James nodded. “No argument with you there.”
Shay let the deputy’s praise wash over her as she knelt down and hugged Prince’s neck.
The action exposed a collar James had not seen before. It was royal blue with rhinestones and silver studs. He winced at seeing his partner decorated like some kind of show dog. Yet he couldn’t fault the instincts of the woman before him for recognizing what a great dog Bogart was.
As for Bogart’s would-be executioner, an ugly suspicion had begun to creep into his mind. “Describe the woman who brought him in.”
Shay was really beginning to hate the way this man talked in commands. “Tall. Lots of blond hair and makeup. With big boobs. Your type, right?”
Shay was surprised to see her interrogator blush. Then she realized it wasn’t embarrassment but the seething complexion of a man about to blow his top.
“Any of this making sense to you, son?” Deputy Ward watched James with a raised brow.
“Yes, sir. Though I never would have thought—” James quashed the expletive that accompanied any thought of Jaylynn Turner. She had been a three-month nightmare in his life. He should have listened to … hell, everyone. His friends, his sisters, even Bogart seemed to find fault with her. She was just one of those dumb things men sometimes succumb to when they were following their dicks.
But never in a million years would he have thought she would stoop so low as to steal Bogart, and then try to have him put down.
Another thought struck him, one that made him queasy. He eyed Bogart with some anxiety. “They neuter animals before they’re allowed out for adoption.”
Shay seethed under the glare of his stare. Even his questions didn’t end in question marks. “It wasn’t a formal adoption.”
James’s exhale of relief was audible. “I guess I owe you a debt there.”
She snorted. “I didn’t do it for you. The shelter people agreed that because she handed him over to me, personally, there was no need for an adoption.”
“Well, then, no harm done.” The deputy hooked his thumbs in his belt, all smiles to have the matter settled. “I’ve known Shay a long time. I can vouch for her.”
Shay felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. “Excuse me, Deputy Ward. I’m not the one who needs a character reference here. He broke into my house.”
As she said this Prince decided he’d been obedient long enough. He leaped up on her, barking and wagging his tail.
Trying to hold on to her outrage under the onslaught of Prince’s doggy affection, she hauled him in by the collar. “My dog needs to go out before he pees all over the place. Excuse me.”
She walked over to her door and reached once again for the leash, and a net bag that she slung over a shoulder. To her consternation Prince wasn’t the only one to follow her. Her intruder crossed the room toward her.
After she snapped on Prince’s leash, she turned on him, thunder in her expression. “We don’t need company.”
James reached down and scratched Bogart behind the ears, smiling despite his anger at the situation. Bogart answered his affection with long wet licks of his hand and wrist. Happy for actual physical contact with the friend he’d thought he’d lost forever, he bent to allow Bogart to lick his face. No matter how awful the day, how tired or weary or worried he was, having Bogart within reach calmed him down.
It worked. In fact, his voice sounded almost mild when James stood up and spoke to Shay. “I’m coming with you.”
“Hold up, son.” Deputy Ward waved James toward him. “I’m calling this in. I may need some additional verification from you.” He stepped away from them as his radio crackled to life on his shoulder.
James bent down again. “I’m taking this damn decoration off before Bogart catches it on something and chokes.” He unsnapped her leash, released Bogart’s fancy blue collar and tossed it aside. He shoved a hand into one of the deep pockets in his camo pants and pulled out a nylon service collar with the word “police” spelled out in block letters. He strapped it around the dog’s neck.
When he stood up, James gave Shay his most intimidating look. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Refusing to give him the satisfaction of an answer, Shay simply opened the door. Bogart shot through it like a furry cannonball. Without a backward glance, she followed at a more leisurely pace.
James stood in the open doorway to watch. His well-honed instincts about people told him that she wouldn’t skip out on the local deputy, yet he remained unable to take his eyes off her.