Undone by Her Two Masters(39)
The three dogs were on very long leashes that let them run around a large portion of the yard, but not leave the yard and not enter the warehouse or the trailer. Their leashes were exactly long enough to give them maximum freedom, yet still allow people who didn’t like animals to park and enter the trailer out of reach of being licked by Jerry, who was an inveterate kisser.
Nevis had bought the dogs half a dozen balls for the men to throw and the dogs to chase and catch. It seemed to Bronx that almost everyone who visited them also threw the balls for the dogs, making them as much an attraction for the business as Animal was.
Nevis. He couldn’t get her out of his head. He wanted her so much, not just in his bed every night, but united with him officially. Officially. Oh! “What say we propose to her formally? In public. Kingston mentioned having a ceremony, inviting townspeople to it, but how about we first propose in such a way that all Pine Corner knows and is behind us?”
York’s face almost split in half his smile was so wide. “I like that plan. Let’s do it.”
* * * *
Nevis was in town for her regular weekly trip to the newspaper office. Each week they placed an advertisement in the newspaper, and each week they tried to make it something a bit different and special. Not just a block advertisement, but a snippet of news or part of a story. The last few weeks they’d been telling the stories of Ben, Jerry, and Lady. Today’s advertisement was the final episode of the story, complete with a picture she’d taken of the three dogs all curled up together on the one bed in the warehouse.
“I don’t know why I bothered to buy Lady a bed. I don’t think she’s ever used it,” she said to the young boy who took her money.
“But that photograph is a winner. Every dog lover in Pine Corner will go ‘aw’, when they see it,” he replied.
She stepped outside the newspaper office and stared. All up and down Main Street people were coming out of shops and offices and looking down the road. Nevis took a few more paces forward and saw Animal being driven very slowly right up the middle of the road. A huge banner was flying from the roof of his cab. As the big rig passed them, people began smiling and clapping. “What the fuck is going on? Have we won a big contract or something?”
Bronx was driving the truck she noticed with York sitting beside him and all three dogs in the cab as well. As Animal came level with her Bronx hit the air horn in a blast of sound, and the dogs began barking madly. “What the fuck?”
And then she could read the huge banner. Please marry us, Nevis. We love you. Bronx and York. Her eyes filled with tears. She loved them both, too, so very much, but whatever would people say about a ménage? It wasn’t the normal way things happened.
As the tears dripped down her cheeks, Nevis was surrounded by people.
“Better say yes, missy, or that huge truck will be blocking up traffic for the rest of the day.”
“Oh, how romantic. I hope someone asks me to marry them in such a beautiful way.”
“Look at the puppies. The dogs are saying she should agree as well.”
Bronx and York climbed out of Animal and dropped to her feet, each one holding her hand. In the truck the dogs were still barking madly and all around her people were urging her to say yes.
“Marry us, Nevis,” said Bronx.
“We both love you so much,” added York.
There was a moment of total silence and Nevis couldn’t hold back any longer. “Oh, I can’t believe you did this. You’re both mad, but I love you. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
The men jumped to their feet and she was pulled into their arms and hugged.
“Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her,” yelled the crowd, and when they did, people started clapping and cheering.
“You’re all invited to the wedding,” shouted Bronx.
“But right now we need to move our truck,” added York.
She was swept up in their arms and dumped in the truck with the dogs, her eyes still misty with tears.
“But what about Kermit? I left him parked outside the newspaper office,” she objected.
“We’ll worry about him later. We’ve got a mating to do, and then a wedding to plan,” said Bronx.
Nevis snuggled down between the men, Lady on her lap, and Ben and Jerry jostling to see out the window. Yeah. A mating sounded like what she wanted to do right now, too.
THE END