“But I-I-I dreamed about him.”
Summer blew out an exasperated breath, knowing that arguing was futile. She’d have to find another dog to love, maybe one that looked like Mav.
“Welcome to Waterford!” The teenage parking girl bounded toward them, extending a flyer to them. “I’m Prudence Kilcannon, granddaughter of the owner, but please call me Pru. Are you here to take home the dog of your dreams?”
“We are,” Summer confirmed, taking Destiny’s hand. “Where do we find the adoption dogs?”
“Everywhere!” she exclaimed just as the younger boy came forward, alongside a huge German shepherd who was darn near as big as he was.
“Pru, is it my turn?” he asked. “Can I do the tour this time?”
Next to her, Summer felt Destiny back up, her eyes popping at the dog who looked like he could eat a bad guy or two for lunch.
“This is Jag.” The little boy squared his narrow shoulders and patted the dog’s head with a familiar hand. “Don’t be scared of him.”
“I’m n-n-not s-s-s…” She shook her head. “I want a puppy.”
Pru laughed and bent over to talk to Destiny. “We have a few of those,” she said. “And believe me, Christian would never let you have Jag. That’s his best friend. Are you looking for your new best pal?”
Wide-eyed, Destiny nodded.
“Would you let Christian and Jag walk you to the pen so you can scope out some of our dogs?” she asked.
“Where’s Mavvie?” Destiny whispered.
Pru frowned and got a little closer. “I’m sorry?”
“She’s looking for a dog she met at Santorini’s the other day. Maverick?” And Summer was looking for Mav’s owner, but—
“John’s puppy?” Pru straightened, and her eyes flashed. “Oh! You must be…her.”
Summer lifted a questioning brow. “Her?”
She nodded, staring at Summer. “Yeah, you are beautiful.”
Drawing back, Summer gave a soft laugh, wondering if John had described her that way. “Gee, thank you. You sure know how to welcome the customers.”
“Gramma Finnie actually said you were…like an angel.”
Oh, so it was one of the Dogmothers who’d said that, not John, she thought with a little pinch of disappointment. “That’s so sweet. She’s an angel, too.” She gestured to the little boy and his guard dog. “Of course you can lead the way, young man. We’ll take a look at—”
“No, no. You can’t go anywhere,” Pru insisted, reaching out to grab her arm. “Christian, go get Uncle John, quick. I promised Gramma and Yiayia that I’d…” She stopped for a midsentence correction. “I know your little girl wants to see Maverick, right?”
“Mavvie!” Destiny said, squeezing her fists with excitement.
“But you can’t adopt Mav, honey,” Summer said, already seeing this train wreck about to happen with one stubborn child. “I think we should look at all the dogs.”
A trip to that pen to see any one of the adorable dogs running around ought to do the trick.
“I just want to see him, Mommy,” she whispered, getting on her tiptoes to look past the German shepherd, the boy, the girl, and any other obstacle she might have to mow down to get her way.
“And you will,” Pru replied. “In one sec. Christian!” She gave him a nudge. “Quick. Go get Uncle John and Mav. And if you can’t find him, ask Gramma Finnie or Yiayia.”
“No, that’s not…” But Summer just let the rest of the argument go. If Destiny had her heart set on that puppy, she’d have to learn the hard lesson that she couldn’t have him. Maybe she just needed the dog, and his owner, to help her to understand that.
And Summer didn’t hate the idea of seeing John Santorini again. Not just because he was her only link to Travis Shipley. She’d barely made any progress trying to find Travis the past few days. She’d made a few inquiries among the locals, but no one seemed to have any idea where the Shipleys had gone. So, she was just about to abandon her plan, but not until she’d asked John, who had to know where the older Shipleys were, if not their son.
And once Destiny picked her dog, it would be time to go, no matter how much fun she had chatting with John Santorini. The fact was, she couldn’t afford to stay at that B&B for their usual summer month of fun anyway, and all other rentals in town were booked.
None of this had been communicated to Destiny, though, because Summer knew her daughter had to get her dog first, then everything else would work out.
