Bite the Moon (31 page)

“
He’s yours, Molly. You love dogs. It’s time you had one again.”

“
It’s more complicated than that, Eddie.”

“
I know. It’s all wrapped around your grief for Charlie. It’s been five years, Molly. It’s time to move on.”

“
I can’t.”

“
Yes, you can. And this little guy can help you do it.”

I looked into the puppy’s eyes and warm tingling surged to my fingers and toes. No. No way. “Eddie, here. He’s your dog.” I sat him back down on the floor and made shooing motions in Eddie’s direction. Instead of moving toward Eddie, the puppy plopped down on his rump and stared at me with adoring, begging eyes.

“
You know how irresponsible I am,” Eddie said. “How could you sleep at night not knowing if I remembered to give this poor, defenseless puppy his dinner?”

I bit my lower lip. “You are irresponsible.”

“
Yes, I am.”

“
Undependable.”

“
You know it.”

“
The poor thing could starve to death.”

“
That’s a fact.” Eddie grabbed the doorknob and added, “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.” He pulled the door shut and we were alone.

“
I could name you Chase.” A sharp pain stabbed my heart as memories of the dog who’d died far too young struck me hard again. I looked down at my new dog and said, “Bad idea. You don’t need to walk in a past pet’s shadow, do you?”

He yipped and his rump bounced on the floor.

“
I know. How about I call you Jesse?”

He threw back his head and let out a half-howl that sounded a lot like Jesse when he sang.

I smiled, wrapped my arms around him and inhaled deep gulps of his sweet puppy smell. “Welcome home, Jesse.”

Edgar Award finalist
Diane Fanning
is best known for her true crime classics about serial killers, wife murderers, fake doctors and desperate women. She uses that real-life knowledge to bring the pages of her fiction to life. Author of
Through the Window, Into the Water, Written in Blood, Gone Forever
,
Baby Be Mine, Under the Knife
and
The Preacher’s Wife
,
Diane lives in the Texas Hill Country where she is now at work on
Light My Fire
,
the next Molly Mullet murder mystery.