Dear Reader,

You may not know this about me, but I speak dog. Or, to be more precise, I think dog.

Not too often, fortunately – my life is complicated enough – but every once in a while, a story comes to me that has a very strong canine character. Such was the case in WONDERS NEVER CEASE, and such is the case with my August Superromance, LOVE, BY GEORGE.

George is a Harlequin Great Dane. Here’s the working photo I used when I was channel—er, writing his story. He opened this story in my head and I wrote his point of view to start each chapter. My editor felt the story was strong enough to stand alone without the dog’s point of view, but she suggested that many of my readers – fellow dog-lovers – might like to see what George was thinking when we—I mean, I – wrote the book.

Here are some of George’s thoughts as we began each chapter. Enjoy!

Or should I say, “Woof.”

CHAPTER 1: George knew what he was doing was bad, but he simply had no choice. The woman wasn’t coming back. He’d been patient. He’d hoped for the best, but the truth was plain to see. His easy, orderly life was over. Bad things had happened, and nobody seemed to care about him any more.

George liked the man who was his master. He used to bring George wonderful treats late at night. They’d sit together on the patio and the man would talk as he passed out bits of steak. But that hadn’t happened for a long, long time.

The boy had changed, too. He never petted George anymore or came out to throw the ball or take him for a run behind his bike. Right now, the boy was in the house but wouldn’t come out no matter how loudly George whined and barked.

Something had to be done. George needed a woman in his life. Things had been good when the woman lived here, and if the man wouldn’t get one, then George would have to do it himself.

And he knew just the woman he wanted.

Kara. The lady with the big tub filled with sweet-smelling bubbles. She had kind eyes and gentle hands and she talked to George as if he were the smartest, most wonderful dog in the world.

George loved her, and he would find a way to bring her home, even if it meant digging under the fence. The man would be mad, but this was for his own good, too. He’d see.

CHAPTER 2: George went with the smaller woman because he could tell it was expected of him, but he wasn’t happy. She smelled like something he once ate off the floor of his boy’s room. And her voice was too sharp.

But when they got to the bath area the lady pulled a dog biscuit out of her pocket and gave it to him. “Good boy,” she said, patting his head.

George liked her better, then. But she still smelled funny.

CHAPTER 3: George watched the boy walk away. Another day was starting. There was food in his bowl and water from yesterday. But the boy hadn’t even petted George’s head or tugged on his ears. He’d tugged on George’s ears ever since George was a puppy.

The boy was sad. And that made George sad. He lifted his head and let out a long, low wail that followed the boy down the road. He turned around once and looked at George, but he didn’t wave or anything.

George dropped flat and closed his eyes. Nothing was good here. Sharp voices. That’s all he ever heard anymore. And he was sick of it.

He got up and started to pace around the perimeter of his pen. He checked the low spot where he’d tunneled out the last time. Nope. No chance of getting out that way again. The boy had driven metal poles into the ground while the man watched.

He checked the gate and pushed it with his nose – just in case it hadn’t latched. Sometimes looked hooked when it wasn’t. No luck. He was stuck here, and he didn’t want to be here. He wanted Kara.

He let out another mournful howl then lay down and closed his eyes.

CHAPTER 4: George could smell the storm coming.

He hated storms.

When the lady had lived in the house, she’d let George come inside. She’d put a blanket on the floor of the little room by the back door. Sometimes there was a basket of clothes in the room and George would crawl into it. The clothes smelled of his people and made him feel safe.

The man left George outside – storm or no storm.

CHAPTER 5: George tried to keep his eyes open so he could see what the people were doing. But he’d never been allowed into this room before. And the rug under him was softer than the cushion in his dog house. And the fire was so warm and cozy. Even the sounds of the children’s voices were comforting.

He closed his eyes to listen better.

Not to sleep. Not…to…

CHAPTER 6: George could smell the animal. He knew it was close by. Long dormant instincts told him what to do – find the rabbit, kill it and devour it.

But something about that directive didn’t feel right.

He looked to the little girl who was crawling on her hands and knees beside him for guidance.

“Be gentle, George. Floppy is our pet.”

“And you have big teeth, George. Don’t hurt him,” the little girl on the other side of him said.

George loved the sense of adventure, playing with these two while their mother slept, but he was worried, too. Something could go wrong, and he’d probably get the blame.

“There he is, George,” one of the girls cried. “Don’t let him get away.”

So, George pounced.

CHAPTER 7: George didn’t know why the boy didn’t put him in his pen. He and the man were walking around outside and seemed to have forgotten about him. Normally, George would have followed them. He liked to be with his people. But the morning breeze carried the smell of the water and other things George wanted to investigate.

He followed his nose toward the tall trees. There were animal smells. He thought about the bunny he’d sniffed out that morning, which led him to thinking about Kara.

Oh, heck, he was this far from home, he might as well keep going.

Right?

CHAPTER 8: George nibbled on his toe nail. The bad tasting stuff was just about gone. He hadn’t realized it tasted bad when he let the little girls put it on. They’d been so excited and happy about something that he’d just laid still and let them do what they wanted.

That was seven days ago. He hadn’t seen Kara or the little girls since.

His boy walked him every morning, but they never went far, and the boy didn’t talk to him or seem very happy.

George wasn’t happy either, but what could he do when he was stuck in his pen?

CHAPTER 9: George looked up with interest when he heard the man’s voice.

Oh, good, the boy was with him.

George hadn’t expected to go for a ride in the truck today, but he never passed up a chance to get out of his pen. The man had been in a hurry, and George had been quick to hop into the far back.

He plopped his head over the seat and listened hard to hear if they were talking about him, but the only familiar word he could make out was: Kara.

