Chris McNally + His Dogs = Pure Joy.

And that's where this one came from. ;)

Enjoy!

Sometimes Elizabeth Bouchard was certain that her husband was a child.

How else could she ever explain the giddy look on his face when a new shipment of books arrived for the library, or the way he'd clap his hands together enthusiastically when a new plan was set into motion? He'd pout when she left his arms in the morning, challenge her to races whenever they were on horseback, and join their son in chasing her around the yard whenever they got the chance.

Oh yes, Lucas Bouchard was a child at heart.

It meant that she couldn't help but laugh as he raced out of the saloon one afternoon, obviously making a beeline for her as she walked toward the dress shop, basket in hand. He was grinning from ear to ear, the telltale sign that he was up to something.

"Sweetheart!" he exclaimed, stopping just short of her and leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Lucas" Elizabeth responded suspiciously, eyebrow raised. "What are you up to?"

He rocked back and forth on his feet, "Oh, nothing in particular. But I do have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" she asked curiously, "what kind of surprise?"

Lucas looked down toward the ground and ran a hand along the back of his neck, "Well, it's more of a question combined with a surprise."

Crossing her arms, Elizabeth swung her weight to one side, looking up at her husband with the face usually reserved for Little Jack when he had gotten into something he shouldn't have. "And what question would that be?"

"What do you think about getting a dog?" he blurted out, his words so rushed that she barely heard them. He looked back up at her, worry evident in his gaze at what her response might be.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Elizabeth questioned, wanting nothing more than to put this man through the test of having to say it again despite the fact that she'd heard him the first time.

He let out a sigh, "I know we haven't talked much about it, but Jack's getting older and Laura mentioned this morning that their dog had a litter of puppies and I just thought...what if we had a dog!" he finished, unable to curb his excitement the longer his story went on.

Elizabeth hummed, "a dog? I don't know, Lucas. A dog is a lot of extra work and with our schedules…"

"See, I've already thought of that" he cut her off, hands on her shoulders. "He can come to work with me during the day and he'll be home at night. Plus, think about how much Jack loves dogs. They could grow up together!"

She eyed her husband carefully. He was obviously thrilled about the possibility of welcoming another member into their family, and she'd seen him around dogs before. The man was a natural with them, and he did have a point about their son and a possible furry friend.

"You're thinking" he said after a moment, eyes continuously studying her face.

"Of course I'm thinking, Lucas. This is a big decision."

Suddenly his face fell, pulling on her heartstrings as it did. "You're right," he responded, "we should probably take some time to think about it.

Elizabeth reached to take one of his hands in her own, "this is something you really want, isn't it?"

Lucas let out a laugh, "I suppose it is. I've wanted one since I was about Jack's age, but with us traveling all the time it was never truly feasible, so it never happened. But like I said, you're right. We have other things to consider and…"

"Ok."

"...we really don't have to," he stopped, realizing that she'd said something. "What?"

"I said ok" she stated again as a smile began to creep across her lips.

The grin returned on Lucas' face, his dimples peeking out and his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Really?"

Elizabeth laughed, "Really. Let's get a dog."

Before she knew what was happening, he'd pulled her toward him and kissed her lightly before pulling away briefly to whisper "I love you." He repeated the process several more times, always sure to mutter "I love you" between kisses.

They laughed together in the street for a few moments longer, Lucas eventually sweeping her up into his arms to twirl her around before planting her feet firmly back on the ground and kissing her one last time.

"Thank you" he whispered when they pulled apart.

"Anything for you, Sweetheart" Elizabeth responded in kind before hitting him lightly on the arm. "Don't you have a job to do? Dog food won't pay for itself."

At that, he turned on his heel and headed toward the saloon, turning to walk backward for a bit as he did to yell back at her, "You won't regret this!"

As she watched him make his way back inside, Elizabeth couldn't help but shake her head and laugh to herself.

Her husband was a child at heart, and she loved him for it.