Her life has turned upside down

Back in high school, Sarah Hillman was a rich girl who protected herself by always being on the attack. Now her father’s skipped town, the money’s gone and she’s sleeping in her office. Too bad the only person she can turn to has every reason to reject her.

Will Barnes isn’t a gangly math nerd anymore. He’s a financial advisor and a father, and when Sarah shows up in his office, he threatens to kick her out. And yet, Will agrees to help. But if Sarah falls for this kind, strong man, she’ll have to stay in Holly Heights, a town where everyone knows her...and hates her.

“I’m not accepting any new clients.”

Not even if she was the daughter of the richest man in town and he could use the business. Will walked around the dog and held the door open for them. “And I’m too busy to make small talk.”

Sarah put her hand on the dog’s head and looked down at him for a minute. Will was pretty sure he was going to win this encounter. It was a weird feeling. At seventeen, he’d been happy to escape her notice. Now he wanted to see the expression on her face while she digested that bit of information.

She straightened her shoulders, smoothed her red dress and shifted in the sky-high heels. Her red lips curved up and she tilted her chin. “Come on, Will, won’t you even give me a chance to tell you how much I need your help?”

Dear Reader,

Ever since I met a beagle puppy named Jake, I’ve been dog crazy. Back then I was cute enough to convince my parents that dogs sleep in the house and on the bed. Today I’m lucky to have a writing partner named Jack, a stray I met in the middle of the road. I believe in rescues. Old or young, purebred or indeterminate mix, shelter dogs (and cats) change lives. Rescue work is a challenge due to hard stories, limited resources and the unending, disheartening turnover. The flip side is the serious joy of successful adoption and proof that second chances happen every day.

In Heart’s Refuge, Sarah Hillman is already falling under the spell of a shelter dog named Bub when she corners Will Barnes in his office. Sarah gave Will a hard time in high school, but she’s determined to save Paws for Love and she needs Will’s help. I’ve loved spending time with Will and Sarah and the animals that change their lives, Bub and Jelly. I hope you will, too!

If you’d like to know more about my books and what’s coming next, enter fun giveaways or meet my dog, Jack, please visit me at cherylharperbooks.com. I’m also on Facebook (CherylHarperRomance) and Twitter (@CherylHarperBks). I’d love to chat!

Cheryl Harper

Heart’s Refuge

Cheryl Harper

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CHERYL HARPER discovered her love for books and words as a little girl, thanks to a mother who made countless library trips and an introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House stories. Whether it’s the prairie, the American West, Regency England or Earth a hundred years in the future, Cheryl enjoys strong characters who make her laugh. Now Cheryl spends her days searching for the right words while she stares out the window and her dog, Jack, snoozes beside her. And she considers herself very lucky to do so.

For more information about Cheryl’s books, visit her online at cherylharperbooks.com or follow her on Twitter, @cherylharperbks.

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

To everyone who calls a rescued dog or cat a member of the family, and the volunteers who keep these animals safe until their new families find them, thank you.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

WILL BARNES STRAIGHTENED the pad of paper so the bottom was perfectly aligned with the edge of his desk. Next, he hit Play on his voice mail. For more than a decade, every morning had started the same way—voice mail, email, crisis management. Whether he was in a Dallas high-rise or his quaint new office in downtown Holly Heights, his clients, the ones who’d stuck with him, had come to expect quick answers.

People liked to know what was happening with their money.

And dependability mattered. Especially now that Will had left the practice he’d helped build to step out on his own. Proving he was the same guy who’d protected his clients’ futures—minus the slick city office—was critical.

Only his daughter, Chloe, could convince him to walk away from what he’d built, the partnership he’d been chasing, for the unknown.

Since she was currently clearing every one of his shelves and restacking the books to her liking, he wasn’t sure he was off to a great start. Entertaining a twelve-year-old girl for a whole summer would tax his creativity.

Neither of them was certain he could do it.

When the last message started, Will realized his day was about to take a sharp downturn.

“Will, I’m sorry to do this to you, but I won’t be in to work today.” His secretary, Ann, cleared her throat. “Actually, I won’t be in again. Ever. Life is too short to spend it filling out forms. Six weeks is enough to convince me of that.” Even the click when she hung up sounded agitated. That didn’t surprise him. By the end of almost every day, Ann herself had been pretty agitated.

“Great.” Will carefully pushed the button to end the call and tried to ignore the headache building right between his eyes. “Another assistant bites the dust.”

Without someone to answer the phone and follow his procedures, the whole balancing act had just gotten more difficult. If he’d been juggling watermelons before, now he had a chain saw in the mix.

“No more Ann? Now who will feed me?” Chloe shoved his binders in the bottom shelf, her pink stripe of hair—the one that still gave him indigestion—flashing.

Remember it clips in. It’s only temporary.

“You can feed us both. Brenda’s down at the diner. Go see if she’s got any work you can do, and bring back lunch when you get hungry.” Will shifted to pull out his wallet. “Here’s a couple of extra dollars. Put my initials at the top of the old Galaga machine.”

Chloe snatched the bills out of his hands, folded them with a crisp crease in the center and slipped them in her back pocket. “If you’d get me a tablet, I could sit quietly.” Chloe shook her head slowly. “Might save you money in the long run.”

The upward curve of her lips reminded him so much of her mother, but Olivia would have been dumbfounded at the idea of wasting her time on an old video game.

In April, she’d listened to him rant for a full five minutes about the hair before she explained it wasn’t permanent. Then she’d flipped the script, saying that if he’d pick up his daughter or come for her soccer games or school awards ceremony, they could discuss Chloe’s fashion phases and things like pierced ears.

Which his daughter also had. Today she was accessorizing with gold stars.

At the rate she was changing, tomorrow she’d be driving, the next day she’d go off to college and by the end of the week he’d be a grandfather.

And he might not know her at all.

Olivia had moved his daughter to Austin, but he was the one who’d let work take over his life.

One conversation. He’d changed his whole life after one conversation.

Quit his job. Sold his house in a nice Dallas subdivision. Hired movers.

Taking the risk of going into business for himself had been a big, scary step, but he’d done it.

For Chloe.

His daughter perched on his mahogany desk, one sneakered foot thumping against the drawers.

Will gave her the most ferocious frown he could.

Then he grabbed her, pulled her close and tickled her until she couldn’t breathe. When her beautiful giggles finally died down, he said, “Yeah, smarty-pants, a tablet might save money except you keep dropping them. Shattered screens don’t keep you occupied for long.”

Chloe was wiping her nose and panting, but he was happy to see the bored stare replaced by something else.

“Trust me, Dad. I won’t drop it again.” She put one hand over her sequined tank top to make this solemn vow.

“Go help Brenda and we’ll see. I’m calling to tell her you’re on the way. Don’t talk to strangers on the sidewalk. Don’t dawdle on the sidewalk. Don’t leave the restaurant without calling me to tell me you’re coming back. Order me a hamburger. And don’t talk to strangers on the sidewalk.”

“Got it. Talk to every stranger I see, get in random cars and bring you tofu.” Chloe waved a hand as she disappeared.

He trailed behind her and peered out the window to make sure she made it the four doors down to the diner. If she caught him watching, she might actually bring him tofu.

If Sue Lynn’s Best Burgers had tofu.

He had his doubts but no time to check. Revising the employment ad yet again had reordered his to-do list. In Dallas, any time a job opening was advertised, he’d had plenty of experienced candidates to choose from. Recent finance graduates were willing to work long hours in order to move up the ladder.

But very few candidates wanted to drive from Austin to Holly Heights every day.

Ann’s previous experience had been running a hotel front desk. He’d thought that would mean discretion, good time management and an ability to follow procedure. Finance and investments and the paperwork that came with it must have been a boring change.

Will opened the employment ad he kept on his desktop. “Maybe ‘financial administrative assistant’ isn’t the right title.” The leather executive chair that fit the expensive atmosphere of his office was silent as he twisted back and forth and flipped through the possibilities. “Assistant financial planner. Junior finance agent. Salesperson with a flair for investments. Person who can use a checklist and answer the telephone.”

He didn’t understand the difficulty. He yanked the three-inch three-ring binder off the shelf and dumped it on his desk with a thud. “Everything is in here. All I need is someone who will follow these directions step-by-step.” He flipped the pages and read, “How to answer the phone, what to do with the mail, when to take lunch and breaks...”

Reworking the employment ad would be a waste of time, so he emailed the Holly Heights classified editor and the newspaper in Austin to run the ad as soon as possible. This could be the time he found a UT Austin finance graduate who’d always dreamed of a small-town life instead of a hefty paycheck.

When the phone rang, he waited for someone else to answer it and realized it was going to be a long week.

“Barnes Financial. This is Will.”

“The man himself. What happened to the assistant who answered the first time I called?” Rebecca asked. Will could hear the smile in her voice. That’s the kind of person Rebecca Lincoln was. Her sunny personality made bad days better. “And are you already hard at work finding good places to send my money?”