“I heard you’re quite a singer,” Pru said to Destiny, pulling Summer from her thoughts.
“Mavvie can s-s-sing, too.”
Oh boy. She had to nip this in the bud. “Listen, Des, you really need to—”
“Mavvie!” She broke free with a shout, lunging at the light brown puppy who trotted in their direction. Not ten paces behind walked the tall, bearded, brown-eyed man who’d made her laugh and kind of wish she could stick around a little longer.
He broke into a slow smile, but his gaze wasn’t on the girl-and-dog reunion taking place. It was pinned directly on Summer, sending an unexpected flight of butterflies through her.
“I’d like to do this tour, Christian,” John said, putting his hand on the little boy’s shoulder as if he expected the child to be disappointed. “There’s more people arriving, so I know you can take them around.”
“Okay, Uncle John.” The little boy gave another smile to Destiny and put a proud hand on the head of his big, bad-looking dog. “Jag and I will see you later.”
But Destiny was lost to anyone and anything, because Maverick was in her sights.
“Okay, then.” Pru clapped her hands as she stepped away from them. “Good luck with…everything.” The young girl’s blue eyes twinkled playfully, like she was communicating a secret message to John. She might have been, since his sly smile grew as he shook his head and gave her a tap on the shoulder.
“Get on with your job there, Prudence. And I don’t mean reporting in to your two eighty-something bosses.”
Pru giggled and waved as she took off, just as Destiny dropped to the grass to rub Mav’s little belly. The dog yapped playfully, but it was Destiny’s high-pitched coos of delight mixed with giggles, and not a single stammer, that had Summer’s attention.
“Guess we can’t keep these two apart,” she said.
“Why would you want to?” John asked, his voice deep and just soft enough that she wanted to get closer to hear every word.
“Because…” Summer sighed and ran a hand through her hair, suddenly a little self-conscious as she looked up at him and let the full weight of her attraction hit. “You may be in for the fight of your life for this dog.”
“She’s that persuasive?”
“She’s that tenacious. So you better start showing her some of your best adoption options, stat.”
His dark eyes danced at that, as if a fight didn’t scare him in the least. He was quiet for a few seconds, watching the two romp in the grass, then he looked directly at Summer.
“I don’t even know how to begin to thank you for what you did at the restaurant the other day, and I don’t mean paying for a meal I offered to comp.”
“Then you must mean jumping in where I didn’t belong.”
“Saving my ass, more like,” he said softly, with a quick check to make sure Destiny didn’t hear that.
Laughing, she shrugged. “Not a problem. First of all, there’s nothing a third-grade teacher likes more than settling down a group of rowdy, hungry humans.”
“And second of all?”
“All I could think was what if the secret shopper is in the group? I mean, I saw this deluge of people walking in, and you’d just said he was coming in any day, so…” She shrugged. “I decided to help.”
“I really don’t know how to thank you.” He held her gaze long enough for all kinds of tingles to shoot down her spine, then slowly shifted his attention to Destiny, who was holding Mav up to her face and singing softly as he took occasional licks
of her nose.
“Don’t do it,” Summer said with her own singsong warning.
He lifted his brows in question.
“Don’t even think about doing it.”
Still, he didn’t say a word. Then Destiny lifted her gaze, looking right into his, her irresistible eyes matching the eyes of the sweet furbaby she held. Summer stepped between Destiny and John.
“Best not to even look.”
He cracked up. “You think I’m that much of a pushover?”
“Oh, trust me,” she whispered so only he could hear. “Backbones of steel have been known to bend under the impact of that child’s gaze. Throw in a pretty song, the heartbreaking stammer, and a will that’s an actual force of nature? You do not stand a chance.”
As if on cue, Destiny cleared her throat and started to sing. “Mavvie, Mavvie, the best boy ever!” As always, she made up the tune, proving that not only could she sing, she might actually be a songwriter someday. “We will always be together!”
John leaned to the right to see around Summer just as the dog let out a soft, high-pitched whine.
