Moonlight Over Manhattan(31)

“This is not a personal relationship, it’s a professional one.”

“Yeah? But apart from right at the beginning, you don’t often see your clients, do you?”

“That’s true, but this is different. He is struggling with the dog.”

“And you’re helping him.” Molly smiled. “That’s good.”

“Molly—”

“Don’t fight her,” Daniel advised. “She will make a relationship out of a box of tissues and a candle if those are the only items in the room. She can’t help herself. This is a DNA situation.”

Harriet smiled. “You think matchmaking is in her DNA? It’s an inherited trait, like blue eyes?”

“No. In our house DNA means Do Not Argue.”

Molly raised an eyebrow. “Something you know little about, Daniel Knight.”

Harriet gave up. “You guys are cute, but I have an early start and should really get some sleep.”

Daniel stood up. “You’re walking this guy’s dog again tomorrow?”

“Twice. Morning and afternoon, so that we don’t leave her on her own for long. I have three other walks besides Madi.”

“Who is this doctor? Give me his name,” Daniel said casually. “I’ll check him out.”

“You will not check him out.” Harriet gave him a push. “I don’t walk into your courtroom and embarrass you, so don’t do it to me.”

“I just want to check he’s not going to hurt you.”

It was no wonder she struggled to step out of her comfort zone. Her brother and sister had virtually locked her in there.

“He’s a client, Daniel. The only way he can hurt me is if he doesn’t settle his invoices on time.”

“And what are you going to do if the dog doesn’t behave?”

“She will. I’m sure Madi will be fine now.”





CHAPTER NINE


MADI HOWLED ALL NIGHT.

She started as soon as the lights went out, and Ethan dragged himself out of bed and tried talking to her, but that simply made her howl more.

He prided himself on being able to calm panicking humans, but it seemed that when it came to dogs he didn’t have what it took.

His head throbbing, he let her out of the crate to try and find out what was wrong and she shot past him, up the stairs into his bedroom.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

By the time he walked into the room, she was curled up in the middle of his bed looking as if she belonged there.

“No way. This is not happening.” He tugged at her collar and she somehow dug herself into the mattress, refusing to move. In the end Ethan picked her up and carried her back to the crate. “This is where you sleep.”

Why did anyone choose to have a dog?

Life was tough enough already. Why add in an extra layer of complication?

He found it incomprehensible.

His sister would have observed that he was the one who was incomprehensible.

You need something in your life other than work, Ethan.

His ex-wife would have agreed.

It was also the reason they were now divorced.

Madi lay down and Ethan felt a rush of relief.

All right. Maybe caring for a dog wasn’t so hard after all. You just needed to be firm and in command.

His smug feeling lasted until he turned the lights off.

Madi barked again, but this time the barking was interspersed with pitiful howls.

Conscious of the other inhabitants of his apartment block, Ethan let out a string of curses. What was he supposed to do? If he left her, he’d have his neighbors complaining. But he couldn’t spend the entire night getting up every five minutes. To deal with the challenges of his job, he had to be rested.

Throwing off the covers, he stomped downstairs again and tried being firm. This time he didn’t take her out of her crate.

Madi’s barking grew louder and more frantic.

Willing to do just about anything to get a few hours’ rest and avoid a complaint from his neighbors, Ethan let her out of the crate.

She sped upstairs to the bedroom.

Ethan followed and shook his head in disbelief when he saw her curled up in exactly the same place as last time.

The middle of the bed.

What was he supposed to do?

“You can stay here this once.” He couldn’t believe he was saying it. “Tomorrow I’m taking advice from Harriet on how to get you to sleep in your own bed. You should know I don’t often have overnight guests, so this is not going to become a habit. Are we clear?”

Madi lay with her head on her paws, comfortable and settled.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Ethan pushed her across to make room, slid into bed. “I hope you don’t snore. I need my sleep. I need to be awake to do my job well.”

He was talking to himself.

Madi was already asleep.

Ethan finally drifted off too.

When the alarm finally cut the threads on sleep, he didn’t feel as if he’d had any rest at all.

Madi was still asleep next to him.

Unbelievable, he thought as he dragged on his clothes.

Outside it was still dark, which wasn’t unusual. He spent most of the winter going forward and backward to work in the dark. The only light he saw was artificial. What was unusual was starting the day feeling worse than he’d felt when it had ended.