Page 104 of Giddy Up, Daddy

Nick shrugged. “Australian Shepherds love to work, and they have a lot of energy. Not sure that’s the best choice for a housepet, but I wouldn’t mind one for the ranch. I’d be down to handle the training if you decide to look into it.”

Now that Nick had mentioned it, Sam realized what a good idea it was. It had been a couple of years since they’d had a barn dog, and a Shepherd would be perfect. “I’ll give them a call once the sun’s up.”

That suited Nick, and Sam finally made his escape. His breath fogged the crisp air as he trotted to catch up with Charlie. She stopped to wait when she heard him coming.

“Thought you’d both freeze before one of you gave in and went inside,” she commented.

He could just barely make out her smirk in the pre-dawn light. “Funny, brat.” Not that she was wrong…

“Please, you know if I hadn’t left you’d both still be standing there, poking at each, and trying to pretend you weren’t that cold.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, nowwe’rebantering and I’m freezing. Let’s go home.” He turned her around and pushed her toward the house. And then, when he heard her snicker, he landed a swat on her backside.

“That’s a waste of time, Daddy. Between the Long Johns and the coat, I didn’t feel a thing.”

“You act like we’re not going to be in a house full of paddles in about two minutes. Move it, Charlie girl. I’m cold and getting crankier by the second.”

She giggled and picked up the pace, but he had a feeling it was less the threat and more that she was desperate to get inside. The warm light through the kitchen windows drew them like a beacon, and soon they were both hurrying up the steps and into the heat.

“Damn, I forgot how much I hate early winter mornings,” Sam said as he hung up his coat. It seemed worse now that he wasn’t used to dealing with it daily.

“Remind me not to volunteer to help next time. Brrr. I’m not sure I’ll ever be warm again.” She hurried over to the coffee pot, only to be disappointed. He’d used it all in the thermos. She muttered under her breath, discarding her gloves and starting a new pot with shaking hands.

Sam pulled her into his arms, lending her his body heat while they waited for the perking to start. “Why don’t you go jump in a hot shower, darlin? Probably warm you up faster than coffee anyway.”

She snuggled against him and let out a sigh as the shivering stopped. “That’s not a bad idea. Except you’re cold too. Want to join me?”

Now that she mentioned it…

Charlie did end up back in bed, but not alone. What they started in the shower, they finished in the bedroom. Afterward, they both got a little extra rest, but Sam wasn’t used to sleeping late in the morning. After a short doze, he crept out of the room.

He took the opportunity to call the Carpenters while she was sleeping. He knew Bob Carpenter slightly. The ranching community was small, but they weren’t close by any stretch of the imagination. Still, the man was friendly enough.

“A puppy huh? Happens I think we do have a couple left. You’ll have to talk to Jean though. The dogs are her special project. Hold on a sec.”

There was a rustling sound as if Bob was pressing the phone against his chest. It wasn’t muffled enough to drown out his bellow though. “Jean! Got a call about the puppies.”

A minute later there was a new voice on the phone, breathless and amused. “Hello?”

“Hi there, Ma’am. This is Sam Mason from the?—”

She cut him off. “Hello, Sam. Of course I remember you. How’s that wife of yours?”

“Charlie’s doing just fine, Ma’am. I?—”

“Jean, please. Ma’am makes me feel old.” She laughed.

“Alrighty then, Jean. I heard you had some puppies and?—”

“Which litter?”

“Well, I heard you had some Australian?—”

“Oh, theShepherds. Yes, of course. The parents are champions. We have two left from that litter. A boy and a girl. Six weeks now, so it will be a few more weeks before I’m willing to let them go. They have papers, but we’re not selling them as breeders. The contracts are for pet only, so you’ll want to get them fixed.”

Contracts? Apparently buying a puppy was more complicated than he’d thought. Which was fair, since he’d never bought one before. “I’m not planning to start breeding so that’s fine. We’re looking for a good working dog, so?—”

“Perfect then. Australian Shepherds are hard workers. Smart too.”

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