Page 23 of Sweet Beginnings

“Brady?” the man asked.

“My brother’s military dog. He retired out and my mom took him in. Took a while to get him used to living on a ranch, but Mom did it.”

Aaron sighed. “It always does, but not everyone recognizes that patience is key. Nothing good comes overnight.” Picking up the leash, he started toward a back portion of the yard and suddenly the dog that didn’t want to move was practically dragging the man behind him. As soon as the dog crossed into the smaller kennel area, it was like night and day. His tail started wagging, he stood erect, proud, and bounced around the trainer seeking attention.

“Wow.” Preston hadn’t meant to say anything.

Sarah, who had remained focused on Samson, nodded. “Other dogs?”

The guy shrugged again. “Not so good.”

Which meant Brady might be a problem. She crouched low and opened her palm. The dog crept carefully closer and slowly nibbled the treats from her hand. When the dog leaned into her, Preston could sense Sarah was smiling inside. “Does he have any health issues? Arthritis?”

“None. Clean bill of health.” Aaron watched the dog interact with Sarah as she gave him another treat.

Every time the dog leaned into her, she gave him another treat and soon began scratching behind his ears. “I was expecting worse.”

“He’s a good dog,” the man said without taking his eyes away from Samson. “But the slightest change…”

“Yes,” Sarah agreed. “I can see that. I have an idea.” She handed Preston a few treats and the dog stayed in place, but his gaze tracked the treats and then focused on Preston’s hand.

Already squatting near Sarah, Preston opened his hand the way she had. The dog looked back to the man he felt comfortable with, waiting for permission.

“These dogs are always searching for instructions.” The trainer lifted his chin at Preston. “Go on,” he told the dog and immediately Samson walked over to Preston, a bit more sure of himself.

On a sigh, Sarah pushed to her feet. “Let me see what I can do.”

The guy’s face broke into a broad smile. “It’s getting harder and harder to keep up with the dogs that need retraining. We have someone possibly interested, but we’ve never worked with her before. If you have someone experienced in mind for this situation, it would be a huge relief for all of us.”

Sarah nodded. Preston had the feeling she knew all too well what the man spoke of. “Give me a few days and we’ll talk again.”

His head bobbing up and down, the man sighed. “I’ve got four more coming in next week, if we don’t find a placement for Samson…” He let his words hang. Both Sarah and Preston knew what wasn’t being said.

Another thirty minutes and they were back in Preston’s car and on the road to the Sweet Ranch. Preston could see the wheels turning in Sarah’s mind.

“You know,” Preston spoke up first. “If you’re going to be on the ranch with us for a bit, even if Mom isn’t up to it yet, it looked to me like Samson took to you. If they could keep him here until then, and we can figure out how to keep him away from Brady, maybe…”

Sarah nodded.

“What do you think?”

Her gaze shifted from the open road to him, and the muscles in her jaw seemed to hold more tension than he liked. “How do you feel about eloping to Vegas?”

Chapter Nine

Even though she’d known she was pretty much out of options, Sarah Sue had spent most of the drive back to the ranch on the phone with different contacts.

“None of that sounds good.” Preston pulled onto the ranch drive.

“Your family is Samson’s only hope, but I need Alice to be a little more steady on her feet before even suggesting we bring Samson to the ranch.”

Once he’d seen the dog, he was much less concerned about his issues, but he had to admit the timing was the pits.

Not for the first time during the drive her phone buzzed. “What’ve you got for me, Aaron?”

He couldn’t quite make out what the voice on the other side said, but her shoulders relaxed and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

“Thanks.” She disconnected the call and a full smile took over her face. “Two of the dogs Aaron was expecting next week have been placed elsewhere. That buys us some time for Samson.”

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