Miss White And The Seventh Heir

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She forced her gaze away from the cute pup and back to her assistant. “I don’t know what you were thinking by bringing him here, but he has to go. Now. And preferably without anyone seeing you.”

“But that’s the problem. I don’t have anywhere to take him.”

“I’d think taking him home would be an ideal solution.”

“But he’s not mine.”

Before she could speak, she felt something cold and wet against her leg. She glanced down to find the dog sniffing her. Her instinct was to kneel down and make friends, but she didn’t want Trey to think that whatever he was trying to pull here was acceptable. This was one of those moments when she didn’t like being management.

Sage turned her attention back to Trey. “Do you normally bring other people’s animals to work with you?”

“I must admit that it’s a first.”

“And your last.”

“If you would let me finish. I can explain this. It’s really kind of a funny story.” He hesitated. “Actually, it’s not funny ha-ha. It’s funny as in strange and a bit sad.”

She should be upset, but when the puppy looked at her with those big innocent eyes, her irritation melted away. The little white dog with long fur was so cute. No wonder Trey had taken it in.

Unable to resist any longer, she asked, “Can I pet him?”

“Um, sure.” Trey’s face filled with confusion soon followed with relief. “He’s a very friendly little guy.”

“Hi.” She knelt down and pet him. His white fur was soft, but it was long and gnarled. “You are such a sweet thing. That’s great that you adopted a dog—”

“I didn’t adopt him. It’s more like he adopted me.”

Sage straightened. “Say again.”

The dog moved and sat at Trey’s feet. Its little tail swished back and forth. “I found him hiding in a bush when I was out running last night. He was shaking with fear.”

“Aw...poor baby?”

Trey nodded. “He didn’t have a collar or any way to identify him. And from the looks of him, no one has cared for him in quite a while. I took him home, fed him and cleaned him up the best I could.”

“There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why did you bring him to work?”

“I didn’t mean to. I thought the animal shelter would be open early, but it opens late today. If I could just keep him here until they open—”

“You aren’t keeping him?” She glanced down at the little dog that was now leaning up against Trey’s leg as though they belonged together. “He seems to have really bonded with you.”

“I... I’m not a dog person.”

She arched a brow. “Really? Because you certainly seem like it to me and...what do you call him?”

“I didn’t name him because I’m not keeping him.”

“You can’t keep calling him puppy or dog.” She turned her attention back to the white puppy. “Come here.”

Surprisingly, the dog came right to her. It’s little tail swished back and forth. “You certainly are a friendly little guy.”

“He’s certainly that. Even when he woke me up at 4:00 a.m. to take him outside. He was as happy as could be. Me not so much. I was half-asleep and almost walked into the wall.”

She scooped the dog up in her arms. “Is that true? Are you a happy little guy?”

Arf!

Sage couldn’t help but smile at the dog’s cheery personality.

“Maybe you should keep him,” Trey suggested.

“Me? I don’t think so. I spend all of my time here at the office.” She couldn’t resist running her hand over the dog. It was when she touched his front leg that it whimpered. “Is it hurt?”

Trey frowned. “Not that I know of. But he was so dirty last night that I might have missed something when I was cleaning him up.”

Sage moved to her desk and set the dog down. “He whimpered when I touched his front right leg.”

They worked together until they uncovered a nasty, oozing cut beneath some knotted fur. Sage scooped the dog back in her arms, careful not to touch the wounded area. Through it all, the pup continued to wag its tail.

Trey reached out to pet him. “You certainly are one happy guy.”

“That’s it.”

“What’s it?” Trey looked utterly confused.

“His name. We’ll call him Happy.”

“Really?” Trey’s gaze moved from Sage to the dog, whose tail picked up speed. “I guess it fits.” Staring at the dog, he asked, “Would you like the name Happy?”

Arf! Arf!

Sage laughed. “I think he agrees.”

“I’ll take him over to the shelter. I’m sure they’ll know what to do with him.”

Sage looked into Happy’s eyes and she just couldn’t let him go to some shelter where he would get lost in the crowd and possibly forgotten about. She had to be sure that he was well taken care of.

“Call the Smith Veterinarian Clinic. Tell them you found a stray and its injured. If they give you any problems, you can mention my name. It might help.”

He sent her a puzzled look. “I thought you said you didn’t have time for pets.”

