by Merrell Palmer

Created on: April 18, 2008

Dog Days of Love On A Train

"Clare, darling, in that hat, you're as pretty as a petunia in the springtime!" Kevin Harkey murmured to the woman across from him.
His heart, already tight in his chest, leaped when her gaze lifted and found his.
Clarice Simmons shifted on the vinyl seat and her smile stretched over pearly teeth but did not part to reveal them. Her long lashes lowered again and her gloved hands continued to caress the ball of fur riding in her lap.

Kevin removed his top hat and mopped at his brow with a handkerchief from his coat pocket. He carefully eyed the little white poodle and his smile waned slightly.
"I know Pookie is as inseparable as your shadow," he said, "But I fear he will wilt in the August heat."
Clarice's eyelids disappeared and she stared at him with the full force of her big, brown eyes. She clutched the dog tightly to her chest.
"Oh my heavens, it would break Pookie's heart to be left at home."
She unfolded a hand fan and lightly touched Pookie's upturned nose. "Besides, the sweet little thing never strays far from me." Her sandal brushed the basket at her feet.
"You did say we were picnicking under the trees beside the water, didn't you?"

Kevin sighed and glanced at the terrain fleeing past as the train jostled its way beyond the small Georgia towns dotting the Ocmulgee River.

Clarice Simmons was a package deal. If a suitor held her hand, he would have to pet her dog. And although this courtship was still in its infancy, Kevin knew his real competition for the ladies affections lay in the bundle resting on her knees.

Try as he may, Kevin could not win the alliance of the little dog. Perhaps Pookie sensed an ulterior motive or the fact that the young man was not particularly partial to four-legged creatures. Whatever the case, the poodle returned his advances with bared teeth and a low growl.
"How odd," Clarice had commented the first time she met him on the boardwalk not far from his Macon home. "Pookie likes everybody!"
Kevin had grinned and backed away from the barking dog. What Clarice had failed to see, was that in his haste to make introduction, Kevin Harkey had stepped on her beloved Pookie. Among Pookie's many attributes, forgiveness was not a strong point, and he coddled the grudge, watching the stranger through eyes of suspicion.

Kevin turned back from the window and reached for Clarice's hand. As he found the lace on her glove, a head with the feel of spun yarn appeared at her elbow and won her coveted touch. Pookie

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