Sophie glanced down at the puppy, considering. Not by so much as a flicker of a long, curled eyelash did she betray that she noticed anything out of the ordinary about Bubbles’s appearance.

Harrison couldn’t decide whether to be grateful for her tact or outraged at her disinterest. He’d worked really hard on that sock.

“Well, I set aside a total of six weeks, but there’s natural chemistry between Harrison and Bubbles, so it might go faster.”

“Natural chemistry?” Oscar said.

“Oh yeah. It can take some dogs months to warm up to their new owners and vice versa. But I don’t think I could tear this pair apart now even if I wanted to. Isn’t that right, Bubbles?”

Bubbles yapped an affirmative.

“See? She agrees with me. She took one look at Harrison and fell hard.” Sophie glanced up at Harrison, a challenge in her dark eyes. “It doesn’t always happen that way, unfortunately. A lot of times, canine attraction is a one-sided thing.”

Harrison might not have been an expert on canine attraction, but he knew enough about the human kind to realize he was on shaky ground.

“She’s not bad, as far as puppies go,” he said. The frankness of Sophie’s gaze made him more flustered than usual, which was the only reason for what he said next. “Except for the fact that her very existence is going to keep me from properly doing my job. She’s scared of fire.”

The smile vanished from Sophie’s face.

At the sight of that stricken look, Harrison felt as though he’d been sucker punched, all the air leaving his lungs at once. He would have taken it back—said something to smooth over his misstep—but his chest felt too tight to let air in or words out.

Like it usually does.

“I did tell you Bubbles was skittish, Oscar, remember?” Sophie said. There was a plea underscoring her voice, a desperation that hit Harrison on a visceral level. “We’re having a few minor issues where she’s concerned, but it’s not a big deal, I swear. I’m fully confident that we can get through them. Harrison might not ever be able to work the front lines again, but that was going to be the case no matter which dog we chose. All I can promise is that we’ll get Bubbles as close as we can.”

“Then there you have it,” Oscar said with maddening calm. “We’ll get Bubbles as close as we can, even if that means Harrison has to stick to training from here on out. His health and safety are too important to risk.”

“Like hell they are,” Harrison said.

He may as well have not spoken. In fact, his terse defiance had Sophie squaring her shoulders and lifting her head, confidence radiating from every part of her.