Page 103 of High Intensity

I sneak a glance at her, wondering if she has any clue. Jilly and I have done everything to keep it a secret, but Hayley is a smart cookie and extremely observant, it’s possible she’s picked something up.

When I park next to Jillian’s SUV, Hayley is out of the truck like a shot. She’s already spotted the people sitting on the bottom step of the porch, surrounded by a handful of wiggling little bodies.

“Puppies!”

Jillian is smiling when Hayley runs up to her and plops on her ass in the dirt in front of the steps. Immediately two of the puppies turn their attention on the newcomer and, to Hayley’s delight, crawl on her lap.

“What do we have here?” I ask when I walk up. “Hey, Janey,” I greet the vet sitting next to Jillian.

“I found these guys in a box left outside the clinic this morning,” Janey explains. “I checked them out. They look healthy. I’m guessing some kind of shepherd mix; I’d say about eight weeks old. Anyway,” she continues, waving her hand, “it made me think of something Jillian and I chatted about a few months back.”

“You mean training specialized support dogs?”

Jillian has talked from time to time about her dream of training rescue dogs customized to people’s individual support needs, particularly those of children.

Janey nods, and when I glance over at Jillian, she sports an apologetic smile.

“Do we get to keep them?” Hayley pipes up, her face hopeful.

Well, shit.

“I hate to be a wet blanket,” I start, “but we live in a house currently under construction with the mudroom addition, and are already overrun with dogs. Where do you propose we keepthem? And who’s getting up in the middle of the night when one after the other needs to go for a pee?”

“I’ll do it!” the kid offers enthusiastically. “And they can sleep in my room.”

Damn, I don’t want to be the bad guy, but right now, having four little puppies underfoot would be a serious pain in the ass. Thankfully, Jillian comes to the rescue.

“Lucas is right, Hayley. It would be a bit much in the house. Maybe if we had a bigger kennel with electricity for heat and light, we’d be able to house more dogs, but…”

Her voice trails off but her eyes lock on mine, and I read her like a book.

“I suppose I could ask the contractor to have a look and see what can be done, after he’s finished the mudroom,” I suggest, earning me a wide smile.

“You’re so whipped,” JD comments when he and Jackson join us.

“What does that mean?” Hayley wants to know.

“Yeah, JD…whatdoesthat mean?” Janey echoes, her eyebrows raised as she pins him with a glare.

Jackson barks out a rare laugh. “Burn, brother,” he scoffs as he sits down on the step beside Janey and picks up one of the pups.

“Anyway, getting back to more important matters,” the vet says with a final scathing look for JD before turning to Jillian. “I’d offer to keep these cuties for you until you have shelter sorted out for them, but I’m afraid I don’t have the space or the manpower at the moment. If you can’t take them, I’ll have to find them another home.”

“I’ll take them.”

Everyone stares at Jackson with their mouths open. Except Jillian, she’s smiling wide.

“You?” JD blurts out.

Jackson simply shrugs. “Yeah, why not? I’ll look after the rug rats until Jillian’s got room for them, but I want to keep this one.”

He holds the almost all black pup up to his face, where the little thing tries to bite his nose.

“Perfect,” Jillian states, standing up and brushing the seat of her jeans. Then she holds out her hand to Hayley. “Come on, you. Wipe that frown off your face, you’ll just have to be patient. But in the meantime…” She pulls Hayley to her feet. “There’s something Lucas and I want to show you.”

She hooks her arm through the kid’s and tilts her head to the barn in a silent invitation to me.

It had taken me almost two months to find what I set out looking for, but it took Jillian and I only an hour or so to make the decision, once I found it. Or should I say;her.

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