At the clinic, Leon realised he had forgotten the name of the woman at the front desk. Bonnie leaped around so much he could barely say hello. She wanted to sniff and touch everything, and then she launched herself at the counter. When Leon had her under sufficient control, he glanced at the woman’s name tag: Frances. She was regarding him with an amused smile. ‘Haven’t I met you before?’ she asked.

‘Yes. I came in with a dog called Rosie. She had a cut in her side.’

‘That’s right. She was pregnant, wasn’t she?’

‘This is one of her pups.’

‘Her name’s Bonnie,’ Max added.

‘And who does Bonnie belong to?’ Frances asked.

Max looked expectantly at Leon, and Leon realised the kid was waiting for him to confirm ownership. ‘She’s mine,’ he said.

Frances peered down at Bonnie, who was panting fast and ogling her with a mad gleam in her eyes. ‘She’s lively, isn’t she? How many pups were there?’

‘Six,’ Max said.

‘That’s a decent litter. How did you go finding homes?’

Leon caught Frances’s eye and shook his head. ‘Let’s talk about that later.’

She took the hint and busied herself creating a record for Bonnie. Then Kate came out: the young vet with the long blonde hair—Leon hadn’t forgotten her name. She led them into the consulting room and lifted Bonnie onto the table. The pup sank on her belly, ears and eyes drooping with fear. Max was worried about her, but Leon quite liked her this way.

‘So, you’ve got yourself a puppy,’ Kate said brightly to Leon. ‘What about Max—is he yours too?’

‘No. He’s my neighbour,’ Leon said.

‘My dog is Rosie,’ Max said.

‘I remember her,’ Kate said, smiling at Max. ‘Is this Bonnie’s first vaccination?’

‘Yeah,’ Max said. ‘We don’t want her to get sick.’

Bonnie cowered on the table while Kate examined her, poking and prodding here and there, listening to her chest with a stethoscope. ‘She has a good heart,’ Kate said. ‘She’s very healthy.’

‘How much does it cost to get a dog fixed?’ Max asked.

‘Max is interested in having Rosie spayed,’ Leon explained.

‘Good idea,’ Kate said. ‘It’s around three hundred dollars.’

Max looked stunned, and Leon realised this must seem like a million dollars to him. ‘We’ll chat about it on the way home,’ he murmured to Max. ‘I might be able to help. Maybe I can pay you to mow my lawns so you can save up.’

When Leon turned back to Kate, he saw warmth in her eyes. She finished her inspection of Bonnie and drew up the vaccination in a syringe. Max hid his eyes while she gave the injection, but Bonnie didn’t even flinch. ‘There you go, it’s all done,’ Kate said. ‘She’s a very brave puppy.’