Page 28 of Perfectly Grumpy

Lauren moves toward him, and he immediately flops onto his back for a belly rub. “What a softie. He looks like he could take down an army, but all he wants is a belly rub.”

“Underneath all that muscle? Total marshmallow.”

Lauren tilts her head, studying me. “Tough on the outside, secretly a Squishmallow? Sounds familiar.”

“Guess you’ll just have to stick around long enough to find out.” I smirk, grabbing a tennis ball and launching it across the yard, where Juniper and Hank race to catch it.

“James told me a new puppy just came in recently,” I say. “Interested?”

“Is that even a question?” she says. “The last puppy picture you sent me was PR gold.”

We head inside, leaving Hank and Juniper in the fenced yard while I look for the new resident.

“There she is,” I say, crouching down next to her cage. I pull out a treat to get her to warm up to me.

“What kind of dog is she?” Lauren asks.

“Hard to say. Maybe a mixed breed, with some Lab. She’s got a pretty face.”

Lauren checks the tag on the cage. “She doesn’t have a name.”

“Abandoned, most likely. You want to give her one?”

Lauren looks up at me in surprise. “You’d let me do that?”

“Dogs with names are more likely to get adopted,” I say. “It’s a fact. And this place needs all the adoptions it can get. James isn’t sure how much longer he can keep it running without more funding.”

“Just once, Sheriff, can you not use yourfacts against me? Because this dog is doing a number on my heart. She looks like my mom’s favorite dog, Annie. World’s sweetest dog.”

“Annie it is, then,” I say.

I pick her up, wrapping her in a cuddly blanket before nestling her in my arms.

Lauren clutches her chest. “Seriously. This should be illegal,” she says, holding up her phone to snap more pictures.

I stroke Annie’s tiny head. “This is going to give the NHL the wrong impression of me, though. They’ll assume I’m too soft.”

“Hardly. If you put this picture on any dating app, women couldn’t swipe fast enough.”

“Good thing I don’t do dating apps, then.”

Lauren’s face flicks to mine. “Old school. I respect that.”

“It’s what makes me so charming,” I say with a smirk. “That—and my fact-checking.”

She laughs. “This picture doesn’t just make you look approachable. It makes you look like someone who has a soft side. And trust me, that’s averygood thing.”

“So what you’re saying is, women love a man with a dog?”

Lauren shakes her head. “No, Tate. I’m saying women lovethisman with a dog.”

I start to argue, but then I catch the way she’s looking at me. And suddenly, I don’t mind beingthatguy. The one with a puppy.

“You want to hold Annie?” I ask.

Lauren hesitates, then shakes her head. “I’m supposed to be taking pictures of you.”

“Five minutes of puppy cuddles, then back to your regularly scheduled PR,” I promise. The puppy squirms when I pass her to Lauren, but the moment she rubs behind her ears, she melts against her chest.

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