#DogMom

By Kassandra Lea

Scrolling through the posts of a local dog owners group, Allie Karlin comes across a plea. A woman how lost her beloved pooch a few months back is hoping some kind soul is willing to share their dog to help her see if she’s ready to welcome a new pup into her life. Allie suspects her sweet Checkers is perfect for the job.

Sage Arrows still feels the familiar sting of losing Bixby, but she thinks she might be ready to move on. When she meets Allie and her mutt Checkers, the trio become fast friends. Their get-togethers are meant to heal Sage’s broken heart, and to some extent, that’s exactly what’s happening. Only it seems there’s more than the love of dogs between the two.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Feb 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646567584

Kassandra Lea

Kassandra Lea’s stories have appeared in a number of anthologies. She lives in southern Wisconsin. For more information, visit facebook.com/leakassie.

Book preview

#DogMom

By Kassandra Lea

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2021 Kassandra Lea

ISBN 9781646567584

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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For everyone who knows the sting of losing a beloved dog.

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#DogMom

By Kassandra Lea

Chapter 1

‘I know this may sound like a strange request,’ Allie Karlin read, ‘but I’m hoping I can borrow a dog.’ That does sound a bit strange. Allie sipped her coffee, glancing over the rim of her mug at her Hienz 57 mutt curled up on his bed. His tail thumped once, twice. Either he knew she was watching or he was having a wonderfully good dream, which made Allie a bit jealous. She couldn’t recall the last time she slept so soundly. Her gaze shifted back to the laptop screen to finish reading the post made roughly two hours ago in a local dog group, suggesting she wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping.

I’m not going to steal your dog or anything weird. Think of it more as requesting a playdate, if you will. My girl passed away four months ago and while I like to think I’m through the worst of the grieving process, I remain unsure of whether I’m ready for a new doggy companion. Sure, I’d like to get one in the future, but is my heart healed enough to take that step now? It terrifies me to think of bringing home a tail-wagging friend only to find my pain is still too fresh, too real, and seeing her every day is just too much and I wind up giving her away. I can’t bear the thought of it.

So that’s where you come in, kind stranger. I’m hoping I can find someone here who will allow me the privilege of spending time with your dog, and with you, too, of course! At a park or any other public place of your choosing. I’m looking for basically a trial run or two so I can see if I’m ready. Like I said, this is a strange request, I’m aware of it, but I’m hoping someone out there will see my heart is true and find me not so strange. Thanks, if you read all this, and please hug your fuzzy friends a little tighter for me. They’re gone way too soon.

The plea touched Allie, tugging at her heart strings. She browsed the handful of comments to see if there were any takers, dismayed to see some of the group members being