“Not yet. I start by finding ways to make you money. It’s kind of my thing.” Will waited for her to laugh. When she did, he relaxed in his seat. “I’ve got some good leads, too, so whenever you have a minute, I could present them to you and Jen and Stephanie.” Was it cowardly to ask Rebecca to arrange things with his stepsister? Possibly.

“Jen’s insistence that I’ll be robbed blind without your help is insulting,” Rebecca muttered. “I’ve managed to keep the lights on all by myself for some time.”

“Sure, but now you’re going to be a juicier target.” Will grimaced. Juicier wasn’t a word he should use in conversation with a client.

“I guess.” Rebecca sighed. “And even if I want to give it all away, I would like to make sure the money has an impact.”

Will didn’t understand Rebecca’s urge to donate that much money, but he could still help Holly Heights’s lottery winners make good decisions. “If we use some of your winnings to make more money, that means more help to spread around.” As well as a solid payday for him.

“You and Jen, you’re stuck in the same loop. But I agree. All of us together, we’re going to make Holly Heights better and change the world. This is about more than finding places with the best financial returns. You’re sure you know what I want?”

He wasn’t sure he agreed with her, but the client was always right at Barnes Financial.

Unless he couldn’t stomach how wrong they were.

“How about I present you with some options? I know you’ve already earmarked funds for the hospital’s mentoring program, and I’ve made donations in your name to the short list of causes you gave me when we started. Now we can talk investments and other programs closer to home. You let me know what works with your schedule, and I’ll have a few things to show all three of you.”

“Sounds good. Stephanie passed along the check I wrote to HealthyAmericas, but we might want to send another donation. Daniel’s identified five students to sponsor through the university in Lima, so he’ll need funds for tuition. Please add them to your list,” Rebecca said.

“Okay.” Will jotted a reminder to study the financials of the medical charity Rebecca’s brother, Daniel, worked with in South America. Researching not-for-profits was going to be a new direction, but the process should be similar.

Not that it mattered. Rebecca’s brother and her best friend, Stephanie, were doing good things in Peru. Stephanie’s blog was a record of how money and dedicated, passionate people could make amazing progress that would impact generations.

It would take some serious mismanagement to turn Rebecca and Stephanie away from HealthyAmericas. His gut said it wasn’t a problem.

“We’ll have a dinner party to send the lovebirds back to Lima. I’ll give them the check before they go.” Rebecca sighed happily. “By then, my new kitchen will be finished. And you’re coming.” The long pause indicated she was waiting for his answer.

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Almost everyone he knew in Holly Heights was a part of Rebecca’s crowd, but there might be a few networking opportunities.

“You need to call your sister,” Rebecca said. “She’s making some big decisions. It would be nice if she had some advice.”

He’d tried that once. She’d ordered him to go shove his head in the lake. Loudly.

They’d always mixed like orange juice and toothpaste.

“I will call her. I promise.” But not today. Tomorrow, definitely.

“I’m going to hold you to that. Aunt Jen would like to know your Chloe.” She hung up and he wondered if this would be the way he and Jen communicated now that he was in town. Rebecca would get tired of being the middleman sooner or later.

And Chloe and Jen and Brenda—his stepmother—together were the reason he was taking this risk in the first place.

But his plate was pretty full at the moment.

First, he needed some leads on organizations Rebecca would love. Jen and Stephanie were mainly along for the ride.

“Who could I call to find out about local organizations? Somebody at the chamber of commerce?” He scrolled through his list of business contacts, saw the name of his leasing agent and decided that was a good place to start. Real estate agents should have plenty of inside information on all the businesses in town.

Before he could dial the number, he heard the front door open, thanks to the chime he’d had installed after his first secretary left him in the lurch. The how-to binder had been much smaller then. He’d learned a lot from that three-week stretch.

Had Chloe even tried to follow his orders?

He put the phone down and rolled the chair back, ready to either lecture his daughter on safety or explain to his visitor that he wasn’t seeing clients that morning, but he’d be happy to make an appointment, when he heard a dog bark.

Inside his office. There was a dog inside his office.

He hurried around his desk and paused in the doorway to the reception area. His ears hadn’t deceived him. There, standing on the rug he’d bought because it matched the room’s tone of somber wealth, was...a dog. Big. Brown. Hairy. And happy, if the lolling tongue could be construed as an emotional display. The dog barked again and the woman—who had absolutely no hope of stopping it if the creature decided to make a break for it—shushed him. “Bub, be quiet. Use your inside manners.”

“Or better yet, take whatever manners you do or don’t have right back outside and away from the very expensive furnishings.” As soon as Will spoke, the woman and the dog both turned to stare at him. And both of them made it pretty clear what they thought of his directive.

The dog sat. The woman propped one hand on her hip. Will waited.

“Bub is well-trained, an obedience school graduate.” She ran a hand over the dog’s head, and Will was pretty sure he saw the dog wink.

Of course the dog didn’t wink. They didn’t teach winking in obedience school.

Did they?

Will shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. This is a place of business, so unless he’s a service animal, please take him out.”

“You were chased by a dog as a child, weren’t you?” the woman asked. Then Will realized who was invading his office with a canine in tow as if she had every right to do so. Sarah Hillman, homecoming queen and queen of mean to every outcast at Holly Heights High. He should’ve known—his junior year he’d developed a sixth sense to warn him when she was in the vicinity. Obviously, if he didn’t use his Hillman radar for more than a decade, he lost it.

“I’m not accepting any new clients at this point,” he said. Not even if she was the daughter of the richest man in town and he could use the business. Will walked a wide circle around the dog, who hadn’t moved a single inch, and held the door open for them. “And I’m too busy to make small talk.”

Sarah put her hand on the dog’s head and looked down at him for a minute. Will was pretty sure he was going to win this encounter. It was a weird feeling. At seventeen, he’d been happy to escape her notice. Now he wanted her to look right at him while she digested that bit of information.

Then she straightened her shoulders, smoothed the skirt of her red dress and shifted in the sky-high heels that made her legs look as if they belonged on the silver screen. The brands weren’t important. If Sarah Hillman was wearing it, it was expensive. And now that Will wasn’t afraid of social suicide, he could see the way her face changed when she was about to hit him with the full force of her personality.

Her red lips curved up and she tilted her chin. He watched her lick her lips and run a red nail around the curved neck of her dress. “Come on, Will, won’t you even give me a chance to tell you how much I need your help?”

For a split second, he imagined he knew what the snake charmer felt when he stared into the beady eyes of a cobra. Except her eyes were a beautiful, warm brown. That probably made her twice as dangerous. Then he realized the unfamiliar feeling warming him from the inside was pleasure that she’d remembered his real name.

He shook his head and looked out the door. The dog stood up and peeked around the door frame as if to check on whatever Will was watching and then sat back down.

“Don’t you remember me? We went to high school together.” She reached over to tug on his sleeve. “You have time for an old friend, surely.”

Instead of jerking his arm away, Will snorted. That wasn’t the most elegant or dignified answer, but it was honest. And it surprised her. Another win.

“Sarah Hillman. I remember. What surprises me is that you can recall my real name. Beanpole Barnes would roll more naturally off your tongue.” She laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world and unbelievably Will wanted to laugh along with her. In high school, the nickname had been an embarrassing insult, but no one would think to use it now.

“I thought you’d go with Barn-door Barnes from that time you spent most of lunch with your zip...”

“Why are you still here?” Will asked. This walk down memory lane had already gone on for too long.

“We were kids. That’s what kids do.” She walked her fingers up his sleeve. “You’re no beanpole now. Time’s been good to you, Will Barnes.”

“Yeah, my sister’s doing pretty well, too. Maybe you remember her? Red hair? Lots of freckles? Cried more than once when you pointed them out?” He crossed his arms over his chest and the office was silent except for the chime of the door closing. “Raggedy Jen. Was that because of the red hair or her secondhand clothes, too?”

Sarah blinked and the calculations taking place in her brain showed in narrowed eyes and tightened lips. Then she ducked her head, folded her hands in front of her and said, “That was all in fun. You’ve got ten minutes. For me?” She stuck out her lower lip as she looked up at him.

“No.” The dog drooped to rest his chin on Will’s polished loafers. Two pairs of puppy dog eyes were nearly impossible to withstand. The second no was harder to get out, but he managed. Then he stepped around the dog. “Please leave.”

Will walked back into his office and closed the door firmly. He didn’t have to worry about Sarah Hillman running off with his carefully chosen knickknacks. He’d been trying to give the impression of good taste and old money. She had the old money.

He pressed his ear against the door to listen for the chime that would signal her defeat and retreat. Instead, he could hear angry muttering. He wanted to crack open the door to see her disappointment in living color but didn’t want to restart the conversation.

And he had work to do. Will had to admit, Sarah Hillman could probably help with that... Holly Heights was filled with signs saying Sponsored by Hillman Luxury Autos. Little League teams, the local stadium, the Fourth of July fireworks displays and every Christmas parade had been funded by Bobby Hillman. She’d be able to come up with a list of contacts.

But Will would go door-to-door through every street in the downtown area begging for recommendations before he asked for her help.

