Chapter 2

"HAVE YOU had a dog before?" the man with the caramel-smooth voice asked as Riley looked down at Frosty spread out across the kitchen floor. She was finally resting, but he knew that was going to come to an end soon enough and then she would be up, full of energy, and ready to go again.

"Yes. When I was growing up. But I haven't had one this size before, and she's a bundle of energy. Not that she's destructive or mean. She…." He didn't know quite how to put it.

"She needs an outlet for all her energy," the trainer supplied.

"Yes. Exactly. I walk her two times a day and let her run and get some of it out. But then she'll sit next to my chair while I'm working and want constant attention, and I do have to be able to work." He wasn't sure what he was going to do.

"Okay. I think I can help. You said that Mitchell gave you my contact information, so I take it you got your dog from the shelter and that she's still a puppy?" Dang, that voice wrapped around him like a warm blanket on a cold day.

"Yeah. Mitchell thought she was about a year old," Riley supplied. He had had her a week, and Frosty seemed to be settling in. She played with her toys, and Riley got her plenty of things to chew. She hadn't decided to gnaw on the furniture or poop in the house. They had had one accident, but that had been Riley's fault for not letting her out in time, and even then she had looked so ashamed of what she'd done, it had been cute. But when he left the house, Frosty would whimper and cry before he got to the door, and once he left, she barked. That had to stop, or his neighbors were going to complain, and he didn't want that.

"Why don't you come over about six tonight? I have your number and I'll text you the address. We can go over some basic things and get both of you started." Riley's phone dinged with an address. "Don't worry. There isn't anything wrong with your dog. We just need to give her a little structure and let her know that she can rely on you."

"Okay." Riley hoped that was all it was, but he suspected those things were a lot more easily said than done.

WAYNE CHECKED the time and gulped down the last bite of his sandwich before getting up from his tiny table and pulling on his coat. The guy he was supposed to meet would be here soon, and he wanted to be ready. From what Riley had said, Frosty was a big dog, so working with her outside shouldn't be a problem. He went down the stairs and out the front door of his upstairs duplex rental and onto the porch as a small car pulled up out front.

Fortunately the snow that had threatened all day hadn't made an appearance and the clouds overhead were just starting to clear, the setting sun turning them pink and red. A slight man got out and walked around the car before opening the back door. Almost before he could grab the leash, a huge black dog bounded out. He tried to get control of the dog, but she was way too excited and raced over, doing that schnauzer excited bounce with her front paws. "I'm sorry. I took her for a walk, but she's all wound up and…." The dog wound the leash around his legs to the point the guy was about to fall over.

"Sit." Someone must have tried to train her in the past, because that doggie butt went right down, tail swishing like mad. "Okay. Let's get you unwound and then we can go to the backyard," Wayne said gently.

"I'm sorry about this." He got himself untangled and held the leash tightly. "I'm Riley, Riley Whitehall, and this is Frosty." Wayne must have seemed confused, because Riled smiled and went on to explain. "The night I brought her home, I was with my niece, and she named her. Lilly can be a force to be reckoned with."

"So you have a black schnauzer named Frosty."

"Yeah. Her old name was Frederica, which she ignores. But she responds to Frosty, so I'm not going to fight it." Riley had amazing blue eyes, though they seemed tired, and he was frazzled around the edges, which wasn't helping his relationship with his dog.

"That's best." Wayne held out his hand. "I'm Wayne Smith." They shook hands as Frosty's patience ran out and she hurried to him, wanting pets. "Let's get her in the yard and we can start."

"I know she needs a lot of work."

Wayne opened the gate and let both of them through before closing it behind them. "She isn't going to be able to get out, so you can let her loose while we talk a few minutes." It would probably be best if she ran out some of the energy before they started working. "And Frosty is a puppy, and like a lot of rescue dogs, she has a certain amount of separation anxiety. After all, she was given up before. She probably wonders if you're going to do the same thing."

"If you're sure," Riley said, and Wayne nodded. He unclipped the leash, and Frosty took off to check out the yard.

"There isn't anything she can hurt or that will harm her. I work hard to make the yard a safe place." He motioned to two of the chairs, and they sat down. "Tell me about how you got her and why."

