Page 33 of A Snowy Escape

I can’t help but find it attractive how confident and knowledgeable Lawson is when it comes to dogs. He keeps a close eye on both of them, even handing Shadow off to Luka so he can take over with Echo.

“Her tail is tucked, and she’s licking her lips while Shadow is relaxed,” Lawson says, guiding her a few feet away. “That means she needs a little extra time and a confidence boost.” He squats down and keeps his voice soothing as he says, “I’m going to give her the opportunity to smell me while I’m covered in Shadow’s scent.”

“I know you just peed,” Luka says to Shadow. “Whatever, we might as well walk around so you can piss on everything. We all know it’s your second favorite activity.”

I chuckle but focus back on Echo.

I’m not an animal expert, but it does seem like she doesn’t know what to make of Shadow.

Lawson stays at her level, talking to her softly. She eventually licks his hand and bumps her muzzle against his chest. He laughs, giving her scratches, and my heart races.

I think the only thing more attractive would be if he was holding a baby.

“Okay, I don’t want to rush her into anything,” Lawson says, standing. “Let’s swap, Luka. You bring me Shadow, and you take Echo over and give her a chance to use the bathroom. I’m going to introduce Abby to Shadow. Maybe seeing that he’s friendly with Abby will help set Echo at ease.”

“Come on, mutt. You heard your dad,” Luka says, sounding amused.

He comes over, and they switch leashes while doing it in a way that the dogs stay a decent distance from one another.

“Make sure you give her some attention. She might get jealous seeing me introduce Abby to Shadow,” Lawson says.

“We can do that.” Luka bends down, patting her side. “I’ll never complain about having a pretty lady on my arm.”

He guides her away as I bounce on my knees, rubbing my hands together.

“Sorry, I know you’re cold,” Lawson says, waving me over. “It’s best to introduce them on neutral ground to avoid any territorial disputes.”

“It’s really cool that you know this stuff at all,” I say, smiling as I approach.

Shadow is beautiful.

He’s not quite as tall as Echo, but he’s pure muscle, while she’s longer and lankier. Though he has large splotches of tan on his chest, back, and hindquarters, he’s got a lot more black than I’ve seen on a Belgian Malinois.

Not that I’ve seen many of them.

Shadow takes off toward me, and I get a little nervous. He looks like he could mess someone up if he wanted to.

I’m sure Echo is also capable of being dangerous, but she mostly just looks goofy. Her ears have never stood up the way they’re supposed to, and it naturally makes her seem like less of a threat. Or maybe I just feel that way because I know her. She barks and growls like she’s vicious, but she backs down real fast when someone gets close to her.

“Sit,” Lawson growls, giving his leash a tug.

Shadow immediately sits.

“Come on, sweetheart. He won’t hurt you, I promise,” Lawson says, holding out an arm. Though it’s a little intimidating, I trust Lawson. “He wants to play with Echo, but we need to get this out of the way first and see how she reacts.”

I skirt around the dog and lean against Lawson’s side. “His coloring is so pretty.”

“He’s already spoiled enough without any extra compliments, but I’m sure he appreciates it.” Lawson pats my hip. “Hold out your hand.”

I do, and he drops a treat onto my palm.

“All right, step in front of him and hold the treat out,” he says. “I’ll tell him to greet. That’s his opportunity to take the treat and sniff you. Once that’s done, the two of you will be introduced. He’ll know that you’re a friend and not to bother you.”

It’s kinda crazy that there’s a whole process just to introduce myself to Shadow, but it’s also amazing.

He’s clearly trained to another level, and that shows the level of commitment Lawson puts into everything he does.

Dammit.