A Cowboy for the CEO

Chapter 38: Puppy Love

By Monday night, Ali was settled into a hotel room overlooking the calm waters of Puget Sound—but it didn't feel like the countless other business trips she'd made before. For the first time in her adult life, she was lonely. The sensation of leaving a part of herself behind in Colorado nagged at her, and she truly hated it. Dealing with this newfound vulnerability the only way she knew how, she jumped headfirst back into work.

She spent the next two days on the convention floor, checking out vendors and making contacts. The South Korean clothing industry was surprisingly well represented, which led to a few good leads she could also pass on to Robert. She owed him as much after blowing off his request for help a week earlier.

Aaron Lassiter had also flown into Seattle to get the ball rolling on setting up Foxhall's new location, and he'd asked Ali to help him scout out potential office space. They'd just about finished looking at prime real estate in the heart of the central business district when her cell phone rang. The caller ID indicated "Unknown Number," but she recognized the Colorado area code. Leaving her boss with the leasing agent to discuss terms, Ali took the call in the privacy of an empty office.

"Hello?" Her voice was hesitant from both apprehension and anticipation regarding who could be on the other end. There were only two people she could think of who would be calling from Colorado, and Liz McGhee wasn't on top of the list.

"Ali. It's Hank." The curt introduction confirmed her suspicion.

Although Ali's pulse raced at the possible reasons for the call, her mouth only managed to form one word: "Hi."

"Harriet passed away," he stated flatly, answering the unasked question.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she put her hand against the floor-to-ceiling glass wall to steady herself. Staring at the skyline, she could just make out the top of the Space Needle in the distance before her vision blurred.

"Ali? Are you there?"

"Um, yes." She shook off the shock of the unexpected news. Wiping the tears from her face, she cleared her throat. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me know."

"Of course," he said, sounding increasingly genuine, as if his artificial façade of not giving a damn was beginning to crack. "And I'm sorry for your loss."

She sniffled, now wishing it was Liz who'd called. Hearing Hank's voice and knowing he was so far away made the situation even more unbearable. "Thanks again. If there's nothing else—"

"Actually, there is if you have a minute," he interrupted.

Ali closed her eyes and let the warm sunshine streaming through the window wash over her. Nothing could be worse than what she'd just heard. "Sure."

"You know Harriet's dog?" There was a slight hesitation to the question.

"Marv?" she asked, opening her eyes. This may have been the last thing she'd expected to hear. "Of course. Why?"

"My niece and nephew have been taking care of him for the last week and a half while she'd been in the hospital. We thought Harriet's family would take the dog eventually, but they don't want him." Hank paused. "Since Marv liked you the best, I thought I'd ask if you would take him."

She frowned. "Don't Sarah and Colin want to keep him?"

"Of course, but they're kids," he said. "Liz already has too much going on without a pet to worry about."

A flurry of thoughts ran through Ali's head. She wouldn't be moving into a new place in Seattle for at least two months and her apartment building in New York had a no-animals policy. She couldn't let Harriet's beloved friend end up in a shelter, but maybe she could persuade her parents to house him. Her father still spoke fondly of their beagle that passed years earlier.