And all I could think was who let the dogs out? That was an earworm I wasn't getting rid of soon.

  The dogs were so worked up, if they'd coordinated their efforts, they could have stormed the Bastille, no problem.

  Courtney turned to me with a worried expression. "I'm sorry. I've never seen anything like this here. I've never seen them get so worked up over anything—"

  The pitter-patter of claws pounding on vinyl floors caught our attention. An old pit bull with cloudy eyes raced around the corner from out of nowhere. His owner chased after him, yelling at him to heel.

  I was like a tackling dummy frozen in place, so stunned I couldn't move. That old dog rushed me with so much force that he almost knocked me off my feet. Only my powder puff football experience saved me. I've always been good at keeping my feet during a tackle attempt. Before I could fully recover, he began humping my leg with a vitality usually reserved for much younger dogs.

  "Leo. Stop. Leo." Courtney grabbed for his collar. But that wily old boy dodged her.

  She looked at me with a regretful expression. "I'm sorry. Leo's a horny old dog. He's blind. And nearly deaf. He humps everything. But he really seems to like you. He's usually not so…um…energetic. Leo!"

  He dodged her again.

  One of the employees in the cubicle next to the dog play area waved a phone over her head. "Hang on, everyone. Hang on. Dog obedience is sending a trainer to handle the situation."

  "Leo. Down. Down, boy." His apparent owner finally caught up to us. He grabbed Leo by the collar, hauling him off my leg, and straining to keep him back. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry—"

  The other dogs barked louder, in a real frenzy to get at me. Life wasn't fair when an old dog like Leo got to have his way with my leg and the young studs were held back.

  I shot Leo's owner a grateful look. He continued apologizing all over himself. I was trying to catch my breath and praying that trainer could handle a canine mob. I had no stomach for a mass leg rape.

  A loud bark reverberated from reception. He came around the corner from the elevator bank. The bad-boy Aussie from the park. His dog tags jingled from his red leather collar. His blue ghost eyes danced. A spring was in his strut. It was almost as good as Bella's wiggling momo butt.

  "You!" I shouted over the din, and pointed to him.

  He spotted me, barked twice, and charged me so fast that I didn't have time to react. Even my powder puff football skills couldn't keep me on my feet.

  I stumbled back, arms flailing, purse and portfolio flying. Someone caught me from behind before I could go down flat on my butt. Someone with powerful arms and cologne so hot that a porn scene flashed before my eyes. He returned me to my feet as if I were a feather.

  I would have thanked him, but I was distracted. Bad-boy Aussie began humping my leg. My cute slacks were going to be ruined forever by the memory of a one-afternoon stand with a studly Aussie. How could they ever get that out of their finely pressed crease?

  "Down, Charlie. Down. Now." The male voice of my savior boomed over my shoulder, just as sexy as the guy's cologne. There was something familiar about it…

  Charlie backed off, backed down, and sat obediently. This guy must be the dog trainer.

  I caught my breath and turned over my shoulder to look into a dazzling pair of blue eyes that were the near twins of Charlie's, unearthly and magnificent.

  My heart stopped. Those eyes, expressive and intelligent, laughing and charismatic, and that unique shade of blue, were unmistakable anywhere. Even without the haze and neon light of a casino.

  Wow. They really are that shade of blue. I'd thought the bright lights reflected in them had enhanced them. Last time I'd gazed into them had been a highly charged emotional situation. Kind of like now. I'd been way too grateful to him then. And just as stunned by my physical reaction to him.

  They say your life flashes before you as you're dying. Only a fraction of my life flashed before me, but it was a doozie. My biggest mistake. My fear of being found out. If the dog trainer recognized me…

  Or if he didn't…

  So maybe I wasn't dying. But I could barely breathe all the same.

  "I'm sorry about Charlie. He's usually well behaved." Mr. Dog Whisperer barely glanced at me. He pulled a device from his pocket, apparently unaware of who I was.

  Which cracked the lid of my heart-shaped box. I dreamed of this happening for months after Vegas—meeting him again in some romantic way. A love song playing…

  I should have turned away.