With a firm nod, he moved back around his desk and reached for his phone. Before he could dial the numbers, Sarah Hillman shoved open his door and followed her dog into his office.

His clean, orderly office now had a dog in it. And a beautiful brunette who was no longer begging in an attractive, manipulative sort of way. Now she was determined.

“Listen, I’m sure keeping track of Daddy’s money is exhausting, but I will not help you. Head over to Austin. There are lots of choices for portfolio management and you can add in lunch and a shopping trip. I’m sure there have to be spas somewhere.”

Instead of carefully considering the right face to try, Sarah marched over and planted her hand in the middle of his shiny desk.

“Don’t be that guy, Will. You have a chance to be the bigger person. Come on. Don’t you want to feel superior to me?” Nothing about her said she was faking or flirting or manipulating.

“If I wanted to feel superior, I wouldn’t have to try hard, Sarah.” Instead of the satisfaction he’d expected to feel at finally winning a verbal sparring match with her, he was almost instantly sorry for what he’d said, even if it was a pretty good last word.

“Well. You have done some growing up, haven’t you? Learned how to throw a punch.” She eased back. “Make sure you don’t go too far, kicking a girl when she’s down. Might make you a bully.”

He snorted. Again. He’d need to get a better handle on reactions like that.

“I’m sure you’re amazed that something isn’t going your way, but let’s call it my gift to humanity. You can take your dog and go. And I’ll get back to work.” He pointed at the computer. “You know what these are for, right?”

She pushed her shoulders back and propped a hand on her hip, using her curves and crazy-long legs to her advantage. It almost worked.

“Don’t bother. I can see through the manipulation now. That’s the gift of your high school education.”

Instead of turning away to stare at his computer screen as he wanted to, he watched her hands tighten into fists. “Fine. I heard about the lottery win and whoever is answering Rebecca’s phone refuses to let me talk to her. On the last call, they told me to come to you with any requests, so here I am. Could you please give me ten minutes to make a case for an appointment with Rebecca?”

“So, what? You want Rebecca to float you a loan until Daddy’s allowance arrives?” He swept a glance from the top of her shiny hair to the ridiculous shoes. “Doesn’t look like you need handouts.”

His inner nice guy was telling him he had ten minutes. That was the easiest way to get her out of his hair, pretend to listen.

Sarah ran her hand over Bub’s head. “No, but these guys do. Ten minutes, Will.”

Bub stretched forward to rest his chin on Will’s formerly spotless desk and sighed. Sarah had given up on manipulation to go for honesty, but Bub’s skill was impressive.

Will knew he was making a mistake, but sometimes mistakes were inevitable. “The clock is ticking. Make your case.”

CHAPTER TWO

SARAH COULD SEE the no on his face. Beanpole Barnes—Will—had grown into an attractive man. His starched dress shirt, silk tie and perfectly pressed slacks made it easy to believe he could be trusted with a fortune.

She couldn’t imagine what he thought of her own outfit. Only desperation could have convinced her to put on the best dress she had left, even if it was years out of fashion, to face someone who’d be happy to shoot her down while she held her hand out for money.

Begging. The sour taste in her mouth made it difficult to maintain her pageant smile.

But she had to do something or the animal shelter she’d funded for the past year would close, leaving innocent dogs and cats without a safe place.

Sarah could relate. As of this week, she’d moved her own suitcase into the shelter office.

The police had torn up her father’s house looking for evidence of embezzlement. Since she’d answered phones at Hillman Luxury Autos for years, and had seen no shady dealings, she knew they’d come up empty-handed.

But sneaking her father in—or herself out—while under the police’s watchful eye would be difficult. Until the Austin detective making her life miserable tracked her to the shelter, she had some breathing room.

And no one would care if the shelter was her home for a few days. After her father skipped town, the shelter’s manager had walked off the job. Donations had stopped. So had her paycheck and the payments her father made on her condo in the city.

Before long, her father would come for her, explain the misunderstanding, and her life would go back to normal, even if the new normal was a country with sandy beaches and no extradition. Sarah wanted him to be innocent and did her best to believe it. The longer her trials lasted, the harder it was to hold on to that dream.

The eviction notice had been a wake-up call. It had clarified how quickly her situation was deteriorating.

“Thank you for your time.” Sarah sat in the leather chair across the desk from Will.

She rubbed Bub’s silky ear for encouragement. But Will had frowned at the adorable stray, a dog she’d roped in at the last minute to seal the deal. If Will Barnes wasn’t an animal lover, her job had gotten much more difficult, but if he was hard-hearted enough to withstand Bub’s tricks, she was doomed.

The shelter was broke and closed to new animals.

Will checked his watch. “Five minutes. Go.”

Okay, she could do this. “Paws for Love is a no-kill shelter that I started supporting a little over a year ago. Now that... Well, as head of the organization, I’ve committed to raising funds for the shelter’s improvement, but it’s not easy.”

“Could be something to do with your beautiful personality,” Will muttered.

The idea that this man, who’d been one of the gangliest math nerds to ever come out of Holly Heights, could hurt her, even if he was speaking the truth, was almost unbelievable. But this was what her life had come to: begging for help from people who’d much rather enjoy her misfortune.

How could people hold her past actions against her when she was trying to do something good?

“Since the funding has stopped, the shelter manager disappeared. I’m doing my best with the volunteers to keep the doors open, but Paws needs investment and soon.” She almost told him about the overdue bills but decided that might smack of poor management to numbers-man Will.

Without fast cash, she wouldn’t be able to afford the basics—food and electricity. Even the local vets who’d been donating time and services would pull their support if she couldn’t keep the lights on. Juggling the bills had become her latest obsession.

“How much?” Will asked as he stared over his shoulder at his computer. Apparently, even five minutes of undivided attention was asking too much.

“A lot. Anything would help. I’ve got an event planned for next month, so if I could get enough to pay the bills for this month and next, I’ll have more options.” For reassurance, she scratched the spot right above Bub’s tail and listened to his tail thump the floor. His happy sigh bolstered her resolve.

“What happened to the other donors?” Will leaned back in his chair, one elbow braced against the armrest. If he was distracted before, his focus now was intense.

“They are...unhappy with my involvement. Some of my father’s business decisions aren’t popular.” There. She’d tiptoed around the truth.

Will raised an eyebrow and waited. The silence between them stretched until Bub shifted to sniff under Will’s desk, breaking Will’s concentration and giving her a chance to breathe.

“You know you’ll need something more concrete than ‘a lot’ to convince me to spend any of Rebecca’s valuable time. Budgets for this year and next, salaries, staffing, capital improvements needed, the percentage of the donation that could go to overhead versus the animals. You aren’t ready for fund-raising. Come back when you are.” He didn’t shy away but met her stare head-on.

“And you’ll refuse to see me then, too.” Sarah shook her head. “I’m surprised, Will.”

“I’m not. Of course you thought you could walk in here and everything would be forgotten because you wore your prettiest dress and red lipstick. That’s the Sarah I remember.” He braced both hands on the chair’s armrests, prepared to...defend himself? Battle? She wasn’t sure.

“Another thing hasn’t changed. I always get my way.” She eased back. “Bub and I are going to stay right here until you agree to at least visit the shelter. I’ll jump through your hoops, but I want you to see what we’re doing when I get my proposal done. Come to the shelter or Bub is staying put.” She tapped her fingers on the arms of the chair. “And you do not want to know how long it’s been since he’s had his walk. He’s a big, thirsty dog. Could have a mess pretty soon.”

She surveyed his office. “Walnut bookcases polished to a high sheen. Leather furniture.” She squinted at the lower shelves. “Are those first editions down there? Bub really likes books.” Was that true? Who knew? Bub played his part like a master, ambling over to nose around the bottom of the bookcase.

Will straightened in his chair, both hands held out as if he were about to spring into action. Would he carry Bub out himself or use his body as a shield to protect his belongings?

“Fine. I’ll come out to see the place, but that’s as far as I’m taking this. If you don’t leave right now and take your dog with you, I’m going to call the police.”

Sarah couldn’t help the pout that had gotten her through a lot of harder discussions. “Aw, you don’t want to do that. Wouldn’t look good for your business to toss people out, would it? And Bub can howl on command.” She’d grab some treats and teach him to tonight, just in case. She held out her hand and the dog moved to stand by her side.

“Don’t expect me to change my mind. I won’t waste my client’s time on any business that’s so poorly run it’s about to close.” He tilted his head. “And when she finds out it’s you asking, I’m pretty sure she’ll thank me for running interference.”

“I was never mean to Rebecca. What’s she got against me?” The waver in her voice was an unwelcome surprise. The shelter’s survival depended on Rebecca, her cash and her friendly disposition. If Rebecca was an enemy, too, where could she go for help?

Sarah wished she could take the question back. Showing weakness would never do.

Bulletproof. That’s the only way to live in this town. Remember.

“My stepsister Jen’s one of her best friends. We talked about her already, didn’t we? Jennifer Neil. Tall, thin...good with numbers, like me. Hit the lottery. Maybe her last name threw you off.” He raised an eyebrow. “Ring any bells?”

