I have one that will do. But I never wear ties. Tomorrow.

  I grinned. Yes, indeed, tomorrow.

  Then, just for grins, I looked up Auggie puppies to see what I might be dealing with if the little hussy here was pregnant already. My heart melted. Auggie puppies were the cutest, most adorable little things. Herders, too. With stubby legs like Bella.

  "Oh." I put the phone down to Bella's level so she could see. "These could be your little pups. If you and stud Charlie conceived."

  She barked happily.

  "Yeah. I see you approve." I shook my head. "You're going to be dreaming of Auggies now, aren't you? What am I going to do with you?"

  I scrolled through and read about all about Auggies. "Dex is right. These little guys are in high demand."

  I frowned. I had to make a decision about Bella and her appointment with her arranged mate. She curled up in my lap, making herself comfortable. I had to make a decision now.

  It was already afternoon. The appointment was at nine tomorrow morning. Mitch will be so mad if I cancel.

  He could cause real trouble for me. I wasn't totally sure he wasn't behind outing me as the runaway bride in the video. Though I believed that was beneath him. But if he found out I already had a date for Sunday? The day that should have been our wedding? That I was going away for the weekend with a billionaire?

  I shuddered. Too dark to think about.

  Jealousy makes people do strange, crazy crap. Stuff they'd never do otherwise. Jealousy turns regular people into killers. And people who slash tires and send dead roses. Jealousy is a bottomless pit of insanity and uncertainty.

  If I didn't show up for that appointment, Mitch would find out. And make a scene. And start digging into why. That path led to ruin.

  I looked at Bella snuggled in my lap. "You're so blissfully ignorant of what you've done," I whispered in a soothing coo.

  What had she done? Gotten me back in touch with Vegas guy. Right from the beginning, Bella seemed to be guiding my destiny. She was the reason I'd met Dex. Both times now.

  It still remained to be seen how this time would turn out. My heart raced at the possibilities. Dex—still just as hot. Just as charming. And a billionaire.

  I'd dreamed of seeing him again for two straight years. Now that I had my chance, there was no way I was going to throw it away. I couldn't give Mitch any excuse to cause trouble. Not before Saturday, anyway.

  I made a split decision. Spin the wheel, kid. Take Bella to that appointment.

  The logical, sensible side of myself chimed in. I agree. Keep your promise.

  The two sides of myself agreeing? Either the world was ending or hell had frozen over. But I'd take it.

  I crossed my fingers. One purebred Corgi. All I need is one.

  Mitch had pick of the litter. That was the deal. If that litter turned out to be part Auggie?

  I cursed myself again. If I hadn't made a scene at Puppy Love, no one would be the wiser that I knew Bella had been compromised before her stud appointment. Twenty-twenty hindsight.

  There was nothing I could do about that now. It was all up to tomorrow's stud to make sure he got Bella pregnant. I hoped he had Charlie's charisma and sex appeal. Seriously. There was always a chance Bella would reject him.

  Even if we had a mixed paternity litter, who said I had to show Mitch the Auggies? Where was it written that he even had to know about them?

  Chapter 8

  Everything Rides on a Stud

  Shelby (Nervous dog mom.)

  Calm. Remain calm.

  "Being calm and reassuring is the most important role the owner of the bitch has in the mating process." That's what the online breeding videos say, anyway.

  Kind of like being mother of the bride, from what I'd observed.

  Easier said than done, though, obviously. Bella was my baby. And appeasing Mitch and getting on with my life was riding on her taking to the stud.

  I almost texted Dex and asked him what shampoo the groomer had used on Charlie. It must be packed with dog pheromones, because Bella had loved it. Though, let's be honest, who doesn't love a great-smelling member of the opposite sex? If I doused the new stud dog in it, maybe I could fool Bella into accepting him without question.

  The moment I grabbed my car key and Bella's leash, Bella was on my heels, barking happily. She was smart. She knew what this meant—we were going cruising! Her exclamation point, not mine. She loved a good ride in the car.

