Tank was sitting at his desk laughing. Ranger had walked in followed by the Dwieners twins. Looking across his desk at him were three sets of brown eyes. After his boss sat down in one of the leather club chairs, each stood up sp Ranger could pick them up. One on each side of him in the chair as hands began rubbing their long silky black ears.
"What?"
Tank still chuckling, "I never took you for a dog person. Those are the goofiest looking mutts."
"I wasn't, but Stephanie wanted them. If she hears you say that about her babies, she'll rip your tongue out."
"What about the dog bed in your office? The afternoon you took Stephanie to meet your parents, we were all howling when your Porsche pulled out with them," Tank was pointing at the puppies, "in the back."
"We couldn't leave them in the apartment so they didn't chew anything. Momma and Poppa loved Stephanie. These two grew on them. Momma laughed when they dug up her flower garden. It made the weeds easier to pull. The Plum's have holes in their yard, too."
His shaved head was lying on his desk as he was in a laughing fit, "A Bad Ass with hotdogs. It's too much. Even dinners with Stephanie's family. You have it bad, Ranger. Are you two still looking for a house?"
His eyebrow went up and nodded his head at the two sleeping puppies, "Yeah, but nothing we liked. Stephanie's puppies need a yard to dig up and run in on these short legs."
Ranger's cell phone rang, "Yo. I'm not busy, Babe. Give me the address. They were sleeping until the phone rang. I'll bring them. See you in ten."
Putting both puppies on the floor, he got up from the chair, "Stephanie was driving Mary Lou home from the mall and found a house. We're going to see it," looking down at the two long black and spotted bodies with wildly wagging tails. "That was Mommy."
Tank could hear their little barks when Ranger went into his office for their leashes, pink for Tia and blue for Toby. Tank was waiting at the elevator bent over amused watching his ex-Army buddy try and walk casually to the elevator with boy and girl colored leashes in his hand and the little puppies running for the elevator barking because they were going "Bye Byes with Daddy" as Stephanie called it.
"Where are you going?"
Tank was choking on his words, "I want to go for a ride, too."
Coming out of the elevator, both tinkled on the newspaper that was on the floor before getting in the Porsche.
It was hilarious as they drove to join Stephanie, there were little smeared nose prints on the back windows as Toby and Tia watched. Ranger didn't let dust settle on his cars, but he had doggie nose prints! It was too much. Tank was going to have a stroke from lack of oxygen from laughing so much.
The Porsche turned into a neighborhood they recognized near Mary Lou's and drove to back street. Stephanie's blue CVR was in the driveway of a ranch house. She came running off the front porch and into Ranger's arms.
"Babe, this looks nice. It's smaller than the houses we've seen so far."
"Wait until you see inside and the back yard is fenced it," Stephanie told him. "You came along for ride, Tank?"
He started chuckling, "I can't believe he lets them in the Porsche, let alone nose prints," pointing to the smears on the windows of it.
"They're family," Stephanie stooped down and picked up Tia while Toby jumped at Ranger to be held. "Were you good for Daddy?"
Ranger smirked, "Babe."
"This is Christine, the Realtor," Stephanie introduced the dark haired young woman on the front porch.
Extending his hand to her, "Carlos Manoso."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," returning his hand shake. "My, what unusual puppies!"
"Toby and Tia are Dalmatian and Wiener dog mixes. They're our Dwieners. This is our friend, Tank."
"Welcome. Let me give you a tour."
Stephanie took both puppies out into the backyard while Ranger and Tank walked through the house. It was a three bedroom house with two full baths. A powder room was off the den in the basement. There was new kitchen with almond cabinets and appliances, not that Stephanie cooked. French doors off the dining room led out to a cement patio.
"Wow!" Tank surprised by the landscaped yard.
Christine showed them the backyard. At the edge of the patio was a small in-ground wading pool.
Ranger was looking into the clear blue water; movement caught his eye under the shade trees. Stephanie and the puppies were running along the back fence.
"This is really nice, Ranger. If you don't buy this, I may. It's not real big and ready to move-in condition."
"It is nice. I would like more land, but I know Stephanie really doesn't want to move too far from her parents. And, Mary Lou is close by for her as is Rangeman." He waved his hand to get Stephanie's attention, "Babe."
"What do you think?" Stephanie jogged over to them. "The den could be your office."
He nodded, "I like it."
Tank started laughing again, "So do they."
There was Toby and Tia dogging paddling in the wading pool to cool off.
Ranger turned to the real estate agent, "Consider the house sold."