Don’t panic. You can work this out, Sarah.

“Vaguely. But none of us are in high school anymore.”

Will crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, she still is. Teaches there every day. Probably keeps the memories alive.” His lips were a tight line as he studied her face.

The hole he’d punched in her hope made it difficult to stand straight and tall. Flash him a smile, grab the dog and live to fight another day. “I’ll be excited and grateful to show you around the shelter. Thank you so much for your valuable time.”

She didn’t think her fear or discomfort could be heard in her voice, but her gritted teeth didn’t much resemble a smile. Still, she calmly, slowly led Bub out of the office, working the dress, the heels and her best features until she stepped back out on the sidewalk. As soon as she passed his window, she collapsed against the brick, closed her eyes and fought back tears.

“That was harder than I thought it would be.” Bub licked her hand and she remembered why fear, frustration and her own embarrassment didn’t matter.

At this point, she was out of options. Difficult was the only way.

Until her father came back for her or she tracked him down.

She fished her phone out of her handbag. No missed call. No text. Nothing to indicate that her father was on his way.

“Time to get back to work. These shoes are beautiful but deadly.”

Bub stood, too, happy to go wherever she was going, but a woman coming down the sidewalk called Sarah’s name before they could take two steps. The dread was nearly immediate. Running into any old “friend” was bound to be another lesson in humility.

Why was it these lessons were coming so often lately?

“Hey, Cece, it’s good to see you.” Lying through her teeth was one lesson Sarah had learned a long time ago. She gave Celia Grant’s cheeks the expected air-kisses and stepped back.

“How long has it been? Three months or so?” Cece asked, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I loved this dress, too. I finally had to let it go, though. Needed the space in my closet.” She leaned forward. “You didn’t pick this up at the consignment store over on First, did you?” Then she twitched her shoulders as if she was being a naughty scamp.

So turnabout was fair play.

For years, they’d traded similar exchanges. Cece must still be annoyed about Sarah’s comments on her green Armani. But there was no room for argument. Sixty-year-old Deborah Simmons had worn it better and first.

“Ah, no, and I’m certain this dress isn’t yours.” Sarah stepped back and studied Cece’s gorgeous outfit. “I’m pretty sure we’re still different sizes. Yours would positively swim on me.” She smiled sweetly.

Although it was a direct hit, Cece didn’t give her the pleasure of wincing. “Always such a funny girl. How’s the family?”

“Oh, you know how hard it is to stay in touch sometimes, but I’m doing well.” Sarah navigated all of Cece’s land mines and then changed the subject. She’d been moving in the shark-infested waters of society for a long time. “Are you and Doug moved into your new house on the golf course yet?”

As Cece droned on and on about the challenges of building a five-bedroom custom design in a small town like Holly Heights—not to mention the lack of solid contractors—Sarah weighed her options for escape. On one hand, this couldn’t go on indefinitely. On the other, her feet were about to walk away and leave the rest of her stranded on the sidewalk.

When Cece wound down, she pointed at Bub. “What sort of dog is that?”

Bub cocked his head at her and seemed to give a disapproving expression.

“Mutt. Rescue. The best kind.” Sarah ran her hand over his head and realized that this encounter was meant to be. The Grants were wealthy enough to have spare cash lying around. They could be the ones to keep the lights on.

“Of course. Pedigrees are expensive, aren’t they, darling?”

Sarah studied Cece’s eyes. In high school, Cece had been one of the crowd that circled Sarah, always ready to take advantage of her father’s wealth. There wasn’t much friendship showing in her eyes now, if they’d ever been real friends.

“Actually, it’s wonderful to run into you. I’m planning a fund-raiser next month for the shelter and I’d love to include you on the list.” At Cece’s reluctant nod, Sarah got a jolt of energy, which made it easier to press for more. “We’re always in need of donations from caring people like you and Doug, so don’t wait for a formal invitation. Stop by and see the shelter sometime, won’t you?”

“It does seem you could use cash right now. Doug’s always got more requests than money to give, but I can persuade him to visit. I’d love to find out more about your little hobby. But there won’t be any actual animals there, right? They make such a mess.” She was shaking her head as she pulled out her wallet and removed every bit of cash she had. “Here. This should buy some dog food and...things.”

Feeling a bit like a panhandler, Sarah swallowed her pride and accepted every wrinkled bill. “Cece, you’ve made a big difference for Paws for Love. I won’t forget your generosity.” She riffled through her purse until she found a pen and an old grocery receipt, then scribbled the amount and signed it. “Here. For your records.” Then she put the cash in a ragged, empty envelope and jotted down the date, Cece’s name and the amount.

It wouldn’t be enough to keep the doors open, but this month’s dog food was now paid for. That was a relief.

Cece awkwardly pinched the wrinkled paper. “I’ll make sure to pass it along to Doug. What are you doing here? Hiring Will Barnes as your financial adviser?” Bub picked that minute to turn on the charm and batted his eyelashes at Cece like a starlet. She took a step back, but the corners of her mouth turned up.

The dog was magic.

“Adviser? I thought he was some kind of accountant.” Sarah studied the facade of Barnes Financial. She should have asked more questions about what Will did. That might have been the polite thing to do, and it would have given her a better concept of his donation potential. If he was drawing Holly Heights’s upper crust, he could write a check, too.

“According to the gossip at the club, he’s some kind of investment guru. He was part of a big firm in Dallas until he moved to town to open his own office. I keep telling Doug that we might want to find someone local to help with money management, but you know how husbands are.” Cece stopped and patted Sarah’s arm. “Oh, sorry, darling. You don’t know how husbands are.”

Good one. Cece had gotten sharper.

The near-smirk and warm glow in her eyes suggested she knew it, too.

“Maybe you should try the patented moves on Will...” Cece winked. “As I recall, no boy was immune once you turned on the charm. Of course, he’s not a boy, is he? Maybe they’re too weak for men.”

Do not mention my inability to catch a husband again or I’ll...

Bub leaned against her leg, distracting her from plotting mayhem. Woman’s best friend obviously.

Cece was right. Beanpole Barnes had blushed three colors of red if she so much as glanced at him. Will had met her head-on and cut right through her tried-and-true moves. If things were different, that would have doubled her determination. But now she wasn’t sure she could conquer him even with her old wardrobe and her father’s money.

A small part of her understood that the challenge made Will a prize worth winning.

“If you’ve got the time...” Cece held out her hand. “Come to lunch. My treat.”

Sarah wanted to. The chance to sit down at a nice restaurant, eat a meal prepared by someone who knew how to cook and not worry over how she’d cover the bill was seductive. But she had Bub. And these shoes were a torture each second she stood there. “I can’t. I’ve got so much work to do at the shelter, but I meant what I said about stopping by. I’d love to catch up.”

Cece wrapped her arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “I will. I wish there was more I could do to help with your situation.”

Sarah tapped her purse. “You’ve already helped so much. Watch for your invitation in the mail.”

“I’ll warn Doug to start saving his discretionary funds, darling.” Cece blew her an air-kiss and walked away.

“Good news. We’re going to have water for a few more days.” Sarah scratched Bub’s neck, dodged his tongue and enjoyed the brief instant of relief. “Let’s go home.”

He woofed in response and followed her to her car, a sporty black convertible that had been perfect for the heiress to a car fortune. Now it was too small to do what she needed and too paid for to get rid of. Her single suitcase would fit neatly in the backseat when the time came.

“Load up.”

Bub jumped into the passenger seat and Sarah fastened his seat belt in his harness. Shelly had almost had a fit when she’d loaded Bub into her car that morning and nearly forgot the harness. Animal safety was a Big Deal for Shelly. And now that she knew better, Sarah could understand the commitment.

Still, if he was riding shotgun often, Bub was definitely going to need a cool pair of sunglasses.

He could be the shelter’s celebrity spokesdog, cruising around town in a convertible and shades.

Temporarily. Until he was adopted. Until her father came back to Holly Heights. Or she made her escape.

Sarah slid into the driver’s seat with a grateful sigh and thought about taking the shoes off to drive barefoot. Then she imagined the picture she’d present to the policeman who pulled her over. Convertible hair would not be conducive to flirting her way out of a ticket.

The drive to Paws for Love was quick, but when she reached the sign pointing the way to the interstate, she paused and considered her options. It would be so easy to hit the road, but she had no idea where to go. So, it was better to stay in uncomfortable but safe Holly Heights. Her foot eased off the brake, and before she’d managed to leave behind all the bad energy from her run-ins with Will Barnes and Celia Grant, she was carefully negotiating the gravel parking lot in high heels behind a determined Bub.

“Hey, boss, I’m so glad you’re back.” Shelly met her at the door and danced back and forth, agitation clear on her face. “I left some messages on your desk. I’m afraid they’re bill collectors.” She whispered the last two words as if it was a big secret that the place was broke.

She wiped her eyes and Sarah wondered if she’d been crying again. “Fine, Shelly. But I’ve told you not to call me boss, haven’t I? We’re coworkers.” Sarah didn’t pay Shelly, although she certainly deserved more than Sarah’s cheap yet undying gratitude.

