Page 13 of Moore to Love

It took me a moment to realize he was talking about Finn’s response about seeing the dogs on the day I’d had the flat tire. He’d seemed fine with the idea of me bringing them in for a visit, and there was an adoption open house today. Although I knew I was setting myself up for endless begging from the kids when they learned that people got to take the animals home with them, I found myself agreeing. “Good point. I guess we’re going to see some dogs today.”

7

FINN

Foster open houses were my favorite days at work. I loved being there for that moment when an animal found their forever home, watching as a person fell in love with their new pet. As much as I’d wanted to share that experience with Ellie, I’d understood that working on the weekend when she had her kids was a no-go for her. Her dedication to them only made her more attractive to me.

I hadn’t expected to see her until she came into the office on Monday, so when I heard Meghan call out, “Hey, Ellie,” my head jerked up. I was surprised to find her standing there with Benjamin and Madison, huge grins on the kids’ faces as they stared at a litter of puppies wrestling each other in a playpen a few feet in front of them.

As I walked over to greet them, Ellie gave me an awkward wave. “I hope we won’t be in your way.”

“We wanted to see the doggies,” Benjamin added.

Crouching down so I was eye level with the boy, I murmured, “You picked the perfect time to stop by. I have three puppies who’ve been hoping to find someone to play with.”

“Really?” His eyes widened, and he tilted his head back to ask his mom, “Can we play with the puppies?”

“You betcha,” Ellie agreed before guiding her children over to the playpen. “But you have to be very gentle. They’re still babies.”

“Baby doggies,” Madison breathed, going up on her toes to peer inside at them.

Ellie stroked her fingers through her daughter’s hair. “Yup, so we’re going to be extra careful. Right?”

Madison nodded. “Uh-huh.”

Benjamin puffed out his little chest and looked up at me. “Mom’s gonna help us be ’sponsible.”

“Sounds like the perfect plan to me.” Straightening to my full height, I flashed a grin at Ellie. “Your mom has already met the puppies, but how about I introduce you?”

“Yay! Puppies,” Madison screeched.

Benjamin looked up at his mom with wide eyes. “You play with puppies at work?”

Pressing her lips together, Ellie shook her head. “I really wish I did, but no.”

“That’s my job,” Meghan announced.

“Whoa,” Benjamin breathed. “I wanna be you when I grow up.”

Meghan squatted down with a laugh. “Playing with the puppies and kittens is the best part of what I do, but you should know that I also clean up a lot of pee and poop.”

Benjamin’s nose wrinkled. “Eww.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that.” She ruffled his hair as she straightened. “My little boy loves playing with our kitties at home, but not so much helping with the litter box.”

“Can I see kitties too?” Madison asked as Ellie led her into the puppy play area.

“As long as it’s okay with your mom.” I pointed toward the other side of the room where I had set up several cat tunnels. “We have five domestic longhair kittens out playing today.”

Madison clapped her hands before plopping down on her butt. The puppies swarmed around her, one of them climbing onto her lap and making her giggle. I picked up the other two and waited until Benjamin sat beside his sister to place one of the squirming bundles of energy on his lap.

Scratching under the chin of the puppy I was still holding, I said, “This one is Charlie. Benjamin has Duke, and Madison is holding Bella.”

“So soft,” Madison whispered, staring at Bella in awe.

Ellie knelt next to her and stroked the puppy’s back. “You’re right. Since she’s just a baby, she’s softer than other dogs.”

“How come?” Benjamin asked, a wrinkle popping up in the middle of his brow.

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