Puppy Kisses by Lucy Gilmore

Author:Lucy Gilmore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2020-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“Today is harness training day,” Dawn announced as she entered the kitchen. She spoke with the air of one carrying an executioner’s ax over her shoulder and a golden retriever puppy in her arms. “You know what that means… It’s also Adam-has-to-go-with-me-into-town day.”

“I can’t. The irrigation system on the south field is having problems.” Adam held out the coffee mug he’d just finished filling, keeping it there until Dawn took it with a murmur of thanks. Like him, she took her coffee black. No muss, no fuss—all she asked was that it was hot. He reached for a second cup and began pouring himself one.

“No, it’s not.” Zeke took the coffee from his hand before Adam had a chance to finish pouring. “I took a look at it this morning. The pressure tank was off, but I added some air. It’s working just fine now. Ugh. Didn’t you use the flavored kind?”

“Of course not. I’m not a heathen.” Adam paused before filling a third cup of coffee. “And what do you mean, you took a look at it this morning? It is morning.”

He knew before Phoebe plucked the last cup from his hand that there was no way he was going to be able to enjoy this pot of coffee in peace. His siblings were merciless. Didn’t they realize how little sleep he’d gotten last night, staying up well past his bedtime listening to American Horror Story?

Dawn hadn’t been kidding about that show. It was terrifying. He was pretty sure there was a ghost in his basement now.

“He means that we were up before the sun, doing every possible chore that might be on your list today,” Phoebe said. “So there’s no excuse.”

“No excuse for what?” The pot in his hand sloshed with the tiny bit of coffee left. He’d have to make do with the dregs. “Harness training can’t possibly take all day.”

“It can and does take weeks, actually,” Dawn said. “But I think they’re referring to Zeke’s race.”

Oh. Oh. “Shit, Zeke. I forgot. The Trailblazer Tri, right?”

His brother shifted slightly, the rustle of his athletic pants carrying new meaning now that Adam remembered what day it was. His brother had been competing in the triathlon around nearby Medical Lake for years—and he usually won. It wasn’t a very big race, and it didn’t come with any prize money, but Zeke entering it had become something of a tradition.

“What time are you supposed to check in?”

“Eleven, which means I need to get moving if I want to make it on time.” His brother gulped his coffee. With an anxious inflection, he added, “It’s okay, yeah? Since I got the irrigation system up and running again, you don’t mind if Phoebe and I lope off for the rest of the day? Michael’s out of town, so she has to be my whole support crew.”

“I’ve got water bottles, salt packs, and the first aid kit ready to go,” Phoebe said. “He’s going to need them. It’s supposed to reach a hundred degrees today.

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