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Chelsea chuckled. “I’ll ask Grant. Honestly, he could go either way.”
“Yeah. I don’t know him as well. Same thing, though. If he wants to, I’d love his help. If not, no problem.”
Molly gave her a knowing smile. “You should ask Grady.”
Hannah shook her head vigorously.
“Aww, he’s a sweetheart when you get to know him,” said Chelsea. “And this is right up his alley! He’d love to be part of it.”
Molly gave her a stern look. “You should ask him.”
Hannah made a face. She wouldn’t deny that she found the idea of photographing him with a puppy and no shirt very appealing. But she had no desire to turn what she hoped would be a fun shoot into an ordeal of embarrassment – for herself or for Grady.
Apparently, she’d hesitated too long because Molly said, “Okay, then. I’ll ask him.”
~ ~ ~
On Sunday morning, Grady was almost wishing that he hadn’t brought Ava out to the shelter. He loved seeing her excited, it was almost as though she’d forgotten all her sadness and was just a regular kid. He wouldn’t wish that away. But at the same time, he knew that all her excitement would be gone when they left here. That she’d be down as they drove away, and he’d feel even worse than usual when he had to leave her to go to work later.
As soon as he cut the engine, she threw her door open and jumped out of the car. “Come on, Uncle Grady!”
He hurried after her. They might as well make the most of the excitement for now. Let her enjoy every minute of it. He took hold of her hand, and they went into the little office at the front of the building. They knew the routine. They had to go and sign in, and someone would meet them and take them to the kennels.
He stopped dead just inside the doorway, and his heart leaped into his mouth. A woman was bent over the desk with her back to them as she signed in. He might not be able to see her face, but he’d know that long blonde hair – and that ass – anywhere. It was Hannah.
Ava tugged at his hand. “Come on, Uncle Grady!”
Hannah straightened up and spun around. Her big brown eyes met his. Grady’s heart felt as though it clenched in his chest. She was gorgeous. Why was it that the first time he met a woman he’d actually be interested in spending time with, he couldn’t do a damned thing about it?
He realized he was still staring at her when Ava tugged on his hand again. He looked down at her and then back at Hannah. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“Hello!” Ava piped up and broke the moment. Grady knew he should be grateful to her, but he’d give anything to spend just a little while longer lost in those big brown eyes.
Hannah turned to Ava and smiled. It was a genuine smile, too. “Hi, Ava. How are you?”
“I’m good, thank you. Are you here to get a puppy?”
“No. Not today. I just …” She glanced at Grady. “I have some work to do. Are you here to get a puppy?”
“No. I can’t have one.” The look on her face and the way she said it almost broke Grady’s heart. Hannah must think he was a heartless bastard, and that was the last thing he wanted.
He shrugged. “We’d love to have a puppy, but with my hours at work …” He shrugged again.
Hannah nodded as if she understood, but he doubted that she did.
“Hi, Grady. Hi, Ava.” The girl behind the desk smiled at him.
Shit. He didn’t need that. She tried to flirt with him whenever they came out here. “Hi. We’re here to visit with the puppies.”
“Great. Just sign in and I’ll come around for you in a few minutes.”
Hannah raised her eyebrows. “You can just come and visit?”
Ava nodded eagerly. “Yes. Lots of the puppies don’t find homes for a long time. Ellen says that they appreciate visitors who come to play with them. You should come with us.”
Grady watched Hannah’s expression, but she shook her head slowly. “I can’t today.”
