“I’ve thought about it, and decided that I can handle three dogs, but I will need for you to take care of them if they’re females. I sure can’t handle more than three,” Gracie answered.

“And if they’re males?” Stevie stood on the porch as Gracie opened the door.

“I don’t like boys,” Gracie said. “That’s why I never married. Men are demanding and want their way all the time, and they mess up a house and expect meals on the table every night. I remember how my daddy and brothers were, and I made up my mind that I was not going fall in love, and I didn’t. My poor mama worked her fingers to the bone doing for my father and brothers. If those puppies are boys, Fifi can just be angry with me. I’ll give them away.”

Stevie didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until she had let it out in a whoosh when she had crossed the room to the laundry basket in the middle of the floor and checked the puppies. “Two girls. What are you going to name them?”

“Well!” Gracie huffed. “They can’t have a nice French name like Fifi. Maybe that one with the brown spot on her head can be Minnie, and the other one can be Mable. Oh, Fifi, how could you have done this to me? Now you’ll have to share all the attention with these little girls of yours.”

“They look healthy, and Fifi seems to be doing very well,” Stevie said. “Just call me when they’re about six months old and make an appointment to get them spayed. But as soon as they are weaned, you’ll need to get Fifi fixed or else you’ll be having more puppies.”

“I’ll put it on my calendar right now. What kind of house are you going to build?” Gracie asked. “That lot isn’t very big. I guess you could put up a two-story place.”

“I’m not going to rebuild in that spot,” Stevie said. “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do just yet. I don’t know where, or even if, I’ll build right in town.”

“Oh, really?” Gracie raised a gray eyebrow. “Surely you aren’t thinking of building out there on Sunflower Ranch.”

“I’ve got a while to think about it,” Stevie said. “I’ll just add today’s visit onto the bill when I spay Fifi here in a few weeks. You have fun with the puppies. They can be quite entertaining.” She escaped from the house with all its crocheted doilies and pink rose wallpaper, caught a breath of fresh air when she hit the porch, and would have jogged to her van if her leg hadn’t been aching.