  I looked down at her. "Yes, we're going for a ride. No hanging your nose out today. I'm not riding with the window open. It's too cool for that this morning."

  She barked loudly, protesting my closed-window policy. Sometimes Bella was too smart for her own good. At times like this, I lamented not getting a dumber dog for my runaway bride wedding bouquet.

  "Don't look at me like that," I said. She was hard to resist when she begged.

  Maybe I should let Bella stick her snout out? A happy dog is a receptive dog? And maybe lover dog would smell the great outdoors on her and go wild for her?

  I read something once about dog evolution. Dogs have many, many more smelling glands than people. The wind on their faces, filled with all the olfactory joy of the great outdoors, actually gives them a real high.

  "Behave and we'll see. If you're good at the breeder's, maybe on the way home." When she was basking in the afterglow.

  I shut the ringer on my phone off. The last thing I needed was an upsetting text from Mitch.

  Wanda, the breeder, lived half an hour away. Even with closed windows, Bella enjoyed the trip more than I did. With every mile we travelled, I grew more and more nervous. And it wasn't just over the mating.

  Bella didn't have papers. Or if she did, I didn't have them. I'd run away with her. From my own wedding. I really had no idea how I'd gotten her. That part of my runaway bride experience remained fuzzy.

  Mitch, of course, wanted a puppy with pedigree. A perfect puppy. Always had. Before we broke up, he'd been like a manic dog daddy, studying what was desirable in a Corgi and matching it to what he saw in Bella. He bugged and bugged and bugged me for her papers. He wanted to be absolutely sure Bella didn't have any latent genes that could show up and "ruin" one of her future puppies.

  By some miracle, and a lot of great deflecting—generally with wedding details—I'd managed to put him off. That was then.

  By a happy coincidence, Wanda's stud matched the qualities Mitch wanted in a dog, according to what his thorough research had told him he wanted. The stud's papers told the story. Only the best for Mitch.

  Since the breakup, Mitch had become nastier and more demanding about those pedigree papers. He wanted those papers with a passion, obviously obsessed with perfection. If I'd felt the same level of passion for Mitch, our wedding would still be on for Sunday. I was going to have to snow Wanda, the breeder, too.

  The breeder usually asks for the pick of the litter as all, or part, of the stud fee. In the case of Mitch and me, as part of our hastily negotiated disengagement settlement, Wanda was giving her pick of the litter to Mitch. As a consolation prize, I guess.

  As I turned into the breeder's driveway, my heart sank. Mitch's car was in the driveway. What is he doing here?

  If I'd seen a video of him running away from his final tux fitting, and then he'd cancelled the wedding? He'd be the last person I'd want to see. The last person I'd want to have a puppy with.

  Wanda's house was beautifully situated on a rural property with a stunning view of Mount Rainier in the distance. A large red barn, modern and well maintained, sat off to the left of the main drive. It was so large and nice, and picturesque, that I could picture it as a wedding venue. There were horses in a nearby pasture, and kennels and dog runs alongside the barn.

  I pulled to a stop in front of the barn. "Here we are," I said to Bella. "The doggy gigolo farm. I hope you're ready to do your duty for owner and country."

  Playing on your dog's sense of patriotism was probably going a step too far, but whatever.

  I scooped her up. As we stepped out of the car, the door of the barn swung open. Mitch stepped out with a gray-haired woman next to him. That must be Wanda. I'd spoken to her on the phone, but never met her in person.

  At the sight of Mitch, my heart was off to the races. Not in a good way. In a real run, runaway, runaway bride way. I was tempted to steal one of those pastured horses and gallop off with Bella in my arms. Or just dive back in the car and peel out. More horsepower that way.

  My heart and I wanted no part of this meeting. My stomach wasn't too happy about it, either. I wondered that my heart had ever been silly enough, or blind enough, to do backflips of love and happy dances at the sight of Mitch.

