Page 34 of Ghost of a Chance
“As much as I could do this all night,” Brad said about five minutes later, “my poodle is dying to play with you. Give me a second and I’ll get undressed.”
Play?The lion stepped back, giving Brad room to move. And then, worrying that the porch space wasn’t that big, he made his way to the grass area of the yard. He really didn’t want to step on the cute poodle.I’ll lie down,he decided. The grass was dry. Hopefully he wouldn’t be as intimidating to his much smaller mate.
Clearly, the poodle had never heard of the word intimidation. The moment he emerged, the poodle raced from the porch, his paws barely touching the steps as he hurried onto the grass, yapping madly.
I’m here. Are you pleased to see me? Ooh, look at that mane. Perfect place for a snuggle.
The lion barely had the time to work out what the poodle meant by snuggle, when he had a bundle of wiggling energyheadbutting his chin, then went snuffling up one side of his face and then the other.
You smell so good, and your mane is so fluffy. Shall I call you Fluffy? It could be our cute name for you, and you can call me…The poodle stopped sniffing for a moment.What would you call me?
The lion wasn’t sure. He was still stuck on “Fluffy.”Are you sure Fluffy is a good name for me?
Yes!The poodle stepped back so the lion could see him. He was nodding wildly.No one would guess anyone would call a majestic creature like yourself Fluffy, so it will be our private secret. My Fluffy.
The lion could accept that weird logic, so long as no one else ever heard about it.I will call you… Bubbles,he sent back with a quiet chuff which was as close to a laugh as he was going to get.You’re bubbly.
The poodle tilted its head to one side as if considering it.Are you sure?He started racing around the lion’s whole body.Shouldn’t I be The Intimidator, or… or… Valiant? I’m a big, brave poodle.
Bubbles.The lion’s eyes were busy trying to keep track of where his mate was.What are you doing?There were feet on his hind leg.
Showing you how valiant I am. Look at me climbing the mighty fluffy lion.
I can’t see you, you’re on my back.And he was. The poodle had climbed up the lion’s back and now had its front paws on the lion’s head, right between its ears.
Definitely Valiant. Ooh, stick.Before the lion had a chance to ask what the poodle meant, he felt paws running down the side of his neck, and the poodle was racing off to the side somewhere.
What are you doing with a stick?Deciding he really didn’t want his mate climbing his body if he had a twig in his mouth,the lion got up and slowly turned around. The poodle moved so fast the lion wasn’t sure where it was.
The poodle had found a stick, but it definitely wasn’t a twig. It was a fallen branch from a tree. What made the lion rumble deep in his chest was the effort the poodle was putting into moving it. He had his teeth sunk into the end of it, and his whole body was undulating as he was trying to drag it out onto the grassy area.
You still haven’t told me what you want with a stick.Moving over to the tree, the lion picked up the other end of the branch gingerly with his teeth, planning to drag it out onto the grass. He wasn’t a fan of the taste of decaying wood and dirt, but he felt he should help his mate. What he hadn’t counted on was the poodle was still hanging onto it as he carried his end.
Wheee. This is so much fun.And then, as the lion dropped the branch, horrified that he might have hurt his mate, the poodle shook his head, still hanging onto his end.Again. Again. Let’s play tug-of-war.
You have got to be kidding me.The lion had never been so grateful for the tall fences ensuring the backyard was private. Trying to ignore the dirt on his tongue, the lion picked up the branch end again, not lifting it as high this time, as he started to move around the yard.
Go faster. Go faster.The lion could feel the poodle’s excitement through their bond, and that was without the way the branch was vibrating with poodle wiggles. It was actually fun, and no one was more surprised about that than the lion. He moved faster, trotting around the garden with the stick in his mouth, tugging the poodle with him.
At one point, the lion had to turn around, or he was going to knock the poodle into a bush. As he flicked his head to the other side, the branch still in his mouth, the poodle end of the branch raised up, taking the poodle with it—all four feet off the ground.
Clearly surprised, the poodle let go and landed on his butt, shaking his head. Horrified, the lion let go of his end of the branch, planning to go over and give his mate a thorough check over, but the branch hadn’t released from his teeth when the poodle was back up again, grabbing his end again and tugging madly.I’ll make you fly next, Fluffy,the poodle promised.You just wait and see.
It was quite sometime later when the lion knew he had to have a drink. His mouth was filled with dirt and bark chips, which really wasn’t pleasant. Dragging his mate over to a large water bowl, the lion dropped his end of the branch, enjoying a drink—anything to get rid of that taste.
That was fun, mate.The poodle nudged his head and the lion moved to give him room. Fortunately it was a low, wide, shallow dish. When he’d gotten the worst of the bark from his mouth, the lion padded over to the center of the grass area, lying down. He was pleased when a few moments later the poodle followed, snuggling under his chin and against his chest, his little eyes closing.
The lion licked over his mate’s back and then closed his eyes. Nap time was a perfect idea. Ants and other crawlies tended to sleep at night, so they’d be fine.
Chapter Twenty
Brad
The sound of his cell phone ringing distracted him from the conversation he was having with Hector. He raised his hand to silence the other man as he dug into his pocket, found his cell and looked at the screen to see Lionel’s name. “It’s Lionel, can you give me a minute?” They’d been going through the last of the list of outstanding jobs. Somehow they were a day or two ahead of schedule, and Brad was hoping it stayed that way because he’d become distracted with the surprise party plans for the next day.
“Of course, take as long as you need. I’m staying in the café most of the day… just to keep an eye on Morty.”
That sounded ominous, but Brad didn’t question why, not wanting anything to disrupt the happy buzzing through him. “Thanks,” he replied, already moving out of earshot while swiping at the screen. “Hey… Fluffy,” he whispered, casting a glance back at Hector, who was now on the other side of the room talking with the carpenter making the baby furniture.
