“Fine, he’s got a new owner,” Noah growled. “Can you replace the old chip with one that ties him back to me?” Charlie’s and Neve’s astonished faces turned toward him. “What?”
Charlie narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Thought you didn’t want a dog.”
Noah shrugged. “If the only way to rescue this dog from his dumbass name is to adopt him, then I’m in.”
Hailey crossed her arms to keep herself from flinging them around his neck. Instead, she gave him a broad smile, which he returned with a sheepish one. The grumpy guy was a closet marshmallow, and he knew that she knew his secret. The sweet, silent kinship that passed between them lit her up inside.
Chapter 10
Fall River Royalty
Hailey exited the clinicbetween the twin towers of Charlie and Noah. On a brand-new lead attached to a brand-new harness Noah had bought inside, Lex Luthor fell in beside his new owner.
“Someone trained this dog to heel,” said dog’s new owner declared.
“And maybe they were none too gentle about it,” Charlie threw in. “Look how he’s watching your every move, like he’s afraid he’ll do something wrong and get in trouble for it.”
Noah stopped mid-stride to pat the dog’s head. “Let’s get something straight, dude,” he said to the animal. “Adjusting to each other will take time, but I will not hit, kick, or otherwise whale on you.”
Lex Luthor sported a pathetic look that broadcast he desperately wanted to believe. He gave a tentative wag of his tail, and Noah scratched the pup’s chin. “Good talk.”
Miniature bubbles of joy rose and popped inside Hailey, releasing a giddiness she had difficulty restraining. Lex Luthor had hit the jackpot.He had found a forever home with a marshmallow man who would take good care of him.
They ambled toward the Miners Tavern, and she was lost in thoughts of needling Noah about his “hole-in-the-wall” workplace when her phone pinged with a text from Kaylee, wanting to know if the mega storm had affected her in Montrose. How much to tell her sister?
Noah’s green-fire gaze dipped from her face to her phone. “Everything all right? You look … worried.”
She barked out a mirthless laugh. “I’m debating what to tell my overprotective big sister. If she learns the truth—that I’m stranded because my broken-down car is sitting at the top of a mountain covered in a gazillion feet of snow—she’ll freak out and send in the Mounties.”
“Uh, they’re in Canada,” Charlie offered.
Hailey darted him a look. “Exactly. Kaylee spreads her net far and wide.”
Charlie’s hazel eyes popped. “Kaylee Bailey? Did your parents do that on purpose?”
Noah sent his brother a warning frown.
She placed her hand on Noah’s forearm and quickly pulled it away before it got too comfortable there. “It’s okay,” she reassured him. To Charlie, she said, “Our father didn’t take parenting seriously, which is one of the reasons Kaylee is a mama bear. Now I have to craft an answer that walks a fine line between lying and getting her so agitated she commandeers a tow truck.”
Noah’s brows cinched so tight they nearly touched. “You didn’t tell her?”
Charlie raised his hands in surrender. “Back off already, dude. We’ve been kinda busy.”
Hailey looked from one brother to the other. “Tell me what?”
Charlie grinned. “Your 4Runner is in the shop as we speak. Micky says it’s only the battery, and he’s ordered one from Durango. It might not be here until tomorrow, but I checked, and you’re welcome to stay at the Moose until your car’s fixed and the roads are passable.”
“When … How … Who …” she spluttered.
“I think you’re missing what and where,” Noah deadpanned.
“How did my car wind up at Micky’s?”
Charlie shrugged. “Micky drove up to Coal Bank late yesterday and towed it to his place.”
She stared at Noah. “What about your truck?”
“It’s at Micky’s too. He’s going to throw on a new pair of tires so it’s drivable until I can get it into a body shop.”
