Hard Knox - Riley Hart Page 0,20

a pet, but then I remembered they’d done research on dogs that shed less and didn’t cause as many allergies. Knox hadn’t made this decision lightly. He’d put thought into what was best for his son.

“You’re welcome to go in and play with them, see how you do,” the woman said.

“Thank you,” Knox answered.

“I hope I’m okay with them,” Logan added. Oh, this poor boy was going to be brokenhearted if he couldn’t get a dog. I wished there was a way I could fix it, make it so that wasn’t a concern of his.

“I bet you will. I have asthma too, and I do okay,” Margaret told him.

“Really?” Logan asked.

“Yep. I’ll leave you guys to it.” Margaret stepped away and began pulling weeds from a flowerbed.

Knox opened the kennel, and the two of them went inside. I hung toward the back, not wanting to interrupt. It was special—picking your dog—a family moment. They didn’t need me for that.

The mama dog wasn’t in the enclosure with them. All the pups began jumping all over Knox’s and Logan’s legs. There were chairs they sat in, and Logan was picking them up and petting them.

“I thought you liked dogs?” Knox asked.

“I do, but this is your thing. I didn’t want to intrude.”

He frowned. “You’re not. You’re a founding member of the badass-cool-kids club, remember? If anyone belongs in here, it’s you.”

Oh, stop melting my heart. Knox Wheeler would be the death of me. “If you’re sure,” I replied softly, joining them. “What kind are they?”

“Lagotto Romagnolo,” Knox answered. I’d never heard of that before. They looked like a bigger poodle to me.

The three of us played with puppies for a good hour, and so far, Logan seemed to be okay. Knox studied him, likely looking for signs he was struggling, when Logan wasn’t paying attention, and to be honest, I did too.

“I have a friend with asthma back in LA. He’s great with dogs, but he can’t have cats. You never know.”

“Yeah, I think it really depends on the breed too. We’ve tried others and it didn’t work, but Carol, my ex-wife, had a friend with a Lagotto, and he was okay around her. I just wanted to be sure.”

“So can we get one, Dad?”

“I think so,” Knox answered. Logan hugged him, and my heart squeezed again. “Which one do you want?”

“Her.” Logan pointed to the little one. “I want the runt.” She was chocolate brown with a white spot on her chest and some on her paws, and had the biggest, bluest eyes I’d ever seen.

“It’s always the little ones that have the most heart and spunk,” I told Logan as we petted his new puppy. “She’s my favorite too.”

I felt Knox’s gaze on me the whole time.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Knox

We hit up a drive-through before leaving town. “What do you want?” I asked Callum.

“I’ll take the garden salad.”

I frowned. “Eww, vegetables. What about your daily intake of grease, fat, dairy—oh well, there’s cheese on the salad, I guess.”

He chuckled. “I like to eat right. It’s not like I don’t ever treat myself or enjoy a meal of heart disease, but—”

“Oh shit. I wasn’t thinking.” Open mouth, insert foot. I hadn’t even considered his heart condition. Hell, for all I knew it was more serious than he’d made it sound to Logan. I was sure he had to be careful with that kind of thing. Worry made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“No, no. Don’t do that. I’m fine. That’s why I don’t like to tell people.” I must not have looked convinced because Callum reached over and placed a hand on my thigh. “Seriously, don’t stress yourself out. Not that you would. I mean, you don’t really know me, but…” He pulled his hand back, and where he’d touched almost tingled. It was the strangest sensation, and one I couldn’t ever remember feeling from the simple touch of another person. “I live a normal life. I don’t have restrictions. I’ve had no problems since the pacemaker was put in. It’s not a big deal. And I’ll take a small fry with the salad. French fries are my weakness.”

I cleared my throat, trying to figure out why my blood still felt like it was warming where he’d touched. “Who doesn’t love French fries?” I was fairly certain my voice came out a little strained. Callum’s forehead wrinkled as if he noticed it.

“Are you ready to order?” the worker asked through the speaker, making me jump. Damn it. I