“They are. And y’all are going to have fun teaching them things.” He held on tight, picking Jaxson up and leading the way to the kitchen. “Find out what folks want to drink, Jayden?”
The kitchen was packed with doggie stuff, and the pups went right for the toys.
Jayden took drink orders and Connor met him in the kitchen, helping to pour iced tea and lemonade. “Sophie’s in her crate around the corner, I’m just letting her chill for a few minutes while the big dogs are settling down.”
“Sophie is a good name, Dad.” Jayden sounded so confident.
Jaxson frowned. “Who’s Sophie?”
“Dad’s dog.” Again, that confidence.
“How did you know Dad had a dog?” That pout was getting bigger by the second, and Early was going to have to put Jaxson down for a nap.
“I just listened, Jax.” Jayden shrugged. “Can we play with the puppies now, Daddy? Which one is mine?”
“Y’all should spend some time with them, now. See what happens.” One would gravitate to one boy, and the other would need her own attention.
“Come on, Jax.” Jayden took Jax’s hand when Early set him down and they went to pet the puppies.
Connor handed out drinks. “They’re adorable. Do you breed? Are they rescues? This was all a big surprise to me.”
“They’re all rescues. We foster constantly. We also have two middle-aged mixes and a Saint Bernard, so this is a huge help.” Martha murmured her thanks for the iced tea. “Now I can get more babies from the rescue and socialize them.”
“You’re doing a good thing.” Connor’s eyes were on the boys. “And my boys are happy, so that’s a win.”
“We all have our calling, that’s for sure.”
Jayden had the chocolate lab in his lap, and Jaxson was playing tug with the yellow.
Connor pulled out his phone. “Can you give me the name of the rescue? We’ll make a donation. Don’t you think, Early?”
“Absolutely. We’ll pay the adoption fee, plus a donation, just to help with costs.” Early needed to get some of the guys to put up a dog run so they could just let the dogs out to potty. He sent Demming a text to have it happen.
Demming’s texts were always like that. One word, maybe two.
“Oh.” They were interrupted by a tiny little whining from the other room. “Coming Sophie!” Connor jogged off.
“He’s already in love,” Martha muttered.
“She’s going to be sleeping in our bed, I know it.” The man deserved a puppy. He’d never seen anyone who needed one more.
“What about you?” Martha asked slyly. “You need a dog, don’t you? What are you looking for?”
“I have two Labs here, plus a half dozen ranch dogs. When the right one shows up, I’ll know.”
Martha chuckled. “I see how you are. I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“She jumped right into my arms when I opened the crate.” Connor came back with a bundle of fluff in his arms. “Look, honey.”
“Oh, look at you. You’re a dollbaby, aren’t you?”
She looked right at him and barked, like she was getting it said.
Everyone laughed. “She’s going to rule this house in a week.” Heidi shook her head. “Those little ones never understand how little they are.”
“Daddy! This one’s peeing!” Jaxson pointed to the little pup.
“Outside with them, tell them to potty outside, and tell them they’re good when they do. Use a leash. Go.”