"His name is Knox because he's built like a fort and mighty protective of the humans he's attached to," explained the thirty-ish, blonde-haired, brown-eyed man who had introduced himself as Sean.

"Oh, he's beautiful," Madelyn gasped at the oversized German Shepherd puppy. "May I pet him?"

"Of course. Let's have you both get down on his level, hands low so he can get a good sniff," the dog trainer demonstrated. "Don't try to pet him or touch his head until he indicates he's comfortable."

Harry dropped down to crouch next to Madelyn, holding his hands palms up, as Sean allowed slack on the dog's leash. Knox approached, confidently taking their measure.

"Don't be surprised if he seems to align with Harry at first. That'll be the result of his visits to the training school."

"You are a sneak, Styles!"

He grinned when Madelyn bumped his shoulder, pretending offense. This meeting had been a couple of weeks in the making. Not wanting to raise her hopes, Harry quietly followed up on the suggestion of the woman at the animal shelter. He met Sean and Knox for the first time before leaving town to waylay Madelyn at her conference. Since then, he'd been back twice to get to know some of the young dogs that were not advancing as service animals, and thus, available for adoption.

Knox circled the pair, scenting them repeatedly. He allowed Harry to stroke his neck, then dismissed him, moving on to Madelyn. Unlike his interaction with Harry, this was a full investigation. Stretching up, Knox put his snout into her hair, nuzzled her chest and inhaled deeply at her lap. Whining once, he plopped down at her side and lay his head on his paws.

"Huh, I guess that means he likes you. I don't think we need the leash anymore," his trainer said, leaning over and releasing the metal clip on Knox's collar.

Looking up with expectant adoration in his deep, brown eyes, the dog scooted closer. Madelyn carded her fingers through Knox's long fur, scrunching them and releasing.

"I love him, Harry!"

"I thought you might," he slid an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "I want you to be certain, though." By Harry's estimation, Madelyn's smile was shining brighter than the late winter sun in the clear, blue sky above. Yep, she seemed pretty certain.

Sean cleared his throat. "Why don't we head into the house and let Knox get the lay of the land. Usually, we allow the dogs to have a self-guided tour and get to know the family better in their own space."

Taking the lead, Madelyn could hardly contain her grin as Knox popped up, then followed on her heels.

"He likes me; don't you boy?" She was beaming.

Harry followed them through the remains of melting snow to the front door. Sean took up the rear, after securing the training school's cargo van and grabbing the adoption contract. He had a strong feeling this was going to be Knox's new home.

Once inside, Madelyn beelined for the kitchen to offer her new friend a drink of water. She left Harry to fend for himself and Sean. They could hear her shuffling around and chatting to Knox as they settled in the living room.

"That seems to be going extremely well," Sean inclined his head toward the kitchen. "Most dogs take a little time to warm up so completely. I'd say Knox is smitten with your girlfriend."

"He isn't the only one. She has some kind of pull. At least the dog isn't drooling, I think I did when I first met her," he chuckled.

"What are you two laughing about?" Madelyn strode across the living room, settling cross-legged on the floor next to Harry's spot on the sofa. Knox sat with his head resting on her thigh.

"Your animal magnetism. Looks like Knox has fallen for you as hard as I did."

"It's easy to understand," Sean piped up. "What's not to love? A beautiful woman fawning all over him, rubbing his back and running her fingers through his hair... I mean, no guy could resist, right? I know I couldn't."

Madelyn coughed into her fist to cover a laugh. She glanced at Harry who sat stock still. Not smiling.

Realization dawned and the trainer held up his hands in defense, eyes wide. "Oh. Hey man, that came out wrong. I was just stating the obvious. I have a girl. And a dog. Of my own. I'm just saying Madelyn did all the nice things to win Knox over, you know?"

"Yes. Madelyn is very... nice," Harry slid his arm possessively over her shoulders. 

"So, Sean," she stepped into the fray, "Tell us about Knox's history and training."

Harry appreciated her hand stroking the back of his calf; it was soothing. He wasn't one to overreact out of jealousy. Sean's words had taken him by surprise, that's all. He drew in a calming breath, relaxed into her touch, and the tension passed.

"Well, the pups come from breeders that are well known to us. No puppy mills. We work primarily with labs and shepherds. They're with their mothers for the first seven weeks. On their 49th day, they are placed into a foster home and start training."

"That's so young, what could they possibly learn at that age?" maternal protectiveness flared in Madelyn's belly.

