Page 17

While Adam waited for Sydney to shower and get ready, he threw in a load of laundry, then mixed up a new batch of dough, since he was nearly out of bread. He did a big enough batch so that after it was baked he could give a loaf to Sydney again.

He figured the trip to the pet store wouldn’t take that long, and the dough could proof during that time.

Once that was made, he stuck the list of dog things he thought he needed into his pocket and got Sugarbelle’s leash.

He crouched down to clip it to her collar. “We’re going out, baby girl. A little shopping trip to get you everything you need. What do you think about that, huh?”

She wagged her tail and looked cute, which was how she looked all the time.

Adam picked her up and kissed her head. Somehow, in less than twenty-four hours, he was already madly in love with this little creature.

“Sydney from next door is coming with us. She has a dog, too. Mackie. You’ll probably meet him soon.

I hope you two like each other. Might be nice for you guys to play together. ”

There was a knock at his door. “That must be Sydney. Let’s go.” He stuck his wallet in one back pocket of his jeans, his phone in the other, and grabbed his keys on the way.

He opened the door and stepped onto the porch next to Sydney, who was now in jeans and a T-shirt with a pop-art portrait of Marilyn Monroe. She looked great, but that was nothing new. “I was thinking in the next day or two, maybe we could introduce her to Mackie. If that’s all right with you?”

“I’d love that,” Sydney said. “He could definitely use a playmate.”

“Great. I’ll drive.”

“So there’s definitely a pet store in town?”

He nodded. “The shelter told me about it. It’s not far from Salvatore’s. You okay to hold Sugarbelle on the ride?”

“Absolutely.” She held out her hands.

Adam handed the dog over. “Be careful with her.”

“I will be.” Sydney grinned. “Already daddy’s girl, huh?”

He turned to lock the door. “It’s just that she’s really small and … delicate.” And yes, she was his girl. He didn’t want anything happening to her. “Obviously, I need to get a carrier so she can be protected in the car.”

“Yep. Very important.”

They walked to his Bronco, which he’d pulled out of the garage earlier, thinking he might wash it before work.

“By the way, there’s a park not far from here,” Sydney said. “Up a few blocks and around the corner.”

He walked with her to the passenger side to open her door. “You think we should take the dogs there?”

“Yeah, might be nice.” She climbed in, settled Sugarbelle on her lap, then got her seat belt on.

“Okay. We could do it tomorrow. If you want?”

“I’m game.”

“It’s a date.” He shut the door and frowned. He hadn’t meant a date. Well, a platonic one. Hopefully Sydney got that.

He walked around and got in behind the wheel, quickly changing the subject as he started the engine. “I have to work tonight. What should I do with Sugarbelle? Is it okay to leave her on her own in the house like that, or should I get a crate for her? What if she cries?”

There was no way Sydney wasn’t going to realize he hadn’t planned this adoption. Which, obviously, he hadn’t. He might have to tell her the truth, but he really did not want to admit to that.

Sydney seemed too absorbed with Sugarbelle to notice. “Okay, crate training is not my area of expertise. I never did it with Mackie, but I did take him to obedience school, so he’s not destructive. I don’t know what to tell you about Sugarbelle. What kind of training has she had?”

“I have no idea.”

“Did they give you any paperwork on her? There might be something in there.”

“They did, but it’s just about shots and stuff.”

“Okay. Well, you can certainly get a crate.”

He frowned. “I don’t like the idea of locking her up while I’m gone.”

“It’s my understanding that dogs like crates because it feels like a safe space to them. I think she’d be okay with it, but not my dog, so…” She shrugged.

“Yeah, maybe. But what if it reminds her of the shelter? I mean being cooped up like that.” Even as he said it, he knew he didn’t want Sugarbelle to chew up anything in the house and not just because the place belonged to Nick and Willa.

That kind of behavior would make it hard for him to rent again in the future.

“Look at you, all concerned with her feelings. I had no idea that deep inside that hard exterior beat a soft heart.” She grinned. “It’s pretty sweet, actually.”

Before he could say anything, she went on. “Listen, if you want, I could go over to your place and check on her while you’re at work. I wouldn’t mind. I’m not doing anything tonight anyway. Just working around the house.”

“You’d do that?”

“Sure, why not? But we should exchange numbers. If you want.”

“Yeah, definitely.” He gave her his number, then she texted him so he’d have hers.

“If you’re going to check on her, I’ll get a crate, but if she’s crying or having a doggy meltdown, you let her out.

I don’t want her upset.” He really hadn’t thought this adoption through, but he wasn’t giving Sugarbelle back, either. This wasn’t her fault.

“I will. And I’ll make sure she gets a potty break before I go to bed.”

He felt less grumpy almost instantly. “That would be great.” He glanced at her. Sugarbelle had curled up in Sydney’s lap, looking very content. “Thanks. I’ll owe you.”

“No, you won’t. We’re neighbors. It’s what we do. Right?”

Maybe, but he’d never had a neighbor like her. “How about if I bring you another loaf of bread?”

“Are you trying to make me fat?” She laughed. “I’d love it, but don’t go to any special trouble.”

“I already made the dough.”

“You did? Okay. You make great bread, by the way. And don’t forget, you promised to teach me how to make it myself.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” He was looking forward to it, but he also hoped she didn’t think it was some kind of come-on.

