She could almost feel his teeth grinding.
“Why?”
She shrugged, her smile increasing. “You know I have some…issues from my past that make it imperative that I stand on my own two feet. To deal with life without anyone’s help.”
He frowned, and put his fists on his hips. “If you were diagnosed with cancer, would you try and figure out how to treat the disease yourself? Or would you go to an oncologist for medical advice and prescriptions?”
She blinked, startled by his question. “I’d go to a doctor, of course. But this isn’t a medical issue.”
“No, this is a safety issue. This is a criminal issue.” He leaned forward so that he was right in her face. Kissing distance. “That’s my area of expertise, Sage. I’m damn good at ferreting out criminals and putting them in prison.”
“I don’t need anyone’s help,” she told him, firmly banishing the kissing thought.
He stepped back, shrugged and draped his arm across her shoulders. “Well, that’s too bad. Because now that I know that there’s something going on, I have an obligation to help you. In fact, I’m going to make sure you pick a guard dog, one who will alert you to anyone even near to your property, and then we’re going to the police station, where you’re going to fill out a report. I’m going to get my captain in on this too, so that he can assign additional people to protect you.”
She pulled back, startled both by his casual touch as well as his declaration that they were going to the police station. “You’re not interfering, Arik,” she insisted. “You don’t understand how important this is to me. I’ve done an excellent job of figuring out how to install surveillance equipment. I’m going to eventually catch the person who is…pestering me.”
“And what are you going to do once you see the person on those cameras? What if they are trying to break into your house?”
“I installed excellent locks.”
His incredulous expression warned her that she’d said something wrong. “You assume criminals are polite enough to only use doors? Are you kidding me?” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You have windows, Sage! If this person can’t get in through the doors, they’ll come through the windows!”
He was almost yelling now, but Sage refused to back down. No way! Her father had yelled at her all the time. He’d belittled her, told her that she was just a silly child, and she was stupid! Her ex-husband hadn’t yelled, but his words had been just as horrible. For some reason, Arik’s anger didn’t scare her. And his words weren’t belittling. In fact, his anger seemed to spark her own temper.
“You’re right. My house is exposed. Which is why I’m here, getting a dog that will alert me if someone is around. I have alarms around the perimeter, but any advice that might help would be greatly appreciated. So, thank you for the suggestion.”
At that same moment, the tiny, adorable dog with too much hair barked. Just then, Tom came over with a German Shepherd mix. The bigger dog clearly wasn’t a purebred, but looked intimidating enough to stop just about anybody.
“You’re getting the bigger dog,” Arik announced firmly.
Sage knew that the bigger dog was more sensible. Looking down, the big dog sat back on his butt and stared up at Sage with pleading eyes, begging her to take him home. Astonishingly, the fluffy ball plunked himself down between the Shepherd’s front legs. The bigger dog didn’t even budge.
For a long moment, Sage eyed the unlikely pair. Was she being silly, or were they showing her that they were a team? She started to bite her lip, but stopped herself. Arik would read it as a sign of indecision. In this instance, she knew what she wanted. No, she knew what she needed! “I guess that settles it,” she laughed with a firm nod. “Can I have both of them?”
Tom stared for a long moment then burst out laughing. “Of course you can!” he said, still laughing. “But you know…”
“I know,” Sage replied, bending down and putting a hand on each dog. “I know. Dogs are a huge responsibility. But I have a big backyard, it’s fenced in because of the previous owner’s horses.” The big dog sniffed her hand, then nudged her with his big, black nose, asking her to pet him. His fur was rough but thick and sturdy. It was love at first sight with both canines and she knew that her heart wouldn’t allow her to walk away from either!
Unfortunately, Arik didn’t understand the pull these two had on her heart already. He sighed, his hands still fisted on his lean hips as he tried to understand.
“Sage, you hadn’t even considered getting one dog until I suggested it this morning. Now you want two?”
She smiled, leaning closer to the big dog. “You’re a big, strong lad, aren’t you?”
“Uh…you’re talking to a lady, ma’am,” Tom interjected.
Sage’s smile brightened. “Even better!” she grinned, scratching behind the big dog’s ears. The smaller guy jumped onto her lap and she beamed when the bigger dog lowered her nose and nudged the smaller one. “It looks like these two are already friends.”
Tom shrugged. “They get along pretty well. The bigger dog is protective of the small family behind the hay. She likes to sleep in front of them at night.”
Sage smiled up at the two men, both of whom were looking down at her with matching amused expressions. “See? It’s perfect!”
Arik opened his mouth, more than ready to argue with her. But at the pleading look in her eyes, he gave in. “Fine!” he snapped. “We’ll figure it out,” he sighed, adding, “together!”
Sage rolled her eyes, then turned to her new friends. “I have a
