She cupped her hands under the running tap water and threw it over the dog. Brad managed to wrap both hands around the animal’s tummy, spreading his fingers as if holding a football. Despite the howling and yowling, he shoved the puppy back into the warm stream and helped Ashley rinse him down.
“He’s brown!” she exclaimed. “And here’s a white spot on his head. Look at his legs—they’re white too. I thought he was gray, didn’t you? Let’s shampoo him again.”
“Again?”
Though Brad considered this a very iffy idea, he cooperated as his wife lathered the puppy one more time. Now the soap foamed up white, and the defeated dog submitted mournfully to his final rinse.
Grabbing a towel, Ashley wrapped the wet puppy and nestled him in her arms. “He’s so sweet,” she murmured. “Look at his big brown eyes, Brad. Isn’t he adorable? And now he smells good too. Poor boy. You’re lonely, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Just a lonely little baby boy.”
Brad perched on the toilet lid. It had to be one or two in the morning. In a few hours, he’d need to shower, drink some coffee, and head off to the condominium complex his employer was building near Sunrise Beach. His boss didn’t like the men showing up late, and he had little tolerance for nonsense. The work was steady, it paid well, and he had made some good friends. But other than that, Brad couldn’t find much to like about his job. The last thing he needed to be doing was washing a puppy in the middle of the night.
“He’s really cute, Brad,” Ashley said, her own brown eyes turning on her husband. “You found him in a parking lot?”
“Larry’s. I was on my way in with Mack when we heard this hullabaloo coming out of a cardboard box. The little guy was inside. I couldn’t let him freeze.”
“Aww.” She leaned up and kissed her husband’s cheek. “I didn’t know you had such a soft spot.”
“Hmm.” He rested his elbows on his knees.
“What?” she asked.
“Sometimes I’m not sure you know much about me at all, Ash. Seems like we fight most of the time these days. It’s as though we’re enemies instead of two people who are supposed to be in love. A few minutes ago you said you were mad at me because I exist.”
“Don’t bring that up, Brad. I said I was sorry. I didn’t mean it.” She shook her head. “I’m so tired, and the house is a wreck, and we work all the time, and nothing is ever fun anymore. We aren’t fun. I don’t know what happened to us.”
“Brrrp … brrrp … brrrp …”
Ashley glanced down at the puppy in her arms and then smiled at Brad. “He’s asleep,” she whispered. “He must be exhausted. And look at this bathroom. And us.”
It was a sight to be seen, Brad had to admit. The white tile walls wore polka dots of brown mud. His shirt was sopping, and he was wearing only one sock. Ashley had the dog bundled up against her chin, but Brad had no doubt her nightgown would be dripping wet.
“I’ll rinse the tub,” he suggested, “and you find some kind of box for him to sleep in. How’s that?”
“I love you, Bradley Hanes,” she said, kissing him again. “I love you, and I want everything to be wonderful again for us.”
Falling for You Again Page 28