He wanted their relationship, such as it was, to stay platonic. At least, that’s what he told himself.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted to her. He’d have to be dead not to be. She was gorgeous and kind and unexpectedly funny. She also seemed to have no problem giving him a hard time, which amused him greatly.

He knew a lot of people were intimidated by him. For some reason, she wasn’t, and he liked that a lot.

But he couldn’t ignore the great chasm between them, one he didn’t think she could ever cross. He was not human. And she was.

They soon arrived at the pet store. He parked and turned the engine off, looking at Sydney. He took off his seat belt.

Sydney nuzzled Sugarbelle. “You want her back, don’t you?”

He chuckled. “She’s hard to be away from.”

“I’m sure she feels the same way about you.” Sydney unclipped her seat belt and handed Sugarbelle over.

Adam took her, cradling the dog against his chest with one arm. “You think it’s silly that a guy like me adopted a dog like Sugarbelle? So small, I mean. I know people probably think I should have something like a pitbull or a Rottweiler.”

“I think you should have whatever kind of dog you want, and who cares what other people think? What are they going to do, make fun of the guy who blocks out the sun? I don’t think they will. And if they do, ignore them. Sometimes in life, it’s more important to follow your heart than the crowd.”

Those were wise words. Ones he needed to remember. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She grinned. “Now let’s go see if we can melt your credit card.”

The pet shop wasn’t one of those enormous warehouse stores, just a nice little mom-and-pop place, but it was well-stocked. Adam was happy to see the prices weren’t crazy either.

With Sydney’s help, he soon had a cart full of items. Sugarbelle rode in the basket. He showed her two stuffed toys for her approval: a mailman doll and a hot dog in a bun. “Which one do you want?”

She sniffed them both but then gently bit the mailman.

He laughed. “Mailman it is.” He let her keep that one and put the hot dog back.

Sydney helped him pick out a crate that was the right size for Sugarbelle, plus a bed to go in it.

Next, Sydney handed him a red rubber cone. “This is a Kong. If you put some peanut butter in this and freeze it, then give it to her before you leave, it’ll keep her occupied for a good while.”

“That’s a smart idea. Thanks.” He added the Kong to the growing pile in the cart. He was glad Sydney had come. He never would have known about that. “Got any other dog tricks?”

“I just know that when you put her in the crate, she shouldn’t have a collar on. You don’t want anything that might get snagged on the crate itself.”

He nodded. “I’ll remember that. But I’m still glad you’re going to check on her.”

“You have an extra key for me?”

“I do. Remind me when we get back, and I’ll give it to you.” He trusted Sydney. He had no reason not to. But he still had to wonder if she’d snoop around his stuff. He had nothing to hide, so if she did, she did. There was nothing interesting to find.

Sydney wandered off as he contemplated a second leash and collar set. She came back with a dog brush and a bottle of dog shampoo. “These are my treat. A little dog-warming gift from Mackie and I.”

“That’s really nice of you. Thanks.” He raked a hand through his hair, momentarily surprised by how much of it was gone since his haircut. “I might need a lesson in how to bathe a dog before that actually happens. She’s so small. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

“No problem. It’s really easy.” Her brows lifted, amusement plain on her face. “You just have to be prepared to get as wet as she is. At least if she’s anything like Mackie, you do.”

“Squirmer, huh?”

“Squirmer, wiggler, shaker, you name it. That reminds me, do you have some old towels? You’ll probably want to designate a few for Sugarbelle’s use only.”

“No, just regular towels. But I can get her some.” It didn’t really bother him if he and Sugarbelle used the same towels. They’d be washed, after all. But maybe that wasn’t done. He had a lot to learn.

They checked out, and he did his best not to grumble about the amount, reminding himself how much more he was making now. That helped.

Plus, since he’d gotten all of this, he was set for a while.

Sydney took Sugarbelle again while he carried the bulk of the purchases to the Bronco. He loaded everything into the back. Sydney stuck her bag that held the brush and shampoo in next to his things.

He smiled at her. “Thanks for helping with all of this, Syd. I really appreciate—I mean, Sydney .” Veronika had hated being called Roni, even though he thought it was cute. She said it was too masculine.

Sydney grinned. “You can call me Syd. My family does. I don’t mind it at all.”

“No? Okay.”

They got back in the car, and he drove to his place. He parked and looked at her. “You want to come in now and I can show you part of the bread-making process? Just shaping, because the dough is already made, but you can give it a try if you want.”

“Yeah, cool. I definitely want to do that. Would it be okay if I brought Mackie over? Just to see how they get along?”

“Sure. Might as well. Maybe if they play now, Sugarbelle will sleep while I’m gone.”

“Okay, I’ll grab him and be right over.” She reached for the door, then laughed and handed Sugarbelle over. “You’ll be wanting this.”

He smiled and took Sugarbelle. “Thanks. See you in a few.”

They got out and went in opposite directions. He put Sugarbelle down on the front lawn to see if she needed to go. She did, kicking her little feet through the grass.

Once she was done, he put her inside and he took her leash off, letting her run free. Then he hauled in his purchases. Maybe he’d get Sydney to help him put the crate together.

He checked on the dough. It had risen pretty well. Definitely enough to form and bake. He set the oven temperature, then got the second house key out of the drawer.

Just then, his phone went off. He pulled it out of his back pocket and checked the screen. He had a text from Veronika. He thought about deleting it but decided to take a look.

Really? A bachelor auction?