In the end, it was Gort’s behavior that decided things. To anyone else, that might have sounded stupid, but I implicitly trusted the dog’s instincts — one time I’d brought home a date who turned out to be a little too grabby, and Gort became positively wolfish in my defense, scaring the guy into a hasty retreat and even taking me a little aback. I hadn’t thought my pet had it in him, since he usually was one of the sweetest-tempered dogs I’d ever met. So if Gort thought having the stranger around was okay, then it must be all right.
At least tonight I didn’t have any UFO tours scheduled. Word had gotten out that UFO watching in Sedona wasn’t what it used to be, and although I missed the business, today especially I was glad that I could go home when the shop closed at six. Thank God that
