Chapter 6

Harmony

Harmony hopped in her old clunker and followed Abigail out of the church parking lot and toward a nearby dog park. At the pastor’s insistence, Muffin rode along with Harmony, sitting proudly on the passenger side seat with his tongue lolling straight out of his mouth.

Less than five minutes later, they pulled into a small parking lot outside of a hilly fenced-in area. It was a good bit of space for being so near the heart of the city and appeared to be lovingly cared for, too.

Oh, the things people would do for their dogs.

Would Harmony soon be a doting dog mom herself? She had to laugh as she pictured dressing herself and Muffin in matching outfits and carrying him around town in a designer shoulder bag.

No, that vision belonged to somebody else’s life. It would never be part of Harmony’s.

“Told you it wasn’t a far drive,” Abigail called, standing outside her car and waiting for Harmony to extract Muffin from the inside of hers.

Unfortunately, before she could figure out how to grab him and pull him out of there, the little dog evaded her reach and leapt straight out onto the ground where he ran in tight, crazy circles around her ankles.

Harmony bent down to grab him from the parking lot, but the little dog was still too quick.

Abigail laughed. “That’s okay. He knows the way in. C’mon.”

Together the two women, baby, and the more mild-mannered mother Chihuahua headed into the dog park.

“Looks like he may be taking advantage of your inexperience,” Abigail explained, but she didn’t seem too worried about it. “Muffin knows better than to act without waiting for orders first. Lord knows he’s had more than enough obedience training. It’s okay, though. It just means that I may have to drop in three times a week to start until Muffin learns to respect you as his new pack leader.”

Harmony nodded along passively, even though she secretly worried that this little dog was quickly becoming her full-time job. How would she pay for rent or food or anything else if every waking moment was devoted to helping Muffin so he could, presumably and supposedly, help her?

The questions kept piling up, and they were beginning to give her a headache.

Abigail must have caught her worried expression, because she placed a consoling hand on Harmony’s arm and said, “I know it must seem overwhelming right now, but believe me, soon it will all be a routine. One you’ll love more than anything. Trust me, I was exactly where you are hardly more than a year ago, and I thought my father was crazy for taking in these five dogs out of nowhere, but he was right to do it. He was right about everything.”

“The dogs helped you… um, what exactly?” Harmony asked, hoping she wasn’t coming across as rude. Abigail and the pastor were both trying to be kind and help her. The last thing either needed was her signature ill temper to make the situation that much more difficult.