The redhead approaches me, swinging her big purse. I brace myself for another blunt force attack to the head, but I’m surprised when her face gives way to a smile. “That was very impressive. I can tell you love those dogs very much.”
“They’re like my kids.” I can’t believe that I’m not only saying the words…but meaning them. “And I really appreciate you speaking up. I know you didn’t have to.”
“It was my pleasure, and I can totally relate. Those Chihuahuas are so cute. I hope you participate in the agility trial today.”
“Actually, I just came here to support my girlfriend…” It feels so good to say that word.
Brooke smiles wide, but she doesn’t correct me. “Of course he’s going to participate.”
I turn to her. “But–”
“You can do it, Landon. I believe in you. Let’s go see if they’re accepting any late entries in the small dog beginner division. If they’ve had any last-minute cancellations, they will.”
The dogs bark and people applaud. I haven’t been this happy since…well, since I lost my first love.
Now, I’m on the road to finding love again, and for some reason, I think Carla would be happy for me.
Chapter 23
Brooke
Landon and I walk to the arena. I hold Taco, and Fajita, and Merle’s leashes while he walks behind Burrito and Chili. I give Landon a shoulder check. “So, I’m your girlfriend now?”
He looks horrified and shakes his head. “No, I was just saying that to make you feel better. You’re just some random chick I picked up…” Unable to keep going with the lie, he chuckles. “Of course, you’re my girlfriend! And if you tell me no, I will look at you with puppy dog eyes. I learned from these guys, so don’t try me.”
Every cell inside my body explodes with pure happiness. “Yes, I’m your girlfriend. But are we in high school or something?” Just like that, it’s official. Landon and I are an item. My heart beats a little faster. I wasn’t even looking for anything serious, and here I am, plunging into a new relationship. I’m nervous and giddy all at the same time.
“High school?” He winks. “We can roleplay later if you want. I’ll be the quarterback, and you be the cheerleading captain. Will you wear pigtails?”
The dogs bark louder as we get to the backstage area. There are lots of trainers with their dogs…every breed from teacup Chihuahuas to Dogue de Bordeauxs. I approach the competition coordinator, Brad, a tall man with thick glasses.
“Hey, Brad.”
He looks up from his clipboard. “Hey.”
“I know you’re super busy right now.”
“Yes, I am–”
“But I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend, Landon.” I grin. Wow! Damn, it feels good to say it out loud.
The two men nod at each other.
“And these are his Chihuahuas.”
Brad finally smiles. “How can you not love Chihuahuas, right?”
“Exactly.” I squeeze the two in my arms. “That’s why I was hoping that you could allow Landon and his dogs to participate today.”
“Today?” He shakes his head. “Maybe next year. All the competition slots are filled. We didn’t have any cancellations. Which is weird because it seems that someone always gets sick or chickens out.”
“Come on, Brad,” I plead. “Can’t you work something out?”
“There’s no way I can accommodate four dogs.” He glances down at his clipboard, running his pen down the margin. “But, maybe.” Landon and I frown. Brad takes a deep breath. “But maybe I could make room for one.”
“Please don’t make me pick.” Landon’s eyes are huge. “That would be like a father picking a favorite son.”
“Sorry, buddy, but that’s the best I can do,” Brad says. “And for the record, my older brother West is my dad’s absolute favorite. So, you may not want to pick a favorite, but you can pick a favorite.”
I smile at Landon. “Come on, just pick one. It doesn’t mean you love one more than the other.”
Landon sighs. “Okay. If I had to choose…I pick…”
Taco barks as if he’d raised his little paw and said, “Pick me, pick me.”
Landon grins at him. “You want to do this, mister wet hair licker?” Taco barks again and wags his tail. “Alright, I guess it will be Taco.”
“A Chihuahua named Taco, now I’ve heard it all,” Brad says as he hands Landon a clipboard. “I just need you to fill this out, sign the waiver, provide a check for the entry fee, and we’ll be getting started soon.”
