Page 76 of Every Little Kiss
“I found him standing by the road, alone,” he said. “Actually, Bullseye found him. I was going to call you, but I decided I’d try to get him to go back on his own terms.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” she said, running a hand down his arm. “It ended up being his best day of camp. Probably his best day of the summer.”
He shrugged self-consciously, and Liv found it odd that for such a confident man, Ford had a hard time accepting a genuine compliment.
“The handshake went off so well that Paxton was nominated Camp Super Star, and the counselors asked everyone to come up with their own handshake for the parade. Which is why I need to borrow Bullseye. I think it will help Paxton relax in front of his peers, and maybe even open the door to making some friends.” She pulled out another folded paper, this one an article she’d printed out. “I found this shelter in Denver that helps shy or anxious kids overcome their fears of public speaking with kitten therapy.”
“Kitten therapy?”
“They bring kids who have a hard time reading in front of class into a room full of kittens and have them read to the kittens,” she explained. “It helps socialize the kittens for adoption, but researchers found that the kids’ stress levels dropped significantly because they could practice reading aloud without being judged.”
“It’s another reason we bring nonthreatening dogs like Bullseye on searches for kids. Most of the trailing K-9s can track a week-old scent, but kids are more likely to respond to the calls of the officers if they see a goofy dog by their side rather than a German shepherd or a Doberman. It also calms the kids and creates an immediate conversation starter,” he said. “Sometimes we only have a few seconds to gain their trust, and an animal can help with that.”
Liv wasn’t so sure about his theory. There was a gentleness and sincerity about Ford that made him easy to like. Easy to really like, she thought, staring at his lips. “So can I rent your dog?”
“You can borrow him, on one condition,” he said, and she met his gaze, steady and warm. “Have dinner with me? A real dinner?”
“Unless it comes in a box or off a menu, I’ll burn it.”
Ford cupped her cheek. “I didn’t ask you to cook for me—I asked you to come to dinner with me.”
When he looked at her like that, Liv was afraid she’d go anywhere with him.
