Page 42 of The Valiant Knight

He was honest.

“I want to see the crypts and get this started. I can’t wait to get my hands on the bones.”

Graham scratched Bark and stared at him after that comment.

“Uh, okay.”

Gabby was amused.

Yeah, Tony was an interesting character.

“Ignore him. The only things that he loves more than his job is his wife and kids. If Jaxon would let him keep remains in their house, on their dining room table, he’d do it.”

Tony grinned.

“Of course I would. What anthropologist doesn’t want to bring their work home with them?”

Graham wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not, since he’d never have the family or the need to bring his work home, but he understood.

He lived where he worked.

“Well, as soon as you get some coffee in you, and fuel up, I can take you down to the crypt,” he offered. “If you want, I’ll keep Bark Twain busy for you,” he added. “I don’t mind the company.”

Gabby paused.

The last thing she wanted to do was saddle anyone with her dog. He could be annoying.

“Are you sure? He’s a menace.”

Oh, he didn’t mind.

Really.

It was lonely in the castle. When Gryphen and Ian left, the silence…it had been unnerving.

“I was thinking about it,” he said, grabbing a messenger bag from the counter and putting it on. Then, he put the dog in it. “He can keep me company while I do the chores.”

Her dog looked so damn happy in the messenger bag that was slung around the man’s body. It solved the problem of keeping her dog from trying to walk away with a very old bone.

While an amusing visual, Tony would lose his shit if the dog gnawed on anything.

Call it a hunch.

Yeah, she didn’t mind, and more importantly, Bark didn’t. He was licking the man’s hand, and sitting in the bag like it was made for him.

Dogs were good judges of character. Clearly, this man was a decent person.

“Thank you,” she said, moving her arm and knocking the coffee cup off of the island.

She froze as it seemed to move in slow motion as it fell to the floor and shattered.

“Oh, my God,” she said, getting up. “I’m so sorry. I’m a klutz. I didn’t mean it,” she said, kneeling to pick up the shattered cup shards.

The woman sounded so upset, and Graham didn’t understand why.

It was just a mug.

No harm.