Chapter 45
Forty-Five
Rymar
Moldan murmured like he expected to get chewed out.
He didn't look excited or even interested.
This man simply trod beside me like he no longer gave a shit about anything.
That wasn't good. I knew he was grieving, and maybe the constant tears had stopped, but I had a feeling he was quickly sinking into something worse.
The sort of worse that made dying sound more appealing than living.
"Will you tell me if I'm out of line?" I asked, hoping for some kind of reaction from him.
"Sure," he decided.
"I'm not getting the impression you're excited about training this dog, so why are you doing it?"
That made him stop hard and spin to face me. "They killed my partner, Rymar. I was out with the sheep, fighting to protect them and she..."
"I'm sorry," I said, clasping his arm. "I've lost someone too. I know how bad it hurts."
"And," he went on, his voice cracking like he was struggling not to choke up, "I didn't rush back because she had Pepper.
She should've been safe! She loved that dog so much, but she locked her inside!
" He paused to suck in a shaking breath.
"I can only guess she thought Pepper was going to chase a deer or something.
None of us knew they'd do that, and she probably put the dumb dog inside so she wouldn't get herself killed, but instead - " He waved that off. "Sorry."
"No, I am," I told him. "And I know it hurts. It feels like a dagger that just won't stop stabbing you. What I'm trying to figure out is if you want to train that dog in your partner's memory, or if she's a cruel reminder."
"Well, we need the protection," he said. "They keep saying the more dogs we have, the sooner we'll know."
"Which is true," I agreed. "But do you want to be the one handling her?"
"Who else?" he asked.
Yeah, this was where I very likely was going to cross a line and piss him off. "I just noticed your dog seemed to like my partner."
"Ayla?" he asked with a dry chuckle. "Yeah, Pepper's always liked women."
"Ayla's looking for more dogs," I said as gently as I could. "I don't know if you're even considering it, but - "
"Yes!" he said, thrusting Pepper's leash at me, even though it wasn't attached to the dog. "Every time I see her, she reminds me of my partner. She..." He cleared his throat quickly. "I'm a disappointment to her, and that would mean to Narina too. She wanted the best for Pepper..."
"How much do you want for her?" I asked, tucking the leash under my arm.
"Would Ayla even want her?" he asked. "She has one of Lansin's dogs, and a nice one at that!"
"And Ayla can handle two dogs," I assured him. "She loves the animals so much. It wasn't something she'd ever thought was possible, so she's doing everything she can to get a few so she can become a dog trainer herself. Not just a handler, Moldan, but a trainer too."
"She'll be good at it," he said, looking over at where Pepper was sniffing around, ignoring both of us completely. "And I'd give her to you for that. I just want Narina's baby to be loved by someone, and I'm not that person."
"Money makes recovery easier," I pointed out. "It rebuilds. It removes one problem when you're already overwhelmed, so name your price. I don't want you to give me that dog. I want to buy her. It's only fair after your partner put so much into her."
"Fifteen hundred," he said, sounding like he was pulling it out of the air.
"How old is she?" I asked.
"Two? Two and a half? She'll turn three in the spring, I know that much." He shrugged. "I don't even know all her commands, Rymar."
"Which is fine," I assured him. "So, how about we agree to an even three thousand, and I'll have Ayla finish training her with disarm, okay?"
The man leaned to look at the dog, making me turn as well. Pepper didn't even look at him, but he looked at the dog. There was a sad little twist to his lips. Not a smile, but not a scowl either. It was as if he knew this was the best thing, but would trade it all to have his partner back.
"Pepper?" he called.
She continued to ignore him.
Moldan just sighed. "I don't need the money. I can also guess you don't have it, but I saw how Pepper looked at Ayla. I hope she can make something out of her, because I think she'll be a good dog with the right person. I'm just not it. I wish I could give her one last hug, though."
"C'mon, Pepper," I said, patting my leg. "Don't be a bitch."