  Run! Before he gets a good look at you.

  No. Stay. This is what you've been dreaming of. If you leave now, you'll never know what could have been. Get your flirt on—

  You owe him over twenty-five hundred dollars. This is a really bad time to have to pay that back. And he knows all about your runaway bride past. He could ruin you. Go.

  That money was a gift. You don't owe him anything. Besides, what will Courtney think? You can't run now. You're committed. You may as well take advantage of the situation…and him. He's the dog trainer. You know he loves dogs.

  I spun around to get a full look at my rescuer. Once I had, I couldn't look away. "Thank you." My mouth had gone dry. The words came out as an inelegant croak.

  He gave me a puzzled look and cocked his head, his finger on the button of the device he held. His eyes narrowed as if he was trying to place me.

  Evasive action, Shelby! Take him off guard. Now.

  I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I have a bone to pick with that dog's owner," I yelled at the top of my lungs over the barking and pointed, shaking my finger at the dog. "That dog had nonconsensual sex with my Corgi this morning."

  Before the words were fully out of my mouth, he pushed that button. The barking stopped. The room went deathly quiet. Except for my accusation echoing off the walls.

  That dog had nonconsensual sex with my Corgi. That dog had nonconsensual sex with my Corgi. That dog had nonconsensual sex with my Corgi…

  Hello, hello, hello…echo, echo, echo…

  Chapter Three

  Shelby (Furious dog owner. Stunned romantic dreamer. Tongue-tied woman who's just had the worst second meet with the man of too many of her dreams.)

  You. Could. Have. Heard. A. Pin. Drop.

  Mouths fell open. A collective gasp drowned out the echo. It was like someone had freeze-framed the office. No one moved.

  My face flamed. Every eye, both dog and human, was on us. Courtney was stunned into silence and had gone pale.

  Fortunately, my outburst had the desired effect. The guy was now looking like he hoped he didn't know me. He held his device up for me to see and turned a captivating, soothing, totally devastating smile on me. "Handheld sonic bark control device. Works like a charm every time. Never leave home without one."

  My heart hammered in my ears. This guy was calm under pressure, just like the first time we met. He was still just as magnetic.

  I fought the way my pulse raced, cursing fate for the second time. Cruel fate enjoyed dangling a hot guy before me just to snatch him away again. Fate and circumstance, my two worst enemies. Though I'd dreamed about it, I never seriously imagined I'd ever see him again.

  He spoke before I could move. "Then you have a bone to pick with me. I'm Charlie's owner."

  Crap on a cracker! The dog trainer owns Charlie the stud muffin canine? One stud owning another. If you like to believe dogs reflect their owners, even look like them, this was your proof.

  I shoved my finger at the hot dog trainer, shaking. "Your dog was off leash, running around wild, unsupervised in a park in West Seattle this morning. While he was breaking every law known to dog, he took advantage of my sweet little dam—"

  The prairie-dogging employees were in full out gawk-and-gape mode, glancing across cubicles at each other nervously. Showdown at Puppy Love. Damn the consequences—I wasn't backing down now, no matter who this guy was or how hot he was. I was in too deep for caution.

  He waved at the sideshow-watching employees and flashed that charismatic grin again, calming them as easily as he had the dogs. "I've got this. Back to work, everybody. Make us some money, people. Drive up the stock prices. We could all use another comma in our net worth."

  Someone laughed. Someone else whooped. Prairie dogs and dogs slid back into place. A happy din of work chatter replaced the chaos.

  Dog and People Whisperer Guy grabbed me by the elbow and hauled me toward reception with Charlie obediently trotting after us. Courtney trailed along behind like someone who was being sent to the principal's office.

  The guy paused in front of the reception conference room and held the door open for us. "Please. After you."

  Though I wanted to run and escape down the elevators, we both walked in in front of him like reasonable adults.

  He closed the door. Charlie sat obediently beside him. "Hey. I'm sorry, Miss…?"

  No recognition? How very disappointing. I was going to have to plaster over that crack in my heart-shaped box.

  "Shelby."

