A Dog and a Diamond Read Free Page A

police when she returned.
    â€œMuffin’s gone.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œMy dog,” she sobbed, rushing past him back outside. “Muffin! Muffin!” She continued shouting that one word as she frantically searched her front yard.
    He stepped onto the porch. What kind of mess had he gotten himself into? If he were sensible, he’d head back to the SUV, climb inside and phone this in to the police on his way back to the distillery. But what kind of guy would leave a woman alone in a situation like this?
    â€œHey!” he called, still having no clue of her name. “What’s Muffin look like? I’ll help you look.”
    She froze a moment, looking at him as if she couldn’t tell if he meant it or not, then said, “He’s a golden cocker spaniel. About this high—” she gestured to just above her knee “—he’s wearing a red collar with a gold heart ID tag on it and he has a lot of fur.”
    â€œOkay. Got it.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket. “I’ll have a quick drive around, why don’t you go check if any of the neighbors have seen him?” She appeared more worried about the dog than the house and the culprit was probably long gone, so he decided to focus on the mutt first, as well.
    â€œThank you.” Her voice was choked as she rushed over to the house on her right.
    Callum jogged back to his SUV, climbed in and, shaking his head, turned the key in the ignition. When he’d woken up that morning he’d been engaged and planning a wedding, now it appeared he was single and looking for a stranger’s dog. What crazy thing could happen next?

Chapter Two
    â€œD id you find him?” Chelsea asked as half an hour later Callum climbed out of the SUV he’d just parked behind her car.
    He shook his head. “I’m sorry.” He sounded genuinely so and a prick of guilt jabbed her heart that she’d dumped him without hanging around to offer support. The services of The Breakup Girlincluded counseling of the dumpee and it wasn’t unusual for her to spend up to an hour with the brokenhearted after she’d done the main part of her job. She let her clients’ exes pour out their hearts to her, and by the time she’d finished, most of them had decided getting shafted was the best thing that had ever happened to them. As her old friend Rosie often said, some people could cook soufflés that didn’t flop in the middle, some people could play a musical instrument and Chelsea’s talents lay in the art of dumping people. But she’d failed dismally in being a professional where Callum was concerned; being in the confined space of his office had flummoxed her.
    And instead, here he was helping her .
    â€œI guess you didn’t either,” he said as he walked toward her.
    She shook her head, sniffing as the tears threatened to fall again. She hated crying and rarely did so—especially in front of other people—it made her feel weak. But there was only one thing in the world that truly mattered to her and that was Muffin, so these were exceptional circumstances. How would she survive if he didn’t come back?
    â€œLet’s get you inside,” Callum said. And before she realized what was happening, she felt his arm close around her shoulders as he ushered her toward her front door. He was so warm, so solid, and she had a crazy urge to lean into him but instead she pulled away and headed inside, conscious of him following behind her. Chelsea was unsure why he was hanging around, but not in the head space to question. She’d barely noticed the mess the first time—so focused on Muffin—but now she hardly recognized her home. Living alone it was easy to keep things tidy as she liked them, but her little house looked as if she’d moved in a year ago, emptied everything she’d owned onto the floor and left it