Page 94 of Cowboys Can't Kiss

Riley peers over at me.

“Whatcha thinking so hard about?”

You, me, a dog, and a millionsunrises together.

“Nothing. Just thinking about carrots.”

“Okay.” We walk along in silence for a beat until Riley breaks it. “Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“I really love carrots.”

Epilogue

One Year Later

Riley

“Are you sure that’s what you want to name the puppy?”

Jackson grips my hand in his on the console of the truck. We’re on our way to pick up our new puppy, who is an adorable beagle mix, at the animal shelter in the next town over.

“The deal was I could name the puppy and yes, that’s the name I want.”

Jackson flicks a glance at me.

“What if she doesn’t suit her name?”

“Oh, she will. I know it.”

I also know that Jackson really wanted to adopt an older dog he fell in love with on the website after we already agreed to take the puppy. He insisted one dog would be enough, and this was the dog we were meant to have.

But I disagree.

After pulling into the lot, Jackson opens the back door of his truck and checks on the puppy’s kennel. He’s like a new dad obsessively checking a car seat, and I take a moment to watch him more closely.

He’s wearing a small smile as he adjusts the blanket inside and pets the comfort animal we placed in the kennel. It’s supposed to help young puppies adapt to being away from their moms and make them less homesick. When the woman at the pet store explained what it was for, Jackson didn’t even look at the price tag.

This man’s tenderness makes me fall more in love with him every day. Whether it be something he did for me, his parents, or even Aunt Agnes, his heart only knows how to give and it’s no wonder he didn’t take to the bar scene like his friends. Jackson loves with all his being and he struggles with it sometimes.

He knows it’s not a terrible quality, but it brings out the quirks he hates. Like random facts when he’s nervous and stuck on what to say. I love it when he gets overwhelmed with me and still tells me things like how grapes need to freeze at a certain temperature to make ice wine.

It’s both educational and his signal that he needs a moment to gather his thoughts and recalibrate.

“Ready, babe?”

Jackson nods, satisfied with the puppy setup, and joins me to enter the shelter.

“Hi! You made it!”

The shelter co-ordinator, a friend of Hannah’s from Avocadabra, has been such a help with organizing my surprise.

“We wouldn’t miss our puppy pickup date, Carla.” Jackson shakes her hand and I go for the full hug because we’ve gotten to know each other a lot over the past three weeks. Jackson furrows his eyebrows, but I quickly move the conversation along.

“We’re super excited to take Carrot home.”

Jackson smiles as we follow her to the adoption meeting room. “I still can’t believe that’s the name you want to go with.”

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