Page 41 of Colorado K-9 Rescue
Mckenna giggled. That moment seemed like a million years ago now. “That’s a legitimate concern. I’ll keep a close eye on him.”
They opened the door and Mocha bounded out happily in front of them. He ran around the yard sniffing and taking care of business when he suddenly stopped. His front leg was raised to a ninety-degree angle and he posed in a perfect point.
“What the heck?” Mckenna said. Then she heard the culprit at the same time she saw it—a squirrel was up in a tree and began chattering at Mocha. “Uh-oh… Mocha, come!”
While Mckenna prided herself on how well her dog listened, she knew the desire to chase the squirrel would override any obedience. Launching off the deck, Mckenna lunged to catch her dog, but missed. Evan cut him off before he could run through the flower beds and managed to grab Mocha’s collar. Mckenna came over and snapped on the leash.
“Thank you,” she said, a little out of breath.
“Remember what I said when he ate my sandwich?” Evan asked.
Great, here comes the lecture.“That I need to work on training my dog.”
“That’s it,” Evan said, face serious.
Mckenna was getting ready to stand her ground and defend Mocha, even though she knew Evan was right. She did need to work on training Mocha more.
Suddenly Evan laughed. “I can tease you too. Don’t break him of the squirrel habit. I might need to hire him because they keep trying to get into my garage and nest.”
Surprised, Mckenna didn’t know what to say. Evan did have a sense of humor and she liked it.
“I’ll be back from the store soon. Keep the doors locked and make yourself at home,” Evan said as they all went back inside. Mocha grunted and lay down on a blanket Evan had provided for him in the living room area. “I’m glad to see Mocha is settling in. Be back soon.”
As the door closed behind him, Mckenna was suddenly overwhelmed. What was she doing here? She should have stayed on her own. He didn’t even try to kiss her when he left.
Then a horrid thought crossed her mind.I hope he didn’t read my journal. I hope he didn’t see what I wrote about falling in love with him.
CHAPTER 26
Evan drove to the grocery store and picked up dog food for Mocha, happy to find the brand that Mckenna had written down. The last thing they needed was for Mocha to get an upset tummy because of a food switch. Evan added steaks and potatoes for them and headed back out. When he turned onto his street, he stopped and took a moment to observe the area.
The officer he had asked to come watch the house while Evan was gone was sitting in his car. He’d parked in the cul-de-sac turnaround like Evan requested. He hadn’t told Mckenna he had called in an officer, a buddy of his that was off duty. He figured she might not be comfortable with that, but he couldn’t take any chances. Mckenna wouldn’t be hurt on his watch.
Nothing seemed out of place or wrong. His neighbor was out mowing. Another lady, his nosy neighbor, was walking her small poodle and taking note of a different car parked in Evan’s driveway. Evan was certain she had talked to his buddy. But the nice thing was there was nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seemed fine.
He drove down to the end of the street and pulled up “cop style” to his friend’s car.
Evan rolled down his window. “Thanks for watching the place. Anything unusual?”
“Nope, boring as can be. The way we like it.”
Evan nodded, glad his friend hadn’t used the Q-word. That would be a jinx.
“Only action was your lady neighbor trying to figure out why there was a cop parked here. She was hitting on me too,” his friend continued.
“Give her your phone number?”
“Nope, gave her yours.” His friend laughed and then added. “You have some hot chick stashed away in your house?”
“What makes you say that?” Evan asked, willing himself to keep a straight face.
“Because you actually look happy for once in your life.”
“Gee, thanks,” Evan said with a laugh. “Am I that serious?”
“Do you really want me to answer that? Have a good night.”
His friend waved and drove off. Evan parked in his driveway, got things out of the car and took them inside. Mckenna was good for him, but he had put in for the job in Oregon. If he was promoted, it didn’t matter how he felt about her. He’d be gone.