Landon hands Chili to me. “Thanks again.”
I beam at Brad. “Yeah, we really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Brad says.
We walk over into a corner, away from the other dogs and trainers. Landon completes the form and says, “I’m not really sure if I can do this. I hope that I don’t make a fool of myself.”
“Just try your best.” I kiss him on the cheek.
He nods and kneels down. “Okay, Taco. It’s you and me. Put on your game face, buddy!”
Taco barks. I laugh, and the other Chihuahuas join in on the barking. A few minutes later, Brad walks over to us. “Brooke, you and Merle are up in five.” He looks at Landon. “You’ll be right after that.”
“Okay.” I look at him before turning to Landon and handing him the leashes for all the little dogs. “You’ve got this.”
“I don’t know about all of that, but we’re gonna give it the old college try. Right, buddy?” Landon looks down at Taco. The dog is preoccupied with a plastic toy bone that squeaks.
Walking toward the arena with Merle, I feel complete joy fill my heart. I bend to pet my beloved bulldog, whispering, “You can do this, boy,” into his ear.
And he sure does, flying over, under, and around obstacles at record speed. When he’s finished, I drop to my knees and pull the hunk of muscles to my chest.
“That was amazing.”
I look up to find Landon grinning down at me. The Chihuahuas jump on Merle as if they’re trying to congratulate him too. He gives me a long-suffering look as Taco bites at his ear.
“And up next, we have the first in our small division. Please welcome Taco, the Chihuahua!” the announcer with the mustache calls out on the microphone. “What an awesome name!”
Everyone claps as Taco and Landon walk into the arena. Landon looks nervous under the bright lights. I’m starting to think maybe this is too much for him, and I shouldn’t have pushed him into the spotlight so soon. His hands tremble a little as he waves at the crowd.
“Okay, Taco, show us what you can do, por favor!” The announcer chuckles.
Landon takes Taco through the first obstacle course with only one little mistake and a relatively fast time for a first timer. I’m shocked! I never knew that they had it in them. Landon stays by Taco’s side every step of the way, talking him through it with the positive reinforcement techniques I showed him.
Everyone claps for Taco as he finishes with flying colors. “That’s one amazing Chihuahua!” the announcer says. “Please give it up one more time for Taco and Landon!”
The applause gets louder as Taco and Landon come to the backstage area. I’m waiting by the entrance with Merle and the three amigos. I kneel to pet Taco. “Great job, boy!” I look up at Landon. “Where did you learn to do all of that?”
“I had been practicing every day on my own with the dogs until you-know-who took them away,” Landon says. “I was afraid that they might forget everything, but Taco really worked his magic out there.”
“To say the least! So, now you can see first-hand that positive reinforcement really works.”
“For them and for me.” He kneels down to pet the Chihuahuas and steals a kiss from me. The dogs jump up and down and bark louder. “You know what I think?”
“What’s that?”
“I think you’re perfect, Brooke Kirkland.”
The heat of his compliment flows over me as he steals another kiss.
*
**
Landon and I stand in the backstage area as the last dog and his trainer finish up in the arena. “Alright folks, our program has come to a close, but don’t go anywhere, we’re gonna take a little break while the judges tally up the scores!” the announcer says.
Loud music blasts over the speaker. Landon turns to me. “Are you still hungry? I could really use those nachos about now.”
“But he’s about to announce the winners.”
“Seriously, Brooke? I know you’re a constant optimist and Taco is great, but there’s no way he stands a chance with all of this competition. Can you watch the dogs? I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
He walks away. I pet the dogs and smile at them. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, huh.”
A few minutes later, the announcer makes his way back to the center of the arena. “Alright folks, now for the big prizes! Let me start off by saying that it wasn’t easy at all for the judges to make up their minds. But here goes…”
The sound of a drum roll blasts through the speakers. I send a text to Landon. “Hurry.”
