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“Evening, Ellie.” His voice was rich and warm like honey and seemed to vibrate through her whole body. Puzzle tried to lick his face and he laughed. “New friend?”
She grabbed the dog’s leash. “He doesn’t have any manners yet.”
He chuckled, a deep, low sound that seemed to echo around them. “Let me guess, he was Zak’s idea?”
She flushed. She still couldn’t believe she’d let Zak Hendricks—the leader of Redwood Coast Rescue’s tactical K9 team—talk her into fostering the puppy. She’d been feeling isolated and alone, her friends mostly all married or engaged, and Alexis blissfully nesting with her fiancé Shane. Fostering the future search and rescue dog seemed like a good way to fight off the loneliness. At least it gave her a warm body to come home to that wouldn’t break her heart.
“I’m just fostering him.” Ellie offered him a tight smile and extended her hand to take Puzzle from him. But Cal didn’t release the pup immediately. Instead, he rubbed his hand vigorously on the dog’s belly, making Puzzle squirm with delight.
The sight tugged at her heart. Despite everything that had happened between them, she couldn’t deny that Cal looked ridiculously adorable with Puzzle in his arms. Her normally hyperactive dog was snuggling against his chest as if he belonged there.
“He likes you.”
Cal shrugged, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “What can I say? I’m a likable guy.”
She scoffed. “I don’t like you.”
His smile faltered for a moment, but he recovered quickly with another grin. “Well, you obviously have poor taste because dogs are great judges of character.” As if to prove his point, Puzzle gave him a big, slobbery kiss. He laughed and dodged another lick. “You do realize that if Zak gave him to you, he’s yours. There’s no fostering at the Rescue.”
Yes, she was aware. Zak had the uncanny ability to pair people with their perfect dog, but she still wasn’t convinced Puzzle was the right dog for her. “Thanks for catching him.”
“My pleasure.” As he handed the puppy back to her, their fingers brushed and a spark of something ignited between them. It happened every time their skin touched, a chemistry that was impossible to deny. But Ellie quickly pulled away, holding Puzzle close to her chest.
An uncomfortable silence fell over them, broken only by Puzzle’s excited panting and the distant laughter from the picnickers by the river.
“Well,” she said finally and set Puzzle down, making sure to keep a firm grip on his leash this time. “Good night.”
“Ellie...” Cal caught her hand before she could turn away. “Can we talk?”
She stared at his hand on hers, the heat of his touch seeping into her skin. She missed this – the contact, the connection – and that thought scared her. It was a dangerous thing to miss someone who could hurt you so much.
She looked up at him, her heart thundering in her chest. “There’s nothing more to say.”
“But there is. So much more,” he insisted, and a twisted part of her took pleasure in seeing him beg.
Pulling her hand away from his grasp, she stepped back, creating a physical distance to match the emotional one between them. She was all too aware of the curious onlookers, their stares on her back as they speculated about the high-profile lawyer and the woman with the runaway puppy. There was nothing more this town loved than a bit of juicy gossip and she wasn’t about to give them a scene to whisper about over beers at The Mad Dog.
“I need to get Puzzle home now.” She keep her voice and face neutral. Puzzle wagged his tail and gave her a look of pure puppy love, oblivious to the tension crackling in the air. “Thank you again for catching him.”
Cal looked as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he didn’t. He let out a slow sigh before nodding. His eyes held a mixture of regret and something else— hope? Longing? Ellie couldn’t decipher it, but she knew better than to try.
She turned away, clutching Puzzle’s leash so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.
“You’ll forgive me one day,” he called. “You might even love me again.”
She stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around. The words, so softly spoken, were charged with a raw desperation. He was right about one thing—she might forgive him someday.
But love him again?
Ha.
Fat chance.
She looked down at Puzzle, who was now tugging at his leash, eager to continue their walk as if that was an option after his little run across the park. “I can’t tell who is more delusionally optimistic. You or the puppy.”
As she walked away, she heard Cal’s soft laugh. “Me. Definitely me.”
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