Home > Faux Paws (The Dogmothers #6)(8)

Faux Paws (The Dogmothers #6)(8)
Author: Roxanne St. Claire

Clementine whimpered and splashed.

“Somebody’s jealous,” Darcy said with a laugh and turned on the spray hose.

“Speaking of perfectly named creatures…” Theo looked for Gala’s stout little partner, another doxie. “Where’s Pyggie?”

“Pygmalion is on strike,” Yiayia announced. “We got him out of the car, and he sat on the driveway and won’t move. And this must be the stray from the road. Hello, gorgeous.”

As his grandmother went closer, Clementine got up on her hind legs and started to growl.

“Hey, Clem,” Theo said. “Friendly human approaching now. Usually has cookies. No reason to growl.”

He walked over to the dog and put a hand on her head, instinctively knowing he couldn’t raise his voice. Instead, he got closer to whisper in a floppy ear. “We’re friendly now, girl. We trust strangers. Especially this one.”

He put his arm around Yiayia to prove his point. Clem calmed a little and stared at him with almost as much love in her eyes as Yiayia’s when she looked at Theo.

“So it appears you’ve gotten rid of one female and picked up another,” Yiayia said.

“And it appears you still say whatever you’re thinking,” he countered with a knowing smile.

She threw a glance at Finnie. “I try to temper it with a bit of love now, but I can’t lie. I never really liked that Heather.”

He groaned. “Why was this kept a family secret?”

“Because you liked her.”

He had, but obviously…not enough. “So what’s wrong with Pyggie?” he asked, wanting the subject off his love life.

“If only I knew. He’s mad all the time. Staring at the wall. Not eating.”

“Pygmalion not eating?” Cassie’s dark eyes flashed. “That’s serious.”

“Indeed, ’tis serious.” Gramma Finnie put an arm around Yiayia, proving that she might be a five-foot-tall octogenarian, but the little lady had done the one thing few people other than Theo had ever attempted—tamed Yiayia. “We’re worried about the poor pupper. Something’s amiss.”

“Maybe he is unhappy that I cut back on his kibble,” Yiayia said. “But what about you, Théodoros?”

“Don’t ever cut back on my kibble, Yiayia.”

She laughed like he was a veritable stand-up comic. “How long are you going to be here, and what can I make you to eat?”

“I’ll eat anything you cook,” he assured her. “I’m staying for John’s wedding in three weeks, but doing a full-court press to get a job since the one in London fell through. Not too long, hopefully.”

“Hopefully?” Cassie scoffed. “Like Bitter Bark is such a terrible place to live, what with all the fabulous family, gorgeous scenery, great food, and wonderful dogs. It’s so awful to be forced to stay here.”

“You had one foot out of North Carolina not so long ago,” he reminded her. “You are the original ‘this town is too small for me’ girl.”

“Well, we changed that, didn’t we?” Yiayia crossed her arms with a smug expression. “We got her married.”

“That’d do the trick to keep the lad here,” Gramma Finnie joked. Although she looked at Yiayia like it was no joke. Uh-oh. These two were the famous family matchmakers. Better put a stop to that nonsense, stat.

“Except you’d be walking over my dead body, because that ain’t happenin’, ladies. Did we not thoroughly discuss my pathetic love life?”

“Not pathetic once the Dogmothers get involved,” Yiayia said. “We have quite the number of success stories under our belt, don’t we, Finn?”

“And ’tis time for another,” Gramma Finnie agreed. “We’ve hit nothing but dead ends with Ella, and Nick is on the other side of the world.”

“Isn’t he coming for John’s wedding?” Theo asked.

“Yes, but then he’ll be gone again.” Yiayia narrowed her eyes at him, examining his face like he was a lamb chop that might or might not be suitable for her moussaka. “But a woman would have to be just right for you, Théodoros. Gorgeous, brilliant, charming, and…” Yiayia slipped her hand through his arm and squeezed his bicep. “The perfect match for my perfect grandson.”

Darcy and Cassie shared a look, snorting laughter.

“Don’t waste your energy, ladies,” he insisted. “I’m temporarily in town and permanently single.”

“Oh, is that Pyggie barking?” Yiayia broke away at the sound of the only thing that could steal her attention from Theo. “Better check on him.” She and Gramma Finnie headed back outside, with Gala on their heels.

“Word of warning, Theo.” Darcy turned off the water and grabbed a fluffy towel. “Don’t give them a challenge unless you want to be fending off dates arranged by the two most determined grandmothers in the country.”

Cassie nodded in agreement. “Ella’s been frustrating them at every turn, and now that Yiayia has a boyfriend—”

“That guy she met at Christmas is official now?” he asked.

“I don’t know if they’re calling it that,” Cassie said. “She tries to play it down, but I think she really likes him.”

“She’s eighty, for God’s sake.”

“Eighty-plus, but don’t remind her unless you want to be jabbed with her Botox syringe,” Cassie cracked. “And so what if she’s over eighty? She deserves love since Papu died all those years ago.”

“Well, I don’t know about this,” he said. “Yiayia’s kind of special.”

Cassie shot a look at Darcy. “As you can see, the Yiayia-Theo Fan Club is really a mutual-admiration society.”

Laughing, Darcy reached around to get Clementine out of the sink, but instantly the dog gave a low, threatening growl.

“Clementine!” Theo warned, and the dog stopped, dropped into the sink, and whimpered.

“Now you’ve done it,” Cassie teased.

“Oh man. I forget she’s so sensitive.” He reached in to pick her up, getting an inhale. “Good smell, Clem. No more trash heap.”

“Oatmeal and lilac,” Darcy said. “My favorite for the pretty girls.”

Theo studied Clementine now that he could see past the dirt and sadness. “She is pretty,” he admitted. “And I’m not the right person for her. I’m gruff, and she’s tender, and I’m temporary, and this dog needs forever.”

“Don’t worry, Miz Marie is on the way over,” Darcy told him. “She can have her forever life at the Last Chance Ranch.”

He’d been grateful to hear that a Kilcannon family friend who took the worst cases lived so close now. It was a perfect solution for Clementine.

“You’re gonna be fine, Clem.” He whispered the promise into her ear as he lifted her into his arms.

She threw her body against his chest and draped possessive paws over his shoulders. It was as if she understood that the Last Chance Ranch would somehow not include her knight in shining armor.

Still carrying the dog, he walked outside into warm spring sun, spying Yiayia and Gramma Finnie talking to a young woman in the long driveway. She was crouched down with Pyggie, looking up and saying something to Yiayia.

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