The tension in his shoulders eased. Finally, he nodded, taking another bite as he thought. “I think I get it. So…you don’t have dozens of men coming through your house?”
She laughed again, unaware of how her eyes sparkled. At least, she assumed he was teasing. If only he knew!
“Not this month,” she replied.
“Good to know.”
“What’s on your agenda today?” she asked, taking another bite of the cheesy, savory omelet.
“That depends on you,”
“On me?” she quipped. “What do I have to do with your schedule?”
“Well, it’s Saturday. I was thinking that you need a dog.”
She blinked at him, astounded by the thought. “A dog?”
Arik stared at her, fascinated by the mixture of emotions flitting across her features. Up until today, she hadn’t given him much of a chance to watch her, really see her features. She’d always stayed as far away from him as she could whenever they had events at her sister’s house.
“Have you ever considered getting a dog?”
Slowly, she shook her head and he had the pleasure of watching the sun sparkle off her hair.
“Do you not like dogs?” he probed.
“I love them!” she gasped, her spine straightening. “I mean, I really love them! I always wanted a dog when I was a kid.”
“Don’t tell me,” he groaned. “Your father told you no?”
“Not just no, but he’d go off on a tirade about how ridiculous dogs were, how they brought germs into the house, and they pooped and peed all over the house.” She shuddered. “He would get so angry whenever someone brought up the idea of having a dog in a house, Jade and I never spoke of it to him.”
Arik shook his head. “Actually, there are studies that prove that dogs and cats actually help people become healthier. In fact, one study looked at the effects of dogs and cats on people with allergies. The researchers discovered that the more animals a child was around during their early years, the more resistant to allergies the kids were. They aren’t sure why that’s the case though. Even without the allergy benefits, there’s definitely something magical about a dog that curls up beside you when you’re upset. A dog seems to feel whatever you’re feeling. They empathize with you and try to help you feel better.” He paused and Arik wondered if he should even bring this next bit up. But in the end, he went for it, needing her to be aware of all of the benefits a dog could provide. “Plus, you’re out here all alone most nights,” he continued, wondering if she’d let him hang out with her more often. “You might like a dog with you for company. It would be someone you could talk to during the day while you’re writing and someone to watch TV with you at night when you’re alone.” He grinned. “Or you could just call me. I’d love to curl up with you and have you scratch behind my ears.”
Sage laughed at the image, covering her mouth with her hand, almost as if such loud emotions should be suppressed. “Yes, I’d love a dog.”
“Good.” He chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “I know a guy who fosters dogs. He lives about twenty miles from here. I’ll take you out there after breakfast and we’ll get you a dog.”
He ignored her shock. But when she started to shake her head, he almost laughed.
“I can’t just go get a dog!”
“Why not? You’ve always wanted one. This guy, his name is Tom Hammond, lives out on a big horse farm. He trains the dogs so that they are all house broken, obey voice commands, and are leash trained.”
“But…!”
He looked at her intently, trying to figure out what she wasn’t saying. “So, you don’t want a dog?”
“Yes! I’d love one. But, having a dog is a big responsibility. I don’t know anything about taking care of a dog.”
He shrugged. “What’s there to know? You give them lots of love and attention, feed them good food, make sure that they have clean water, and take them for walks or let them out into a fenced area to do their business and run around.” He eyed her curiously. “I always had a dog growing up and am happy to help whenever you have a question. Plus, anything that I don’t know, Tom certainly will. It’s not as if you’d be on your own.”
Sage bit her lower lip. Arik could tell that she wanted a dog. Badly! He could see it in her eyes. Hell, he’d thought about getting a dog himself, but with the long hours he worked, it wouldn’t be fair to the dog to be alone so much.
Although…a thought formed in his mind. And as he tossed around the details, he liked the idea more and more!
“How about this? We’ll get the dog, together.”
“Together?” she parroted. She tilted her head. “How would that work?”
He shrugged. “The dog will stay here with you and I’ll come over to help you out whenever you have questions. If you need some quiet time to work or if you go out of town, just let me know and I’ll take care of the dog for you.”
She laughed. “That seems like I’m the dog owner and you’re the babysitter. That’s not co-owning an animal.”
He chuckled. “We’ll hammer out the details as we go along. But you’ll be the primary dog owner and I’m your backup. At least for now.” For now, until he could move in with her.
He froze at that thought. He replayed the words, trying to determine if he’d really just thought about moving in with Sage! Sure enough, he’d thought it. And
