Page 124 of The Beta's Heart

“Should I ask how this all went down?” Mase asked as Cole bent double with laughter, and I shook my head. “Well, I don’t really have to, do I? Ty had another nightmare and needed a break or a nap. Man, we’d hoped that finding his mate would help that to stop.”

“I wish I could help him more, but I don’t know what else to do.” I let out a sigh that came from the bottoms of my mud-soaked shoes.

“I didn’t mean it as a criticism of you, Peri,” he said. “We know what it’s like. As much as we wish we could end Posy’s nightmares, we can’t. We hoped, probably as much as you did, it would work that way, but it doesn’t.”

“Yeah.”

“Come on, Sissy.” Cole finally straightened, wiping tears from his eyes. “Let’s go home so we can spray you three down with the garden hose.”

Hose!River and Sid shouted together.Hose, hose, hose!

“Yeah, but you know what follows the hose, right?” I teased them. “A B-A-T-H!”

It took them a minute to work through the letters, but once they did, they let out yips of distress and tore off like their tails were on fire.

#

Posy giggled herself silly when she came out on the porch and saw three hang-dog faces standing in her front yard as Cole squirted us down with the garden hose.

“Can I help?” she asked as her laughter died down.

“This will just get the first layer off the pups,” I told her. “We’ll need a scrub brush and some shampoo in a minute.”

“I’ve got both,” Mase said as he came out of the house, a bucket in each hand. “You can watch if you want to, little flower, but you don’t need to help. They’ll just get you all wet—”

And that’s something only we’re allowed to do!Ash shouted with glee, and I didn’t know why he thoughtIhad to be included in that link.

“You’ve been awake this whole time?!” I shrieked.

Yep! Hanging out with these two is always hella fun!

“You—You—You—”

A blast of cold water hit me square in the face before I could erupt in enough profanities to fill the swear bear clean to the top.

“Cool off, Sissy,” Cole chuckled in his basement-deep voice. “Honey, can you lend her some clothes? Mase and I will take care of this.”

“Sure. Come on in, Peri. Actually…” Posy paused and held up one finger. “Wait here until I get you a towel.”

Starting to shiver now despite the mid-August heat, I folded my arms across my chest to hold in some warmth.

Just you wait, Ash, I said to myself.There’s a mud pie to the face in your very near future!

“How can you enjoy splashing in the creek, swimming in the lake, and playing in mud holes, but hate taking a bath?” I shot the two pups a narrow-eyed glare, but they were too miserable to notice.

Baf not fun, mate,River pouted.

No fun at all, Per-Per,Sid added.

“Well, there’s more to life than fun! And as for you, River, your fun-filled afternoons are at an end. You know that right? It’s back to school tomorrow.”

Noooo!he wailed, and Sid leaned over to give him comfort licks in his left ear.Hate school, mate!

“Why?” Posy came back and handed me a towel that I quickly huddled into. “School is fun! You can read and learn and—”

BOOOO!both babies shouted.

“Well,I’mexcited!” She bounced on her tiptoes and clasped her hands under her chin. “Even if I flunk out after the first quarter, I can’t wait to see what high school’s like!”

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