Pure breed dogs were not inexpensive. Pure breed dogs with an incentive to jump the list and get first pick cost fifteen one-hundred-dollar bills.
Fifteen.
When I saw the cash, I’d wrapped a hand around Deacon’s forearm and opened my mouth to protest. But the second I touched him, he tipped his chin down at me and gave me a look that needed no words whatsoever. So I didn’t say anything.
At the time.
I brought it up in the Suburban.
His response was, “Done, woman. No use talkin’ about it.”
This was true.
And false.
I went with the false bit, continued my protest, and got a different response.
“Right. What I meant by no use talkin’ about it is we’re not talkin’ about it.”
And then he didn’t talk about it.
At all.
Even though I did.
Which meant I had no choice but to quit.
He wanted to buy me a dog, I’d let him do it, partly because it was sweet, but mostly because I had no choice.
“I didn’t have the time for a dog,” I told him.
“Cabins take a lotta upkeep?”
“Not really. I have them the way I want them. It’s mostly puttering around, making the space nice, welcoming. A place people drive up to that makes them think immediately they made the right choice. And Milagros helps a lot. It’s just that, once I got the cabins the way I wanted them, I started working on the house.”
“House looks sweet, Cassie,” he said softly.
I was glad he felt that way. Actually, I was glad he noticed at all.
“Thanks, honey,” I replied softly. Then I sighed and said, “I guess what I’m saying is, I didn’t think I had the time. But now that I have pick of the litter, the time is right.”
He didn’t reply. He just took another sip of bourbon.
I did too.
We lapsed into silence.
I broke it.
“Since I was thirteen, this was all I wanted.”
I felt his eyes on me but I kept mine on the trees and continued speaking.
“My own business in Colorado. My parents brought us here when I was thirteen and because I begged, they kept bringing us. I fell in love and knew this was where I’d live my life, doing something I enjoyed doing, close to the slopes so I could snowboard. But mostly this, the day being done, taking a load off, surrounded by beauty.”
“Thirteen?” he asked and I looked to him.
“Thirteen.”