“You know I have a hard time giving my puppies up. I barely let Arlo go to you, and I like you. I don’t know if I would be able to send them all away with strangers.”
“You can do all the background checks and home visits you want. And opening a shelter would allow you to help even more dogs,” Margot said. “And cats and ferrets and turtles and whatever else shows up on your doorstep. Marianne’s handled all of the paperwork with the county. She found a really nice building near the county line and she’s working on getting you a lease. It was a vet’s office, so there’s already plenty of equipment and fencing and kennels. People around here know your reputation and how committed you are to helping animals, and they know they can trust you to do a good job. People will respond if they know you’re in charge.”
Tootie’s face softened for a moment before she gave Margot a weak glare. “I’ll think about it.”
“I did mention the paperwork is already filed, yes?” Margot asked.
Tootie snorted. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”
“Well, you brought me down here and helped convince me to stay, so really, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
Dougie cleared his throat, to draw their attention back to him. “Look, Arlo’s adoption will help, but the limit for maximum dogs owned has been lowered to eleven for any single home. So until you’ve moved into the shelter building ya mentioned, ya still have one too many dogs.”
“When did the limit get lowered?” Tootie demanded.
“At the meeting you got summoned to,” Dougie shot back.
Marianne slapped her hand over her face. And that was when Margot remembered that Sara Lee had mentioned a cousin on the county commission. Was this revenge for Margot uncovering Sara Lee’s fraud? And she thought Chicago’s political system was corrupt!
“But if Tootie was to place another dog with a loving, responsible family . . .” Margot said, jerking her head toward Kyle.
“That would put you under the limit, yes,” Dougie said.
Tootie frowned at Margot while she jerked her head toward Kyle again. “Sweetie, is there something wrong with your neck?”
Hazel and Juniper came running up to their father, the pack barking at their heels, which didn’t exactly help argue against Tootie’s dog hoarding tendencies.
“Dad! Dad!” Hazel yelled, petting Lulu the pit bull. “I got Lulu to do a pirouette in her little tutu.”
“I think this one likes me, Dad,” June said, as Brutus the Chihuahua licked at her face.
Margot gave the girls another pointed look. Tootie’s face softened. “Kyle?”
Kyle’s sandy brows winged up as he observed the canine chaos around his ankles.
“Doggy kisses!” June sighed as Brutus nuzzled her cheeks.
“You have been talking about getting a dog,” Margot noted.
“Fine, they’ve done the chores, earned the grades. They haven’t knocked over any liquor stores this month. I guess it will be okay.”
Tootie grinned and bent so she was eye level with the girls.
“Ladies, what’s your favorite food?” Tootie asked.
“Bacon,” June answered quickly. “Daddy says it’s nature’s glorious meat candy.”
Margot turned on Kyle, who shrugged and looked up at the trees.
“And what’s your favorite time of day?”
“Right after bath time,” Hazel said. “When I smell all clean and I put on new pajamas and we read.”
“And what is your favorite song?”
“ ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ ” June said. “Daddy sings it for us when he makes pancakes.”
“Aw, that’s adorable,” Margot said.
“His dancing is terrible,” Hazel noted.
Margot shrugged. “Less adorable.”
Tootie looked Hazel over carefully and then pulled June close. She pursed her lips, studying both of them, and then whistled. “Charlie!”
Charlie, the little chocolate-and-tan dachshund, came trotting forward through the pack ranks, sniffing at the girls’ hands. Tootie stooped and then groaned as she stood up with him. “This is Charlie. He’s the runt of his litter. One of his front paws is smaller than the other, so he always heads slightly left of whatever he’s running to. But he’s a sweetheart. He’s not a show dog. He needs a family that he can take care of. Do you girls think you could let him take care of you?”
The girls nodded solemnly, sneaking glances at their father.
“Can we take him home, Daddy? Please?” Hazel begged.
“Um, well, we really hadn’t settled on a breed or an age for the dog yet, girls. Last week you wanted a Saint Bernard,” Kyle said.
“Liquor stores, Kyle,” Margot said, nudging at his ribs.
“All right.” Kyle sighed. “Yes, we can take him home.”
Tootie scratched behind Charlie’s floppy black ears. “Charlie, how would you like to go home with these nice girls? They like bacon, just like you, and they like being clean. And they appreciate musical classics. What do you say?”
Charlie sniffed Hazel’s ear and licked June’s face. He gave one short yap before wiggling his butt enthusiastically and launching himself at the crouching girls, smothering them with kisses.
Charlie then turned his attentions to Kyle, sitting on his butt and giving Kyle the full tragic puppy eyes.
“Cute doesn’t work with me, sir,” Kyle told him. “I work with kids all day.”
Charlie tilted his head and the size of his eyes seemed to double.
Kyle growled. “Oh, you’re good. You evil adorable jerkface.”
“Well, Mr. Hazard, since Aunt Tootie’s pack is now down to eleven dogs, she is no longer in violation of the county ordinance,” Margot said.
“Well, how do I know you’re not just fibbing again, and when I come back, I won’t see Arlo and Charlie running around with Tootie’s other dogs?”
“I’ve got it!” Marianne said, bursting through Tootie’s front door. She handed a sheet of paper to Margot and one to Kyle. “This is the Animal Haven’s standard adoption contract, a very simple written agreement to make sure the dogs are cared for medically and neutered. All Kyle and Margot need to do is sign copies for Arlo and Charlie, have them witnessed by Dougie, and the county commission should accept it as proof of the adoption until they file for tags.”
“Which I will do,” Margot promised. “This time.”
Dougie sighed. “Just sign them.”
Kyle and Margot each signed their copies, which were then signed and dated by Dougie.
