For a moment, Jack thought Harry was going to choke on his beer. After a few strangled gasps Harry was finally able to say, "Oh don't you worry about that, he loves women, just loves women!"

Peering fuzzily down into the cloudy depths of his beer, the younger man thought a moment longer. "Okay, Harry, I'll take the dog. But if it doesn't work out, I want you to know he's coming light back here. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Harry answered, nodding solemnly, as if they had just concluded an international peace treaty. "By the way, his name is Hans." The big dog looked up alertly as he heard his name, wondering why the two men were staring so intently at him.

"Well," Jack said draining his glass. "Might as well be getting on my way while I can still drive. If I can walk to the car, that is. By the way, where's your wife, out shopping?"

"No," Harry answered, a sudden shifty look coming into his eyes. "She's off visiting her mother. Left this morning."

"Hey," Jack said, sudden enlightenment coming over him. "You wouldn't be trying to get rid of the dog while she's away and doesn't know what you're doing, would you? Hell, I don't want to buy a bag of trouble with Myra."

"Since when have you worried what Myra thought?" Harry shot back, becoming a little desperate. "We just made a deal, didn't we?"

"Okay, old buddy, don't get all steamed up. I'll stand by my word. I just want to know all the facts before I do something." The truth was, the younger man had become a little more fond of the idea of owning the big beautiful German shepherd with each additional glass of beer. Already he was wondering how Angela would react when he got home with the animal. "How do I get this big brute out to the car?" he asked.

"Nothing to it. C'mon, Hans," Harry ordered, and led the way out of the apartment, the dog following eagerly.