“Oh boy,” he whispered. “She’s…”
“Winning him first,” Summer said. “That’ll be her technique. The dog will not leave her, then you will not only be doing something for her, but you’ll be making your puppy happy. And in the end…” Summer crossed her arms. “You’ll be the one looking for a new dog to adopt.”
His jaw loosened a little. “I don’t want another dog.”
“Then I suggest you start promoting every puppy in the place to your audience of one.”
He laughed, obviously smart enough to see she was right. “Okay, then. Hey, Destiny, why don’t we go look at the puppies in the pen?”
She shook her head.
“We have a Pomeranian named Lulu you might really like.”
“Oh, cute,” Summer said, trying to help him out. “Poms are so adorable.”
“And Rosie, a Chihuahua-doxie mix with ears almost as big as her heart. I don’t think she’s been adopted yet, but she won’t last long.”
“Perfect. Want to look at the doggies, Des? Meet Lulu and Rosie?”
She squeezed Maverick, making John laugh, but Summer wasn’t quite as amused. The bit was cute, and she knew Des was comfortable with the puppy, but she also had no desire to see John fold. Something told her he was as noble as he was easy on the eyes.
“Maverick has an owner,” Summer said, keeping all the humor out of her voice so Destiny knew she meant business. “And he’s going to show you all the other dogs here today so you can pick your new best friend. If that doesn’t work for you, then we’ll pack up and head right back to Orlando today. Your choice, Destiny.”
Her lower lip slipped out just a bit, just enough to make Summer’s shoulders tense. Years as a single mother with a daughter who had a speech impediment, a stubborn streak, and the ability to somehow get whatever she wanted had taught Summer all kinds of coping mechanisms. She wasn’t the best parent in the world—who was?—but she tried not to spoil Destiny and tried to teach her life lessons while still making that life wonderful for her.
Those years had also taught her to pick her battles, and whether Summer wanted this one or not, a battle was dead ahead.
“Destiny.”
“Mo-Mo-Mo-Mommy.” More lip. “I love him,” she whispered in a cracked voice.
Next to her, she felt John’s whole body shift, but she shot him a look before he tried to be a hero and gentleman and only made this battle harder.
“And I can see why you love him,” Summer said, purposely making the decision not to crouch down to get on Destiny’s level. She needed the parental advantage of height right now. “But now we’re going to go all over this heavenly place and meet Rosie and Lulu and…”
“And Nutmeg,” John offered.
“And Nutmeg, who sounds delicious, don’t you think?”
More lip. And Summer could see that nothing sounded good to Destiny at the moment. “I l-l-l-love him!” Tears sprang, making Summer even more tense as she rooted for the right words, the correct parenting, the easy technique that would make Destiny comply.
Next to her, John crouched down, obviously not worried about having the advantage in this situation. “You know, Destiny, this little guy isn’t going to be little for that long. He’s a Labrador mix, and someday, pretty soon, he’ll be bigger than you are.”
“Like a p-p-pony,” she said, optimism and a slight dare sparking her eyes.
Summer bit back a laugh because…well, Destiny.
“Don’t you want a little dog you can hold on your lap?” he asked.
She stared at him. “I lo-lo-lo…” She swallowed, fighting the fight, willing her mouth to obey her brain, and, of course, tightening Summer’s stomach with sympathetic frustration.
“You love him,” John finished for her with a nod. “You know what? I do, too.”
She blinked at him, as mesmerized by his soft dark eyes as Summer had been.
“I moved into a new house and decided it was just the right place for a dog. This dog. Now, I’m going to help you find your dog. Let’s go do that now.”
Summer liked that he didn’t add okay? to that order, something few parents, but most teachers, knew well. She watched him in action, taking the time to not only appreciate his kid-management skills, but the way his gray T-shirt pulled over his shoulders, highlighting his muscles. He wore casual shorts that showed strong, long legs, with worn sneakers that suggested he lived in them. His hair curled over his neck, a little untrimmed, and made her fingers itch to see if it was as soft as it looked.
But Destiny stared right into the man’s eyes, oblivious to the attractive things Summer saw, no doubt gauging just how far she could push this stranger.
