Page 45 of Coach
“Problem? No. Not at all.”
I prayed I didn’t sound as eager as I felt about the whole charade.
There were much worse ways to spend an afternoon than pretending to be in a loving relationship while saving a beloved dog from a sad fate.
Saul offered me a hand when I reached to pull myself up into his mammoth truck.
There wasn’t a sizzle when our hands touched.
Nope.
That would be absurd.
The inside of the cab was tidy but had little clues to Saul’s personality all around.
There were two small books shoved into the door pocket: theTao Te Chingand a book of nature poetry. His extra cupholder currently housed several random screws, bolts, and washers. And despite what was clearly a thorough vacuuming, a few tiny shards of sawdust clung to the fabric of the carpet.
As he slammed my door, though, I was overwhelmed with the scent of him all around. I took several deep, greedy breaths before he climbed in and turned the truck over.
“So, what else are we lying about?” I asked.
“Well, I can do all the lying if you’re worried about it.”
“I’m not.”
I’d lied a lot to get Trix.
Despite claiming as much, I wasn’t a homeowner, and I didn’t have a fenced yard. But I did have a desperate need for protection and a determination to make a good life for her. Eventually.
I liked to think I was making up for those early days now with a big fenced yard, home-cooked meals, and more toys and treats than she knew what to do with.
“I’m happy to fib a little to get a loved dog back home with his owner. Is he local?”
“He is for right now. But he’s heading out of town in a few weeks to start over. He’s just getting some things sorted first.”
“I’m sure he will be more motivated if he has his dog back. What kind of dog is it?”
“An Aussie named Steve.”
“Like Steve Irwin?”
“Exactly,” Saul said, shooting me a warm smirk. “He just turned seven. My friend has had him since he was about a year old, after he was dropped off at the shelter with all of his siblings.”
“People suck. The shelter made me so sad when I went to get Trix. Especially because of all the other dogs who, like Trix, were heading toward being put down. I wanted to take them all with me. All of them had a human who failed them at some point.” I winced, realizing what I may have insinuated. “Not that your friend failed Steve.”
“He believes he did. He’s beating himself up about it. It was kind of out of his control, but he’s kicking himself for not having a safety net for Steve.”
“Wow. I never really thought of that either.” It was going to be all I could think about moving forward, especially given my situation. If something happened to me, Trix was almost certainly going to end up back at a shelter. There, they would discover her hatred of men. Which was going to severely limit her chances for adoption.
Then, what? Would she wonder why she was back there? What happened to me? What she might have done to be punished like that again?
Saul’s hand grabbed my thigh, fingers squeezing. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“But what if it does?”
“If it does—which it’s not—I will take care of Trix for you.”
“You barely know me.”
