Chapter Nine

~ Jos ~

"You really want to keep this mangy critter?"

I mean, sure he'd probably be something once he grew up, but right now he was just a mess of big paws and fur. He had a long ways to go—and a lot of training—before he'd be worth much.

He looked like he might be an Anatolian Shepherd, which was a good breed for a ranch. They tended to be loyal dogs even if they were not that affectionate.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. Anatolian Shepherds were known for their strong protective instincts. If we could get this one to be protective of Miko, it would give him one more thing to help keep him safe on the ranch.

"Please?"

My sigh could have filled the Grand Canyon.

"Are you sure?" I had to ask. Maybe I'd get lucky and he'd change his mind. "Pets take a lot of hard work, especially puppies like this guy."

Miko's eyes finally met mine, but they were so rounded, they dominated his face. "I can keep?"

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I couldn't deny the pleading in Miko's eyes. "If you really want him you can keep him, but you have to take care of him. He'd be your responsibility."

" Arigatou gozaimasu ." Miko bowed at the waist, saying " Arigatou gozaimasu ." Pretty sure that meant thank you.

I hated the bowing.

I handed the sleeping puppy to Miko. "Go get him settled in your room. I'll call our vet and see if he can come give him an examination, make sure his paw is okay. He'll probably need shots, too. Tomorrow, we'll need to go into town and get supplies for him."

"Supplies?" Miko asked.

"He'll need a leash, collar, food bowls, a bed, some toys so he doesn't chew everything up, and until we know if he's potty trained or not, you'll need puppy pads."

Miko's head tilt was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

"Puppy pads?"

"They are disposable pads the puppy can pee on so he doesn't go on the floor."

"Ah." Miko's brow furrowed. "Is expensive?"

"It can be, but it's worth it in the long run. If you take good care of your animals, they live long happy lives."

When Miko started chewing on his bottom lip, I couldn't help but stare, my body stirring. It was all kinds of wrong, and I was fully aware of that, but I wanted to chew on that bottom lip more than I wanted to breathe.

"How expensive?" Miko suddenly asked. He held his necklace up again. "Is this enough?"

My brows snapped together as I frowned. Just what was going on here? It felt as if every time I turned around, Miko was trying to give me his necklace. I just didn't understand why.

I also didn't understand why his English seemed to go from good to bad and then back to good again. I wasn't even going to ask about the Japanese.

"You don't need to pay with your necklace, Miko. I will pay for whatever the dog needs." I thought that would please him, but from the way his eyes dropped, I guess not. "Miko?"

"Don't want to be an imposition," Miko said quickly. "I can work. I am strong. I can pay for dog."

I doubted he could lift a bale of hay.

However, that wasn't the main concern here.

"Let's take this little guy to rest and then you and I can sit and talk about this. Okay?"

I was thinking there was a lot we needed to go over. Miko seemed to be under some sort of impression that he had to pay his way and for anything he wanted.

That was so not the case.

Miko nodded before quickly grabbing the towel and cleaning up any water that had been left behind. I stood there like an idiot and watched as he wiped the down the bathroom and put everything away just as it had been before. If I hadn't been in here with him, I never would have known he'd been here.

That bothered me.

As soon as Miko was done, I led the way out of the bathroom and up the stairs to his bedroom. I kicked open the door and then stepped inside. Since we didn't have a dog bed set up already, I laid the pup down on the bottom of the bed.

When I turned, Miko was standing in the doorway, his hands gripping the sides of his shirt until his knuckles turned white. His eyes were still downcast, but I could see him peeking up at me every few seconds through the fall of his hair.

Was he afraid of me?

I walked over to sit in one of the chairs by the large stone fireplace. Sitting made me a little less imposing.

I think.

I gestured to the other chair. "Come sit."

Miko grabbed a throw from the bottom of the bed and draped it over the dog before joining me, sitting down in a perfectly stiff posture that made my back ache just looking at him.

Did he think I was going to jump him or something?

"Relax, Miko. We're just here to talk."

He gave me a weak smile, but still wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Do you know you're rich?"

That snapped them up.

"I'm what?" Miko asked.

I chuckled at the bewildered look on his face. "Between your inheritance from your father and our marriage, buying things we need and occasionally want, isn't a problem. You can't buy a gold plated toilet or anything, but you don't have to really worry about money."

Miko pointed to himself. "I have money?"

"You do, and I am sure Monty planned to discuss with you at some point. He's made a lot of investments over the years, so much so that the cattle business is almost a hobby for him. When he dies, most of that goes to you."

