Free Shotgun Nanny by Nancy Warren Page A

Annie around, all right. And he knew she was good for his niece in many ways. If he could just assign a deputy to ensure their safety, he could quit worrying. Maybe Kitsu was the perfect answer.

    “Think you can look after my girls?” Mark asked his new guard dog.

    The intelligent eyes gazed at him, and Kitsu uttered a short, sharp sound, something between a yap and a yowl.

    “I’ll take that as a yes.”

    Giving the dog one last rub on the head, he turned to the stand-in trainer. “I’ll take him.”

    “ANNIE, LOOK.” Emily’s voice was full of excitement.

    Annie had never heard her so animated. She ran to the front of the house where the door was wide open for once and halted at the sight of Emily and Mark, both staring at a dog.

    She leaned against the doorway, watching as Emily slowly approached the animal. Mark spoke softly in the voice he used exclusively for his niece.

    The child glanced to where Annie stood, and her smile was brighter than the sun.
    “I always wanted a dog.”

    Annie felt her smile grow as she watched the trio on the lawn.

    Dog? Her goofy smile started to stiffen. Was that rigid canine shape really a dog or was it a garden statue? It sure didn’t act like any dog she’d ever seen. Where was the barking? Jumping? Licking? The running around wildly that she always associated with puppies? Because if the German shepherd wasn’t a puppy, he sure wasn’t far from it.
    “How old is he?”

    “Ten months,” Mark replied.

    “He’s kind of quiet.”

    “He’s just shy. Aren’t you, boy?” Emily spoke with confidence as she approached the animal. His eyes were alive, and his ears perked up, but if he wasn’t carved from stone, he was doing a darn good imitation of it.

    Mark’s voice continued, and Annie was almost certain he was giving some kind of instructions. Like how to plug the thing in or activate it in case of burglary.

    Emily reached out and stroked the dog’s head, and a quiver ran from its nose down its back. But still it remained sitting, watching Mark. Impulsively, Emily threw her arms around the dog and hugged its neck.

    “No Em. You shouldn’t do that.” Mark’s voice sharpened.

    “Why not?” The smile faded in an instant. “Isn’t he ours to keep? Oh, please say we can keep him, Uncle Mark. I always, always wanted a dog, but Mom said no because we traveled so much. I promise I’ll feed him and walk him every day and—”

    “Yes. We can keep him.” Mark dropped to his haunches, and Annie walked over to join the group on the lawn. “But he’s a very special kind of dog. He’s a trained guard dog.”

    A groan escaped her lips before she could suppress it. Emily wanted a pet, and he bought an attack dog. “Great, just great.”

    Mark glared at her, then turned his attention to his niece. “His name’s Kitsu.”

    Emily laughed. “He knows his name. Did you see the way his ears moved?”

    “That’s one rambunctious puppy you’ve got there,” Annie said softly so only Mark would hear.

    The jingle of keys got Mark’s attention. “What are you doing?”

    She widened her eyes. “I’m pushing the green button to make him bark.”

    Mark snatched the key chain away. “He’s a real dog. Quit ruining Emily’s fun.”

    “You wouldn’t know fun if it bit you in the—”

    “Annie! I admit I got him to protect Emily. And you. The way you go through life worries me. So he can be a pet and a guard dog. What’s the big deal?”

    “You just don’t get it.” Emily wanted a dog she could play catch with, run around the yard with, whisper her secrets to and sneak up to her room to sprawl on her bed, muddy paws and all. She didn’t want a dog that was like Mark only with pointy ears and a tail.

    She gave the dog a reluctant pat on the head and announced she was going in to finish preparing lunch. As she entered the house she overheard Mark telling Emily how smart Kitsu was. “He can walk, sit, heel, lie down and stay.”

    “Sounds