Safe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #5)(40)

“Sit,” Caleb commands softly and the dog immediately sits at Caleb’s side, not moving, looking up at him for his next command.

“Who is this?” I ask with one eyebrow raised.

“This is Sergeant Bix.” Bix’s tail wags once at the sound of his name. “He’s a retired Navy SEAL and he needs a home for a few weeks while his handler is out on assignment.”

“Can we pet him?” Maddie asks, her and Josie’s bodies vibrating in anticipation. Bix glances longingly at my little girls and then back up at Caleb, waiting to be told what to do. “Please?”

“Sure,” Caleb smiles. “Go ahead,” he tells Bix, who happily jogs to the girls and they all collapse in a pile of elation, the girls rubbing him and talking to him as though they’ve known him for years.

“What happened to his eye?” Josie asks as she kisses his cheek. One of his eyes is permanently shut, like he’s always winking, and the ear on the same side is slightly deformed.

Caleb looks up at me with serious eyes. “Bix was a dog that sniffed around for things that might blow up.” He swallows and turns his gaze back to the dog. “He got injured while he was working and lost his eye and hurt his ear too, so he can’t work anymore.”

“Oh, poor Bix!” Maddie throws her arms around the dog and hugs him tightly. “Can he stay here, Mom?”

“This is sabotage,” I hiss at Caleb. “You can’t ask me if the most noble and adorable dog in the world can stay with us when my girls are already in love with him.”

“What kind of dog is he?” Josie asks and giggles as Bix gives her doggie kisses on her cheek.

“He’s a Belgian Shepherd. He’s been trained to be a working dog since he was three days old.”

“Wow!” Josie exclaims.

Caleb walks closer to me and drapes his arm across my shoulders.

“Taking on the responsibility of a dog is a lot right now, Caleb.”

“He’s the best trained dog you’ll ever meet, Legs. He’s fearless, obedient and one hundred percent professional.”

I glance over and bust out laughing to find Bix flat on his back, paws in the air, tongue hanging out of his smiling mouth and relishing in a good belly rub from two eager six-year-olds.

“Yes, I can see that he’s perfectly professional.”

“He has to stay, Mom,” Josie calls out. “He’s a hero, like Caleb!”

Caleb looks shell-shocked as he turns me to face him. “He’s an amazing dog, Bryn, and a helluva team member. It would make me feel better knowing he’s here. Nothing will get to them with Bix watching.”

“Sabotage,” I whisper and grudgingly smile at the girls as they giggle and roll on the driveway with the big, fluffy canine. “I guess he can stay.”

“Thank you, Mom!” Maddie calls out.

“Come,” Caleb commands and Bix immediately jumps up and leaves the girls behind to stand next to Caleb. “Say hello to Brynna.”

He barks once and smiles at me, that tongue flopping out again.

“Hello,” I murmur and pat his head and then give in and squat next to him and rub his face. “You’re a sweet boy, aren’t you?”

***

“But we aren’t tired,” Maddie protests as she yawns widely. Caleb throws a large dog bed on the floor between the girls’ beds and points to it. Bix immediately lays on the bed, watching us with one raised ear and both his eyebrows moving up and down as he looks side to side at each of the girls.

“Why can’t he sleep with us?” Josie asks and stares longingly at her new best friend.

“He sleeps on his own bed,” Caleb replies and sits at her side. “Hey, jellybean, I’m sorry you’re mad at me today. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.” I sit at Maddie’s bedside and watch my daughter’s internal struggle as Caleb watches her closely.

“Mom always says sweet dreams when it’s time for bed,” she tells Caleb softly. Bix lets out a long sigh as he lowers his head to his paws and Josie watches him with a smile. “I hope you have sweet dreams, Caleb, and no more scary ones.”

I bite my lip and hug Maddie tightly, as Caleb silently holds his hands out to Josie. She climbs readily into his lap and hugs him, then scampers off to snuggle down into the covers.

“Good night, Mama,” Maddie whispers.

“Good night, baby girl.”

Bix raises his head and watches Caleb move to the doorway. He stops and looks back at Bix. “Stay, Bix. Stay with the girls.”

With that, Bix lowers his head again and Caleb turns out the light, leaving only the light from the princess nightlight in the wall, and shuts the door behind us.

“I can’t believe you talked me into a dog,” I chuckle and lead the way down the stairs to the living room.

“He’s already proven that he’s well trained,” he responds with a grin, referring to the numerous times he pressed his nose to the sliding glass door, asking to be let out.

“Thank goodness,” I agree and lower myself to the couch. Caleb sits beside me, but keeps at least two feet between us. “Oh, you wanna rub my feet? Here you go.” I lay my feet in his lap and grin at him.

“I don’t recall offering to do that,” he mutters with a half smile, already digging his thumb into the arch of my foot, earning a moan of appreciation.