Miko quickly shook his head. "Don't want father to die."

"I'm pretty sure Monty intends to stick around for a lot more years, so you don't have to worry about that. I also don't want you to worry about the expense of taking care of your new puppy. There's money there to do that."

Again, I thought this would make him happy. When he frowned, I reached over and took one of his hands. It was ice cold. I held it between both of mine and gently stroked his skin with my thumbs.

"Can you tell me why that upsets you?"

Maybe it was a cultural thing I didn't know about.

"How can it be my money?"

"Because Monty is your father."

"I didn't earn it," Miko insisted.

An inkling of an idea was beginning to form in my head and I didn't like what it was. "Miko, did you have to work for things back in Japan?"

"Yes." Miko nodded. "Worked for food, home, clothes, and education. If I didn't work every day, I didn't eat and had to sleep outside."

And there would be the problem.

God, I wanted to kill these people.

"Here, there will always be food, you will always have a warm dry place to sleep, and you will always have whatever you need. If you never worked another day in your life, you'd still have this stuff. However, if it would make you feel better, I am sure we can find you a job here on the ranch and you can earn your own money."

Miko's eye brightened. "I can work?"

I had no idea what kind of job I could find him, but I wasn't going to tell him no. Not when he looked at me so eagerly.

"I'll talk to Monty and we'll find you something. I just don't know what you might be interested in doing."

"Can do many things," Miko said quickly. "Can cook, clean, know acupuncture, and—"

"Acupuncture? Like what you did with the dog?"

"Yes, it is called Kanpō . It uses herbs primarily, but also focuses on acupuncture."

"And you've been trained to do this?" I hoped he wasn't just practicing for fun.

"Yes, Grandfather was a master. He trained me since I was a baby."

"And the herbs you mentioned, what do they do?" I wasn't too keen on having needles stuck in my body.

"All sorts of things," Miko replied. "That is why I was interested in your Houndstongue. I was curious what medicinal purposes it might have."

My heart climbed into my throat. "Miko, Houndstongue is toxic."

"Most herbs are toxic if you take too much or misuse them," Miko stated. "But I would never use anything that hadn't been fully researched first. That can cause more harm than good."

Okay, at least he knew that much.

"I don't want you to worry about your puppy, okay? We can provide everything for him that he might need and you don't have to worry about the cost. There's more than enough money to cover it."

"But no gold plated doggie toys, right?"

I snickered, a smile spreading across my face. "Probably bad for his teeth." I glanced back at the bed where the puppy was still sleeping. "Is it okay to leave the needle in that long?"

"I should probably take it out," Miko said as he stood. "I wanted to give him a little time to rest without freaking out over his new surroundings. I know what it feels like to be somewhere unknown."

Yeah, he probably did.

"I hope you will come to me if you have any questions or concerns, Miko."

There was that weak smile again, but at least he didn't bow.

"I'd better get downstairs and get to work." I stood and took a couple of steps. "In a little while, I'll have one of the horses saddled for you so I can teach you to ride." I gestured to the loose fitting pants he wore. "Do you have anything hardier than that to wear?"

Miko's eyebrows lifted swiftly. "Hardier?" Just as quickly, they snapped back down over his eyes. "I do not understand."

I pointed to my jeans. "You need something like this when riding a horse. With those thin pants of yours, you'll rub up friction burns on your thighs something fierce and I can tell you from experience, it's not very pleasant."

"Friction burns." Miko's brow flickered. "I can make you an ointment for that."

"We usually just cover them up."

Miko shook his head. "If you're riding horses every day, it'll just increase your chances of getting an infection of you continue to ride with friction burns. If I can get the ingredients, I can make some cream that should heal it up in a matter of hours."

If what he said was true, that would be fantastic.

"What kind of ingredients do you need?"

"I can make a list," Miko replied. "I'm not sure how things are done here in American, but most of this stuff could be found at the local farmer's market back in Japan. My grandfather's butler used to pick it up for me."

"There's a farmer's market in town on Saturdays," I stated. "We can go this Saturday if you want."

Miko's eyes darted to mine. "I can go?"

Pretty sure the frown on my face was going to become permanent. "Of course you can go."

"I leave ranch?"

And there went his English.

"Yes, Miko, you can leave the ranch. I'd appreciate it if you informed me when you do so I don't worry, but you can come and go as you please. You're not a prisoner here."

I had a feeling that had not been the case most of his life.

"Is not imposition?"

I had to think about that one for a moment before I could answer. Either his English was getting worse or my ears were.

"No, Miko, it is not an imposition."

He would never be an imposition.