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Heather wrote down the address for Sullivan Autos, then gave both Agnes and her dog hugs as they said goodbye

She couldn’t i too happy about aaround in an auto shop Not to mention that it definitely wasn’t the safest environo play with a puppy?" she said to the dog lying at her feet

Atlas’s ears perked up at his favorite word It had always amused her how much her two-hundred-pound Great Dane loved to play with puppies, even though they tended to nip at him with their sharp little teeth and use their sharp nails to climb onto his broad back with no concern whatsoever for their oelfare

She suspected the reason had to do with the fact that the early part of his own life hadn’t been at all carefree Clearly, he thrived on being around a puppy’s unta hair up fro and headed out to her car Atlas bounded into the backseat, i his head out of thein anticipation of wind in his fur, his tongue flying free

Ten minutes later, Heather pulled up outside Sullivan Autos and slipped on Atlas’s leash She could see a half dozenorlds better around men than he had been when she’d first taken hi ht overwhelm him She wasn’t surprised when he stuck close to her, the stiffness of his ears and tail a telltale sign that he wasn’t entirely relaxed

"Everything’s fine," she soothed hi to play with a puppy, rerinned in response "That’s right, we’ve got nothing to worry about at--"

"Where the hell is that damned puppy!"

Chapter Two

The frustrated roar split apart the otherwise nore and both Heather and Atlas went on red alert She i places a puppy would be likely to go in a place like thisespecially if it were afraid of its nener

Her Great Dane tugged her toward a hedge at the edge of the parking lot and she followed his lead If anyone could find a lost and helpless little one, it was Atlas He stopped in front of a thick hedge on the edge of the parking lot, sniffed at the bush, then whiet down on her hands and knees to peer inside Ah yes, she could see black-brown fur between the leaves and branches

"Hey there, cutie," she crooned softly "Want to coht to play with you?"

Unfortunately, just then, the et your furry little butt back here!"