Free Payoff Pitch (Philadelphia Patriots) by V.K. Sykes Page B

uncomfortable to continue. Or maybe Noah just wanted to be alone with her?
    Stop thinking like that, you idiot.
    Cristina gave him a faint smile. “Thank you, Mr. Noah. I’m ready.”
    Teddy smiled warmly even as she wondered if D-Day had required as much preparation as this introduction. She’d never understood how people could be afraid of dogs or dislike being around them. Yes, she got it in theory, but what was there not to like about dogs? They lived to be loved by human beings and got no greater pleasure in life than making their masters happy. If she’d had any doubts on the subject, that unshakeable bond had been the only proof Teddy needed that God truly did exist.
    “Back in a minute,” Noah said to Cristina as he gestured to Teddy to follow.
    Getting the dogs out of their crates was pretty much a repeat of what had happened at the airport, with Toby jumping up like an idiot and Sadie acting decidedly more collected. Back inside the house, Noah kept an iron grip on Toby while Teddy allowed Sadie to gently approach Cristina, just as the two of them had planned.
    “Cristina, meet Sadie,” Noah said, stroking Toby’s back to calm him down. The big dog shook all over as he swiveled his head back and forth trying to take in his strange surroundings. “She’s the easy one, as you can see.”
    Cristina plastered a clearly insincere smile on her face as she dropped her hand slowly toward Sadie’s muzzle. Sadie gave it a couple of sniffs and then pivoted back to face Teddy, sitting before gazing expectantly up. If the dog could talk, she probably would have been saying something like:
why would I be interested in this new person when I have you, Teddy? You clearly adore me.
    “Okay, Toby’s turn,” Noah said. “Toby, sit,” he commanded, giving a little tug on the leash. When that produced no results, he tried again, this time in a firmer voice. “Toby, sit!”
    The big dog sat as ordered but couldn’t stop vibrating with what Teddy judged to be excitement, not nerves. “Let him sniff your fingers, Cristina,” Noah said softly.
    Cristina held her hand out again, this time even more tentatively. Toby tried to stand up but Noah firmly shoved him back into a sit. Once Toby got the message, he gave Cristina’s hand a thorough sniff and then a lick before she pulled it away.
    “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Noah said with an encouraging smile. “And, look, once they get used to their new home, they won’t be any problem.”
    The housekeeper took a couple of steps backward as Noah allowed Toby to get to his feet. “It’s just that with the weekend…” she said in a hesitant voice, leaving the sentence unfinished.
    “We’ll talk about that again later, okay?” Noah said. “Teddy, let’s take the dogs to the back yard and let them have a little run.”
    Looking relieved, Cristina headed off toward the back of the house and disappeared into a doorway to the right as Noah and then Teddy followed down the long center hallway. Teddy had managed a brief glimpse into the kitchen the day Buster escaped as Noah hurried her down this same hallway and into his basement training room. This time, she made a point of gawking at the gleaming granite counters, rich wood cabinets and high-end appliances as she walked Sadie past. The Sub-zero refrigerator and six-burner range with dual ovens caught her particular attention. She enjoyed cooking and longed to someday have a kitchen like that.
    Not on a dog walker’s income, sunshine. A lawyer’s, though? Maybe.
    By the time Teddy stepped through the back door onto a large, flagstone patio, Noah had already let Toby loose and the big dog had taken off like a shot toward the rear of the yard. When Noah nodded, Teddy unclipped the leash from Sadie’s collar, leaving her free to bolt after her brother.
    “The installers just finished the fence yesterday,” Noah said, keeping his eyes on the back lot line where Toby raced the length of the fence.
    Though the