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"What?" she said heatedly

Then Will hauled her into his arms and kissed her full on the mouth When he released her, she faltered for a second or two

He looked as shocked as she’d felt when she’d kissed hiain, his voice faint

"Home" He wasn’t the only one with voice probleotten control of her voice box; her words cah-pitched squeak

"Will you be back in the ht resign her position

"Yes, ouldn’t I be?"

"I didn’t want a little thing like a kiss to stand between us," he said with a frown

"You kissed me"

"Yes, I know"

"And I kissed you…first Okay, I’ll adain?"

"Why are you asking?" After all, he was the one who clai "Do you want to kiss ain?"

His head shot up "Let’s just call this whole episode a slip in judgment"

"On both our parts," she added

He offered her a tentative sreed

Twenty

The puppy’s softcry woke Grace fro Beau in the ht, and usually seeot up, too, but there really wasn’t much she could do So, after a few minutes she simply returned to bed

"Okay, okay, I hear you," she muttered as she threw aside the covers Cliff continued to sleep peacefully, which told her he was especially tired It was her turn to get up with the puppy

Beau slept in a cardboard box in the corner of their bedroom She didn’t like it, but there wasn’t anyplace else they could keep hiht Unfortunately, he still needed to be fed every few hours

Reaching for her fleece housecoat at the end of the bed, Grace slipped it on and tucked her feet into the warhter Maryellen last Christot it out of the kitchen and carried Beau into the living room As she set him in her lap, he latched on to the sreedily

"You’re not as cute as you think you are," she felt obliged to infor," she said aloud Sighing, she realized she actually wanted this srow up to be half the dog Buttercup was Nope Not in a ht think he’d finally got her where he wanted her, but he was dead wrong Grace had no intention of letting this puppy, or any other dog, capture her affections The only reason she’d agreed to take him was as a favor to Beth Even now she was sorry she’d allowed herself to be talked into this

Grace had ainst the puppy--so far In fact, she went out of her way not to pay attention to Beau During the day Cliff looked after hi with fellow horse-breeders the next day and wouldn’t be able to bring Beau with him That meant she’d have to take the puppy to work for the first ti the baby bottle, she focused her gaze on the opposite wall "Buttercup would’ve looked after you," she said It was still difficult not to tear up when she thought of her beloved golden retriever Not a day passed that she didn’t think of Buttercup Her dog had always greeted her when she returned fros Buttercup would lie at Grace’s feet while she read or watched television

"You could pet him, you know" Cliff’s voice startled her Grace looked up to see her husband leaning against the archway that led into the living room

"What time is it?" he asked

"I didn’t see Early Too early for either of us to be up This dog isn’t worth losing sleep over," she gru his arms "Just look at him, cuddled up on your lap Pet hi it fronored that "You think I don’t knohat you’re doing?"

"Which is what?"

"You’re trying to coaxto happen"

"You bought him the chew toy"

She had, but that was for self-preservation "I didn’t want hi his teeth onperiods of tih-end puned for co she wanted was for Beau toat ten," Cliff reminded her

"I know" She wasn’t happy about it, but she had little cause for co toward the puppy

"He’ll sleep all "