Chapter 185: Shanna

KNOX WHINED FROM THE other room. I cracked open one eye to peek at my alarm clock and groaned. It was only 6:00 a.m. Knox seemed to know that someone was awake and whined again, louder than before. If he woke up Dad, he would feel obligated to take him for a walk. But Dad needed his sleep. An upcoming deadline at work had made him stressed and more tired than usual and he'd been grumpy. I hated seeing him so out of sorts. The least I could do was let him sleep in.

Yawning, I stumbled out of my room to Knox. "Quiet, boy. You'll wake Dad." Then I realized that his whining had stopped the second I put a foot on my bedroom floor.

I opened his crate. "You little rascal!" He hustled out, his nose seeking my hand. I gave him a good head rub, making sure to get under his ears to the spot he loved me to scratch. He cut short the rubdown, though, trotting out of the room and down the stairs to the back door.

"You gotta use the facilities, buddy?" I said. No wonder he was whining. I wished w