Love To The Rescue by Brenda Sinclair

feeds him and who he sleeps with at night.” Kevin glanced at Amy. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t assume he sleeps with you.”
    If Amy didn’t know better, she’d interpret Kevin’s expression as jealousy. Did her date wish he was the one sleeping in her bed? Despite their encounter in her bedroom earlier tonight, she considered it way too early to consider such things, but it confirmed that he was definitely attracted to her.
    “I guess you didn’t notice Rover’s doggie bed in my room. He snuck onto my bed the first night, but he’s remained on his own bed ever since.” Amy clasped the dog’s head in her hands and planted a kiss on top. “We discussed bed ownership and he knows the rules now.”
    Amy sipped her coffee and a lump formed in her throat watching the dog relax and almost doze off on Kevin’s lap. Talk about man’s best friend. The moment of jealousy she’d experienced seemed petty, but she’d fallen in love with this dog and she hoped he felt some sense of loyalty toward her. She’d rescued his furry butt from the Humane Society after all. Spent hours reassuring him that his new home was safe, and she’d met all his creature comforts and then some. No pun intended. Perhaps Rover just sensed Kevin was a good man.
    Her mind wandered into her own fantasy world for a few seconds, and she imagined sitting here every night, being happily married to such a wonderful guy. She envisioned two adorable little children, clad in footed animal-patterned pajamas, playing on the carpet surrounded by a dozen toys while Rover sprawled on the floor nearby watching over ‘his kids’. The whole scenario was pure fiction. She’d only just met Kevin, after all. But she considered the possibility of being happy again, with a husband and a couple of children, too. Was it really too much to ask? Especially after the devastating loss she’d survived?
    And then the thought of losing someone she loved dearly again hit her like a ton weight slamming into her chest. Sure, the picture was perfect, but she would never survive the pain of such a loss. She simply couldn’t do it. And the only way to ensure it wouldn’t happen was never putting herself in that situation again. No husband, no family. Pure and simple. Just her. It would be hard enough losing Rover some day. Another husband? Children? No way.
    “What are you thinking about so intensely?” Kevin reached across the dog and clasped her hand. “Would you like me to come over there? Leave His Royal Highness here by himself?”
    His question pulled Amy out of her daydream and back to reality. “That would be nice, if he’ll go for it. He’s becoming quite fond of you by all appearances.”
    Kevin slid out from under the dog lying half on top of him. He stepped back around the coffee table and settled on the sofa beside Amy, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her against his side.
    The dog didn’t move.
    “Rover realizes my intentions toward you are honorable.” Kevin laughed and sipped his coffee.
    “He’s making great strides toward trusting you. And he romped around the backyard with Leslie's boyfriend, Rick, last night. The two of them played with a cloth tug toy and a tennis ball for over an hour while Leslie cut and styled my hair. I swear that dog was smiling the entire time. We’ve only been to the first Fearful Fido class, but it seemed to help. We have five more classes to go. Perhaps he’ll overcome his fears sooner than we anticipated.”
    “I hope so. He’s a great dog.” Kevin dragged his hand through his hair. “With my crazy work schedule, if Leslie makes house calls, maybe I should arrange for her to come over to my place and cut mine. Nothing purple though. Brown suits me just fine.”
    Amy laughed and then shook her head. “Leslie has a young clientele, and she loves experimenting with color. Her hair is fuchsia-colored this week, if you’re interested.”
    “Purple looked good on her, but on me... My superiors might