Unfortunately, that’s all she had to give.

“Oh, right.” Shelly smoothed her shirt down nervously. “Got time to help with the dogs?” She cleared her throat and tacked on, “Sarah.”

What she wanted to do was say no. Shelly could handle the noise and mess of overly excited dogs while Sarah stretched out on the couch and dreamed of dinner in Austin.

But she’d watched Shelly struggle that morning.

This was something she could do.

“Sure, I know you need to get home on time tonight.” She offered Shelly the leash. “Could you let Bub out for me?”

“Oh, I’m in no hurry. Nothing there for me but sitcoms and leftovers.” Shelly buzzed around her with fluttery hands to take Bub’s leash. When she and Bub walked away, Sarah ran her hand through her hair. Helping Shelly recover from a divorce was not one of her skills.

Right now she had her hands full helping dogs and cats. She’d add encouraging lonely people after she conquered that. Though she was learning more and more about being lonely and discouraged every day.

Sarah jammed her shoulder against the door to the shelter’s office and winced when the warped wood squeaked. “Something else to add to the list of things that need attention.”

First, the shoes. They had to go.

“Don’t knock over the piles.” Sarah scooted between the files on the floor and on the desk to drop down onto the ragged office chair held together with tape and goodwill. Her gusty sigh as the shoes came off could probably be heard miles away.

But the minute she caught her breath, all she could think of was Will’s face and Cece’s cash. “What a morning.” She dug around in the suitcase behind the desk and dragged out her favorite jeans.

At one point they’d been pretty stylish. Now they were comfortable.

Once everything she was wearing was washable, she scooted back around the piles, rolled her shoulders to ease some of the tension and jumped into Shelly’s whirlwind. Two hours later they had all the dogs walked, every animal had been fed and Shelly was on her way home to fall apart in private. Bub was snoring loudly from the couch when she sat down and pulled out the cash Cece had handed her. “Electricity or groceries. Which should it be?”

The image of her father sitting on a sunny beach somewhere, a cold drink in his hand, floated through her brain. The haze of jealous bitterness followed before she could stop it.

As soon as possible, she’d head off for a restorative spa day and then book a flight to St. Barts.

But what sort of life would she have living on stolen money?

Her old, normal life was a dream.

Reality was being covered in dog hair and worse while trying to decide whether she wanted to eat or see.

People like Will Barnes sneered at her.

And her friends had disappeared like the money.

“Bub, you’ll never leave, will you?” She ran her hand over his side and ignored his annoyed kick.

“Two choices, Sarah. You can either sit here and have a pity party. Or see if you can come up with the stuff Will wants and prove him wrong.” Pity party was an attractive option, but she’d spent a lot of time at that particular one-woman show lately.

Sarah brushed the hair off her pants and maneuvered back to the desk.

She was fully capable of starting even if she couldn’t do it all on her own.

CHAPTER THREE

WILL PULLED UP in front of the dilapidated building and parked in the gravel lot. A worn sign said Paws for Love out front. “This is not quite as...fancy as I expected Sarah would demand.”

His passenger had absolutely nothing to say.

He should be getting used to that. Chloe’s bored expression made him think of his stepsister. Which was crazy, as they didn’t share a single drop of blood.

“It’s an animal shelter,” Chloe drawled. “No doubt it’ll be educational.”

Sarcasm. She and Jen spoke the same language, too. When he slanted a watch-your-tone look at his daughter, she held both hands up. “It’s Saturday. We could be doing something fun.”

Will couldn’t argue with that.

He studied the building through the windshield. The place was tired, needed to be landscaped and given a new paint job at the least. Even to his amateur eye, the roof was sorely in need of replacement.

Instead of exaggerating the shelter’s needs, Sarah might have been downplaying them. Could he walk away and get the petty revenge he wanted when it was clear this place and the animals it saved needed real help?

Could he play with the puppies and not pull out a checkbook?

“All right. Fifteen minutes, twenty tops. Then we’ll do something fun. You can pick.” Will opened his door and slid out. Chloe hopped out, as if this might have been the promise she’d been waiting for.

“Good. The lake. We’re going. We’ll swim.” She pointed a finger. “No phone calls.”

“We could rent a boat. Pick up lunch.” He saluted her to acknowledge the excellent plan. “You should be in charge every day.”

She held up her hand for a high five, something she’d picked up on the soccer field. He smacked her hand, grabbed it and pulled her close for a squirmy hug.

“Twenty minutes...and go.” Squaring his shoulders, Will walked over to the door, held it open and stepped inside right behind Chloe. “Hello? Anybody here?” The place was unexpected on the inside, too. Clean, if ragged, with a nice pine scent.

Bub ambled around the corner first, followed by Sarah. “Sorry, we were out back cleaning up the yard now that the animals are inside.”

The surprises kept coming. Instead of ridiculously expensive clothes and seriously hot shoes, she was wearing denim and cotton and the kind of black boots he imagined farmers wore to milk the cows. Even in weekend casual jeans and a polo, he was overdressed for this tour.

Sarah fidgeted with her ponytail, waiting for him to say something, but he was stumped. Then he realized she was wearing no makeup, no lipstick, no nothing. The only hint of the seductress was in the red nails that tapped on the scratched linoleum counter.

“Introduce me to the rest of the committee?” Sarah pointed to Chloe, who’d stopped as close to the door as she could.

“This is my daughter, Chloe. We’re on our way to the lake.” When he felt a weight on his foot, Will glanced down to see Bub perched on his sneaker. The dog sighed as he leaned against Will’s leg and glanced up at him, tongue dangling out of his mouth.

Should he object? Unseat the dog? He glanced up to see both Sarah and Chloe watching him.

Moving Bub could wait.

Chloe stepped forward to shake Sarah’s hand.

Like an adult. A serious, fully grown woman.

Except she was wearing pink shorts and black sneakers that squeaked with each step.

For a brief second, Sarah’s lips flattened, but she pasted on a smile. “It’s a beautiful day out there. I won’t take much of your time.”

“Twenty minutes.” Chloe motioned over her shoulder. “He promised. The guy works all the time. It’s Saturday.” The exasperated expression on her face was a carbon copy of his ex-wife’s.

He’d heard similar complaints from Olivia regularly.

Sarah clasped her hands in front of her and nodded seriously. “Sure, but does his work always include cute cats?”

“No, that’s new.” Chloe pursed her lips. “Where are they?”

“Ah, someone who likes to cut to the chase. I wonder where you get that?” When Sarah’s eyes met his, he could see she was teasing him.

They weren’t friends. Maybe they weren’t enemies, either.

Sarah pointed at the hallway. “Follow me?”

“Show me your cats.” Chloe marched around the corner, pulling Sarah and Will along in her wake.

Giant miscalculation, Barnes. A kid, surrounded by cats and dogs ready for adoption. What are you going to say when she finds the one that has to come home with you?

He’d say no. When Chloe was in Austin, he would be working. All the time. No animal would be happy or healthy with a setup like that.

He was a person and didn’t really enjoy it.

But it was too late for sound judgment now.

“Realizing you didn’t think everything through?” Sarah wrinkled her nose, the teasing glint in her eyes returning. “Kids love pets.”

Will nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get on with the tour.”

Sarah saluted. “Bathroom. Cramped conference room.” They paused in front of a door with a large glass window. Inside he could see concrete floors, cinder-block pens with chain-link gates. Everything was fresh and clean. “Prepare yourself. There will be barking.”

She was right. Inside the room, conversation was impossible. He walked down the line and read the cards. “Good with kids. Needs special care. House-trained.”

Sarah motioned them to follow and then stopped in front of a large window. The room on the other side held a few smaller cages, an interesting jungle gym and cats of different colors and sizes. “Cats don’t cause much fuss,” she said. Where the dogs rushed their gates to speak to him, the cats sat back and eyed him coolly.

Chloe immediately stepped close to the glass, her breath fogging the window.

Sarah shot him a sympathetic glance. “You can go inside if you like.”

“No” burned on the tip of his tongue, but Chloe’s pleading eyes made it impossible to say. He waved a hand at the door. Chloe slipped inside so fast that she missed him say, “Don’t get too attached. We aren’t taking one home.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched Chloe carefully approach a fat orange cat. They stared at each other for a long minute before Chloe reached out slowly to run a finger over the cat’s head. A dog would have probably knocked her to the ground and licked her from head to toe at this point.

“I think I must be a cat person.” He appreciated the quiet and reserve. “Although Bub is nice, too.”

Sarah blinked at him for a minute. “I did not expect you to say that. Better take a look at your pants before you commit.”

He glanced down to see the white hairs dotting his pants. “How does a brown dog leave white hairs?”

“Unsolved mystery,” Sarah said.

“Time to clean the litter boxes,” a small, older woman sang as she came down the hall.

No one should be that happy about cat litter.

Sarah’s lips were twitching as she said, “Shelly, can you keep an eye on Chloe?”

“You got it, Sarah.” Shelly slipped inside.

