Texas Christmas Twins. Deb Kastner

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СКАЧАТЬ joked drily, one side of his mouth kicking up.

      “She’s probably one of those old ladies who has a hundred cats living in her house. That’s why the idea of a dog upsets her so much.”

      He chuckled. “Maybe.”

      “I still don’t see how it’s any business of hers what happens on your property, as long as it doesn’t directly affect her. I can’t imagine that you allow your dogs to run wild. Or do you secretly let them out on her lawn?”

      Simon snorted. “Now there’s a thought. But truthfully, I don’t give her any reason to complain about me or my dogs. My property is well fenced, and I almost always ride along to supervise when the dogs go out for their runs.”

      Simon crouched before Shadow’s whelping box and checked her out, then stood and scooped Harper into his arms. It was oddly comforting, watching the big man holding the infant against his broad chest.

      “Come on. I want to show you something.” He started toward the barn door and then looked back to see if she was following.

      She quickly bundled Hudson into her arms. “Should I leave the quilt?”

      He glanced at Shadow and nodded. “Yes. We’ll be back shortly to attend to the puppies. But there’s something I’d like you to see back at my house.”

      Curiosity swelled within her as she caught up with Simon and walked side by side with him up a small incline to where his ranch house stood. They passed by several dog kennels built underneath a lean-to, but all of them were empty.

      When he reached the door, he slid her another glance. “This is, I believe, the real reason Blanche is kicking up such a fuss.”

      She could already hear what sounded like a dozen barking dogs, everything from a low woof-woof to the high-pitched yapping of the smaller dogs.

      He opened the door with a flourish. Even though Miranda had some idea what was coming next, she couldn’t have guessed at the enthusiasm with which the dogs—more than two dozen in various breeds and sizes—greeted Simon.

      He laughed—really laughed—as the dogs ran around his feet and nuzzled his hands with their wet noses, begging to be petted.

      “These are my rescue dogs.” He crouched briefly to accept doggie kisses as he scratched ears and wriggling tail ends.

      Was this the same man who, in the past, had such a chip on his shoulder?

      The twins gurgled in delight and flapped their arms so hard Miranda could barely keep control of Hudson. Simon tossed Harper into the air amidst much giggling.

      Miranda had as many questions as Simon had dogs, but she started with the most obvious one.

      “Where is Christmas?”

      “I’m sorry?” His eyes widened.

      “Thanksgiving was last week and you don’t have a single decoration up yet. And no tree!”

      “You almost make it sound illegal.”

      “It should be. Where’s your holiday spirit?”

      He laughed. “You make up for it at your house.”

      “That’s truly sad,” she said, her frown halfway between real and mocking.

      He scoffed it off.

      “I brought you here to meet my dogs, not critique my lack of Christmas decorations,” he chided.

      She gave in reluctantly. “You keep all of these guys in your house? I noticed you have some kennels out there, but they’re all empty.”

      Evidently relieved that he didn’t have to talk about Christmas any longer, he grinned and bounced up and down to keep a fussy Harper, who wanted to be thrown in the air again, happy.

      “Mostly they live with me. They are all crate-trained and I use the kennels we passed by when necessary, but for the rescues that I plan to rehome, living in the house with me helps them prepare for life with their forever families. And the ones who will never be adopted out for whatever reason, well, they are in their forever home.”

      A medium-size, wire-haired dog limped up and bumped Miranda’s leg with his snout, and then sat prettily, waiting for her attention. It was only when she reached down to scratch his head that she noticed he was missing one of his front legs.

      Miranda felt awkward, not only because she was seldom around dogs, but because this one looked as if it had suffered a major injury at some point. Still, she continued to tentatively scratch the dog’s ears and pat his back.

      “That’s Cumberland,” Simon said by way of introduction. “But I just call him Chummy. He was run over by a car on the highway and left to die. But he’s a fighter. As you can see, he doesn’t let a little thing like missing one leg get him down.”

      “So you think you will be able to rehome him, then?”

      Simon shook his head. “Unfortunately, Chummy has other health issues besides his leg. He’ll stay with me for as long as he lives. But to be honest, I’ve fallen completely in love with Chummy. I wouldn’t adopt him out even if I could. He’s my dog. I have a blind husky named Loki, too.”

      He whistled and a beautiful husky with gray and white fur trotted directly and obediently to Simon’s side. Miranda could hardly tell the dog was blind until she looked into the husky’s eyes, which were white and hazy.

      “Extraordinary,” Miranda murmured, then caught Simon’s gaze and held it. “You’re not a typical dog rescuer, are you?”

      He ran a hand down his face as if he was embarrassed to admit the truth, although Miranda was impressed by the size of his heart. “No. Not really. I don’t keep the dogs in kennels until they are hopefully adopted out to new families. I rarely have folks visiting the ranch. Instead, I train them to be AKC Canine Good Citizens and then hold adoption events at Maggie’s Pet Store. I’ve found that trained dogs are easier to rehome, and they make better family members once they’re adopted. As for Chummy and Loki—I suppose I just can’t say no to an animal in need.”

      He swallowed hard. “When I first saw Chummy, he was all mangled, and yet his eyes were so hopeful. Even with as much pain as he was in, he let me approach him and take him to the vet. Most people would have put him down, I guess, thinking that was the most humane thing to do. But in my heart I knew Chummy wanted to live. Seeing him all bandaged up with an IV sticking out of him—I almost couldn’t stand it. But Chummy recognized me and wagged his tail. He has more courage than I’ll ever have.”

      Miranda’s heart warmed. She highly doubted that. In her mind, Simon showed an exemplary amount of courage. She could see how devoted he was to his cause. He was as passionate about his rescue endeavors as she was to her photography, only the work he did helped God’s creatures, ministered to those who couldn’t help themselves, while hers...had been completely for her own benefit. Publicizing famous people who didn’t need any more boost to their egos. The closest thing she got to true charity was photographing high-profile, black-tie charitable events, and even those had mostly been a joke, a way for rich people to feel good about themselves.

      “Come sit down for a minute,” Simon invited, СКАЧАТЬ