inventory. Now that the boutique actually offered clothing at reasonable prices that people weren’t ashamed to be caught dead in, business had improved tremendously.
“We serve the clothing needs of women who want something a little more unique than they can find at the box stores in Shelter Springs,” she went on. “I try to think about my clientele and order in clothing items that will be a good fit for a variety of lifestyles and budgets. Stylish and well-fitted, while still rugged enough for our varied climate.”
She was rambling, she thought, and promptly clamped her teeth together.
“Sorry. That’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“My job keeps me very busy when I’m there. I’ve tried to take the puppies and Betsey to the shop with me so I can keep an eye on them. That worked for a few weeks but they’ve grown too big and too active for that now. I’ve taken to leaving them here and checking on them throughout the day when I can but even that isn’t the best solution.”
“Where would my children fit into this picture, Ms. Fremont?”
“Please call me Sam or Samantha. Everyone around here does. When you say Ms. Fremont in that stiff upper crust accent, you sound like something from a Jane Austen novel.”
He gave a sharp, humorless laugh. “I am no Mr. Darcy, I can assure you.”
“No kidding,” she muttered under her breath. Unfortunately, she didn’t say it far enough under her breath and unfortunately he heard her. He stiffened and she wanted to kick herself. This was not the way to go about asking a favor of the man.
“Anyway,” she said quickly, “I was, er, wondering if you would allow the children to help me out with the puppies while you’re here for the next few weeks.”
“Help you in what way?”
“I need someone to check on them once or twice a day. Perhaps play with them for half an hour or so. If the weather is nice, they could take them outside to their pen, which I will make sure is completely secure from now on.”
He said nothing, only continued to study her.
“I would be willing to pay them. Would ten dollars a day be sufficient?”
“You want to pay my children to keep an eye on your puppies.” He said the words in the same disbelieving tone he might have used if she had suggested the children join the circus.
Of course he would dislike the idea. He was a coldhearted jerk who obviously couldn’t see how perfectly children and puppies meshed together. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid idea. Forget I said anything. You are here on vacation and so are the children. They don’t need a job.”
“Don’t be so hasty. I was surprised, that’s all. It’s not a stupid idea. They would enjoy earning a little spending money for souvenirs and they do love dogs. My parents have four Jack Russell terriers. They’re very smart.”
“Amelia and Thomas told me how much they love visiting them. They also told me you don’t have any pets.”
“My late wife was allergic to cats and was afraid of dogs after an unfortunate episode in her childhood.”
She wanted to ask what was stopping him from getting a dog now that his wife was gone but that seemed a crass question in light of their loss.
“If your parents had four dogs, that must have made Sunday dinners difficult when you visited their house,” she said instead.
He gave a smile that looked strained. “Whenever Susan would visit, my parents kept their dogs locked in their bedroom or outside.”
He spoke in such a stiff tone she had to wonder if even talking about his late wife was difficult for him. He must have loved her very much. Still, that was no excuse for discouraging the children from grieving over their mother.
She should say something. But how could she bring that up to him, especially when she was asking a favor of his children?
“It was a crazy idea. I just thought—I don’t know—that they might enjoy playing with the puppies as much as the puppies would enjoy playing with them.”
That seemed to give him pause. “Once or twice a day, you said?”
“Yes. And really, I wouldn’t need them to do anything other than check on them and maybe throw a ball or something for a few minutes.”
“It’s not a crazy idea at all. Amelia is eight and Thomas six. They’re certainly old enough to put out food and water for the puppies, if you should need that.”
That almost sounded