Kate Kingsbury - Death Is in the Air

He’d mimicked her British accent with his last words, and she laughed. In her best American accent, she drawled, “Earl, you gotta deal.”

He held out his hand. “Is it permissible to shake the hand of a lady of the manor?”

“Well, in the old days we were more used to our hands being kissed, but I’ll settle for a handshake.”

She clasped his hand and was enchanted when he raised it to his lips. It would be morning, she vowed, before she washed that hand again.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said when he let her hand go. “It’s in my room. How about I go get it and meet you in the library in, say, ten minutes?”

Intrigued, she nodded. “Ten minutes.”

She walked with him back to the house, where he left her to go in through the back door leading to the east wing. She entered by the front door and made her way to the library, where she waited in a fever of curiosity as to what the surprise might be.

When he finally entered the room, he was carrying a large basket. She watched in astonishment as he laid the wicker container on the floor then opened the lid.

The gasp that left her lips was both shock and delight when two furry heads popped up and gazed at her with sleepy brown eyes. With a cry she dropped on her knees beside them. “Oh, they are so beautiful. Where did you get them?”

“One of the guys on base was talking about his girlfriend trying to get rid of some pups. I remembered you said you were thinking about getting a couple of dogs. I took a look at them and decided you all belonged together.”

She laughed as the puppies spilled out of the basket and started exploring. “Just look at their feet-they’re huge! What kind of dogs are they?”

“Best we can tell, they’re a bloodhound mix.” He looked worried. “I just brought them for you to take a look. If you don’t want them I’ll take them right back.”

She watched the two roly-poly, cumbersome puppies stumbling over each other in their eagerness to sniff around the potted palm in the corner. The words that came immediately to mind were double trouble. Life would become a little more complicated with these new arrivals in the household. Earl had given them to her, however, and nothing on this earth could tear them away from her. “We’ll have to come up with some good names for them.”

“How about George and Gracie?”

She raised her eyebrows at him.

“It’s from a television show back in the states-‘Burns and Allen.’ George and Gracie are the stars.”

She smiled at him. “I like that. George and Gracie it is.”

“Good choice.” He smiled back, and her happiness was complete.