She definitely didn’t mind him spending time with her and Agatha. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
She went inside and fumbled through the bags of things she’d bought at the store, grabbing the harness and leash that she had yet to figure out how to use. For someone who prided herself on being able to master anything, she’d been a mess about taking care of Agatha’s needs. Sure, she’d fed her and taken her on walks around the property, and she had her crate set up in her bedroom, but other than that, she was kind of useless.
She went back outside and handed the items to Jason, who cocked a brow at her.
“These still have the tags on.”
“I was going to figure them out soon.”
“Uh-huh.” He dug into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his pocket knife, sliced the tags off both the harness and the leash, then handed the tags to her.
“Come here, baby,” he said to Agatha, his voice softening and making Erin melt in the process.
She wondered if that was his bedroom voice, or if that was deeper, more demanding. Would his hands be gentle, or rough as he explored her body?
And why was she suddenly so damn hot? She blew out an exasperated breath.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he stood, holding the leash in his hand.
“Nothing. I’m just . . . frustrated.”
“About?”
Because a very hot man was standing only a few inches away from her. Among other things. “I guess because I should be doing all these things for Agatha and I’ve never had a dog and I have no idea what I’m doing. Why did I think I could raise a puppy, Jason? She cries all night in her crate, and runs around all day and I’m worried about her little leg and I feel like I’m doing everything wrong.”
He put his arm around her, which did not help matters at all.
“It’s okay. Puppies are hard. She’ll get used to her crate. Where do you have it set up?”
“In my bedroom.”
“That’s good. She can see you and hear you, and that’ll comfort her. You don’t let her out of it at night, do you?”
“No. But I’m tempted.”
“Don’t be. She’ll adjust. Make sure she has a soft toy for comfort. Take her out for a walk before bed to tire her out, and then be firm with your training. It just takes a few days. Eventually she’ll learn to see her crate as her safe space where she goes when she wants to sleep and when she needs comfort.”
She sighed. “If you say so.”
“I do. And eventually, once she’s fully housebroken, you’ll be able to leave the crate door open at night and she’ll still want to sleep in there.”
She tilted her head back to look at him, unable to believe the truth of that. “Seriously.”
“I would never lie to you.”
Which was the truth. As long as she’d known Jason, he had never once lied to her. “Okay. I believe you.”
“Now let’s work on the leash training.”
The one thing she had learned about Agatha in the few short days she’d had her was that her puppy was stubborn. Jason was gentle, but firm, and had way more patience than Erin did. Eventually he coaxed Agatha into walking on the leash. Treats definitely helped, and Erin began to see the light. They took a walk around the perimeter of the house, Jason showing her the pace she should set with the pup for her leg.
“Until the cast comes off,” Jason said, “no free-range running. If she’s outside, she needs to be on the leash.”
“Got it.”
“Good. Now you try it.”
“It’s all right for her to walk some more?”
“Walking’s good for her. It’s the running that isn’t right now.”
“Okay.”
He handed the leash over to her and she took the lead. Agatha had no problem walking with her, and now that Erin wasn’t chasing her all over the property, she relaxed into it.
This was so much better, both for her and for her puppy. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of the leash and harness before.”
“Probably because you bought eighty-seven things for her at the store that night and maybe you forgot?”
She laughed. “Maybe.”
“And because you have other things on your mind in addition to raising a new puppy?”
“That’s no excuse. Agatha has to come first.”
“See?” He smiled at her. “You’re going to be great with her.”
They headed back toward the vineyards, Agatha sniffing every part and parcel of the ground.
“The grapes are looking good,” Jason said.
“They’re coming along. Brenna and Dad are happy with this year’s crop. And the wine being bottled is fabulous this season.”
“Don’t suppose you want to take me into the bottling room for a taste, do you?”
She laughed. “I’ll tell you what. You fix me dinner, and I’ll bring over one of the new bottles.”
“Deal. I make a great steak.”
“We have a fabulous cab that’ll go great with said steak.”
“Is tonight too soon? You can bring Agatha. She and Puddy can play.”
“Are you sure it’s okay for her to wrestle around with Puddy?”
“They’ll be fine as long as we’re there to watch over them. Plus, some socialization with other dogs will be good for her.”
“How about her shots? Is it okay for her to be around other dogs?”
“She’s fine. We ran blood work on her and she looks good, and now she’s current on all her vaccinations.”
She was relieved to hear that. “Then, yes, tonight sounds great.”
They walked their way around to the front of the house and it appeared that Agatha was tiring, which was good because Erin had a lot of work left to do.
“I’ve gotta go. I just stopped by on my way back from a ranch call.”
“Okay. Thanks for hanging out and showing me the way with Agatha.”
“It was my pleasure.” He looked down at her, his eyes dark and full of meaning.
Erin thought maybe he was about to lean in and kiss her, but they were out front and people were wandering by.
