Page 2 of Puppy Love

“The truth is, Mr. Parks, we only have one dog right now that matches your specific needs.”

“Okay.” He swallowed. “Which one is he?”

“He’s a female, actually. And she’s really sweet.”

“Female? Sweet?” Harrison could work with that. In fact, he quite liked both of those things, despite all evidence to the contrary.

“Oh yes. You wouldn’t believe the nose she’s got on her. I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a more promising puppy. We were lucky to get our hands on her. Most of our animals come from breeders, but this one was rescued from a puppy mill. She’s fantastic, even if she is still a little skittish.”

Skittishcould have applied to several people in his life right now, including the woman standing opposite him. Ever sincethe episodelast week, everyone—from his boss at the Department of Natural Resources to his doctors to his very own father—was acting as though he, like Sophie Vasquez, was one strong wind away from toppling over.

But he wasfine. It was one small coma. He’d get a dog, and it wouldn’t happen again.

“She may need some extra work because of it, but I promise she’ll be worth it in the end.” Sophie broke into a smile—her first since he’d walked in. It struck him forcibly that it was a good thing she’d been too wary to pull it out before now. A smile like that, so warm and real, was a transformative thing. It made him almost happy to be here.

Almost.

“The best things in life usually are, don’t you think?” Without waiting for an answer, she added, “Come on. I’ll introduce you. She’s been eyeing you since we walked in. I think she knows you’re going to become good friends.”

Harrison didn’t have time to fully absorb that remark before a tiny bark assailed his ears. Averytiny bark. One might even call it a yap.

“The great thing about this dog is that she’s highly portable. You can carry her everywhere.”

Portable? Carry her?

He stopped and tried to dig his feet into the concrete, suddenly seeing the oncoming disaster with perfect clarity. Unfortunately, there were some things he couldn’t resist, no matter how hard he tried.

One was the power of a beautiful woman’s smile.

Another was the force of a 100,000-acre forest fire devouring everything in its path.

And a third, apparently, was a pair of raisin eyes lifted to his in trusting supplication.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said as the miniature ball of fluff twirled and stuck a small pink tongue out the side of her mouth.

This couldn’t be right. He was a man who spent literalweeksin the wilderness, fighting fatigue and flames. He walked for days with an ax over one shoulder and a team of men at his back. He needed a trusted companion, a sturdy beast he could count on to keep him alive.

Not…

“This is a joke, right? Someone put you up to it?”

“No joke, Mr. Parks,” Sophie said. “Please allow me to introduce you to your new diabetic service dog, Bubbles.”

* * *

It was a truth universally acknowledged that a large, gruff man in search of a puppy would always choose the largest, gruffest one he could find.

Sophie didn’t know how or why it happened, but every time a man entered the kennel, he was drawn inexorably toward the animal most like him in appearance. It was as though they walked up to each pen and, instead of seeing the puppy for its strengths and talents, they saw a mirror instead. Like getting dressed in the morning or buying a car, they wanted a puppy that exactly reflected the image they presented to the world.

Which was why she’d known, the second Harrison Parks walked in the door, that she was doomed.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking,” she said, watching the expression that crossed his face as his gaze shifted from Bubbles to the Great Dane and back again.Disappointmentwas a disappointingly inadequate word for it.

“No, you don’t.”

“And I know she’s probably not what you had in mind when you signed up for this, but she’s very suitable for your needs.”

“No, she’s not.”