In Plain Sight by Lorena McCourtney

down this detail before blithely leaping into this.

9
    The house on Hickory was low and rambling, an L-shape built around a big backyard with a high board fence. The height of the fence alarmed me. Perhaps Baby belonged in the giraffe or camel category? A coppery-colored Lincoln sat in the driveway.
    I rang the bell, and a plump woman who had to be Tammi opened the door. But the woman was instantly eclipsed by the animal beside her. A dog? It did have the usual doggy attributes. Four legs, furry body, wagging tail, soulful brown eyes, and a damp nose instantly thrust into my hand.
    Although this animal could almost as easily have thrust his nose into mine.
    “This is Baby,” Tammi said with obvious pride. “And the first thing everyone wants to know, of course, is, how big is he? So I’ll tell you! He’s 31 inches tall at the shoulder and weighs 260 pounds! And if he stands on his hind feet, he’s taller than you or me!”
    Here her oversupply of exclamation points almost seemed justified.
    “He was only six weeks old when we got him. And he was such a soft, adorable little butterball that we just had to call him Baby. And then the name stuck.”
    “He’s certainly … impressive. Is he … uh … some particular breed?” Or perhaps some mad-scientist combination of dog and pony? His tan hair was short but thick and rough rather than slick, his tail a darker bushy flag, his face and neck mottled with irregular splotches of brown.
    “Mostly English mastiff, although he has smidgens of various other breeds. We think the brown may come from some St. Bernard blood. Although no one knows where that tail came from! His mother weighed only 175 pounds, and none of his littermates turned out nearly as big as he is.”
    “I hope he’s good-natured?”
    “Oh, he is! Baby loves to chase balls and wrestle on the floor and play with his teddy bear. And Baby loves everybody! Tell Aunt Ivy hello, Baby.”
    Baby, very dignified, offered me a huge paw. With some reservations I shook it, although I noted that his nails were nicely manicured. Tammi stood back and motioned me inside the house. By now, after the initial shock of Baby’s size, I noted that Tammi was dressed for dinner. The tight, bright red dress complemented her fluffy dark hair, but … oh, dear … also emphasized every one of those plump pounds. Spike heels, apparently meant to slenderize her legs, unfortunately turned her feet into chubby stubs. But she also had a lovely, warm smile, a rose-petal complexion, dazzling white teeth, and, overall, was something of an adorable butterball herself.
    “It’s so nice of you to do this!” She squeezed my arm. “Brad usually stays in Fayetteville between the early and late news shows, so we don’t often have dinner together. And it just seemed like a lovely idea to run in and join them, the three of us together!”
    I wondered if Skye had perhaps been counting on dinner alone with her father, but I only murmured, “Yes, a lovely idea.”
    “We didn’t talk about a sitting fee, but I always give—”
    I waved a hand in dismissal. “That isn’t necessary. I’m glad to do it.” Although a thought occurred to me, now that I’d met Baby and he did seem like such a polite, well-mannered gentleman. “Why does Baby need a sitter?”
    “Baby is very people sensitive.” She gave his big head an affectionate rough-housing. “If anyone is home, he’s quite happy to run and play in the backyard by himself. But if everyone leaves, he knows and immediately protests! Quite loudly, I’m afraid.”
    Deep-chested Baby looked as if he could make enough noisy protest to start an earthquake.
    “Which the neighbors object to, I suppose?”
    “Very much so. As if their children don’t sometimes raise enough ruckus to—” She rolled her baby blue eyes and smiled. “Well, never mind. In any case, it’s better that Baby not be left outside when no one is home.”
    “And inside?”
    “Inside, he tends to … ummm … take