“How b-b-big?” she asked softly. “How big will Mavvie b-b-b-be?”
“Really big. You know, my brother has three puppies just like this guy, except they’re not puppies anymore.”
“Th-th-three? Like Mav?” Her eyes popped at the incalculable joy of that.
He nodded in full agreement. “And their mommy had a sister. Like an aunt. Do you have an aunt?”
She looked up at Summer, maybe a little taken aback by this new path, but still ready to put up with anything to hold that dog.
“Aunt Raven,” she whispered, referring to Isaiah’s sister, with whom they’d just spent a few weeks.
“Well, this little guy is my brother’s puppies’ cousin.” He waved a finger in the general direction of the house. “Like everybody else you’ll meet today,” he added on a laugh. “So he’s part of my family.”
Summer figured out where he was going and respected the idea. It could work. Maybe.
“But he sings,” Destiny said on a breathy whisper.
“Only with you,” John said. “So, why don’t you bring him along while we look at other dogs, and you two can be singing buddies while you find your dog?”
“I’ll hold him? And wa-wa-walk him?”
“All you want,” he promised. “I bet he’ll help you find the right dog, too. He’s very friendly and obviously a good judge of character.”
That last comment might have passed over Destiny’s head, but it made Summer’s heart do another unexpected flip.
After a moment, Destiny nodded.
“And we can go meet Lulu and Rosie now,” Summer said on a sigh of relief.
“And Nutmeg,” Destiny added, finally letting go of her death grip on Maverick.
“Take his leash.” He picked up the nylon strand and handed it to her. “You’ll be in charge of Mav while we look at the other dogs. He’ll guide you to the right one.”
“’Kay.” She took the leash and started to walk, letting Maverick lead the way. “Here we go, Mavvie,” she sang, loud for the first time. “On a doggy hunt together! Forever!”
The dog just looked up at her, then continued to walk.
“You have kids?” Summer asked as they fell into step behind Destiny a
nd Mav.
“Nope.”
“Wow. Not bad for a rookie.”
He laughed. “Thanks, but you’re right…she’s a force of nature.”
“I think she met her match.” Summer smiled up at him, wondering for just one second if she’d met hers, too.
Chapter Five
As a man who proudly answered to “Spock” when his passionate twin brother accused him of being way too logical, John Santorini had little regard for things like…magic. Or kismet. Or fortune, fate, and…destiny.
But today, in the blazing North Carolina July sun and clean mountain air, with the two most charming ladies he’d ever met making him laugh more than he had in…well, maybe ever? Yeah, he might consider changing that überlogical mind-set.
Because every time he brushed Summer Jackson’s hand or laughed at something she said or shared a look of dismay and humor over something her adorable daughter did, he could have sworn he’d actually been enchanted.
“We’ve failed,” Summer said on a sigh as the three of them, led by the Energizer Bunny of a child, stepped out of the cool Waterford Farm kennels into the sunshine. “Every precious animal rejected.”
“Not rejected, just…second to Mav.” He put a casual hand on her back to lead her down a path behind Destiny and Mav. “We’re not done yet,” he promised her. “There’s a whole bunch more in the other training section. But those were the smallest dogs, I’m afraid.”
“And they were awesome. I wanted that precious Sheltie.”
“Sophie? Yeah, I thought we had a winner when Destiny saw her. Also, that French bulldog, Claude. Destiny really liked him.”
“She liked them all,” Summer agreed. “But she seems to love only one.”
He tipped his head and took a breath, already playing with the idea. It wasn’t like he couldn’t easily get another dog, though he was pretty damn attached to Maverick. “You know, Summer—”
“No.” She held up her hand. “I know what you’re going to say.”
“Well, what kind of guy would I be if I didn’t offer?” he asked. “She’s obviously in love and has made her choice.” He could rationalize the decision, couldn’t he? Looking down at the woman next to him, getting lost in the endless shades of blue in her magnificent eyes, he could probably be talked into sacrificing more than his dog. Just go ahead and throw in all his attention, his house, his car, his official Top Gun leather jacket—and his poor smitten heart while they were at it.
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