Riley turned toward him, pushing his hood away from his face, showing Wayne his eyes and angled jawline for the first time. Wow, he was shy and gorgeous at the same time. "Growing up we always had a dog. My brother and I, that is. But since then neither of us have had one." He sighed softly. "Anyway, my brother Davis and his wife decided to get a dog for Lilly, my niece, and since it was supposed to be a surprise, they asked me to pick it up for them, and well…." He lifted his gaze to where Frosty was sniffing at one of the fence poles.

"And you fell in love," Wayne supplied.

Riley nodded and swallowed hard. "She is so pretty, and she's really sweet, but she thinks she's a lapdog and wants to be held and stuff."

Knowing they were talking about her, Frosty loped over and placed her head in Riley's lap. He petted her gently. It was clear the two of them had bonded already, which was a good thing and told him a lot about Riley.

"How about we get to work. The first thing to know is that it's your fault. If something is wrong, it's often because you aren't listening to what she's telling you. Remember that Frosty is a dog, and they are all about instinct. Their behavior is pretty basic. If they are prowling the kitchen, getting into the trash, then chances are they're either hungry or bored. Make sure that the trash can is empty before you leave her alone. If she's drinking out of the toilet, make sure to close the lid and that her water bowl is full. She's still a puppy and has a ton of energy."

"That I know, and she's really affectionate," Riley said, leaning close with a warm smile that touched Wayne's heart in a way he hadn't expected. "And most of the time she's sweet, but she's also all over the place, and I don't know how to teach her the basic things. Mom did a lot of the training when I was a kid."

"That's what I can help you with," Wayne said and got up. Riley did the same, and they spent a few minutes going over harnesses and collars for Frosty and what was the best kind to use in each situation. Then Wayne got Frosty set up and guided the two of them through some basic lessons.

Frosty was a smart girl and learned the basic commands very quickly. "Sit," Riley said, and Frosty looked at him but did nothing.

"You don't need to yell, but remember that you're the one in control," Wayne prompted, and when Riley was firmer, that doggie butt went right down. "Excellent. Now praise her." Riley's smile was amazing, warm enough to cut through the chill. And when Riley straightened up and adjusted his collar, Wayne noticed the rainbow flag pin and smiled to himself. Unlike most of his friends, Wayne had terrible gaydar. Others described a fluttery feeling in their belly when they met someone they thought might be interested, but Wayne never got that. Maybe he was just oblivious, but knowing that the hunk of cuteness batted for the same team that he did had Wayne's pulse racing a little faster.

"Is this right?" Riley asked, pulling Wayne out of his momentary daydream.

"It's great. She's looking at you like you hung the moon." Wayne smiled as Frosty sat and stayed there for ten whole seconds. "Now get her to lie down." Frosty went down, and Riley praised her big-time. She jumped right up, licking his face. Riley told her to sit, and she did it right away.

"She's doing so well," Wayne said as the lights came on in yard. The sun was fading really fast. "Just keep working with her on those basic commands. You can't do everything all at once. But praise her when she does good, scold in a lower tone of voice when she's bad." Riley continued working with Frosty, and at about seven, Wayne called it for the evening.

"Is that all there is?" Riley asked.

"You have to start somewhere. Once she gets the basics, then we can work with leash training and other behaviors. The biggest thing is to make a start." He smiled, and for a second their gazes met. Riley told Frosty to sit, and she did. "I think you're going to have a really good dog. She wants to please you and doesn't seem stubborn, which can be a really hard trait to work with."

"I want her to be happy. It's just the two of us right now, and she's really good company."

Wayne nodded. "I get that. My Buster is my companion. He's a Boston terrier." He sat back down, and Riley did as well, Frosty sitting right next to her owner. "When my last relationship ended, the only thing we fought about was Buster. Mike tried to say that Buster was half his. It got really messy for a while. But in the end, I'd paid for him and I had the receipt and stuff, but it felt like a betrayal, you know? I don't think of Buster as property. I work for the state and I can work from home three days a week. He keeps me company and makes sure that I don't turn into a hermit. I think of him as a companion. It feels strange to think about owning him that way."

Riley nodded. "Most of the time I think Frosty believes that I belong to her." His smile said that he didn't really mind that, especially when he knelt to give her a good scratch.

Wayne chuckled. "Yeah. Buster is the same way. He didn't like my ex much, which is probably a sign that I should have run for the hills. Dogs are good judges of character." Frosty leaned against Riley's leg, and Riley gently reached down and stroked her head. "Come on inside. It's getting cold out here, and we've been out for a while." He led them up the outside stairs and in through the back door to his toasty kitchen. Being upstairs, this house always seemed warm. In the winter it was great, but in the summer, his air-conditioning bill was something else.

