Page 29 of Cowboy's Sinful Bargain

Jos nodded before sliding his arms under the dog and lifting him up. He carried him into the bathroom. A tub half full of warm water was waiting.

I stayed close as Jos scrubbed the dog up with blue colored soap and then rinsed him off with a hand held shower head. Jos did this twice more before he seemed satisfied.

When he was all done, I held a towel out. Jos grabbed the towel and used it to dry the dog as much as possible before using a hair dryer to finish the job.

"This little guy doesn't look to be more than three or four months old," Jos stated, "but by the size of his paws, he's going to be a big guy when he's full grown, maybe even upwards of a hundred pounds."

"Is that bad?" I asked.

"No, but I'll bet he'll eat someone out of house and home."

Yeah, I had no idea what that meant beyond the fact that the dog would eat a lot. Maybe I could share my food with him?

Assuming I could keep him.

I chewed on my bottom lip as I considered my options. Everyone had said that life on a ranch was hard. People worked from sun up till sun down. One more mouth to feed wouldn't help the situation, but could I really let the little guy go?

Who knows who he would end up with?

I gave a deep bow, bending at the waist. "Please forgive my impertinence, but may I keep?" I asked. "Will work hard, share food. Will take care of dog. Will not cause trouble."

"Jesus-H-Christ, Miko, would you stop bowing?"

I hesitantly stood straight, but I dared not look up. I dug the jade necklace out of my pocket and held it out to Jos again. He hadn't taken it last time, but maybe he would this time.

It wasn't like I had anything else to offer.

Chapter Nine

~ Jos ~

"You really want to keep this mangy critter?"

I mean, sure he'd probably be something once he grew up, but right now he was just a mess of big paws and fur. He had a long ways to go—and a lot of training—before he'd be worth much.

He looked like he might be an Anatolian Shepherd, which was a good breed for a ranch. They tended to be loyal dogs even if they were not that affectionate.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. Anatolian Shepherds were known for their strong protective instincts. If we could get this one to be protective of Miko, it would give him one more thing to help keep him safe on the ranch.

"Please?"

My sigh could have filled the Grand Canyon.

"Are you sure?" I had to ask. Maybe I'd get lucky and he'd change his mind. "Pets take a lot of hard work, especially puppies like this guy."

Miko's eyes finally met mine, but they were so rounded, they dominated his face. "I can keep?"

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I couldn't deny the pleading in Miko's eyes. "If you really want him you can keep him, but you have to take care of him. He'd be your responsibility."

"Arigatou gozaimasu." Miko bowed at the waist, saying "Arigatou gozaimasu." Pretty sure that meant thank you.

I hated the bowing.

I handed the sleeping puppy to Miko. "Go get him settled in your room. I'll call our vet and see if he can come give him an examination, make sure his paw is okay. He'll probably needshots, too. Tomorrow, we'll need to go into town and get supplies for him."

"Supplies?" Miko asked.

"He'll need a leash, collar, food bowls, a bed, some toys so he doesn't chew everything up, and until we know if he's potty trained or not, you'll need puppy pads."

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