“No clue. She’s been tied up at my neighbor’s for a year, so she’s at least that old. I guess whatever dog was roaming the neighborhood got her.”
I eyed the dog’s petite frame and big, round belly. “Man, I hope it wasn’t a Great Dane.”
Arthur came back out with a form on a clipboard and walked the guy through the details. Before the dude signed the document that was mostlyI don’t knows, Arthur pointed. “You’re signing that the dog is legally yours.”
The man shrugged. “Neighbor handed me the rope and said, ‘Here, she’s yours. You take care of her.’ My wife was there.”
“Good enough.” Arthur signed the form too, tore off a copy, and handed it over before gesturing the guy back to his truck.
“What’ll happen to her?” the man asked, hovering at his open door.
Arthur softened his tone. “We’ll find good homes for her and the puppies. I promise.”
“Okay. Great.”
“Thanks for rescuing her.”
The guy hesitated a moment more, then swung up into the truck and drove off. At my side, the dog whined.
Arthur slumped, then banged his head slowly against the post supporting the porch roof. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“What? Why?”
“I can’t ask you to take on a pregnant forty-pound dog.”
“You didn’t ask. I volunteered.”
“Yeah, but you don’t have a place to stay.”
“I can go back to Theo’s building. It’s fine.”
“I thought you didn’t want to see him. His building? What was all that you said?”
“The one I was squatting in?”
I could see from Arthur’s expression that he didn’t understand. But when I’d explained the whole mess, he nodded slowly. “No wonder he was so worried about you. He thought he’d shoved you out on the street.”
“Bastard didn’t shove me. I walked.”
“He clearly felt guilty.” Arthur eyed me. “You sure you want to go back?”
“I’m sure I don’t want this preggo girl wandering on some farm. And…” I gave it some thought. Fuck, I missed the gorgeous bastard. “Maybe this is a good excuse. Theo lied to me. No changing that. But maybe he had a reason. There’s shit going on with him I know he hasn’t told me. I didn’t want to go crawling back, but he likes dogs. He’d see I did it for Foxy.”
“Okay, then. But I’m going to give you food for her and a leash and bowls and everything. Dog poop bags. A bed.”
“Okaaay.” Carrying all that was going to be a bitch. I hadn’t thought this through properly.
Like he read my mind, Arthur said, “I’ll give you a lift, of course. I need to check out the setup if you’re going to foster.”
“I’m not formal, right? Like, my name’s not on a list?” The thought made me itchy. Official meant ID and forms, and I didn’t have those.
“Not if you don’t want to be.” Something about how Arthur said that, soft and gentle, made my chest tight. “You’re doing me a favor. We can keep it under the table for now.”
I nodded a couple of times.
“Bring her around into the yard.” Arthur gave my forearm a gentle squeeze. “I need to check her over for health, and we’ll fit her with a harness and leash. Come on. We’ll get the two of you set up.” He paused, raised an eyebrow. “What will Mimsy think?”
I gave a damp laugh.I just complicated the hell out of my life.But the dog looked up at me with those trusting brown eyes and I couldn’t regret it. “Mimsy will be the boss of all of us within moments. Guaranteed.”