“Shelly’s one of the volunteers keeping the doors open.” Sarah led him into another room. “Food, treats, toys, everything we might need for the cats or dogs stays in this room and we keep a careful inventory.” Sarah pointed at a long line of bowls. “Shelly’s getting ready to feed the cats next.”

“All by herself?” The cat-to-person ratio seemed high.

“Usually I help.” Sarah led him back to the hallway. “The vets who volunteer sometimes use these exam rooms. We take the animals to the clinics for anything out of the ordinary, but the van isn’t running. Needs a new battery.” She shoved open a heavy door. “And this is our exercise yard.”

Will stepped out behind her to see that this part of the shelter was also immaculate. Beyond the fences was another grassy area but it was overgrown. “What do you use that for?”

Sarah studied the fence. “Well, if we could repair the fences, we’d use it as another exercise yard. The shelter has room to grow, so we could increase our capacity, but not without more volunteers and some improvements.”

And that was the critical point. They both knew it.

“Come back to the director’s office. It’s cramped, but if you have a minute, I’d appreciate your opinion on the information I worked on last night. If I’m on the right track, I’ll keep going.” Sarah rubbed her forehead. “You will let me meet with Rebecca, won’t you? If I have to, I’ll wait for her at the grocery store and spring out from the frozen foods. I need this.”

His steely reserve was faltering. This was not a big surprise.

“Show me what you’ve got.” Maybe he was going to cave, but he wouldn’t make it easy for her.

Sarah’s fist pump of victory was premature, at least as far as she knew, but he enjoyed the way she lit up. Today she was young and honest and completely trustworthy. It was too bad they hadn’t met today for the first time.

She moved back through the building at twice the speed of the tour. Will stopped in front of the cat room to check on his daughter. Chloe had worked her way across half the room. She and Shelly were discussing a black cat perched high in the corner.

When he got Chloe’s attention, he pointed in the direction of the office, and she nodded quickly to dismiss him.

Is the lake enough to get her out of here without a cat?

He might have to throw in the new tablet, too.

“Come on. My twenty minutes are up.” When Sarah hit the door to the office and it refused to budge, she muttered under her breath. “Stupid warped door. Cooperate with me this once.”

A loud squeak brought Bub running, and all three of them walked into the office.

Sarah motioned at the couch. “Move Bub out of your way. He’s staying in here with me until we reopen to surrenders. Have a seat.” He watched her shimmy between two tall stacks of files and pick up a notebook from a pile of papers on the desk.

Sarah wedged herself in next to him to keep from disturbing Bub. He’d rolled up into a tiny ball and was watching the action through drowsy eyes.

At this close range, Will could see that Sarah was tired, worried and still so pretty it was hard to think of her as Sarah Hillman, high school terror.

Like a drowning man grasping for a rope, Will studied the papers in her hands. “What have you got to show me?”

“Well, now that you’ve had the tour, you know the list of things the shelter needs is extensive. The most critical items are written down in order.” She pointed at a handwritten list. “Sorry. No computer. I think the last manager took the laptop with her.”

Deciphering the words took some work. “Utilities. Staff. Repairs.” He couldn’t argue with her rankings. “Do you have numbers? I’m sure you know plenty of guys who can help you do the math.”

“Help me do the math? Nice zinger, Will.” Sarah snatched the notepad away.

It had been an easy shot. Since he’d been her designated math nerd in high school, on call for homework answers and class notes as needed, he knew how she operated. So why did taking the easy shot feel so mean?

Sarah pointed at the messy desk. “I will definitely get the numbers. I’ve started sorting everything to come up with a yearly estimate for all the utilities. I’ll add in a manager’s salary and coordinate the volunteers myself. The rest of the staffing can come at some later point. As far as the rest, we need to clean up the lobby and make repairs on the van we use to transport animals to adoption events and the vet.”

Will worked the paper out of her fist and flipped through her outline. What she’d come up with was pretty impressive. She had a long way to go but her plan was solid. Just as surprising was that she’d done every bit of the work by herself. She was anxiously watching his face, and he wondered why she hadn’t enlisted reinforcements.

“I could have something ready to go next week, if you’ll promise me a chance to meet with Rebecca. Otherwise, I’ll be wasting a lot of time outside your office, me and my howling dog.”

“Fill in the blanks and I’ll make sure you sit down with Rebecca, Stephanie and Jen. That’s all I can do.” Even though the logical voice in his head was telling him he should have stood his ground, Will couldn’t. Whatever her faults were, she had a good cause. This fit the criteria he’d been given: the shelter made Holly Heights a better place. Rebecca would make her own decisions.

Sarah’s head dropped back and she closed her eyes, some of the tension melting away as he watched.

“This isn’t a done deal, though. My sister, in particular, has a long memory and—”

Sarah threw her arms around Will’s neck quickly enough to cause a thoroughly relaxed Bub to grumble his discomfort. “Thank you, Will Barnes. Without this shot, I don’t know what I’d do.”

She rested her head on his shoulder without letting go of him. And the sad truth was she didn’t feel like a villain pressed against him. She felt so right. Cotton and denim and messy hair might be her alter ego but it worked. His hands landed gently on her back and he slid them up and down, enjoying her weight against him until she sniffed in his ear.

“Are you crying?” Will urged her back, worried at how reluctant he was to unwrap her arms from his neck.

“Little bit.” Sarah laughed and wiped the tears from her eyes before she met his stare. He had no idea what to say to that anyway, so he waited.

“I’m so relieved.” She wrapped her arm around a concerned Bub and kissed his head. “No worries, Bub.”

“You don’t have any money yet.” Tears. If only she’d known how well they’d work against him, she could have started there.

“I know, but this was the part I was really afraid of.” Sarah shook her head. “Asking for help.”

“Try being...” He wasn’t sure what the right word was.

“Nice? I wasn’t sure you thought I had it in me.” She blinked and sniffed again over a shaky smile.

“Honest. Let’s go with that. Don’t play games and I’ll see what I can do to help.”

Whatever she had to say in response was lost as the lights went out. A faint yowl sounded from the cat room. Will could hear footsteps pounding toward the office.

“Boss! We’ve got an injury.” Shelly and Chloe rounded the corner into the small room, Chloe’s arm held out in front of them. “Jelly took exception to the sudden darkness.”

Sarah hurried over to the desk and pulled out a first-aid kit. “Oh, no. I hope you and Jelly are both okay, Chloe.”

Be cool. It’s a scratch. She’s had worse.

“Let me see.” Will took Chloe’s arm and pulled her closer to the window before opening the blinds. Long red scratches ran down her forearm. Bumps, bruises, even a sprained ankle—she’d gotten them all on the soccer field, at one time or another. But Chloe loved soccer. She hadn’t even wanted to come with him today. “Looks like Jelly hates the dark almost as much as you do.”

He never should have dragged her here.

Chloe didn’t laugh, so Will studied her face. She wasn’t crying, but her cheeks were pale.

“You don’t leave kids unattended with the animals, do you?” He yanked the disinfectant out of Sarah’s hand and applied it carefully.

“No, I don’t.” Sarah offered him a tube of antibiotic.

“I was with her.” Shelly stood in the doorway, her hands tangled together. “I’m sorry.”

Will gritted his teeth. Snapping wouldn’t accomplish anything. And it was a scratch, nothing major. Even if Chloe hadn’t said a word yet.

No need to worry about saying no to adopting a cat this time. Jelly had handled that all by herself.

“Animals can be unpredictable,” Sarah murmured.

Chloe nodded when Sarah patted her shoulder. Then she took the large adhesive bandage from Will and covered the deepest area of the scratches herself. “I’ll wait for you outside, Dad. Time’s up, I think.”

Will stood and watched her go.

Shelly covered her face with both hands. “Sarah, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even using the outlet that flips the breaker this time.”

Sarah crossed the crowded office and squeezed Shelly’s shoulder. “No, I know. The electric company finally caught up with us. And the thing with Jelly was an accident. Go ahead and feed all the animals. I’ll get everything straightened out.”

“I can drop the payment off on the way home.” Shelly peeked at Will and said, “I’m really sorry. Please let Chloe know she was such a big help.”

Proud of himself for not overreacting to the injury, Will tipped his chin. He would pass the words along. Someday. Probably not today. Not until he was sure they were safely out of cat-adoption territory.

Sarah waved Shelly on. “I’ll take the cash I have on hand and put some sugar with it, see if I can buy more time. But thank you for offering.” Her smile was bright, and even though it didn’t match the worry and defeat in her eyes, Shelly bought it. She gave Sarah a thumbs-up and left.

“We better get you out of here. Ten minutes on the lake on a day like today will fix Chloe’s world. Whenever my daddy took me out on the lake, I had a hard time holding on to my teenage angst.” Sarah moved to the doorway and motioned regally as if escorting him out of the cramped office.

“Hoping a quick exit will keep me from getting mad about the cat and taking back my offer to help?” Sarah blinked slowly. What made him think that was more for effect than actual surprise?

“It was an accident. Chloe and Jelly were probably both startled when the lights went out. And both of them are fine.” Sarah smoothed her ponytail over her shoulder. “You see that.”