"You'd be surprised! Granted, it looks like a free for all in the beginning. Mostly they're learning who is in charge, how to play, where to toilet, simple commands. It's easy stuff. And there is a lot of research that shows 49 days is the optimal moment to bond dogs to humans. All of our training methods are born out of research and experience. It's an amazing program."

"How long does it take to turn out a fully trained service dog?" asked a more relaxed Harry.

"Depends on what kind of work they'll do, but the average is 18 months."

"And how old is Knox?"

"Knox is 11 months. He's a great dog, but not the right fit as a service animal."

"So you're saying," Madelyn covered the pup's ears,  lowering her voice, "he flunked out of the program?"

Sean laughed, "No, not at all. Knox is extremely smart and learns quickly. He's anxious to please, focused, alert, yet calm, although he is still a puppy."

"But..."

"But, Knox becomes highly attached to his handlers and exhibits characteristics that make him unlikely to function as well if his humans feel stressed or threatened. His instinct is to guard and protect."

Madelyn and Harry exchanged a look. "I think you'll be safer with a dog around and if nothing else, he would be a deterrent."

A deterrent. A big, scary looking dog would make Jack think twice about coming near her. Madelyn scratched behind Knox's ears. She wanted a companion though. A pet to love on and play with. Maybe to take on a run when she was feeling especially motivated. Or curl up and keep her company while she painted.

"What are you thinking, Mads?"

"He's so sweet, curled up here, but I don't want to be responsible for an aggressive animal that might hurt someone because he's overprotective," she sighed sadly.

"I think you misunderstand," Sean jumped in. "Picture it like this, you're wheelchair bound and in a store with Knox. Your purse falls to the floor. Knox could retrieve it for you, but a helpful person beats him to it. The dog should wait calmly for you to command his next action. In Knox's case, he would preemptively place himself between you and the Good Samaritan, striking a defensive pose and likely bark a warning. He wouldn't attack unless you gave the command or were attacked yourself. It's exactly that natural protectiveness that makes German Shepherds excellent police and guard dogs. Based on my discussions with Harry, Knox is exactly the kind of dog you need. Plus you still get all the rewards of having a bonded pet."

The reassurance quelled her doubts.

"Sean told me on our first visit, they follow up with every placement and offer more training based on people's individual needs," he squeezed her shoulder.

"What other questions can I answer, Madelyn?"

"I have lots of little questions, but just one big one."

"Okay, ask me anything," Sean spread his arms wide in openness.

Madelyn wrapped her arm all the way around Harry's muscular calf, lifting her eyes to his before looking back to Sean.

"Would he be good with a baby?"

She didn't have to see Harry to know he was smiling wide enough to cause an unprecedented cramp in his pretty lips. It made her feel fuzzy.

Without hesitation, Sean responded, "I think Knox would be amazing with a baby in the house. I didn't realize you two were expecting, that's great!"

"Oh, no. Not yet, anyway. But if Harry gets his way..."

"Not tomorrow, but sooner rather than later. Madelyn says we better see if we can keep a dog alive first."

"Makes sense to me. Knox has been in a foster family with two kids under four. He is a big ol' softy with them, there have been no complaints whatsoever. He'll for sure be protective of the family as a unit, and individually. We have a class you can come to that covers everything you need to know about introducing your dog to a new baby, plus teaching kids how to treat their pets with respect."

"Okay?" Harry dipped his chin to Madelyn.

"Okay," she confirmed.

Harry slid off the sofa onto the floor, on Knox's other side.

"What do you think, Mads?" he scratched the Shepherd's thick scruff, "Are you ready to be a mommy?"

Her laugh was full of bright happiness.

"I am definitely ready to be Knox's mom!"

He leaned in, gently pressing his lips to hers, "It's a start," he whispered.

***

Author's Note:

I hope you enjoyed that fuzzy chapter! If you did, tap that little star ⭐️ to vote. Votes make a huge difference, as do your comments!

I'd like to give a shoutout and a massive thank you to @LoveVincitOmnia for her help with this chapter, including Knox's name! I have a fair bit of dog training knowledge and let me tell you, she is truly an expert in service dogs and their training. Knox's experience is largely based on stories she has shared after years of fostering with a professional service dog school.

A couple of readers have asked me about chapter titles again. Each one is a synonym of "delivery." Except for Jack's chapters. Those are antonyms. Because... ewwwww- Jack is nasty!

Thanks for reading! Come find me on social media, I'm dirtyyarn everywhere. 

Best~ Em