pies."
Luke's entire body responded to her teasing words. He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, while making sure Hellboy didn't get tangled up in their feet.
"I should have recognized your evil plan when I saw you grabbing so many of these baskets."
She gave a cackle that would have made the Wicked Witch of the West envious. Hellboy added an ominous bark, but it didn't seem to be in appreciation of Mia's cackling abilities.
They headed off down the dirt road, chatting and laughing, with Hellboy trotting along. All of a sudden the pup let out a sharp yap and plopped down in the middle of the path. The other apple pickers grinned as they walked around his immovable form.
"C'mon, buddy." Luke tugged the leash, gently. "You were doing so good there."
The dog merely stretched his neck until it would have popped off if Luke had continued.
"He's even more stubborn than I realized," Mia said. She knelt down to see if she could do anything to persuade Hellboy to soldier on. He put a paw on her hand and whimpered, as if he'd been horribly deceived by both of them. "Oh, you poor thing!"
Mia looked up at Luke, and he could see how the pup's distress was breaking her heart. He couldn't bear for either of them to be sad.
"Okay, hellhound, you win." Luke started to unhook the leash from Hellboy's collar. The puppy wriggled with excitement, giving Luke's hand several grateful licks. "Hang on so I can get this undone."
Before Luke could liberate him, an excited bark from behind them made Hellboy's head snap around. Another boisterous puppy, a black-and-white mix similar in size, ran up as if Hellboy was a long-lost cousin. It woofed several times before jumping toward Hellboy, its paws outstretched playfully.
"I'm so sorry," the owner, a harried older woman, said, trying to grab the end of the leash. "She's not used to being outdoors yet. Pixie, come back here."
"Don't worry!" Mia said. "This is Hellboy's first time on the leash, and he's not very happy about it. He's used to running free in a big back yard—"
"A couple of them actually," Luke added with a grin.
"Yes. Which is why he seems so offended that this one requires confinement of any kind."
Hellboy began playing with his new friend, nipping at its ears, sniffing everywhere, completely forgetting that he had been pouting just moments before. If Luke had had any treats in his pockets, he would have given all of them to Pixie as thanks for erasing Hellboy's grievances.
"They like each other," the other owner said with a warm smile.
Hellboy barked, only this time it looked like he was grinning, the way he usually did. His back end started wagging like crazy too. Yes, the dog was definitely in a much better mood now, thanks to his canine girlfriend.
"Oh dear," Mia said. "Now he won't want to leave."
Luke grinned. "We should have brought a shoe to distract him."
The woman laughed. "He loves shoes too? I thought Pixie was the only one who devoured them on a daily basis."
Hellboy and Pixie stopped their rough-housing to gaze at each other as if they had found their soulmate.
Until Hellboy saw a stray apple laying on the ground, and took off after it, with Luke gripping the leash, trying to keep up with the little monster.
***
M ia leaned back against the apple tree, sitting next to Luke on the blanket he'd thought to bring from the car. There were a lot of perks to having a chef for a boyfriend, most notably his ability to whip simple everyday ingredients into a scrumptious picnic.
"You are amazing," she said. "And so is this cider."
"Wait til you taste it with this."
Mia opened her mouth for the morsel of cheese he offered. She had barely started chewing when the tart cider blended with the nutty cheddar. "Oh my God."
"People are going to think we're doing something else if you keep that up."
"If you keep giving me things like this to eat, we will be doing something else."
"You put such ideas into my head." He clucked his tongue. "And almost
Luke's entire body responded to her teasing words. He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, while making sure Hellboy didn't get tangled up in their feet.
"I should have recognized your evil plan when I saw you grabbing so many of these baskets."
She gave a cackle that would have made the Wicked Witch of the West envious. Hellboy added an ominous bark, but it didn't seem to be in appreciation of Mia's cackling abilities.
They headed off down the dirt road, chatting and laughing, with Hellboy trotting along. All of a sudden the pup let out a sharp yap and plopped down in the middle of the path. The other apple pickers grinned as they walked around his immovable form.
"C'mon, buddy." Luke tugged the leash, gently. "You were doing so good there."
The dog merely stretched his neck until it would have popped off if Luke had continued.
"He's even more stubborn than I realized," Mia said. She knelt down to see if she could do anything to persuade Hellboy to soldier on. He put a paw on her hand and whimpered, as if he'd been horribly deceived by both of them. "Oh, you poor thing!"
Mia looked up at Luke, and he could see how the pup's distress was breaking her heart. He couldn't bear for either of them to be sad.
"Okay, hellhound, you win." Luke started to unhook the leash from Hellboy's collar. The puppy wriggled with excitement, giving Luke's hand several grateful licks. "Hang on so I can get this undone."
Before Luke could liberate him, an excited bark from behind them made Hellboy's head snap around. Another boisterous puppy, a black-and-white mix similar in size, ran up as if Hellboy was a long-lost cousin. It woofed several times before jumping toward Hellboy, its paws outstretched playfully.
"I'm so sorry," the owner, a harried older woman, said, trying to grab the end of the leash. "She's not used to being outdoors yet. Pixie, come back here."
"Don't worry!" Mia said. "This is Hellboy's first time on the leash, and he's not very happy about it. He's used to running free in a big back yard—"
"A couple of them actually," Luke added with a grin.
"Yes. Which is why he seems so offended that this one requires confinement of any kind."
Hellboy began playing with his new friend, nipping at its ears, sniffing everywhere, completely forgetting that he had been pouting just moments before. If Luke had had any treats in his pockets, he would have given all of them to Pixie as thanks for erasing Hellboy's grievances.
"They like each other," the other owner said with a warm smile.
Hellboy barked, only this time it looked like he was grinning, the way he usually did. His back end started wagging like crazy too. Yes, the dog was definitely in a much better mood now, thanks to his canine girlfriend.
"Oh dear," Mia said. "Now he won't want to leave."
Luke grinned. "We should have brought a shoe to distract him."
The woman laughed. "He loves shoes too? I thought Pixie was the only one who devoured them on a daily basis."
Hellboy and Pixie stopped their rough-housing to gaze at each other as if they had found their soulmate.
Until Hellboy saw a stray apple laying on the ground, and took off after it, with Luke gripping the leash, trying to keep up with the little monster.
***
M ia leaned back against the apple tree, sitting next to Luke on the blanket he'd thought to bring from the car. There were a lot of perks to having a chef for a boyfriend, most notably his ability to whip simple everyday ingredients into a scrumptious picnic.
"You are amazing," she said. "And so is this cider."
"Wait til you taste it with this."
Mia opened her mouth for the morsel of cheese he offered. She had barely started chewing when the tart cider blended with the nutty cheddar. "Oh my God."
"People are going to think we're doing something else if you keep that up."
"If you keep giving me things like this to eat, we will be doing something else."
"You put such ideas into my head." He clucked his tongue. "And almost
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