She didn’t follow up by saying, Any reasonable person would. But he could hear the words all the same.

“How much cash do you have? Enough to catch up?” Even as he asked, he wasn’t sure why he wanted to know.

“No, but if I go and make my case...” Sarah led him to the door. “I’ll give it my best shot.”

Will sighed. “Let me see what I can do. I know some people over at the electric company.” He’d already called on every single executive and member of the board of directors. The instinct to start there had been solid. One of his two new clients could help. “I’ll find out the minimum they need and see if I can get the lights turned on fast. Animals need electricity, right?” He’d have to do it while Chloe was distracted. No phones. That was the rule.

“I’ll take care of it. You’ve already been such a big help.” She opened the door and stepped back to let him pass.

“Try it your way, but if that doesn’t work, let’s see if I can’t come up with a solution.” To please her, he stepped back into the lobby. From here, he could see Chloe leaning against his truck, her cell phone in one hand. If she was taking a photo for social media, he was going to be in so much trouble. Olivia would have plenty to say about that scratch.

Will pulled out his phone and started checking his online accounts before scrolling through his contacts. Get the shelter situation settled. Distract Chloe. That was the plan for the rest of the day.

“Why would you help? Two days ago you were ready to call the cops. Two minutes ago you wanted to let me have it because your daughter got hurt. But you’ll call in favors for me? I don’t get it.” Her eyes were bright with tears, red and swollen to match her nose. Her T-shirt was covered in hair of every color imaginable.

“You need my help. That’s why.” It was as simple and complicated as that.

“I do,” she said, and then sniffed. “I really do.”

Her breakdown didn’t last long enough for him to figure out what to do about it. She straightened her shoulders and said, “Thank you, Will. That’s all I can say right now. Someday I hope I’ll be in a position to help you or someone else the way you’ve helped me already.”

“Okay. Fine. Come into the office on Monday and we’ll take a look at what you’ve got.”

Sarah trailed him to the parking lot. Bub peered out at them through the shelter’s glass door.

“You okay?” he asked as he turned the key in the ignition.

Chloe grunted. “Yeah, but you better not be going back on your word. That was more than twenty minutes.” She waved her bandaged arm. “And I have the wound to prove it.”

“One call. That’s it. Then we hit the lake. Hard.” He pulled out his cell phone and flipped through his contacts until he landed on the vice president of operations at the local electric cooperative. When John Garcia answered, they made small talk about the weather and golf games. Then Will said, “I’ve got a big favor to ask. I have a friend who’s behind on the bills for the animal shelter she’s running. Is there any way I could come by and make a payment and you could get the lights back on this afternoon?” When John agreed, Will said, “Great, I’m on my way.”

He ended the call and counted down to Chloe’s angry outburst.

Instead, she said, “One stop. Then we hit the lake. Hard.” When she held up her hand, he high-fived it and then rolled down the windows. One stop and he’d put Paws for Love and Sarah Hillman out of his mind.

CHAPTER FOUR

AFTER WEARING HERSELF out making lists of things to fix and people to call, Sarah closed the washing machine door and jammed it shut with the table knife stored on top. A towel was already on the floor to catch any drips, but she nudged it closer before she twisted the knob to start the wash. Doing laundry every day was a drag.

Doing laundry at all was a drag. And getting the beat-up machine in the shelter’s cramped supply closet to work took real engineering. Every day, about this time, she remembered fondly the space-age shiny washer and dryer in her sweet condo.

Oh, well. In her new place, she’d have fancy machines with all the bells and whistles, but this time she’d know how awesome her washer and dryer were.

Someday. This whole experiment in taking care of herself had started as a way to make sure everything seemed normal. One day her dad was there. The next he was gone and the police wanted to know where, when and why.

Playing dumb had been easy enough. All her father had said before he slid into his Cadillac was “Take care of business.”

At the dealership, that had been his way of telling her he was out to lunch and she was in charge.

Mainly, she’d been in charge of telling people when Bobby Hillman would be back.

Now she wished she had a clue.

Every day, her situation got a little more serious. Selling everything she loved, except for the convertible, was about as low as she could go.

Or so she’d thought. Now she was daydreaming about fancy laundry equipment—a sign her life had taken a drastic turn.

She hit Start and stared at the knob when nothing happened. Then she realized the electricity was still out. She’d been squinting at the notepad in her office for so long a wrinkle was forming over the bridge of her nose, and now she’d tried to start the washing machine. In the dark. Like an idiot.

“So many talents I never knew I had. None of them are worthwhile without electricity,” she said with a sigh, and glanced over at Bub. He was patiently carrying around his plastic bowl. He would continue to do so until she’d crossed every single item off the to-do list. “Good idea. Let’s eat.”

Bub, the smartest person in the room, knew exactly what she meant. His wagging tail shook his whole body when she took his bowl and filled it with dry dog food. “Such a good boy you are.” She wasn’t sure he could hear her over his own crunching but surely he got the gist.

Bub’s fortunes had been a roller-coaster ride. First, he’d been abandoned at the town’s landfill, then rescued by some well-meaning types who didn’t know what to do with a puppy. Since he’d been surrendered, he’d bounced from one foster to the latest one who’d brought him back to the shelter, intent on ending her association with Paws for Love due to the unsavory Hillman connection.

Sarah had made Bub her roommate. Temporarily. When the shelter was staffed and reopened to surrenders, Bub would go back into the general population. For now, she was his foster.

Living out of a suitcase and sleeping on the office’s couch.

Poor Bub.

Finally, instead of a rampaging beast intent on carnage, Bub was a normal dog again. He’d reached the point in his meal where he could sit and savor. Sarah pulled down the loaf of white bread and the peanut butter jar to make her thousandth sandwich.

Bub licked his lips slowly.

“Peanut butter would hit the spot, huh?” She shook her head at his mournful expression. “Not today.” The jar had to last her a long time. Sarah reached into the cabinet to grab a treat. “Have one of these instead.”

With her sandwich in one hand, Sarah went back into her office to grab the notepad and then led Bub through the shelter to the play yard.

Shelly was watering the pitiful row of plants along the fence.

“What are you still doing here? I thought you went home.” If she’d known Shelly was still around, she’d have... Sarah wasn’t sure. At the very least, she’d have given up on the budget sooner.

“I wanted to wait until the electricity came back on.” Shelly shut off the hose. “Besides, I like it here.”

As Sarah ate her sandwich, she considered that—preferring to spend time at the shelter instead of home. “How long has it been? Since your divorce?”

“Six months. I’m over it.” Shelly’s lips trembled a little but the smile was nearly convincing.

“One hour.” Sarah set the timer on her phone. “If the lights aren’t on in one hour, I’ll suit back up and head into town. Electricity is nonnegotiable.”

The cash Cece had given her would be enough to buy time.

She shouldn’t have given Will the chance to intercede.

The list of things she had to fix, pay for, hire and manage ruffled in the breeze.

Rest. Just a minute. Close your eyes and rest.

“You’re doing a good job, you know?” At Shelly’s encouragement, Sarah’s eyes snapped open. “Don’t give up on us. Not yet.”

While she fussed with her drooping ponytail, Sarah said, “You run this place single-handedly. If I didn’t come in tomorrow, these animals would be in good hands.”

Shelly waved a hand to brush Sarah’s answer aside. “I mean it. Don’t give up, Sarah. This place needs you. I need you. I did run the shelter by myself for a week or two and it was...overwhelming. I need support, some company.” Shelly rubbed Bub’s ears as he trotted up, obviously satisfied that all the new smells were acceptable. “Actual, live people. Having someone to talk with while I work makes everything easier.”

“Okay. I’ll keep trying.” Sarah wished she was the kind of person who knew the right thing to say. She had plenty of practice with snarky set-downs. Encouragement was out of her comfort zone, but whatever Shelly heard, it was enough.

Somehow, making the promise gave Sarah a tiny boost of energy. Lately, she’d found herself swinging from justified doubts to the crazy certainty that she could handle whatever came up.

But Shelly was here, working with her.

Bub went to stand patiently by the door. He was ready to go back inside apparently.

“He’s so well-trained,” Sarah said. “What is he doing in a shelter?” Sarah sighed as she and Shelly stood.

“It never gets easier to see smart, well-mannered pets staring out through chain link.” Shelly held the door open for Bub. “That’s why we do what we do.”

Being included in Shelly’s “we” felt right. At some point, Paws for Love had changed from a whim to a...cause.

Life wasn’t fair. Not for people, not for pets, but somewhere in the world was the person who deserved Bub and who would give him the love he should’ve had from the beginning. All she had to do was keep the doors open. They’d find each other eventually.

“Late in the day,” Shelly said. “Do you think the electricity is coming back on?”

The thought of a long night in the dark filled Sarah with dread, but she tried for a carefree shrug. Shelly couldn’t change a thing. There was no sense in adding to her worry.

Closing the door on the late-afternoon sun was easy enough, but when Sarah flipped the light switch and nothing happened, she was reminded how dark it could get without electricity. Sunset always made her less brave, more afraid of the future and what it might hold.