Busted. “I don’t have any pets. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have roommates with pets.”

Trey’s eyes widened and he smiled as though his problems were solved.

“Don’t,” she warned. “I’m not keeping him. But I want to make sure that he’s taken care of. Besides, as I recall, you’re the one that found him.”

“Okay. Okay. I’ll call.”

Knock. Knock.

The door opened and Louise stuck her head inside. “Good morning. I...” Louise’s voice faded away as she took in the sight of Trey’s disheveled look. “Sorry. I just wanted to tell you about some new coffee I picked up last night. But it can wait.”

Arf! Arf-arf!

Louise’s gaze lowered to the floor. “Well, who are you?”

Arf! Arf!

Everyone chuckled at the dog’s response.

“And you’re a chatty one, too.” Louise walked farther into the room.

Sage turned to Trey. “I’ve got the dog. Go make the call. Tell them it’s an emergency and we’re on our way.”

“We?”

“Yes. Now hurry up.”

Her father always told her that if you wanted something done right to do it yourself. It was a philosophy that she’d taken to heart, much like her approach to fixing QTR. And she wouldn’t get any work done until she was certain Happy was on the mend.

* * *

She impressed him.

And that wasn’t an easy thing to do.

Trey couldn’t believe how Sage had set aside her work and worried over the pup until it had a proper bath, trim, stitches and antibiotics. Not necessarily in that order. During the examination, the vet had revealed that the dog was chipped. And all of his shots were up to date.

And now as they sat in the car, an awkward silence enveloped them. Trey needed a distraction from thinking about what they were attempting to do—return Happy to the owner that had lost him. And as far as he could tell, the owner hadn’t searched for him—at least, not for long.

As he slowed for a stop sign, he chanced a quick glance at Sage. She was fussing over the dog. The dog looked perfectly contented and none the worse for wear after his veterinarian appointment. Either that dog was the most laid-back animal or Sage had a magical touch.

“Did you have pets growing up?” Trey returned his attention to the road.

“I did. All sorts of pets. My father enjoyed indulging me.”

“What sort of pets?”

“I had a white-and-black cat named Mittens. And I had a couple of birds—”

“Wait.” He slowed for another stop sign. “Are you saying you had a cat and birds at the same time?”

She smiled and nodded.

“But how? Aren’t cats supposed to hunt birds?”

“Not Mittens. She found them interesting for about five minutes but then she went on her way.”

“Amazing.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I take it you’re good with animals.”

She shrugged. “I had a rat. He didn’t like me much. He bit me and hid in his cage.”

Trey laughed. “You had a pet rat?”

“What’s so funny about that?” she asked with a perfectly straight face.

He subdued his amusement. “Nothing. It’s just that you never cease to surprise me.”

“I also had fish, a bunny—” she paused as though to think about it “—a hamster and a guinea pig.”

“You had a very interesting childhood.”

He didn’t want to stop driving. This was the first time Sage had let down her guard with him and he liked it. She was a lot different outside the office—more relaxed and much more approachable.

“It was amazing.” There was lightness to her voice as she drew upon her memories. “For my birthday, my father didn’t get me presents. He said that I got enough throughout the year. Instead he would take me on an adventure. We would visit a different part of the world each year. Those are some of my very best memories. We would explore new cultures and the food—it was amazing. My father told me I didn’t have to eat it all, but I did have to sample a little of everything. I was surprised by some of the cuisine that I enjoyed—especially my first experience with sushi.”

“Your father sounds like he was a really great guy. You must have loved him a lot.” A stab of jealousy dug into Trey. He’d never had a relationship like that with his father.

“I did. My father was the best. He did everything he could to give me a great childhood. The only thing that would have made it better is if my mother had been able to share those experiences with us. But she...she died when I was just a baby.”

“I’m sorry you lost her. But I’m sure she’s smiling down on you.”

“Me, too.” Sage lowered her voice. “Sometimes I talk to her. Do you think that’s silly?”

Without hesitation, he shook his head. “Everyone needs to talk to their mum now and then.”

Sage nodded. “Between my father and my pets, I felt truly loved.”

Trey envied her childhood. His was quite different. His mother might have been there physically, but she was quiet and withdrawn after his father left. Trey always wondered if a part of her had died when his father abandoned them.

“You don’t want to do this, do you?” Sage asked, interrupting his thoughts.