Israel?”
“Now that might do it. As long as I can stay here.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t care to fly in another airplane?” he teased, trying to lighten the moment.
“Pretty much.”
“Well, we’ll have to come up with something that you can do, too, then.”
“Okay. I’ll let you think about it though. I’m going to start cleaning up here so I can take Jack for a walk.”
“A walk?” Ian said incredulously. “It’s getting dark out.”
“It usually does this time of night,” she agreed, scraping her plate and setting it in the sink.
“Shouldn’t you walk him during the day?”
“I do. But he needs to go out at least twice a day. Sometimes I have to do it at night.”
“You do realize that it’s not safe to walk at night, don’t you?”
“Jack will protect me.”
In his opinion, Jack had never met a human being he didn’t like. The mutt didn’t seem to harbor a vicious or protective bone in his body.
“That’s debatable,” he muttered, shoving his chair back and taking his plate to the sink. “I’ll go with you.”
“Ian, that’s not necessary. Really. I do it all the time. I’ll be fine.”
“Well you’re not doing it anymore. I’m going with you.” Apparently she realized he wouldn’t be dissuaded because she didn’t put up any argument.
As they cleaned up the dinner mess in companionable silence, Ian realized he’d spent more time in the kitchen during the three weeks since their marriage than he had in any kitchen in his entire life. Washing dishes or chopping vegetables for her didn’t seem as much like work as he remembered from his school days.
“I’m going to get my sweater,” she said when they’d finished. “Do you want me to grab a jacket for you?”
“Sure, if you would. I’ll get Jack’s leash on him.”
“Do you want to get his scooper and a plastic grocery bag, too, please?”
“His what? ” he asked suspiciously.
“Scooper. If he-relieves himself, we can’t just leave it there.”
“What do you mean, relieves himself ?” Annie only raised her eyebrows and looked at him steadily. And then Ian knew, scowling down at the dog. “Can’t he relieve himself here?”
“He probably will. But just in case, we can’t leave it on someone else’s property. It’s against the law. And even if it wasn’t, it’s rude.”
“All right. Whatever you say. Where is his scooper?”
“In the corner on the back porch. And don’t worry, Ian. I’ll clean up any mess he makes. I’ve been doing it for six years now.”
Good thing she would because one thing Ian hadn’t mentioned to her was that he tended to have a weak stomach.
~~~~
There wasn’t a whole lot of traffic for a Saturday night. Though the neighborhood was a fairly quiet one, which was why Annie had felt safe in taking her dog for a walk. But Ian tended to be a chivalrous kind of guy, so it didn’t surprise her that he’d take exception to her being out alone without a big strong man at her side.
And he was pretty close to her side, an arm wrapped around her shoulders while he held the leash in his free hand. They had to keep up appearances, he reminded her, and so she put her arm around his waist.
“When we were talking on the plane, you said your mom died in a car accident,” she said quietly. “But you didn’t say how it happened.” She felt him stiffen for a second, then shrug.
“The old story about someone running a red light. Only it wasn’t a drunk driver in this case. Some old guy had a heart attack. He died at the hospital later that night. My mom died instantly.”
“How did you handle it?”
“How does anyone handle something like that? Not well at first. And then my old man told me it was time to grow up. Life was tough and I’d better get used to it. And then he sent me to boarding school.”
“ How awful! ” Annie gasped, looking up to see him smile sadly.
“Hey, he always made it clear that I was only here because my
“Now that might do it. As long as I can stay here.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t care to fly in another airplane?” he teased, trying to lighten the moment.
“Pretty much.”
“Well, we’ll have to come up with something that you can do, too, then.”
“Okay. I’ll let you think about it though. I’m going to start cleaning up here so I can take Jack for a walk.”
“A walk?” Ian said incredulously. “It’s getting dark out.”
“It usually does this time of night,” she agreed, scraping her plate and setting it in the sink.
“Shouldn’t you walk him during the day?”
“I do. But he needs to go out at least twice a day. Sometimes I have to do it at night.”
“You do realize that it’s not safe to walk at night, don’t you?”
“Jack will protect me.”
In his opinion, Jack had never met a human being he didn’t like. The mutt didn’t seem to harbor a vicious or protective bone in his body.
“That’s debatable,” he muttered, shoving his chair back and taking his plate to the sink. “I’ll go with you.”
“Ian, that’s not necessary. Really. I do it all the time. I’ll be fine.”
“Well you’re not doing it anymore. I’m going with you.” Apparently she realized he wouldn’t be dissuaded because she didn’t put up any argument.
As they cleaned up the dinner mess in companionable silence, Ian realized he’d spent more time in the kitchen during the three weeks since their marriage than he had in any kitchen in his entire life. Washing dishes or chopping vegetables for her didn’t seem as much like work as he remembered from his school days.
“I’m going to get my sweater,” she said when they’d finished. “Do you want me to grab a jacket for you?”
“Sure, if you would. I’ll get Jack’s leash on him.”
“Do you want to get his scooper and a plastic grocery bag, too, please?”
“His what? ” he asked suspiciously.
“Scooper. If he-relieves himself, we can’t just leave it there.”
“What do you mean, relieves himself ?” Annie only raised her eyebrows and looked at him steadily. And then Ian knew, scowling down at the dog. “Can’t he relieve himself here?”
“He probably will. But just in case, we can’t leave it on someone else’s property. It’s against the law. And even if it wasn’t, it’s rude.”
“All right. Whatever you say. Where is his scooper?”
“In the corner on the back porch. And don’t worry, Ian. I’ll clean up any mess he makes. I’ve been doing it for six years now.”
Good thing she would because one thing Ian hadn’t mentioned to her was that he tended to have a weak stomach.
~~~~
There wasn’t a whole lot of traffic for a Saturday night. Though the neighborhood was a fairly quiet one, which was why Annie had felt safe in taking her dog for a walk. But Ian tended to be a chivalrous kind of guy, so it didn’t surprise her that he’d take exception to her being out alone without a big strong man at her side.
And he was pretty close to her side, an arm wrapped around her shoulders while he held the leash in his free hand. They had to keep up appearances, he reminded her, and so she put her arm around his waist.
“When we were talking on the plane, you said your mom died in a car accident,” she said quietly. “But you didn’t say how it happened.” She felt him stiffen for a second, then shrug.
“The old story about someone running a red light. Only it wasn’t a drunk driver in this case. Some old guy had a heart attack. He died at the hospital later that night. My mom died instantly.”
“How did you handle it?”
“How does anyone handle something like that? Not well at first. And then my old man told me it was time to grow up. Life was tough and I’d better get used to it. And then he sent me to boarding school.”
“ How awful! ” Annie gasped, looking up to see him smile sadly.
“Hey, he always made it clear that I was only here because my
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