Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(70)
“Get in here. It sure is cold out there,” she said, closing the door behind Alec before she asked, “You’re Kellus’s friend?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered, which was not something he said often. It just felt right to say now to this woman who somehow commanded his respect even in her night clothes. “I’m Alec Pierce.”
“I’m Kristi. This is Paul.”
Alec looked over to a tall man who was passed out asleep on an oversized La-Z-Boy in the living room a few feet away.
“Did I keep you up?” Alec immediately asked in a hushed tone, feeling like such a heel for coming so late. He should have waited until the following day.
“No. He’s always out then up early. I’m the opposite. This is perfect, and you don’t need to whisper. He won’t hear a thing. A bomb could go off and he wouldn’t wake.” Even with the encouragement, Alec still couldn’t find it in him to speak in a normal tone, so he nodded and smiled, hoping that was enough.
“Come on back here. They’re in my back room.”
Alec followed her down a long hall. All the doors were shut, even the last one at the end of the hall.
“I saw Little Bit. He’s adorable. He stole my heart,” Alec said.
“He is a cutie. Their mama’s done with ’em. She wasn’t a very good mom to begin with.”
Alec had no idea what to say to that and opted for quiet again, wondering if that was one of the reasons Key always stayed silent.
She opened a door, revealing a room with both a table lamp and a heat lamp on. Alec skirted around her to the side of a large cardboard box where he saw three black and white marked puppies.
“See? She won’t even get inside there with them.”
Mrs. Hardin pointed to the cute Boston terrier lying on top of the bed. The dog must have known she was being talked about, because she rose then shook herself before jumping off the bed and exiting the room. Alec caught it all in his peripheral vision as his focus landed on one puppy who was staring up at him intently. The longer they were locked in the stare, the more he fell in love with that curiosity. The sweet little puppy cocked his head to the side, watching him. He held the pose until it proved too much, and the puppy tipped that direction, falling over on his back. That funny little guy had Alec grinning.
“Take your time. There’s no pressure. I’ll keep ’em all. My family just doesn’t need to know my plan.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said again, unwrapping the scarf and tugging off his coat. He tossed both on the bed before he dropped to one knee and stared at all three of the puppies. Alec reasoned he and Key needed a male. It just seemed easier, but as he stared at the one still focused on him, he wasn’t certain that truly mattered.
“Hey there,” he said, rubbing his cold hands together. That garnered all the puppies’ attention, and Alec’s grin spread. They were adorable. Not near steady on their feet, they toppled over each other to get close to him. He reached in, taking the one who’d been so attentive from the beginning. He lifted the puppy to his face and received a soft little yap. This one didn’t even seem nervous to be held. Alec tucked the pup to his body and reached a hand over, petting the tops of the heads of the other two.
He had doubted this idea almost from the moment he committed to drive to Ellis County tonight. Even as he’d walked up to the house then to the bedroom, he hadn’t been certain he needed a puppy at this time in his life. Adding a dog to his and Key’s relationship, giving Key this pup, seemed a symbolic gesture of tying them closer together as they moved forward with their lives. Bringing an animal in the mix might even be stronger than wedding bands and vows. This puppy represented a joint commitment to care for another living being. It spoke volumes to his feelings and seemed right in line with the changes Alec was making.
Doubt was always there. Key wasn’t much different than when they first met. It was Alec pushing for them to share a life together. Key still hadn’t added a voice to his feelings, but Alec, as he did almost every day, pushed all those minuscule details aside. Actions spoke louder than words, and his lover’s actions showed commitment and dedication. They just did. The man drove as much as ninety minutes, twice a day, to spend alone time with Alec. That said what the man couldn’t.
“So you want to go home with me?” Alec whispered to the content puppy in his arms. His answer came by way of the puppy laying his head down on Alec’s forearm before his whole body followed. The little one seemed to know exactly where he wanted to be.
“All right then, you’re ours.” Alec rose to his feet and reached for his coat. He was already so taken with the puppy that he didn’t want to set him down long enough to put on his coat, so he shrugged it on while keeping hold of the dog. Alec reached into his pocket, pulling out the key fob to start the car, wanting the heater to warm the interior for their new arrival. The dog was so small Alec was afraid he’d lose his body heat quickly in the cold weather.
Alec carried the dog out to the front room where Mrs. Hardin was sitting in a La-Z-Boy next to her husband, watching television. When she saw them, her face grew excited. “You found one?”
“I did,” he said, reaching in his side pocket for his wallet.
“Here, I have a blanket and a carrying case ready just in case,” she said, rising to her feet. She took the puppy still resting on his arm. “You picked the last male.”