FOUR

      Watching Abigail unwind while petting Jessie gave Reed an idea. If she continued to refuse to see a doctor about her mental hiccup, perhaps he could help her another way.

      “Jessie sure took to you. You must be a dog lover, too.”

      He noted a flush of her cheeks. “I don’t really know. I mean, I’ve fed strays before but I’ve never had a pet of my own.”

      “Not even when you were a kid?”

      The warmth he’d sensed was swept away by a scowl and a shake of her head. “Sometimes I wonder if I was ever a child.”

      Concerned, he regarded her soberly. “You’re serious.”

      “Very.”

      “Care to explain?”

      “Not really.”

      Although Abigail rested her hand atop Jessie’s head, Reed noticed that she had ceased stroking. The friendly bloodhound did her best to encourage further attention, finally rolling onto her back, all four paws in the air, tail thumping the sofa cushions.

      Reed waited for Jessie’s antics to relax Abigail again before he mentioned his idea. “Since you’re so naturally good with dogs, how about volunteering to foster one of our extra pups.”

      She scowled at him. “Do what?”

      “We received an amazing working dog as a gift from the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, there must have been a miscommunication because Stella delivered a litter soon after she arrived.”

      “What does that have to do with me?” Abigail looked so astonished he decided to play up the underdog, literally.

      “After her pups were weaned and tested for various abilities, most of them qualified for our training program and are being fostered.” Reed paused for effect. “One little female is right on the cusp of flunking out and we’d like to find her a new foster home to see if lots more one-on-one attention helps. I’m not asking you to commit to giving her a permanent home but it will help her develop to her full potential if she’s well socialized and loved while she’s young.”

      Abigail was shaking her head. “I have enough problems without adding a puppy.”

      “You wouldn’t have to keep her. Just get her off to a good start.”

      “Me? I can hardly handle my own life these days and you want to add an impressionable youngster to it?”

      Shrugging, Reed blew out a breath that was so evident it even caught Jessie’s attention. “I just figured, since you were so good at rescuing needy kids, you might be willing to do the same for an innocent animal.”

      Judging by the way Abigail was looking at him, Reed could tell she wasn’t totally buying his analogy. “It’s true. All of it,” he insisted. He pulled out his phone and paged through the photo files, smiling and holding it out for her to view once he located the shot he wanted. “This is Midnight. Look at those sad eyes. How can you refuse to help her?”

      The instant Abigail saw the picture, her whole body reacted and she pouted. “Oh, poor thing. She looks so lonely all by herself.”

      Reed let her take his phone so she could study Midnight in detail. She may have told him no but her body language said otherwise. All he had to do was be patient.

      “What a sweet face. And those floppy ears. Will they stand up like a German shepherd’s when she’s older?”

      “No. We did genetic testing on the litter. They’re purebred Labs like their mama. The only difference is, Stella’s coat is yellow. That’s going to be another problem in placing Midnight if she doesn’t make it through our program. Black dogs are statistically the last to be chosen at the pound.”

      “You’re not sending this poor baby to the dog pound!”

      “Well, I hope not, but...”

      It was all Reed could do to keep from grinning. When her eyes met his he could tell she realized he’d been leading her on.

      Abigail began to smile and slowly shook her head. “You’re good. I could use somebody with a smooth technique like yours at work. You could charm those wild kids into shape in no time.”

      His grin escaped with a quiet chuckle. “Does this mean you’ll take the pup?”

      “No.” She handed his phone back to him. “But I will agree to meet her, no guarantees. You could fill a book with all the things I don’t know about raising a dog.”

      “That’s okay. I’ll teach you.” He stood before she could change her mind and called out to Olga. “I’ll take a rain check on the coffee, ma’am.”

      “You’re leaving?” the older woman asked, peeking around the corner from the kitchen.

      “Not for long. I’ll be back ASAP. I promise.”

      Already thinking ahead, Reed signaled to Jessie, clipped her leash to her collar and headed for the door with a brief wave goodbye. His intention was to leave before Abigail thought it through and had time to change her mind. Once she met Midnight he was pretty sure she’d fall in love.

      With the dog, he added to himself when a stray thought intruded to remind him how attractive the young woman was.

      Reed shook off any whispers of impropriety. He had not come there looking for romance. He’d sought out Abigail because of a sense of duty. When he’d rescued her he’d stepped into her life enough to care, which was not necessarily a wise reaction. Nevertheless, he was determined to do what he could to help. This was a win-win situation. A needy pup would help Abigail heal as well as benefit the less than stellar young dog.

      He jogged down the stairs with Jessie at his side. Midnight might still blossom in the right foster home even though she’d done poorly so far. As long as he stuck around long enough to get Abigail and the pup off to a good start there was a chance of redemption. He could already see her taking Midnight to work with her when she was ready to go back. A loving puppy would help reach the street kids, too, and perhaps show aptitude as a future service dog. They needed the nonjudgmental acceptance K-9s provided.

      Together, Reed and Jessie broke out into the sunshine and headed for his SUV. There was a spring in the dog’s gait and she almost looked as if she was smiling.

      Reed empathized. He was pretty happy, too. If the narrow sidewalk hadn’t been so crowded he might have jogged back to his vehicle instead of settling for a brisk walking pace.

      Suddenly, Jessie gave a tug on the leash that jarred Reed out of his reverie. He paused. Looked behind him. Heard the bloodhound growl and saw the hackles on her back bristle.

      “What is it, girl?”

      Jessie never took her eyes off the people who had