“Congratulations, you’re now dog owners.” Marianne handed Dougie the documents with a smile. “Dougie, the next time you come out here, it better be for a social call and not to harass my family members.”
Dougie took the signed contracts from Margot and Kyle. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Dougie, would you like some pie to take home with you?” Tootie asked.
Dougie hesitated for a moment, but finally said, “Yes, ma’am.”
LATER, AFTER A second round of leftover pie, the girls were lying in a heap on the floor in Kyle’s living room, with a dog clutched to each of their chests. Kyle and Margot sat on his couch, beer in hand, marveling at the cost of dog gear.
“How is it that something so small has such expensive taste?” Kyle asked, examining the pricey dog food Tootie had insisted Charlie had to have, else his stomach would be thrown into chaos. “Just since we’ve been home, that dog has tried to drink from a toilet twice.”
“Well, you shouldn’t fall for your daughters’ cute begging faces if you’re going to question the cost later.”
“They are awful cute,” he said, peering down at them.
“They are.” She sighed, curling into his side.
Margot tucked her face into the crook of Kyle’s neck. Her life was near unrecognizable from the one she’d left in Chicago. She still wore her designer suits, though she had to be a lot more careful about where she sat. Her shoes were still impractical. But s
he spent a lot less time getting herself ready and way more time braiding other people’s hair and talking small people out of poor tutu choices.
She was happy in a way she had not expected. Her relationship with her dad would never be what it could have been, but it was more than she’d anticipated. She didn’t feel the need to compete with her friends for who had the best life, the best job, the best shoes. She was . . . content. Open to what life was going to throw at her. She drew the line at moonshine, though. She thought that was pretty reasonable.
Kyle kissed her forehead. “So, I was thinking that I might take you and the girls on a trip to the greatest city in the world over Christmas.”
“You’re going to take me back to Chicago?” she said, gasping in exaggerated joy.
“Funny. I said ‘greatest city,’ not ‘deep-dish wasteland.’ ”
Margot made a nasty face at him. “That’s it, relationship over.”
He grabbed her around the waist as she pushed from the couch to walk away. “I was thinking New York. We could take the girls and hit the landmarks for Christmas? The Rockefeller tree. The Fifth Avenue shop windows. Serendipity 3. And then maybe we could go visit my folks? I know it’s hard for you to plan that far in advance, but—”
“I’ll be here,” she told him quickly. “But meeting your parents? That’s a big step, isn’t it?”
“Nah, you’ve met Maggie’s parents and they love you. Actually, I think they’re happy knowing that there might be a woman around the house to help match the girls’ clothes. And they were always going to be way tougher on you than my parents. The only fault my parents are going to find with you is that you’re not going to convince me to move back to New York.”
“Not terribly reassuring. But I’ll think about it.”
Kyle pulled her close. “In the meantime, Charlie might get lonely over here by himself. He’s used to having the whole pack around him. You might have to bring Arlo over for playdates.”
“I can do that.”
“And maybe overnights and weekends.”
“That’s moving awfully fast.”
“It is,” he admitted. “But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that life is short. And when you find someone you could love, you hold on to them.”
“I will think about it. I’ll have to ask Arlo.”
“Arlo’s good opinion can be bought with bacon.”
“So you better stock up.”
He kissed her thoroughly and she didn’t even notice the scratch of his whiskers. “I’ll do that.”
Can't get enough of Molly Harper's sweet and sexy contemporary romances? Don't miss her Bluegrass Series, on sale now!
When Sadie & Josh compete for the same Kentucky Tourism Commission job, sparks fly—turns out Kentucky really is for lovers.
My Bluegrass Baby
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With an inspection deadline looming and local saboteurs ruining her restoration, Kentucky Tourism Commission employee Bonnie must find a way to compromise with mayor Will McBride to save the town . . . while hopefully winning a few more kisses in the process!
Rhythm and Bluegrass
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Parks & Recreation meets The Blue Collar Comedy Tour in this third installment in the Bluegrass series: A love triangle of colleagues heats up the winter lodge where they get snowed in for a week.
Snow Falling on Bluegrass
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About the Author
J NASH PHOTOGRAPHY
MOLLY HARPER is the author of two popular series of paranormal romances, the Half-Moon Hollow vampire novels and the Naked Werewolf shifter trilogy. She is also the author of the Bluegrass series of contemporary ebook romance. A former humor columnist and newpaper reporter, she lives in Kentucky with her husband and children, and is currently working on the next Southern Eclectic novel. Visit on the web at mollyharper.com.
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BOOKS BY MOLLY HARPER
THE SOUTHERN ECLECTIC SERIES
Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck
Sweet Tea and Sympathy
THE HALF-MOON HOLLOW SERIES
Accidental Sire
Where the Wild Things Bite
Big Vamp on Campus
Fangs for the Memories
The Single Undead Moms Club
The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire
I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas
A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses
“Undead Sublet” in The Undead in My Bed
The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires
Driving Mr. Dead
Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors
Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever
Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men
Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs
THE NAKED WEREWOLF SERIES
How to Run with a Naked Werewolf
The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf
How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf
THE BLUEGRASS SERIES
Snow Falling on Bluegrass
Rhythm and Bluegrass
My Bluegrass Baby
ALSO
Better Homes and Hauntings
And One Last Thing . . .
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Gallery Books
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Molly Harper White
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First Gallery Books trade paperback edition November 2017
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Interior design by Michelle Marchese
Cover design by Min Choi
Cover photographs of tap dispenser and garden background image by Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-5011-5122-4
ISBN 978-1-5011-5132-3 (ebook)
Molly Harper, Sweet Tea and Sympathy
(Series: Southern Eclectic # 1)
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