Sarah shook her head and forced herself to laugh along with Shelly. “Habit.” She pulled out her phone to check the time just as the whir of the shelter’s systems kicked in. Bright light illuminated curious kitties and ruthlessly clean floors before she moved on to the dog room. Instead of a loud celebration, she got a few curious head raises and then everyone settled back down.

Late afternoon was nap time. The schedule never changed much here.

“Oh, good. Everything can get back to normal. Giving meds in the dark would have been difficult,” Shelly said with a relieved sigh.

If Will Barnes had been standing with them under the bright lights, Sarah would have kissed him.

“Go home. The morning walks will come way too early.” Taking a chance, she hugged Shelly quickly. “We’re making progress. Tomorrow will be another good day.”

She watched Shelly get in her car and waved before she closed and locked the door.

All alone. Again. Sarah walked back to her office and pulled out her phone to check for missed calls. She dialed her father’s number, fingers crossed that this time he’d answer, and listened to the rings. When his voice mail picked up, she said, “Hi, Dad. I wanted to...check on you. I’m worried. Please call me.”

That’s all you can do. Immediately, images of her father hurt or worse flashed across her mind. Just stop. There’s no reason to think the worst.

Her peanut butter sandwich turned into a lump in her stomach.

Work was still the best distraction. Sarah grabbed the phone book. “Bids. The first step is finding out what a new roof and fence cost. Easy enough.” The yellow pages fell open to the page she’d turned to most often. “All for Animals.” The overcrowded Austin shelter would be her animals’ only hope if she walked away.

When she was stretched out on a beach somewhere, would it bother her that she’d let them down?

Her stomach lurched.

Bub gave a happy sigh. Somehow, he was stretched out the full length of the couch, all four feet in the air. Her response, a weird mishmash of amusement and concern, answered her question.

Paws for Love was hers. Leaving it without funding would haunt her. If she could turn the shelter around, she’d have something of her own to be proud of.

No one could say this had been given to her.

And when Holly Heights was nothing more than dust on her tires, she could enjoy the freedom.

“Sure wish I’d chosen business school, Bub.” She shifted in the broken-down office chair and studied the mess on her desk. At some point, she was going to have to get organized.

Since that would let her put off the hard work of identifying how much she didn’t know, Sarah started rearranging the stacks of overdue bills. “Food. Gotta pay for that first.” Or should she give the vets a portion of the cash? Sort of a good-faith gesture that she wasn’t going to leave them holding the bag.

She was adding up the costs of the most recent vet visits and cursing her lack of a computer when she remembered the bids she’d planned to gather first.

Her brain had always worked this way. In circles.

“Slow and steady, Sarah. Do one thing at a time.” She picked up her cell phone, hoping the calculator could help, when the shelter’s phone rang.

Had her father tracked her here? Was he calling the shelter to avoid the police?

“Paws for Love. This is Sarah.” Too late, she remembered her plan to avoid answering the phone. Nice bill collectors would hesitate to leave a message. And the rest? Well, they’d definitely leave a message, but she certainly didn’t want to talk to them.

Fingers crossed, she added, “How can I help you?”

“It’s Will. Are your lights back on?”

Sarah pressed cold fingers to her cheek, grateful that Will Barnes couldn’t see the flush that instantly covered her face. She was amazed at this ability to blush when she never had before. Her high school behavior, ambushing kids like Will and his sister, Jen, who hadn’t done much to deserve negative attention, hadn’t embarrassed her a bit. Now she was a little uncomfortable with the memories. “Uh, hi. Yes, we have lights. What did you do?”

He cleared his throat. “Made a call. You’ll have a month or so to make another payment. By then, you’ll have a better plan in place and some funds to set things right.”

Unable to answer at first, Sarah stared at the stack of bills on her desk. “If I can come up with the right information for a certain meeting, I definitely will.”

She tried a smile as she answered, but something about the fake, flirty tone made her feel worse than knowing she hadn’t been able to accomplish this on her own. “Sorry. What I meant to say is I appreciate you getting me more time. And I am hopeful that Paws for Love is on the right track.”

Neither of them said anything for a minute.

For good measure, she added, “Thank you.” Why did it sound as if she was choking on her own tongue? “How’s Chloe?”

“Sunburned. Eating her third piece of pepperoni pizza. Seems to be happy for the first time since she came for the summer.” Will cleared his throat. “But you were asking about her arm. The bandage is gone. I think the trauma is, too.”

“Trauma? I’m so sorry, Will.”

“Maybe that was just me.” Will sighed. “At some point, the accident became my fault because she’s never been allowed to have a pet. So she doesn’t know how to handle them.”

“Wow. This visit has not been easy, has it?” Sarah propped her elbow on the desk. As a teen, Sarah’s mood swings had been epic. Her dad had learned to toss the checkbook into her bedroom and slam the door closed again.

Will was actually spending time with Chloe. He must be brave.

“It really hasn’t. But I’m willing to agree with part of her argument.”

“Does that mean you want to adopt a cat?” Sarah asked, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Will grunted. “Not if I can help it. And if I catch you planting the suggestion, I’ll have to devise a devious form of payback for you and Chloe both, something involving a mall but not me.” But he wouldn’t sabotage her shot at funding. Because Will Barnes was a good man, with integrity.

She tried to imagine him bailing on Chloe, even for her own good, and the picture wouldn’t form. Maybe he had trouble in small, day-to-day things, but Chloe could count on him for the big stuff.

Once, Sarah would have said the same thing about her own father.

“Your threat lacks some sting.” Sarah would dance through the racks at Neiman Marcus given a chance and a credit card. “Malls are wonderful.”

“The last time Chloe and I shopped for jeans, I was pretty sure someone had replaced my baby girl with an evil imposter. One who cried. A lot.” Will’s gruff voice suggested he could have handled almost anything but that.

“That’s your problem. Many women cry when they try on jeans.”

His chuckle made her grin so hard her cheeks hurt. And the blush filled her cheeks again.

Why was she enjoying this conversation so much? She’d flirted with doctors and lawyers and men with yachts. Talking with Will about his daughter filled her with a warm glow of comfort. Laughing with him convinced her life was about to get easier.

“I know you want to get the adoptions going again. Just don’t count on Chloe and Jelly to start it off,” Will said.

“This time next month, things will be different. I know it.” She straightened in her chair. “And it’ll be thanks to you, Will.”

She jotted a note to add a thank-you card to the shopping list. Squinting at the note made her realize that he wouldn’t be able to read her handwriting anyway, so she almost crossed it out again.

“So, I’ll be ready on Monday. How about early? Eight?” Sarah bit her lip. She hoped she could be ready by then.

“Uh, sure.”

“Is that a problem? Do you have clients scheduled?” Sarah traced the number eight over and over at the top of her pad. She’d have to get a predawn start so that Shelly didn’t have to feed and water all the animals by herself.

Predawn start? What kind of crazy talk is that? Feeding and watering the animals is Shelly’s job.

“I didn’t picture you as the early-bird type,” Will said. His voice had lost some of its warmth.

“Oh, I’m not. Never have been.” Sarah sighed. Living in the shelter’s office meant fewer hair products and cosmetics. An unlikely silver lining. “But I can make it if you can.”

“I’ll see you at eight, then.”

Before he could hang up, she blurted, “Will, without your help, I’m not sure... Well, you’ll get as many tail wags as you like here at Paws for Love. Free dog hair for life, okay?”

Then she wrinkled her brow. Stupid. You’re trying to convince him you’ve got a solid businesswoman inside. That sounded like you routinely put a heart over every i.

But his quiet laugh eased some of the disappointment that was making her shoulders droop. “Good to know. A little dog hair now and then is exactly what I need.”

Sarah hung up the phone and stared over at Bub, who was blinking at her from his perch on the couch. “Don’t get up. I’ve got this taken care of.”

He licked his lips and then shoved his nose back under his tail.

“Some assistant you are. Better watch out. I’ll replace you as soon as I have the chance.” Although spending time with a real, live human who answered her would take some getting used to.

“All right. New list. Estimates I Need. Fence, roof, signage, flooring, paint...” Everything about the place needed an overhaul. Four months ago, she’d had visions of a new, fancy, streamlined lobby with interactive videos and digital boards that would be updated as dogs and cats came and went. Now she wanted electricity.

“Just the first round, Sarah. Focus. There’ll be plenty of time for dreaming big later.”

The cash register sound signifying a text snagged her attention. She fumbled the phone before gripping it tightly enough to make the plastic creak.

Take care of business.

The number was unfamiliar. But her father’s favorite exit line—the one he’d always delivered on his way out the door of Hillman Luxury Autos—was so familiar.

He was okay. Somewhere, her father was able to text.

From a number she didn’t recognize.

Where are you?

Sarah chewed her fingernail while she waited. Ten minutes of glaring at her phone was enough to give her a headache.

“Business. Take care of business.” Sarah carefully set the phone down and turned back to the mess on her desk. That text was enough to keep her going for a few more days. She could count on her father to fix everything. All she had to do was hold on a little bit longer.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.