The dog looked over, and when Moldan crouched, she came closer, but hunched and wary, as if she wasn't sure what was happening. The man simply reached out to pet her, and when Pepper didn't pull away, he gave her one last hug, then stood.
"Be a good girl, Pepper," he said, then smiled at me and simply walked off.
This was not what I'd expected. Somehow, I'd ended up with my arms laden with the dog's things, and a dog who didn't listen to men. Okay. If I wanted to make this work, the first thing I had to do was get her back to our borrowed cabin.
"Pepper, heel!" I said, looking down at her.
She tilted her head as if she'd heard something strange.
"Please don't be a bad decision," I told her. "Ayla can't have a puppy, but you like her. I like how happy she is with you dogs, so help me out a little?"
The black and tan dog came closer, sniffed my leg, then wagged her tail. I knew she didn't understand me, but I was going to take this as a sign she'd at least follow me.
"C'mon," I told her - and started walking.
I may have watched her the whole time, and I almost ran into two people doing it, but surprisingly, she did follow me back to the cabin.
Not perfectly, though. She meandered, sniffing at what she wanted, then rushing to catch back up.
I had a feeling it was the treats I was holding more than anything else.
"Someone lose a dog?" Kanik asked when he saw us heading his way.
"Not exactly," I said, waiting until I was close enough to drop Pepper's things on the ground so I could sort them out better. "I may have bought Ayla another dog. Her name's Pepper."
"Hey, Pepper!" Kanik cooed as he knelt with his hands out. "Who's a pretty girl?"
She watched him for a little too long, then walked off as if she'd just decided he was unimportant.
"Yeah, and she likes women," I told him.
"Cleary," Kanik said, shifting onto his rump. "Pepper, come?"
The dog paused, but when Kanik reached over for one of the treats, that convinced her. The moment the cloth bag rustled, she hurried over and sat, proving she did have some training.
"Nice!" he praised, giving her a tidbit of dried meat. "Lie down." When she did that, she got another. Kanik thrust out his lower lip and nodded. "One of these days, you're going to need to get me a dog, Ry. I mean, since you're spoiling your partners and all."
"Dream on," I said around a laugh - even though it wasn't a bad idea. "But this little girl? She latched on to Ayla right away."
"What does Holly think of her?" he asked.
"She's a little jealous."
"But not snarling?" he pressed.
I grunted and sank down to sit beside him. "Kanik, you're the dog man. I saw our girl falling in love with another dog, and I made it happen. You're the one who gets to help me figure out if it's a bad idea."
He patted his leg, calling the new dog closer. "I can do that."
And to my surprise, Pepper actually crawled a pace closer.
Not more than that, but it was enough to count as obeying.
Okay, so she was stubborn. The way I saw it, Holly was like Kanik: loyal to a fault.
Pepper? She reminded me more of Zasen. A little pig-headed, somewhat gruff, and very abrasive, but good under all that.
"I think you're the perfect dog for her," I said, snagging one of those treats to offer it over.
Pepper sniffed it, then gently removed it from my fingers, but while she was still chewing, the dog's head snapped around. I turned, trying to figure out what had caught her attention, and saw Lansin and Ayla heading this way with their dogs.
Pepper didn't even bother to stand. The dog went from lying down to running at Ayla without anything in between. Shit, and I'd thought Holly was fast!
"Pepper!" Ayla said, recognizing her before she made it all the way there.
"So," Kanik said, leaning toward me with his voice down, "you have to actually take the credit for this. Don't see how you'll be able to pawn it off."
"Asshole," I grumbled, but Lansin was grinning, already knowing what I'd done. So, when she got close enough, I asked, "Ayla, do you want another dog?"
"What?" Her entire body stilled.
But beside her, Pepper was bowing and wagging at Holly. Surprisingly, Holly was doing a bit of bouncing in response, and I was pretty sure those two were actually playing!
