Page 110 of River
As we walked back to the farm, Maximum moved up to walk in front of me, next to Fleur.
“I thought you said that you didn’t want to enforce your will on Clara, so why do it on the dogs?”
Fleur’s eyes met Maximum’s. “Excuse me?”
“I’m just wondering. You said that you’re training the dogs to be service dogs, but how do you know they want that job? Isn’t that imposing your will on them to make them servants like that?”
“Maximum, what is wrong with you today?” I asked because even though he’d asked his questions with genuine curiosity, it annoyed me how critical he was of Fleur.
“It’s okay, River.” Fleur kept holding Saffron’s hand and looked straight ahead. “It’s a fair question to ask. The thing about dogs is that they love to serve. There’s a natural connection between dogs and humans, so I’ve never had a dog say that he or she wouldn’t love to help. Typically, horses are naturally inclined to love people too, but if they’ve been mistreated like Clara, some healing needs to happen before they can learn to trust again. The puppies, however, are bundles of love and happiness. They are excited to get to work but need guidance to learn what to do.”
“What kind of service dogs do you train here?” Charles asked. “Is it support dogs for the blind?”
“No, not yet. We’d like to, but for now, we’re training support dogs for people who need emotional support. The people who apply for a dog like this typically have severe anxiety, PTSD, or other diagnoses, which makes it hard for them to function in society. Our dogs are trained to be calm and sense when their person needs help. We know that for someone attacked by anxiety, the weight and closeness of the dog can help calm them down.”
We’d reached the stables where Marvin and the others were talking to other visitors.
“I’ll leave it to Noah to introduce you to the puppies. I just need to check up on something, but I’ll see you later.”
I noticed how Maximum’s eyes followed Fleur as she left.
“What’s with you today?” I nudged him forward.
“You could have warned me that she was so beautiful. I thought she would be an old hag.”
“Fleur isn’t interested in men.”
“Why? Is she a lesbian?”
“No. She was married once, but it must have been a bad break-up because she moved all the way from South Africa to Ireland to get away from him.”
Maximum’s eyes lit up. “So, she’s single?”
“Yes, but she’s given up on men. She says she likes animals better than people.”
“Really?” Maximum looked back in Fleur’s direction one last time before we went to meet the puppies. “Ask her if she’ll come out with us for Noah’s birthday dinner tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a lot more questions.”
I blew away a strand of hair. “Okay, but then you have to promise to be kinder to her.”
“When was I unkind?”
“You were direct and critical.”
He scoffed. “I wasn’t! All I did was ask questions, and you have to admit that it’s all a bit strange.”
“If you want me to invite Fleur to come along tonight, then you have to promise to behave.”
Maximum looked all innocence. “You have my word.”