He replies: “Just placed order. Be back in a sec.”
“And the third runner-up is Bailey, the Beagle!” The dog and his trainer rush out to the arena to accept their prize. Everyone applauds. “And the second runner-up is Molly, the Poodle!” The dog and her trainer rush out to the arena to accept their prize. The applauds gets louder.
I send another text message to Landon that reads: “Where are you?”
He replies: “I’m coming. Not like Taco will win first place. LOL.”
“And now for the biggest, grandest prize of all! Our champion is…drum roll please…” The announcer paces the arena. The drum roll is very loud. “Merle, the bulldog!”
Everyone applauds.
Shocked, I look at Brad. “Can you please watch the other dogs for a second? That’s me!”
“Sure, no problem,” he says and takes the leashes.
I run out to the middle of the arena with Merle. Landon runs down the steps and jumps inside with us. I can’t help but laugh. He’s out of breath.
“Now that’s what I call an entrance, folks!” The announcer smiles as he hands me a golden trophy with a dog paw on the top. Taco barks to be picked up, and when Landon does, he licks his hair. Everyone shares a laugh as Merle snorts and grunts his approval.
I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and take a few pictures. The moment is way too cute to pass up. Landon smiles as he holds Taco and my trophy.
We walk to the backstage area. I look into Landon’s eyes. I’m so happy it’s hard to put all of my raging emotions into words. I can’t believe how Guy turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, but that’s all in the rearview mirror now. I have so much to look forward to with Landon. We have our whole lives ahead of us.
He presses his lips to my hair. “Congratulations.”
“Merle did all the hard work,” I say. “You and Taco did really great yourselves.”
He grins. “None of this would’ve been possible without the help of a very talented, gorgeous trainer I happen to know. I realize I still have a little more work to do with them, even my hair licking competitor, but I’ve got all the right tools because the woman who taught me really knows her stuff.”
“Is that right?”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “Yes, that’s right. And you want to know something else?”
I lift an eyebrow, happy down to my toes. “What’s that?”
“I’m falling in love with you, Brooke Kirkland.”
Tears prick the backs of my eyes, and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his face down to mine, ignoring the jumping dogs all around us. “I’m falling in love with you too, Landon Cole.”
Our lips connect, and everything is right in my world.
Chapter 24
Landon
As I glance over at the stunningly gorgeous woman sitting next to me, my heart flips over, and I can’t believe my good luck. It’s not like I deserve all the happiness that I’ve found lately. But I’ll take it. I drive down the street, on the lookout for random cracker eating ladies in the street, the Chihuahuas safely in their crate in the back seat. I will freely admit how much I missed them. The silence inside the huge house has been deafening.
I’m so used to shitty outcomes that I can hardly believe all of the wonderful things that seem to have been dumped into my lap. I like to think of Carla as my own personal angel, leading me toward my highest good. I got my dogs back from Guy Monroe, Taco killed it at the agility trial. Oh, and I finally summoned the nerve to tell Brooke how I feel about her. And she took my breath away when she returned my sentiment.
It’s hard to process my joy since I’m much more accustomed to misery. The whole world seems different now. I swear the sun shines brighter than ever before even though summer is a month away.
I get to the stop light and glance at her. “We never got around to those nachos. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, how about some Chinese from that place you like?”
“That sounds good.” I make a right turn. “I’m always up for some lo mein. Do you still want chicken fried rice and egg rolls?”
She grins. “You remember?”
“Like I told you before, you’re impossible to forget.”
I remember every single word you’ve ever said to me. Every nuance of your expression. Every stroke of your hand.
A few minutes later, I pull into the parking lot of the Chinese restaurant and head inside and place my order. “Lo mein, chicken fried rice, and egg rolls,” I say. “Oh, and don’t forget the fortune cookies. My fortunes have turned, so I might even need two.”
“Sure.” The man scribbles down my order, and I pay him in cash. “It’ll be fifteen minutes.”
