Page 31 of Easton Island: A Wedding to Remember

Kayleigh motioned for the couple to take Quinn’s and Morgan’s places on the mat before leading them to the back.“Because of the specific issues I mentioned earlier, it works best if you meet one dog at a time.”

Using a special key, she unlocked the door and disappeared inside the small kennel.

Morgan waited until she was gone. “I’m glad I’m not in your shoes.”

“This is going to be tough,” Quinn groaned. “At least I’ve narrowed it down.”

“To a half dozen?”

“No. I love the cats and might even consider one down the road, but for now I have my heart set on a dog.”

“Woman’s loyal companion,” Morgan quipped. “You can take him or her for walks. Chester and I walk as often as we can. A dog is also good for helping protect your home.”

“They are. If I adopt a dog, Chester will have a friend.”

“He would,” Morgan agreed.

Kayleigh appeared. “You can come on back.”

Quinn entered the enclosed area while Morgan hovered in the doorway. There, sitting in the corner, was a brown-haired mixed breed. He bared his teeth. Hunching his back, he warily eyed them.

“This is Slingshot. It takes a while for him to warm up,” Kayleigh said. “You might not want to try petting him.”

Quinn chatted with the dog, who stood guardedly watching them the entire time. “Unfortunately, Slingshot might be more than I can handle.”

“I figured as much. Between you and me, I think he might be better suited for a single guy. Slingshot does better around men.”

The trio returned to the hall. Kayleigh escorted them inside another kennel. Although the second dog wasn’t aggressive, he wasn’t at all interested in meeting either of them.

Ditto for the third dog, and Morgan was beginning to think Quinn would choose a pup from the main area.

“We have one more dog. Her name is Can-dee.”

“Can-dee,” Quinn repeated.

“None of us could decide, so her name is short for can’t decide,” Kayleigh said. “She’s smart as a whip. I swear she understands what you’re saying when you talk to her.”

“Is she friendly?”

“If you can get her to come to you. She’s skittish and struggles at socializing with the other dogs.” Kayleigh told them a local had found her digging around in a trash bin looking for food almost a year ago. “We think she may have belonged to someone who was vacationing on the island. They either lost her or abandoned her.”

“I know if I lost Chester, I would tear the place apart, putting up signs and posting a reward,” Morgan said.

“Same here, which is why we think it may have been more of an abandonment issue.” Kayleigh unlocked the door and led them inside.

Seated on a doggie bed in the corner was Chester’s twin. Her coloring was nearly identical to his…even the expression on her face.

Morgan said the first thing that popped into her head. “Can-dee is Chester’s twin.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Quinn said.

“Can-dee looks like your dog?” Kayleigh asked.

“We rescued him—or more like he adopted us when we found him over on Chester Court not long after we moved to Easton Island,” Morgan explained.

“What do you think the chances are that they’re siblings or related?” Quinn asked.

“If I was basing it strictly on their looks, I would say there’s a very good chance.”

---