Home Is Where the Bark Is Read Free Page B

.” Her voice trailed away.
    Stay alert, Whalen. She was too smart. Too observant. In only a matter of seconds she had caught him sussing out the room. Hell, he hoped she hadn’t noticed him sussing out her .
    He didn’t know what he’d expected the proprietor of a doggy day-care center to be like. But it certainly wasn’t this tall, graceful woman with the snarky sense of humor and the sexy curves that loose-fitting jeans and her baggy shirt with the Paws-A-While logo on the pocket did nothing to disguise.
    “It’s just what?” he prompted.
    She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “Nothing. This is a new business and I have to be very careful of our reputation.” She took a deep breath. “People trust me with their pets. The last thing I need is some damaging press article.”
    “I am not a journalist.”
    Finally she smiled again. Strange how relieved he felt to see that smile back and shining at him.
    “Sorry,” she said. “I’m being paranoid. Of course you’re curious about how things work. You’re welcome to a tour of the premises. I’ll answer any questions you have as best I can.”
    “I’d like that,” he said. The more he found out about this place without having to sneak around, the better.
    “Fine,” she said. “Now I’m going to get Snowball. Could you hold Bessie, please? She’s too close to the door. I don’t want her following me into the playroom where the other animals are until we’re ready for her.”
    “Sure,” he said, taking the few quick steps necessary to bring him closer to the dog. And to Serena Oakley.
    Only to be stunned when she backed away from him so fast she nearly stumbled. Panic flashed across her face so quickly he could have imagined it. For just a second too long, she braced herself against the door.
    The hint of fear in those remarkable eyes put him on instant alert.
    What was she hiding?
    He was an expert on false identities. And something was not right here.
    The doggy day-care director was a good-looking woman. But it was obvious she did everything to hide that. Her dark hair was pulled back severely from her face. She wore no makeup. Her clothes were chosen to shroud rather than enhance.
    It was as if she wanted to look as dowdy as possible. But she would need surgery and extensive use of prostheses to disguise her beauty. Who did she think she was kidding?
    He took a step back and noted the sigh of relief she was unable to disguise. He squatted down next to Bessie and looked back up to Serena, careful to keep his expression neutral. “I’ll hold her, you go through the door,” he said.
    She took a deep breath in an obvious effort to regain her composure. It was not the detached investigator part of Nick that appreciated the resulting swell of her breasts. She caught his gaze, flushed, and clutched the fabric of her shirt across her chest. She cleared her throat. “As soon as Bessie is aware of the other dogs, she’ll want to follow me. You . . . you could get a toy from the toy box to distract her.”
    “Good idea,” he said.
    Why the hell was she so nervous?
    This investigation was getting more interesting by the minute.
    He forced himself to open the cutesy toy box. It made a “ruff-ruff” sound as the lid sat back on its hinges. He suppressed a groan. Was there no end of dog paraphernalia in this room?
    The box was packed with an assortment of luridly colored balls, plastic bones, and chew ropes. But the first toy he put his hand on was a small, red, heart-shaped rubber cushion bearing the words Puppy Love in elaborate white script.
    “No! Not that one. That’s not meant to be there—” said Serena, too late, as Bessie, eager to play, snatched it from Nick’s hand.
    “Get it back from her. Please.” Her voice was underscored with urgency.
    Nick grabbed the toy and tried to pull it from Bessie’s jaws, but the little dog saw that as a game. She growled playfully, shook it from side to side, then bit down hard.
    “I love you.