she-demon, you should meet her mother.” I circle back to his earlier comment as they trot between our vehicles.
He looks up with a broad smile and shields his eyes with a hand. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” I step forward and shove my fingers into the front pocket of his jeans, absorbing the way his eyes widen in surprise. My voice drops into a husky whisper. “You do know what they say about redheads.”
I spin away and lean down into my car to hide another grin.
“Hey, what’s this?”
I tear off a huge bite of my cheese stick and face him with a mouth full. “Sorry to burst your ego, but it’s a poopy bag, not a ginormous condom.”
He barks out a choking laugh.
“Ye who walks the dog cleans up the log.”
“She-demons. The both of you.” With a shake of his head, he and Ghost meander to a brown grassy patch, the sound of his rich laughter floating on the wind.
I don’t completely take my eye off the two of them as I clean the food bowl and return it to my car. Her water stays for a bit longer in case she’s thirsty again.
Only minutes pass before they return. Ghost prances happily, and the guy holds the crap bag with a strange comfort at his side. He exchanges the leash with me and holds the bag up between us. “I’ll dispose of this.”
“Not sure what else you’d do with it, but the environment thanks you,” I mutter with a grimace. Now would be a perfect time to escape, but my dog takes her time greedily drinking up. “I feel you, girl. He’s made me thirsty too.”
Gravel crunching reverts my attention from my dog, and I look up as he returns with his hands tucked in his pockets.
“Does taking care of your dog earn me a name?”
“Sure. What should I call you?”
His chin drops to his chest.
“Fine. Her name’s Ghost,” I reply cheekily, sending his gaze skyward.
“I meant you.” His husky mutter filters through my insides before coming to rest somewhere deep.
“I’m Evie Harris.” I give it up with startling ease.
“Nice to meet you, Evie. I’m Rhett Senova.”
Rhett. The name flits into an empty space in my brain for safekeeping. Ghost steals my attention when she walks to the end of her mat and leaps into my open door.
