Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (Charlaine Harris) (Kitty Norville 2.50)

"I'm the man," he said. "What kind of dog have you got in mind?"

"Someone to protect me when I'm sleeping. "

"Apartment or house?"

"A town house," she said. "In town. "

"You looking for something with more bark or more bite?" he asked as they walked back into the main room.

She looked at him, and the smile left her eyes.

"I want a bark that will put the fear of God into anyone stupid enough to break in," she said. "And a bite that will send anyone stupid enough to ignore the bark straight to Hell. "

He rested his chin between his thumb and forefinger, and pondered her request for a moment.

"I have this really vicious dachshund that might fit the bill," he said.

She stared at him in disbel

ief.

"No, seriously, I've been trying to get rid of the little bastard for years," he continued, his nose crinkling for an instant.

"An attack dachshund," she said, starting to laugh.

"Well, pretty much an ankle biter," he conceded. "But let him get a running start, and that baby will take out a decent chunk of thigh. "

"Really," she said. "I had no idea. "

"It's the element of surprise," he explained. "Gets them every time. "

"Be serious now," she said.

"All right," he said, opening the gate to the pit. "Nicky, here. "

The Rottweiler bounded up and sat before them expectantly. Lehrmann looked into the dog's eyes, then back at Mona's.

"This one," he said. "This one is your dog. "

Lehrmann went back into the refrigerator, removed the lamb, and placed it on the butcher block. Then he took the saw and simply cut it in half. He put one part back in the refrigerator, then carried the other to a large empty cage set back from the others and placed it inside. He made sure there was plenty of water, then went back to his office, where Carson was waiting, idly scratching his ear with his hind paw.

"You done?" Lehrmann asked.

The dog nodded. Lehrmann let the dog out of the office, then went around the building, checking the locks.

"How did you get to be so good with dogs?" she asked him one night as they lay in bed together. Nicky was downstairs, exiled to her dog bed as usual when he stayed the night.

"I grew up with them," he said. "And when I started raising them, they grew up with me. We just got to know each other better than most humans and dogs do. "

"But the training," she persisted. "They respond to you like nothing I've ever seen. "

"Something in my voice, I guess," he said. "I probably have all these auditory cues I use without even being aware of it. "

"And they pick up on them," she said. "Maybe you've gotten it all wrong. Maybe the dogs are the ones who trained you, not the other way around. "

"Could be," he said, letting his fingers trail gently down the curve of her body. "I never thought of it like that before. "

He let his hand wander and explore, and she arched her back.