  "Please accept my apologies for the behavior of some of the dogs in the office, Miss Shelby." It was hard to tell which dogs he was talking about—people or dog dogs.

  "Shelby's my first name. Shelby Hudson. You can call me Shelby."

  "All right then, Shelby." There was that soothing charm again. "Leo was just being Leo. He's old, blind, and nearly deaf. You have to excuse him. He humps anything that moves. He'd hump a skunk if he was fast enough to catch one."

  "How flattering." I rolled my eyes.

  Wrong thing to say. Dog Trainer studied me closely. "Sorry. No offense."

  "None taken."

  He stared down at Charlie and scratched him behind his ears. "I don't know what got into Charlie here. He has discriminating taste in bitches."

  I raised an eyebrow.

  "And usually avoids interspecies encounters." The guy's eyes danced. He was enjoying our sparring.

  Dog Trainer looked me in the eye. There it was again, the spark of possible recognition. "I don't mean to blow you off, Shelby. I'm running late for an important interview. I don't have time to sort this out right now. If you can wait, I shouldn't be longer than an hour."

  Without waiting for my answer, he turned to Courtney. "Shelby is your guest, Courtney?"

  "Yes. We have a wedding meeting."

  "Ah. Yes. A lunch wedding meeting." He nodded. "The big event is coming up soon, isn't it?"

  "Three months."

  He grinned. "Soon enough. Please. Use this conference room for your meeting. And let me buy you lunch. Order from anywhere you want. Charge it to your corporate card. I'll meet you back here after my interview."

  Courtney nodded and rubbed her hands together. She flashed the guy a gleeful look and laughed evilly. "I missed the company IPO dinner last month. Ever since, I've been longing for one of those hundred-dollar steaks from the Broiler—"

  He grinned. "I said anywhere. If you think you can eat one of those steaks and still fit in your wedding dress in a few months…"

  Courtney snapped her fingers. "You're evil."

  He winked, snapped his fingers for Charlie, and left with his dog obediently trotting after him. Damn, he had nice, broad shoulders and a confident strut, just like his dog. Good thing I wasn't as easily impressed and slutty as my own little dam.

  Inwardly I seethed about being commanded to stay. Like I'm one of his pups. At least he didn't recognize me.

  Or maybe that was horribly bad. I couldn't decide. I was an emotional channel surfer. I kept flipping between desire, missed opportunity, and fear.

  Courtney slumped into a chair and blew out a breath. Color was slowly returning to her cheeks. "Whew. I still have a job."

  She threw her hand over her heart. "That was a scare. I can't afford to lose my stock options and job right now. Not with a wedding to plan and pay for."

  She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Dex took that really well. I've never seen anyone confront him the way you just did. You have guts, I'll give you that. Charlie is his pride and joy. Everyone here knows better than to criticize him. If you're smart, you fawn over that dog."

  I shrugged. "He's just a dog trainer. A dog trainer who lets his dog run free." Which should have disqualified him as a great trainer, in my opinion. I was grasping at straws and turning to sour grapes to heal my disappointment.

  Courtney's already large eyes became limpid pools of disbelief the size of saucers. "Uh, what makes what you think that?"

  I shrugged, wondering how I could avoid being recognized by him and still get things resolved about Bella. Maybe the danger had passed. If he didn't remember that sparkling, emotional moment between us at first sight, maybe he never would. Maybe he wasn't the man I'd been dreaming of.

  "Someone said the dog trainer was on their way. Then he showed up and calmed the dogs down just like that." I snapped my fingers.

  Courtney cringed. "Noooo. Dex is the CEO and founder of Puppy Love. He's a multibillionaire."

  "What?"

  Courtney nodded.

  I slapped my forehead. I thought the day I'd called off the wedding had been the worst day of my life. But this one was quickly heading that direction. Definitely on the top ten list. I reached out and put my hand over Courtney's and squeezed. "Geez, Court. I'm sorry. I should have realized." The confidence. The air of control. "I had no idea."

  "Yeah. I see that." The corners of her lips twitched. "It was kind of funny. In retrospect. You should have seen your face when Leo started humping you. And then Charlie did the same. And then Dex's face when you told him off." She laughed softly.