Usually, when I get carryout, I just wait in the lobby. But there’s no way I’m doing that. I’m anxious to spend every moment with Brooke and the dogs. I walk back outside and inhale the fresh spring air.
As I approach the car, Brooke talks to the dogs, telling them they’ll be home soon. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna take good care of you guys. How about some bacon from Wendy’s?”
They bark and jump up and down. Brooke lets out a laugh as Merle just sighs and drops his head on his paws. “They’re a riot. I think they really understand the meaning of the word bacon.”
I nod. “And to think, I was so close to losing them forever.”
She frowns. “I still can’t believe what Guy tried to pull.”
“I’m not surprised. I always got a bad vibe from him. I think he has a thing for you, so he was trying to impress you.”
Her face scrunches up into a cute pout. “Well, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. I told him exactly what I think of him and his behavior.”
“That’s right. If he ever shows up on my doorstep again, he’ll get a knuckle sandwich.”
She chuckles. “Landon, what am I gonna do with you?”
“I’ve got a couple of ideas, but we can’t talk about it now. I don’t want the kiddos to hear.” I nod my head towards the dogs.
She blushes. “You’ve got a dirty mind.”
“My lady, I haven’t even begun to bring the filth.”
A few minutes later, I step out of the car and get the Chinese food. On the way back home, I go through the Wendy’s drive-thru for a bacon hamburger with extra bacon. There’s no way I’m going to touch the burger...beef lo mein will be plenty of protein for me, but I know the dogs will devour the treat especially for them.
When I pull up to the house, Brooke helps guide the dogs inside, and I carry the food and the trophy. The Chihuahuas and Merle run all over the place, their excitement apparent in their barks and flailing tails. Their noses drag the ground as they inhale all the new smells.
“Welcome back, fellas!” I head to the kitchen and put the food on the counter before kneeling down to pet them. They climb all over me. Taco gets all the way up to my chest and st
icks out his little tongue. I stop him just before he starts licking my hair.
Brooke lets out a laugh. “They’re just the cutest! Even the hair licking. Come on, Landon. You’ve got to admit it.”
I glance up at her. “Enough about how wonderful they are. How about me?”
She walks closer until I can smell her. It’s a mixture of gardenias and lust. “You’re more than cute.”
I stand up. “Oh really.”
“You’re sexy.”
It’s been years since I’ve been called sexy, not that I’m complaining. Blood rushes to my dick. Normally, I’d will it to stand down but not today. I wrap my arms around her waist and plant a kiss on her soft lips. I close my eyes and get lost in the moment.
When I feel the dogs jumping near my ankles, I open my eyes. “Okay, guys, who’s ready for their snack?”
I grab the burger out of the Wendy’s bag and break up the bacon strips into little pieces. They erupt into a chorus of barks and salivating tongues. “Okay, boys, quiet. Patience.” I try to make the most of Brooke’s positive reinforcement techniques. But apparently, they’re too hungry to listen or care.
I put a little bacon in each of their empty bowls, and they gobble it up. “Geez, wasn’t Guy feeding you?” Merle gets half of the beef patty and gobbles it down in one gulp.
Brooke rolls her eyes. “I doubt he treated them to bacon. They were probably eating the dog food he buys in bulk for the shelter.”
“Gross! Burrito, Chili, Fajita, and Taco have very discerning taste. They won’t eat if they don’t like their food. Do they look skinny to you?”
Her eyes scan the little dogs up and down, but I wish she’d be turning her appraising gaze on me. “I don’t think they were gone long enough to lose any weight.”
I grin. “You took a rain check on the wine last time you were here, how about I pour us both a glass?”
“Sure,” she says.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about adopting out Fajita since he’s breeding stock. Maybe a reputable breeder could take good care of him, and he could provide the world with a passel of champion Chihuahuas.”
“What about the rest?”
“I’m not sure yet. I don’t want to give them all up, but I won’t let them go unless I find them the perfect home.”
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