Page 105 of Giddy Up, Daddy

Sam was getting used to being interrupted. Jean was a fast talker, who didn’t like to waste time. He could appreciate that, but it took his brain a second to catch up. “Wait, do you have other litters besides the Shepherds?”

“Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Those are good ranch dogs too. Protective. Hard workers, though people mostly want them as pets these days.”

“I definitely want one of the Shepherds for the ranch. My foreman has already agreed to take care of the training. But I’ve been thinking about getting Charlie a puppy. She grew up with dogs and has mentioned missing them a few times. Do you think either of those would make a good house pet?”

“Oh, either, as long as you know they need alotof exercise. If you want something cuddly and affectionate though, I’d probably lean towards the Corgi.”

He’d never been around Corgis. With the average cow weighing most of a ton, Jimmy had always preferred larger dogs. “That’s the breed with the short legs, and the uh, butt?”

Her laughter bubbled through the phone. “They certain have a distinctive back end, and a way of walking that attracts attention. And yes, very short legs—but don’t think that will keep them from getting in trouble. Theyareclimbers. Training is key.”

Maybe Charlie and the puppy could keep each other out of trouble. School kept her very busy, working on a doctorate wasn’t easy, but she complained about not getting out of the house enough. A dog would help with that too. “And you have some Corgi puppies available?”

“I have one sweet baby girl unclaimed. The runt of the litter. I’m only considering a pet situation for her anyway. We’re not sure how big she’s going to get, but currently she’s only half the size of her litter mates. She’s got heart and I’m sure she’d work hard, but Corgis are small to begin with, and she’s going to be even smaller. Not suitable for working, in my opinion.”

He saw no downsides to that. “That sounds just about perfect, Ma—uh, Jean. Charlie needs something she can cuddle. How long before she’s old enough?”

“Well… the rest of the litter will be ready to go next week, but I do prefer to keep the runts with the mother a little longer when possible.”

Sam did the math in his head. “That’s actually perfect. I wanted to give her the puppy for Valentine’s Day and that’s almost three weeks from now. Would that work?”

There was a brief pause. Then, “Yes, that should give her a little more time to put on weight. Normally I’m not a fan of puppies as presents. Too many people aren’t happy about the surprise, but you’re ranch folk. And Jimmy raised more than one of our pups, so I expect it’ll be fine.”

“Charlie probably grew up with some of your dogs then.” That was a nice connection that Sam hadn’t considered.

“Oh, yes. Now, I trust you, but I like to do things by the book. So you’ll need to pop over to sign the contracts, visit the pups, and put down a deposit for each one. That will secure your claim. Otherwise… well, it’s first come first serve. So, when can I expect you?”

Not that he was dying to go back out in the cold, but he did want to make sure he had Charlie’s present locked down. “I can come over this afternoon, if that suits.”

“It does. I’ll be here all day.” She sounded pleased.

Before Sam could say anything else, she disconnected the call. Not much for small talk, apparently. That was fine, he wasn’t either.

He sat back at his desk, satisfied. The puppy hadn’t been a rushed decision. It had always been on the agenda; it was just a matter of timing it. He’d scouted around at Christmas. Even checked the shelter, but there weren’t any puppies available. Not the right kind anyway.

When it came to a ranch, you needed a breed suited to it. Temperament was so important, and you couldn’t always tell with a shelter dog. Jimmy had brought home mutts once or twice, and they usually worked out, but Charlie’s father had been an expert with dogs.

Sam didn’t know enough to be sure he could pick one that would fit in safely. And even though the Corgi was going to be a pet, she would still be living on a ranch. But a working breed, bred by ranchers, was bound to mesh well.

Charlie was going to be thrilled. She’d hinted a few times, and he’d put her off with some vague complaints about all the work they were. He’d been half afraid that she’d sneak out and get one anyway, before he had a chance. With only a couple weeks left until Valentine’s, he was probably in the clear.

After lunch he drove over to the Carpenter’s ranch. Jean greeted him at the door, all smiles, but instead of welcoming him in, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

“I figured we’d meet the babies first. The kennels are around the side. Although we do rotate the dogs into the house, so they all get plenty of people time and socialization.”

The day had already been filled with unexpected events, but ending up on the floor covered in puppies was by far the best of them. They whimpered, whined, nibbled on his hair, wagged their tails furiously, and in general were desperate to get his attention.

The puppy pile was amazing, but after a while she led him to another room so he could have private time with the Shepherds. He chose the boy for the ranch. Though honestly, he couldn’t tell much difference between them.

After Jean took them out, she brought the Corgi in to introduce them. As Jean had mentioned, the runt was a small armful, but what she lacked in size… she made up for in energy. She was chaos on four legs.

Charlie was going to be over the moon in love with her, and she wouldn’t be the only one. Sam was smitten. Putting her back in Jean’s arms was almost physically painful.

Before he left, he took care of the deposit and the contracts which… were a lot more detailed than he’d expected. There was nothing in them to object to, it was just the length of it and all the many stipulations.

“Got any questions for me?” Jean asked, she’d probably noted his surprise.

“No, it’s pretty straightforward. I just didn’t realize there were so many rules.”

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