High Maintenance (Liam Payne AU)

Part 5

The puppy grew and finally opened his eyes. He could also hear and crawl around a bit. She was impressed with herself, learning to care for Carl. By four weeks, he could follow her around the store for a bit before getting tired and going back to his bed. It was also that long before Liam showed his face in the store again. He really must like being alone, she thought. She almost missed him and his stupid mind games.

It was July, and nearly 65 degrees everyday. She had arranged a lounge chair in a spot in the backyard of the store that got enough sun during the day to help her start to tan. She was laying in the sun, in her bikini, Carl napping on her stomach, when he appeared. She felt a shadow fall on her and a hand reached down and grabbed the puppy. "Hey, little guy." she heard Liam say. She opened her eyes and looked up.

"You are blocking my sun and give me my dog. We are sleeping."

Liam looked down at her. "I never did say you could have this puppy. You just took him."

Gen sat up, ready to fight with him once again. "Excuse me?" she said. "You were..."

Liam starting laughing. "Relax. I'm not taking Carl. But, he's old enough now that should be with the other puppies. He needs to learn to be a dog. Bring him by, let him play. It's important. Especially if you want him to be a great sled dog. He needs to get along with the other dogs."

Gen reached up for the puppy. "He will NOT be a sled dog. He is going to be my baby." She took Carl and held him up so they were touching noses. "Aren't you, baby?" Carl licked her nose with his tiny baby tongue, making her laugh.

"Uh, okay." Liam said, rolling his eyes. "But he still needs to socialize. Bring him by. Tomorrow. Okay?"

Genny nodded, closed her eyes and resumed her tanning session. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of paying attention to him. Liam watched her for a second more before turning and walking away.

Her dad let her use the truck and told her how to get to Liam's place. She drove out, Carl sitting by her side, ears trying to perk up, but still not quite there. He was still mostly white, with some brown marking on his nose and around his eyes. He looked a bit like a baby wolf, especially with his new sharp teeth. He chewed on everything, including her. She had chew marks on fingers to prove it.

She pulled into Liam's yard and stopped the truck. She looked around, once again admiring the cabin. Then she shook herself out of that thought. Until she saw Liam. He was on the side of the cabin, shirt off and tucked into the waist of his jeans, chopping wood. She stood and admired him for a second, watching him lift the ax up, throw it to the side, then up and bring it down, cracking the log in two, before he noticed her, looked up and smiled. He set down the ax and walked over to her, not bothering to put his shirt back on. She looked at his sweaty muscles and gulped. He was a beautiful man.  "Hey! You came. Let's take his little guy into the barn to meet his brothers and sisters. I've already sold the girls, so I'm glad he's coming to see them before they leave." He took the puppy from her arms and gave him a quick nuzzle, rubbing the soft fur between his eyes.

"Sold?"

Liam nodded, walking Carl over to the barn. "I don't need the girls. I really only need 10 to 12 good dogs for the races I want to do. I've got Lucy and May if I want to breed more. I sold them to a nice family in Fairbanks. They are coming up in two weeks to get them. They will be happy. I love my dogs, despite what you seem to think. I'd never give them to someone I didn't trust."

Gen followed him, doubting that he even had heart, let alone loved anything and watched as he set Carl down in the middle of the puppies. They sniffed each other and began to play around without any problems. She sat and watched them on a bale of hay, nearby. Liam stood over them, just in case something happened. "If you love them, why do they stay outside? Why not let them in the house? It's cold outside!"