Page 26 of Isabelle & Jason
“What made your brother interested in raising cattle dogs?”
Isabelle shrugged as she pushed open the door to the building where they kept the puppies. “I don’t know. Probably because he likes animals.”
“But he could have chosen to work with horses.”
She eyed him with a smirk. “We do work with horses.”
He could have smacked his hand to his forehead. “I know. But… you know what I mean.”
She giggled. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
The space was wide open with different areas marked off by thigh-high walls. They resembled the gates that parents put in front of the stairs with bars that were too close together for any of the dogs to get hurt, even the puppies. Inside different sections were pups of varying ages. He stopped suddenly and blinked.
Isabelle came up beside him, her body brushing his. “They were born about three days ago,” she whispered.
Jason continued to stare. The puppies looked like nothing more than rodents. He must have been wearing a look of shock because Isabelle laughed quietly before nudging him along.
“I know, they’re not that cute. Not yet. Give them a few more weeks.”
He shuffled along until she took him to a crated area where another very pregnant Australian Shepherd was resting. Isabelle high-stepped it over a fenced area, then knelt down and scratched at the dog’s ear. “Hello, sweetheart. How are you doing?” she crooned.
Jason hung back, watching her work. There were about four groups of dogs. He didn’t know how many they bred at a given time, but by the looks of it, this was max capacity. “How often…” he found himself asking.
She glanced up at him. “How often do we breed them?”
He nodded.
“Every other year. And after they have three or four litters, we retire them. We love each and every mama who comes through here, and we want them healthy and well-rested between each litter.”
“Is that the norm?”
She considered his question for a moment, then shook her head. “Unfortunately, there are some places that will breed a dog every chance they get. They can get pregnant every six to seven months, and even though it’s not recommended to breed them more than once a year, people will take advantage. For them, it’s about the money.”
He glanced around the space. It was cozy and warm. He couldn’t see any strain on the animals whatsoever. Between food, space, and anything else the dogs needed, Isabelle had it covered. “This is amazing.”
She grinned at him but then ducked her head before he could look into her eyes for too long. “This is Sue, and she’ll be retiring after this litter. There’s already a lovely older couple who want to have her when she’s done weaning her puppies.” Isabelle patted Sue’s head one last time. “I want to get as much time with her as I can. She’s one of the sweetest ones we’ve had.”
Jason stepped back as Isabelle rose and climbed over the fenced area. They exited out the way they came, and as they headed toward the wranglers’ cabin, he slowed his steps. She turned to him, curiosity in her eyes.
He could tell she was wondering what was wrong. He didn’t know himself. All he knew was that he didn’t want this morning to end. Not yet.
“Jason?” she whispered.
Without realizing what he was doing, he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You have no idea how amazing you are.” It wasn’t until he registered that his fingers were still grazing the soft, warm skin at her temple that he jerked his hand away. Shoot! “I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I promised you I wouldn’t?—”
Isabelle reached for his wrist, preventing him from pulling back a few paces. Heat licked up the back of his neck, and he focused on the way her touch felt against his skin. It was soft and warm. Perfection, just like Isabelle.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
His eyes lifted, locking with hers. For an intense moment he considered stepping closer to her, itching to reach out and trace her cheekbone with his thumb. He wanted to slip his hand behind her neck and hold her still while he told her everything. She needed to know that everything that had happened in her past didn’t define her—that all the turmoil she was clearly holding onto could be released like balloons into the sky.
Heaven knew he wanted to tell her all of this.
“Isabelle,” he rasped.
“Good morning,” Mark mumbled, his voice tinged with sleep.
The woman before Jason flinched, then stepped back, her eyes not meeting his.