CHAPTER 10: George put his nose into the wind and closed his eyes. He loved his morning walks with Kara. His plan had been a success. The new woman is his life was even better than the old one. Kara never forgot to feed him and she got up early every morning to take him for a run along the banks of the cliff.

Things were perfect. Well, almost.

The little girls did try to ride on his back. And the boy still wasn’t happy. And the man wasn’t around much.

But, at least, he had Kara.

CHAPTER 11: George knew that voice. It sounded far away.

And he was glad.

Things were starting to feel right again. He didn’t want the woman to come back into their lives.

His heart started beating harder. He looked at the man. A moment earlier, he’d been smiling and relaxed. George hadn’t been able to understand everything the man had said, but he’d sensed that he was feeling good about something.

Now, with one call, all that would change, he feared.

CHAPTER 12: George knew something was wrong. Kara was sad. She didn’t smile and pet him when she came in. She walked straight to her room and closed the door. That never happened.

He paced around the house, listening. The boy was in his room. He wasn’t acting right, either. And the little girls weren’t making any noise.

The man was still in the garage, cleaning out the back of the car where George had been sick. Maybe that was what was wrong. Maybe everything was his fault.

CHAPTER 13: An outing.

George hadn’t gone for a ride for a long time. Not since he got sick in the back of the man’s truck. He’d tried to tell the man it was from the candy the boy fed him not from the motion of the car, but sometimes people didn’t listen.

Even Kara.

He’d had to complain a couple of times when she was grooming him earlier that morning. He’d liked his bath, but she’d gotten a little carried away with the brushing – as if she was thinking about something else. Something bad.

But, now, everything was okay. He even had a red bow on his collar, which made him feel sporty.

He wasn’t sure where Kara was taking him, but he planned to be on this best behavior – and not eat anything sweet.

CHAPTER 14: Something was going on with his people. Nobody was smiling anymore. Even the little girls didn’t seem as happy as they had been. They still played with him, but more often they’d sit on either side him and talk back and forth. Real fast. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but he could tell they were upset.

Something was happening. Something George knew he wasn’t going to like.

CHAPTER 15: George loved Kara’s smell. He loved being able to put his head in her lap and breath in all the scents that made her special. But for the past few days, she hadn’t sat down long enough for him to get close. She was constantly on the move taking things from her room out to boxes in the garage.

He knew about boxes. His first lady put stuff in boxes in garage then she never came back. The boxes left, too.

This time, he was going to be prepared. He chomped down a little tighter on the shoe he carried in his mouth. If Kara left, she’d go without this shoe. He planned to keep it nearby so he could bring it out when he needed to be reminded of her smell.

He’d put it in a safe place – in the ground – where the man couldn’t find it and take it away.

CHAPTER 16: “George?”

George heard the man’s voice. It sounded different.

“George? Are you there? Come here, boy. Come.”

George went down on his belly and crawled closer to the edge of the land where he’d last seen the man standing. He’d been talking on the phone. George had gotten bored just standing around listening to the man talk. The stiff wind blowing in from the sea made his joints ache. He remembered wanting to go home and see Kara.

Then, suddenly, a rabbit had jumped out from under a nearby bush. George had reacted. He’d lunged so hard his neck had snapped back from the man’s hold on his leash. George had fought the restraint and tugged harder until his collar finally slipped over his ears and he was free.

The rabbit had gotten away, and when George came back to the last place he’d seen the man. But the man was gone.

Only his voice was still around.

CHAPTER 17: Two walks in one day? That was good.

But something was wrong. George could sense that. Kara was upset. She kept wiping at her eyes and calling out a name over and over. “Brad.”

That was George’s man’s name.

The man. Where was he?

George got a sick feeling in his belly. He was pretty sure he’d done something wrong. He tried to pull back on the leash, to go home, but Kara petted his neck and told him over and over, “It’s okay, boy. You’re a good dog. You can find him. Take me to Brad.”

And George wanted to. But he wasn’t used to being out in the dark and all the bushes looked alike now. And the ground didn’t really smell like the man any more. Well, maybe a little.

CHAPTER 18: George woke up happy. And surprised.

He didn’t usually get to sleep inside the house with his people. Maybe they’d forgotten to put him out. That was good. He liked the soft cushion of the couch.

But now he needed to pee.

Walking as quietly as possible, he went to the boy’s room, first. The door was closed.

He tried Kara next. Her door was open but her bed was empty. He was just about to try waking up one of the little girls when he heard a sound. A people sound.

Suspicious, he hurried back down the hall. Someone was laughing. Nobody laughed in this house this early in the morning. He put his ear to the door of the man’s room.

The sound came again.

George barked.

CHAPTER 19: George licked his paw then worked his way back to other areas that needed attention.

He was bored. He’d given up staring at the building where the boy and the man were. They’d left him in the back of the truck for a long time and he wasn’t happy.

He didn’t like his new collar, either. It was from when he was a younger dog and it didn’t fit right. He planned to complain to Kara next time he saw her.

At least, he knew she was coming back. He’d hidden another one of her shoes. Under his bed. She’d come back.

CHAPTER 20: George was pooped. He wanted to go to his dog house and not come out for days.

The man was crazy. Back and forth from room-to-room, carrying things, moving things, talking to George the whole time, which meant George had to walk back and forth, too.

And the man had taken George with him in the truck, too. One store after another.

He didn’t know what had gotten into his owner. He wished Kara was here. She’d know what to do.

All George wanted to do was sleep.

CHAPTER 21 -- the last word: George cocked his head and watched the man and Kara walk away. He didn’t really understand people, but he sensed that something had changed – for the better. And that made him happy.

It was good to see the man smile. Smiles meant nice treats -- like the food they just gave him -- and a comfortable collar.

He curled up on the rug in front of the fire and let out a long sigh. Yep, life was good again.