staring down at the dog.
“It’s his sweater.”
“That’s a terrible thing to do to a noble beast,” Ian muttered, grabbing the sweater by the hem and pulling it up over Toby’s head.
“Hey, he needs that,” Jessie said as the dog reared back and pulled his legs out of the sleeve holes. “He’s from Georgia , and he hasn’t grown a winter coat yet.”
Ian tossed the sweater on her lap. “And he won’t grow one if he keeps wearing that blasted thing. Lean forward,” he said, picking Toby up and setting him in the cubbyhole behind the seats. He stepped back and gestured at the sweater. “You can’t ever put that on him, Jessie, if he’s running loose in the woods. It could easily snag on a branch and fetch him up, and he could strangle to death trying to get free. He shouldn’t even wear a collar or a work harness if you have one for him, if he’s loose. I’ve come across more than one cat or dog when I was hunting that had hanged itself on its collar.”
She clutched the sweater to her chest, looking so stricken that Ian was sorry for being so blunt. But she needed to understand the danger she’d put Toby in. “And why in God’s name would you dress him in pink ?” he asked, hoping to get her riled again.
“It . . . it’s salmon,” she whispered, looking down at the sweater, which sure as hell appeared pink to him in the glow of the interior light.
He took hold of her chin to make her look at him. “I’m sorry for being blunt, Jessie, but I need you to understand how dangerous that sweater is. And you needn’t worry; Mother Nature will give Toby a winter coat soon enough.”
She pulled her chin free, saying nothing, and Ian softly closed the door and walked around the snowcat and got in. But he stopped from reaching for the throttle when he saw Jessie holding Toby’s snout facing her as she frowned at the dog.
“What?” he asked.
“I just realized Toby didn’t even react when you picked me up. But he should have, because part of his job is to protect me.”
Ian arched a brow. “I guess he’s one of those males , and understands when something’s being done for a woman’s own good.”
That certainly made her stricken look disappear.
Ian pushed on the throttle when she opened her mouth to protest, and then hit the lever to lift the hydraulic drag on the back of the groomer. “Animals react to the smell of fear,” he continued over the rev of the engine as he headed the snowcat up the mountain. “And because Toby sensed anger coming from you but not fear, I believe he decided to let me save you this time.” He answered her thunderous glare with a grin. “Then again, maybe he was just paying you back for dressing him in pink.”
“It’s salmon .” Her chin lifted. “And real men can wear any color. Hey, the hotel is that way,” she said, pointing past his shoulder.
“But the only way for us to get there is to go up, then over, then down. Are ye thawing out?” he asked, adjusting the heater vent on her side to blow down on her feet.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Ian dropped the grooming drag again, figuring he might as well make one last pass before he called it quits. He saw Jessie finally start to relax, and smiled when she started looking around the interior of the snowcat at all the knobs and dials.
“Have you been grooming trails all night?” she asked, craning to look out the back window—though he noticed she made sure to hold her robe closed at her neck.
Ian turned off the interior lights. “That’ll help you see outside better. And to answer your question, I’ve been working with the rest of our crew making snow, and we only started grooming an hour ago.” He pointed at the lights to their right, farther up the mountain. “Everyone else is working on the tube run, but I wanted to make a couple of passes over the beginners’ trail before the sun comes out and packs down the snow.” He sighed tiredly. “We could use more help from Mother Nature, though,
“It’s his sweater.”
“That’s a terrible thing to do to a noble beast,” Ian muttered, grabbing the sweater by the hem and pulling it up over Toby’s head.
“Hey, he needs that,” Jessie said as the dog reared back and pulled his legs out of the sleeve holes. “He’s from Georgia , and he hasn’t grown a winter coat yet.”
Ian tossed the sweater on her lap. “And he won’t grow one if he keeps wearing that blasted thing. Lean forward,” he said, picking Toby up and setting him in the cubbyhole behind the seats. He stepped back and gestured at the sweater. “You can’t ever put that on him, Jessie, if he’s running loose in the woods. It could easily snag on a branch and fetch him up, and he could strangle to death trying to get free. He shouldn’t even wear a collar or a work harness if you have one for him, if he’s loose. I’ve come across more than one cat or dog when I was hunting that had hanged itself on its collar.”
She clutched the sweater to her chest, looking so stricken that Ian was sorry for being so blunt. But she needed to understand the danger she’d put Toby in. “And why in God’s name would you dress him in pink ?” he asked, hoping to get her riled again.
“It . . . it’s salmon,” she whispered, looking down at the sweater, which sure as hell appeared pink to him in the glow of the interior light.
He took hold of her chin to make her look at him. “I’m sorry for being blunt, Jessie, but I need you to understand how dangerous that sweater is. And you needn’t worry; Mother Nature will give Toby a winter coat soon enough.”
She pulled her chin free, saying nothing, and Ian softly closed the door and walked around the snowcat and got in. But he stopped from reaching for the throttle when he saw Jessie holding Toby’s snout facing her as she frowned at the dog.
“What?” he asked.
“I just realized Toby didn’t even react when you picked me up. But he should have, because part of his job is to protect me.”
Ian arched a brow. “I guess he’s one of those males , and understands when something’s being done for a woman’s own good.”
That certainly made her stricken look disappear.
Ian pushed on the throttle when she opened her mouth to protest, and then hit the lever to lift the hydraulic drag on the back of the groomer. “Animals react to the smell of fear,” he continued over the rev of the engine as he headed the snowcat up the mountain. “And because Toby sensed anger coming from you but not fear, I believe he decided to let me save you this time.” He answered her thunderous glare with a grin. “Then again, maybe he was just paying you back for dressing him in pink.”
“It’s salmon .” Her chin lifted. “And real men can wear any color. Hey, the hotel is that way,” she said, pointing past his shoulder.
“But the only way for us to get there is to go up, then over, then down. Are ye thawing out?” he asked, adjusting the heater vent on her side to blow down on her feet.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Ian dropped the grooming drag again, figuring he might as well make one last pass before he called it quits. He saw Jessie finally start to relax, and smiled when she started looking around the interior of the snowcat at all the knobs and dials.
“Have you been grooming trails all night?” she asked, craning to look out the back window—though he noticed she made sure to hold her robe closed at her neck.
Ian turned off the interior lights. “That’ll help you see outside better. And to answer your question, I’ve been working with the rest of our crew making snow, and we only started grooming an hour ago.” He pointed at the lights to their right, farther up the mountain. “Everyone else is working on the tube run, but I wanted to make a couple of passes over the beginners’ trail before the sun comes out and packs down the snow.” He sighed tiredly. “We could use more help from Mother Nature, though,
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