CHAPTER 105
DAKOTA
“Oh wow, it smells like a bookstore in here,” Jonah declares the next day as we lead him into our home. A smile creases his face, his head turning back and forth so he can take in even more of the scents. “I’d almost forgotten what they smell like.”
“Could be worse,” Aggie comments, leading him forward. “Could be dogs.”
“I smell them, too, but it’s not a bad smell.” Jonah keeps a light hand on Aggie’s arm, his other hand on his cane, letting the tip of it warn him of any objects in his path. “They’re two of my favorite smells, if I’m being honest. And all of this smells better than the fort.”
Well, he’s not wrong there. I linger a few steps behind them, not wanting to crowd the two.
They’re Aggie’s dogs, and this is ultimately her decision.
I don’t want to influence anything by hovering like a helicopter mom over both of them.
Even now, the temptation to move stacks of books out of the way of Jonah’s cane is overwhelming, but he expertly skirts by objects, and I’d probably just make things worse by jumping in.
“I’ll show you my quarters I share with Dottie,” Aggie is telling him as they head deeper into the bookstore. “We found a kiddie pool and filled it with blankets, and that’s turned into the puppy nest.”
Jonah turns his head slightly, back toward me. “Where does Rabbit stay?”
I practically bristle. “In her room,” I say primly. “She can show you some other time.”
A wave of amusement crashes over me, and I turn to look at my mate, who’s lingering in the doorway. I knew even without seeing his face that he’s laughing at my expression. I know I’m ridiculous. Wanting to mother Jonah one moment and then being an overprotective harpy the next. I shoot him a look.
Murr just grins. He strides forward, moving to my side, and kisses my temple. “I make fire,” he declares, voice loud enough so that Aggie can hear it, too. “Make cooked meat for cats, for Jonah, for all.”
I can sense his hunger, too. There’s a gnawing sensation in the belly that I know isn’t mine, because I ate a couple of corn cakes that Jonah brought with him on the daytrip here. I poke Murr in his flat abdomen. “Go get yourself a snack, too.”
“Meat for all,” he agrees, voice light, and he makes it sound like a sultry promise and not like dinner.
He kisses the tip of my nose and shoots me another scorching look before striding back out of the store and leaving me all clenched up and turned on.
I bite back a sigh of happiness. Meat for all, indeed.
I know it eases Murr’s mind to provide for all of us. He loves having a family to care for, and nothing makes him happier than seeing us tended to. In that, we’re very alike. We both love to smother those we care for with affection.
“Let me show you where to sit, young man,” I hear Aggie telling Jonah. “Stella will sniff you a bit and she’ll decide if you’re someone her puppies can be around.”
I head in after them, curious to see how this plays out.
Aggie’s quarters that she shares with Dottie are always a bit of a clusterfuck.
Aggie’s wigs are on styrofoam mannequin heads, all of them piled together in a corner to form a terrifying-looking sort of sasquatch, and blankets are everywhere, along with dog toys.
Dottie’s the tidy one of the two of them, which means that Aggie’s been throwing stuff everywhere.
Nearby, she’s pulled open her solar-powered flashlight lantern, throwing a bit of light into the room for her to see by.
She’s pulled a folding chair up next to the faded swimming pool, and Jonah is seated in it, his hands out and Stella’s slobbery muzzle is planted on him.
He’s ecstatic, though. He doesn’t seem to mind the drool and rubs her face all over, grinning so hard his face might break. “Hi Stella. Aren’t you a good girl?” He turns slightly toward Aggie, who’s pulling a stool close so she can sit down. “What is her coloring?”
“She’s a beautiful gold and black.”
“Like a German shepherd?” Jonah asks.
“Like a mutt,” I chime in. “And she’s a bunch of different colors mottled together. Gold and black is a bit more poetic sounding than she really is.”
He strokes Stella’s massive head, his fingers moving over one ear. “She doesn’t feel like she has a curly coat. You sure she’s a goldendoodle?”
“She might be. Then again, maybe her momma was named Doodle. I don’t recall exactly.” Aggie shrugs, putting up a hand to avoid Stella’s happily whipping tail. “All you need to know is that Stella is the best companion and I bet her babies will be, too.”
There’s a whine from one of the puppies as it wakes up, and Stella goes into the pool-nest and licks one of the babies, which leads to even more whimpering and crying. The dog settles back in, lying on her side so her babies can nurse.
Aggie waves me forward. “Don’t just stand there hovering in the doorway, Dakota. I’m tired from all this fussing. Hand him one of the babies and let’s get him a puppy to hold.”
I pick my way forward, stepping around legs and chairs. “Boy or girl?” I ask Jonah. “Preference to anything?”
“Just happy and healthy,” he says, putting his hands out.
One of the nearest puppies is just now waking up. It yawns with the pinkest, tiny little mouth, and my heart aches with how precious it is. I scoop it up with two hands and carefully give it to Jonah. “I’m not sure which one this one is. I wasn’t part of the naming.”
“That one’s Sleepy,” Aggie says in a soft voice. “And she’s one of my favorites.”