Silver Spoon by Cheyenne Meadows Read Free Book Online Page A

girlfriend. Yet, when the beast greeted him with a wagging tail and a slobbery kiss, he forgot about the tidy sum invested in the animal. He did the right thing in rescuing him from the drug factory, granting him a chance at a life of leisure with a woman who would spoil him rotten with love.
    Girlfriend. The word struck him as odd. He hadn't bothered to try to classify Riley before and somehow the common label didn't quite fit. Friend, sure. Girl, definitely. Girlfriend, though, fell short of his feelings for the little redheaded author.
    Before he could debate it too deeply, he arrived in the parking lot of Riley's apartment building. Finding a space, he parked before wrangling a dog that nearly outweighed him out of the backseat and onto the ground. The bright red bow, which Lark insisted the vet apply, hung around the big guy's neck, wrinkled and squashed from a one hundred and seventy-five pound mastiff laying on it. One dangling leg of the bow sported a darker hue, wet from drool.
    "I don't think that ribbon will make the deal sealing impression Lark promised." Spoon couldn't help but grin at the curious tilt of the dog's head. The black-eyed beast with the huge build and structure wouldn't present as perfectly as he'd imagined. Yet, the more he thought about it, the ragged appearance fit them both. A bit beat up and worse of wear from living in the danger zone, yet they cleaned up fairly well. While no champion show poodle, the mastiff held his own in looks, personality, and sheer charisma.
    "Come on, boy. Let's meet your new owner." He gave the dog a pat on the head, collected the leash, and led him up a flight of stairs. Finding her apartment, he rapped on her door.
    Riley answered quickly, wearing jeans and a light blue short-sleeved shirt. "Spoon! You're back. I wasn't expecting you so early. How was…" A curious expression turned to surprised delight when she spied the pony-sized dog beside him. "Oh, my. Is he yours?"
    Sniffing her hand, the dog obviously decided she fell into the category of friend as he laid his big head against her thigh. She reached down to scratch behind his ears, her gaze never leaving the animal.
    "Actually, I was hoping he would be yours."
    He met her look, easily reading the confusion. "I just returned from… my business trip. He'd been abandoned and needed some care. I couldn't leave him behind, so I took him to a vet to get him all taken care of. But, I'm away so much for my job that I'd have to board him all the time, which isn't fair to him. So, I was sort of hoping you might be in the market for a new pet?"
    Holding his breath, Spoon waited for her to make a decision, praying she would accept the dog with open arms. As he watched, she kneeled down to look the canine in the face, her hands braced on the wide neck.
    "You're quite handsome. And look at this bow!" A long pink tongue flicked out to lap across her face. Riley giggled and hugged him tight. "Okay. You can stay." A worrisome frown appeared on her face as she ran her hand over the animal's prominent ribs. "Poor guy. We're definitely going to have to fatten you up."
    "Already in progress. I have a car full of supplies and the vet recommended a certain dog food to get him back in shape."
    She stood back up with a large smile on her face. "Thank you. I don't know what I'll do with him, but I'll figure out something. At least I live close to work so I can run home during lunch to let him outside."
    He matched her grin, thrilled with her easy acceptance of the animal and the situation. She'd make a good mother. The thought startled him as he hadn't really had occasion or reason to consider children before. Not willing to delve into such deep thoughts, he focused his attention back on Riley and her new pet.
    The dog shifted closer, lining up his upper body at an angle then pressing solidly against the front of her legs.
    Spoon grabbed her before she toppled over. "Careful, I think he has this thing for leaning."
    "It seems so. He's