"This is really nice," Riley said, holding Frosty's leash tightly as Buster came up. Wayne watched as the two greeted each other, and then once the sniffing and tail wagging were over, Buster sat on the kitchen floor. "Are you sure it's okay to let her off leash? She can be a little energetic."

"Sure," Wayne said, and Riley released Frosty, who went up to Buster with her usual energy. Buster simply blinked at her and lay down. Frosty blinked back like she was confused and then did the same. "He may be small, but this is his house and he rules the roost."

Riley chuckled as Wayne set about making cocoa. He loved the scent of the stuff. Nothing else said warm and cozy on a cold day the way hot chocolate did. "I see you're ready for Christmas."

Wayne led the way into the living room. "I always put up a tree. Not a really big one. Buster loves the lights and likes to sleep under it sometimes. He never bothers it at all. I think it gives him the feeling of some hunting dogs past. Who knows." He offered Riley a seat. "Maybe I'm trying to put too many human emotions on him."

"I find myself doing the same thing," Riley said softly after sitting down. "I know she doesn't go around wondering about the mysteries of life or worry about ex-boyfriends and stuff. But I know she feels happy, especially at dinnertime and when she bounces. But I also know she gets scared, like the way she won't leave my side when she thinks I'm going to go out without her. I keep hoping that will pass when I keep coming home." He sipped from the mug that his ex, Mike, had given Wayne in his stocking last year. He hadn't thought much about it, but suddenly the whole ugly breakup situation seemed to be rearing its head.

"It most likely will. Just give her a little time." They said that time healed everything, and Wayne sure as hell hoped so, but sometimes he wished that it would hurry up and do its job. He was tired of being lonely and angry. He needed a chance to move on.

"It always comes down to that," Riley said, and Wayne nodded as they both sipped their cocoa.

"Yeah. It sucks." He couldn't believe he said that to someone he barely knew.

"The ex?" Riley asked.

Wayne nodded. "You don't need to hear about all that." God. He never talked about Mike with anyone—not at work, and definitely not with the rest of his family, who had never liked him. And once they found out Mike was gone, they used it as a chance to say I told you so. At least they were in Arizona and he didn't have to endure their lack of support face to face.

The dogs came into the room, with Frosty putting her head in Riley's lap for pets. Buster jumped up into Wayne's lap and settled. Frosty then jumped onto the sofa and tried to climb into Riley's lap. It was so cute. She ended up sprawled out on the sofa with her paws and head in his lap. "Look what you did," Wayne told Buster, who blinked at him.

"I never had much in the way of boyfriends or anything," Riley said. "I didn't feel like I fit in, so I stayed on the sidelines I guess. I always figured there would be time for stuff like that once I got through college." He sipped the cocoa and then petted Frosty, who lay there soaking up the attention. "I didn't count on how hard it would be to meet people after college, you know? I don't go to bars, and I'm not going to use Grindr or one of those other apps." He sat back.

"I get it. I met Mike at a Pride event a couple years ago and we hit it off… or at least I thought we did. Sometimes I wonder if he really cared about me at all or if we were just convenient. Maybe I wasn't picky enough." He closed his eyes, trying to remember those heady days. "But I kept noticing that he was watching me, and eventually he came over. We talked and then went to dinner that night…. It was kind of magical." He shook his head slightly. "I should have been more careful and not discounted certain facts, like how he was busy all the time those last few months."

"Was he seeing someone else?" Riley asked in a gentle tone.

Wayne nodded. "It turned out that he had been almost the entire time we were together and I just hadn't realized it. While I was seeing him, I got Buster, and thankfully I paid all the fees and filled out the paperwork myself. Otherwise…." He hated to think of Buster living with Mike and his form of benign neglect. Mike wasn't mean, he just wasn't the kind of guy who could actively care for anyone or anything other than himself. "Sorry. I asked you up to get warm, not to give you a rundown on my pathetic love life." Sometimes he needed to learn when to be quiet.

What Riley did next surprised him. He leaned forward, and Frosty slid back on the sofa. Then Riley reached over and took his hand. "It's okay. Sometimes we all just need a chance to talk." It wasn't his words that Wayne concentrated on, but the warm touch of his hand and the excitement that raced through him. Part of him said to pull away so he wouldn't have to go through this again, but Riley smiled just as warmly and cheerfully as the twinkle lights on his small tree.