He pressed a finger against her mouth. “I can handle it. You’re not responsible for me.”
She winced. “Am I taking over?”
“You’re taking care. There’s a difference, and I like it. But you have a business to run. Let me deal with the dogs.” He kissed her again, his mouth lingering in a way that made her think longingly of tangled sheets and this man telling her he wanted her.
“Tonight,” he said.
“I’ll be there.”
* * *
Jonny drove all four dogs and their supplies to the pet adoption. Both it and the Day of Giving were at the convention center on the edge of town. Volunteers with the pet adoption had on cheerful red vests over their coats. While the temperature was cold enough, so far it hadn’t snowed. He hoped that meant a big turnout for both events.
A woman checked him in and confirmed which dogs he’d brought with him. Teen volunteers reached for leashes.
Raven stood next to him, not leaning, but not moving away. He’d brought her in last and now looked at her.
She stared back, her dark brown eyes sad and knowing. She got it. She was being passed on to yet another caretaker. Her head lowered as she sighed and turned toward the teen who’d taken her leash.
Jonny thought about the logistics involved with being on location in a foreign country, of how a dog would tie him down. There were a dozen reasons to walk away.
“Wait,” he said before the teen went inside. “Not her. I’m adopting Raven.”
The teen looked from him to the dog. “Are you sure? She’s kind of old. We have puppies inside. They’ll be more active.”
“I want her.” He took Raven’s leash. “Tell me what paperwork I need to fill out.”
Jonny completed the forms, gave the organization a hefty donation, then took Raven’s only possession in life—her plaid bed—to his SUV. After putting it in the back, he crouched down by the dog.
“We’re together now,” he told her, rubbing her ears. “I’m your forever family.” He paused, wondering what else to tell her. “I’m in the movie business, so you’re going to come with me on location. I hope you like it. The studio hires me an assistant when I’m filming. I’ll make sure that whoever it is likes dogs. Oh, and we’re going to Italy in a few weeks.”
He wasn’t sure how he was going to get Raven there. He didn’t like the idea of putting her in a cargo hold on a commercial flight. But, then, he was Jonny Blaze. He’d never been much for demands, but maybe it was time to ask for a private jet to get him there. Then Raven could ride with him.
He chuckled as he imagined what Annelise would say when he asked her to arrange it with the studio. Knowing how much she loved animals, he would guess she would be in favor of getting Raven first-class treatment.
“Come on,” he said as he rose. “Let’s go to the store and get you what you’re going to need.”
Raven stepped close and, for one brief second, leaned against him. He petted her head before leading her to his SUV and helping her inside.
FOURTEEN
MADELINE WALKED INTO the pet store and looked around. Jonny had texted her that he was keeping Raven and doing some shopping. She’d said she could take her lunch and had agreed to meet him there.
She found him in the dog food aisle, studying labels.
“Hey,” he said when he saw her. He smiled and gave her a kiss, before handing her a can of dog food. “The lady at the adoption event said this was the closest to what Raven has been eating. That they get all their food donated by one of the big dog food companies. She said if I want to change what she’s eating, that I need to do it slowly. Because, otherwise, her stomach will get upset.”
“Makes sense.”
He put a case of the food into a cart. There was already a large bag of dry food, along with several bowls.
“What do you know about a raw diet?” he asked.
“For dogs?”
“Yeah. I’ve heard it’s really healthy. I wonder if I have to make it myself.”
“Won’t that be difficult when you’re traveling?”
“I could hire a chef.”
“For your dog?”
He frowned. “Too much?”
“Kind of.”
He was adorable, she thought. Just as insane with Raven as he was with his sister. This wasn’t a man who couldn’t care, she thought wistfully. He showed his feelings, when he had them. Given the choice between showing and saying, she had to admit she would come down on the side of action. Rather than try to read anything into how he was with her, she turned her attention to the dog food.