The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service Read Online Free

“You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
    The puppy whimpered at the sound of her voice. Then it peed on the lining of Justine’s coat.
    Lara ran all the way home and when she opened the front door, her mother commanded, “Change into dry clothes. You’re going to catch pneumonia.”
    “In a second. I’ve got to take care of my dog first.” Lara unbuttoned the coat and produced the shivering, skinny little pup. “Mom, meet Beacon.”
    “Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. You are not keeping that thing. We are not keeping that thing.”
    “Oh yes, we are. And you’re wrong, Mom. Soul mates do exist.”
    * * *
    Lara gazed up at her boyfriend with the same steadfast conviction she’d shown her mother all those years ago. “My dog Beacon saved my life in high school. He kept me sane through all the crazy drama of adolescence. He got me through college, my first jobs, a bunch of crappy apartments, and bad breakups. My mom could never understand why I loved him so much, since he wasn’t beautiful and he didn’t have a fancy pedigree, but there was just something about him.” She smiled wistfully, remembering the tiny, floppy-eared Chihuahua mix. “He died two years ago, and I’ll probably never have that same connection with another dog. But I know it exists, and my job is to match people up with the dog that can save them the way Beacon saved me. This is my calling. Love me, love my dogs.”
    “I do love you.” Evan cupped her cheek in his palm. “And I’m sure I’ll start loving the dogs, too. Plus, they’ll motivate me to learn how to install drywall.”
    “That’s the spirit. Now give me five minutes to change, and let’s go have dinner far away from the scene of the crime. And when we get home”—she slid her hands up his biceps and gave a saucy smile—“I have some interesting ideas involving nudity and that bowl of frosting.”

Chapter 3
    Lara white-knuckled the station wagon’s steering wheel the next morning as she gunned the car down the quiet suburban street and screeched to a halt in front of her best friend’s house. Not pausing to yank the keys out of the ignition, she dashed across the driveway and rang the bell.
    “Thank God you’re here,” Kerry said when she opened the door. A tiny, square-jawed redhead with a huge personality, Kerry was the cofounder with Lara of their canine rescue group, Lucky Dog. Although she was in the final weeks of pregnancy, she had managed to maintain her wiry frame, and she looked like she’d tucked a volleyball under her maternity tank top.
    Lara scanned her friend for signs of distress. “I couldn’t even understand your voice mail. Are you in labor?”
    “No, no, I’m fine, but we’ve got a mastiff on the loose. Titus got out of the yard somehow.” Kerry opened the door wider to accommodate her belly, and a little yellow terrier streaked out between her feet. “Murphy, no! Not another one!”
    Lara raised her hand, snapped her fingers, and commanded gently but firmly, “Come.”
    Murphy stopped in his tracks, pivoted, and trotted back with his mouth open in a naughty dog grin. He sat down at Lara’s feet and looked up expectantly for his treat.
    “Good boy.” Lara reached down, put a hand on Murphy’s collar, and motioned for Kerry to sit on the front stoop. “Calm down. Breathe.”
    “What the hell?” Kerry remained standing. “How come all the dogs listen to you and ignore me? I told Titus to come, and he galloped off like he didn’t even hear me.” She started toward the station wagon, bracing both hands on her lower back. “We have to find him. And we have to take your car, because there’s no way Titus is going to fit into that stupid car Richard bought me.”
    “You mean the brand-new German-engineered convertible in your garage?” Lara said. “That ‘stupid car’?”
    “That’s the one. German engineering doesn’t do you any good when you’re trying to squeeze your third-trimester belly behind the wheel and a mastiff in