"Her person died, Ayla," I told her. "That's why Moldan was having so much trouble with her. She's not his dog, but his partner's."
"Oh, Pepper..." she breathed, kneeling down just for the dog to push in, begging for a hug - and Ayla gave it.
But while she comforted the dog, I kept going. "He wants her to be used. Sounds like he's not a big dog person, and he knows she needs her own person, so when I saw how she responded to you..."
Her head snapped up. "Did you buy this dog, Rymar?"
"Lansin helped!" I squeaked.
"I told him I'd cover the money until he gets back to Lorsa and repays it," Lansin told her. "That's all."
So Ayla ruffled the dog's neck one more time, then stood. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Lansin's shoulders and hugged him hard. But just when I was about to give him shit for flirting with my partner, Ayla let go of him and headed straight for me.
"Did you buy Holly?" she demanded.
"You earned Holly," I told her, because that was the line I was sticking with.
"I bought Pepper because I could, and because she needs you.
.." Then I sighed and gave in. "And because I love the way you look when you're with the dogs.
You're so happy, and I can't make your past better, so I thought I'd make your future happier. "
"Thank you," she breathed, palming both sides of my face and bending so she could press a kiss to my lips. Then, "Thank you so much!" And she hugged me harder than she had Lansin. "She's the best present ever! I mean, since Holly wasn't a present."
"Wasn't a present," Kanik assured her.
But I slid my arms around her back and let my eyes slip closed. There was no hesitation in her touch, no fear left at all. This? This was nothing more than pure joy, and it made me just as happy as it did her.
"She's going to need training," Lansin said.
Ayla squeezed again, then straightened so she could face Lansin. "Does she know the whistles?"
"Pretty sure," he said. "But she's not like Holly, Ayla. Pepper is brave and smart. Holly is smart and loyal. They may sound similar, but they will not have the same personalities."
"Neither do Rymar, Kanik, and Zasen," she pointed out. "Doesn't mean one is better. Just means they're good for different things."
"I do not want to know," Lansin teased, grinning at Ayla like she'd understand what he was hinting at.
She grunted, but it was with a smile. "Men are good for more than making babies, you know," she tossed back.
And Lasin roared out a laugh. "Okay. Good point." Then he jerked his chin at me. "I'll send some food over for these girls tonight. Do not be surprised if they bicker about it. They're going to have to figure out who's in charge, and as much as we might want to, we can't do that for them."
"Dog fights?" I asked, realizing this may not have been a good idea after all.
"No," Lansin assured me. "More like siblings bickering. Growls, snarls, and maybe some teeth clacking, but it'll be fine. Just don't get bit if they do it." And he looked at Ayla. "Do not let your dogs bite anyone you don't tell them to, you hear me?"
She nodded. "Yep. I can do this."
"And," he said, "it's not easy controlling two at the same time. It's why I tend to only take Shadow with me."
"I'll figure it out," she insisted.
"I think you actually will," he said. "Enjoy your new dog, Ayla." Then he turned and simply walked away.
But she spun to face me with her fists clenched by her chest, her arms pressed against her sides, and the biggest smile on her face. Before I could figure out what she was doing, Ayla began bouncing in place excitedly.
"I got another dog? It's real, and not a joke, and she's mine? Actually mine?"
"All yours," I told her.
"And he made this happen all on his own," Kanik said.
"I don't even have words for how wonderful this is," she said, throwing herself against me again to smother me in a hug. "I'll make her perfect, I promise!"
"How about," I said, tilting her so she slipped sideways into my lap, "you make her Pepper. Just show her how to be herself, Ayla. It worked pretty damned good for you."
"Yeah, it did," Kanik agreed. "And I get to tell Zasen, okay?"
"Okay!" Ayla said, hugging me again. "Thank you!" Then she glanced back. "Girls, come!"
And like the best trained dogs, both of them obeyed perfectly.