She'd had a dog as child, back in Florida, but when her family had moved first to Los Angeles and then to Sacramento, their large boxer Fred had to be left behind. Since that time, and all through her ill-fated marriage, the woman hadn't even given a thought to owning a dog, and now, she didn't know quite what the was looking for.

All three German Shepherd brothers stood wagging their tails and looking up expectantly at their visitor. Their eyes shone brightly as if they knew inside that this female human held an exciting promise for one of them, and they were silently competing for the honor. King and Klamath nudged irritably at each other's shoulders, their long pink tongues drooling with anticipation. Kaiser, slightly bigger than the other two, stood apart, quivering at an angle to his litter-mates. His deep brown eyes watched intently Stella Burnside's every move, and when he sensed that she was going to lean down and pet someone, he lurched forward to make sure he would be that one.

"Oh, my…" the black-haired woman laughed. "You're a friendly boy, aren't you! Oh, my, yes!" She looked up at Matt, who was watching proudly from the gate. "Would a dog this friendly be any good as a watch dog?"

The athletic-looking young breeder smiled indulgently. "Oh, sure… Kaiser there is just the dog I was going to recommend for you. He's super with the ladies – trained as a bodyguard!" He looked up insinuatingly. "But he's very cautious around men. Do you have any sons or… or… well, men around?"

Stella shook her head and pressed her still youthfully smooth cheek into the German Shepherd's face. She caught the suggestive tone of the dog breeder's question, but she figured that Kaiser wouldn't object to her own private guests. Why, if she decided to buy this lovable watchdog, then she could just keep her men friends out of his way. The whole purpose of having a job was to keep unwanted males away from her and her daughter's small, relatively inexpensive apartment.