âA meal isnât complete without a good dessert.â
âOkay, then. Bring it.â
He went into the kitchen and laid his dinner plate in the sink, then watched in awe as Megan brought forth two desserts.
âIs that cheesecake?â
She nodded. âCaramel.â
He was already full, but no way would he turn down cheesecake.
âCheesecake is my weakness.â
Her lips curved. âIâm making a mental note of that.â
RoxieâGod, was he really going to name her that?âhad followed them into the kitchen.
âMaybe she needs to go out,â Megan said.
âIâll take care of that. Iâll be right back.â
âPlenty of room for her to do whatever needs done out in the backyard.â
He nodded and attached the leash to Roxieâs harness. The dog promptly parked her butt.
Megan laughed. âNot fond of the leash, is she?â
âItâs a work in progress. Whoever had her before obviously didnât leash train her.â
He gave her a tug and she reared back. He pulled, but it was like dragging a tiny furry mop across the floor.
With a roll of his eyes, he scooped her up and carried her out back, Meganâs laughter ringing in his ears as he opened the door.
âYouâre making me look bad, Roxie,â he said as he deposited the dog on the grass. She promptly walked out three feet and did her business, then stepped out of the grass and sat at his feet.
âGot that part down, donât you?â he asked with a sigh, then gave a quick tug on the leash so they could head back to the house.
She sat.
âHeel,â he said, giving the command for her to walk.
She looked up at him, giving him the I-donât-think-so look.
He shook his head. âWeâre going to have to work on this, and by âwe,â I mean âyou.â But right now thereâs cheesecakein that house, and Iâm not in the mood for leash-walking lessons.â
He picked her up and carried her into the kitchen, depositing her inside the back door and disconnecting the leash from her harness. She trotted over to the bowl of water Megan had set down for her and took several messy drinks.
Megan bent down to run her hands over Roxieâs fur, giving Brady a fine view of Meganâs backside. He decided to just stand there and watch while she picked up the dog and cuddled her close to her chest. She turned around and smiled at Brady.
âEverything go okay out there?â
âEverything except her walking with the leash attached.â
Megan kissed Roxie on the head. âIâm sure sheâll learn. Sheâs very cute and smartâarenât you, Roxie?â
The smart part was debatable, but she had the cute part down.
After Megan put the dog down on the floor, she washed her hands, then went back to the island. âI made chocolate mousse cake and cheesecake. Iâd actually like for you to try both of them if you donât mind.â
âIâm never going to mind eating dessert.â
âYou say all the right things, Brady.â She served up one of each onto his plate. âCoffee?â
âSure.â
âI made a fresh pot while you were outside with Roxie.â
She really did think of everything. âIâll get the plates. You bring the coffee.â
He carried the plates into the dining room, and she came in with a tray bearing two cups of coffee and a carafe.
âIn case we want refills on our coffee.â
âYou must entertain a lot.â
She picked up her fork and sliced off a bite of cheesecake. âWhy do you say that?â
âI donât know. Everything you do just seems . . . perfect and organized and so well thought-out. If you had dinner at my placeââ
âSpy headquarters?â
He laughed. âYeah. Spy headquarters. Youâd have gotten microwaved meals eaten on tray tables in front of the TV. Or, if Iâm feeling like
Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life, Blues