  I still didn't see the humor in it. But I was glad she did.

  "Good thing Dex has a sense of humor." Courtney shook her head. "I don't think he's used to people telling him off."

  She paused. "Women love him. They usually trip over each other to get to him and fall all over him. He's single, rich, handsome, and, best of all, has a sense of humor. Every single woman here would date him in a Seattle second if he showed any interest. Any at all. But he's all business."

  "Really?" I swallowed the lump in my throat, still cursing fate.

  "He has charisma rolling off him like fog," Courtney said. "Didn't you feel it?"

  Oh, I felt it.

  "Be careful around Dex. He's brilliant, Shel. Like a real genius. Super funny and witty. Known for his pranks. Famous for them."

  "Are you warning me to be careful in my negotiations with him?" I asked. The guy I'd met years ago was clearly all of those things and more. "You think I'm out of my league?"

  "You've had a hellacious couple of weeks. I'm not sure anyone in your position would really be thinking clearly."

  I sighed. Courtney meant it in the nicest possible way. She seemed genuinely concerned for me. And she wasn't wrong.

  "Did Charlie really hump Bella, too?" she asked.

  "Yeah. And not just her leg."

  "You said Charlie took advantage of Bella in the park," Courtney said. "How did that happen? Did she get loose? From your medieval fortress of a backyard?"

  I told Courtney the sad story of the gate and latch that were apparently derelict in their duties. Or maybe the wind did it.

  "I hate to say it, Shel, but it doesn't sound like it's all Charlie's, or whoever's, fault. He may have been loose. But Bella was, too. And he was just acting on instinct. A dog does what a dog does."

  "I know." I rubbed my forehead. "When I said I didn't know if I was going to still have Bella bred? She has an appointment with a stud tomorrow. You see my predicament."

  Courtney blew out a slow breath. "And you're sure Charlie is the culprit? Not some other Aussie? Charlie's the best-behaved dog here. Dex isn't a dog trainer. But he's like a dog whisperer. He just knows how to handle animals."

  I rolled my eyes. "Charlie's got pretty distinctive markings. And those blue eyes—"

  "A lot of Aussies have ghost eyes, as they're called."

  I shrugged. "And the same collar?"

  "But what was Charlie doing in West Seattle? He's usually here at the office whenever Dex is. And Dex was clearly here. I saw him earlier."

  "You saw Charlie come around from the elevators. He was coming from somewhere. Dex didn't flat-out deny it, saying it couldn't have been him because he was here at the office all day."

  "Yeah. When you put it that way, I guess you're right."

  "That new perfume you complimented me on?" I pointed at myself.

  She nodded.

  "Not mine. Did you catch a whiff of Charlie? That was his scent on me. From when I picked up Bella. It was all over her."

  "Oh." Courtney sniffed the air. "You're right. Man, he smells good today. I'm going to have to ask him what cologne he wears." She winked. "It's a great unisex scent."

  "You mean uni-species."

  "I wonder if we're beta testing some new dog shampoo on him. Dex plans to take over the entire pet sector. Starting with dogs."

  I snorted. "Yeah, well, his perfume on me is a dead giveaway. If Charlie was a little less of a standout who smelled like a regular dog, I might not have been so sure it was him.

  "But I looked him in the eye. You don't forget baby blues and attitude like that." I wasn't sure whether I was talking about the dog or the man. "There's absolutely no doubt."

  Courtney chewed her lip. "This is bad, Shel. What are you going to do?"

  "I don't know. I owe Mitch a puppy as part of our breakup settlement." I hadn't told her about that part of the deal. I hadn't much been in the mood to talk lately.

  I drummed my fingers on the conference table and took a deep breath. "I know people think I'm the villain for ending things."

  "No. People don't think that." Courtney was a true friend. But she wasn't terribly convincing. "Not people who know you like I do."

  I gave her a sad smile. "Mitch and I would have been miserable together in the long run."

  "I know."

  "I just realized it first."

  "Absolutely," she said. "You did the right thing. Never go into a marriage with serious doubts."