  When love dies, the vision clears. There was no truer statement. I pictured the quote as I would letter and decorate it. Sensible. No nonsense. With a bit of warning about it. Maybe in red—the color of love and the color of "just stop already!"

  Maybe I should, just for myself, and hang it on my wall. Maybe in the kitchen. It wouldn't fly well in my studio where I met with my brides, or on a T-shirt or mug in one of my subscription boxes.

  Mitch took a step toward us. He was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders and muscled arms. It looked like he'd been working out. Had he pumped up just for me? How sweet. Eye roll. Probably wanted to show me what I was missing.

  Most women would agree that Mitch is attractive. He's tall, fit, Seattle chic down to his perfectly coiffed beard. Technically, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Mitch. Except he was wrong for me.

  Bella sensed the tension between us and snuggled into my arms.

  I fixed a smile on my face so tight that it hurt. "Wanda." I made a point of addressing the breeder first. "Mitch. I didn't expect to see you here."

  "I wanted to see Bella." He came close and stood at my shoulder.

  Please don't stand so close to me. His cologne, which used to be absolutely intoxicating, did nothing for me now except bring back painful memories.

  It's not Bella you're interested in.

  He reached around and petted Bella in my arms, doing a not-so-accidental breast brush. "Miss me, girl? Yeah, you do. I miss you too." His breath was hot in my ear.

  You can pant in my ear all you like. But I don't miss you.

  I took a step away from him, trying to gauge how Mitch was holding up without looking at him too directly. Or intimately. His eyes were red. Allergies? Or a three-day bender? Hard to tell.

  He looked me in the eye. "What do you mean, you didn't expect to see me? I sent you a text this morning reminding you to bring Bella's papers and saying I'd meet you here."

  I shrugged. "Sorry. I didn't get it." Because I had turned my ringer off.

  "I'm glad to see you, Shel. Really glad." Too much emphasis on the "really." And he used his sexy, flattering voice.

  I was immune to it now.

  "So you brought the papers?" He looked too hopeful. Almost like me bringing the papers would be a sign I still cared.

  "No. Sorry. I couldn't find them." Totally true. I tried to sound sympathetic. "I packed them up when we…"

  This wasn't awkward at all. When we were planning to get married and live together. Yeah.

  "That's part of the breeding process, Shelby." He could be so incredibly patronizing at times. Incredibly. "I'll need them when you find them."

  You'll get them when I find a credible forger.

  You'd think there would be one among my acquaintance. I knew so many calligraphers and hand letters. But they were all the honest kind.

  "You're upsetting Bella." I stroked her. "And ruining her groove. She has to be calm for this to work. Don't you, baby?"

  Mitch was only getting one shot at puppies. That was the agreement. I was giving him one in-heat cycle for this to work.

  He backed off.

  "What does it matter, anyway?" I said. "The puppies are just for us. We're not trying to breed a champion show dog. That isn't part of our agreement."

  He scowled just long enough for me to catch it. "I want the papers." He smiled intimately at me, like it was a fait accompli. Like he could still affect me with his charms.

  "This way." Wanda led us into the barn. "Bruno is ready and eager in the containment area. We don't want to keep him waiting." She winked. Obviously, she was trying to break the tension crackling around us.

  "Why?" I grinned. "Have you been showing him doggy porn already to warm him up? I thought studs were supposed to have staying power."

  She and Mitch looked at me, both totally devoid of a sense of humor.

  "Kidding," I said.

  Inside, the barn was immaculate and state-of-the art, well lit and bright. Wanda led us to an office that could have been a vet's. It was just that sterile and medicinal feeling. Maybe it was the operating/examination table. Or the stainless-steel sink and cabinets full of medicines and supplies. Or the posters of how to flea and worm on the walls. Or the smell of rubbing alcohol that hung in the air.

  Clearly, no doggy porn here.

  "We could at least dim the lights." I couldn't help myself. "Light a few candles."

  "Dogs mate by instinct," Wanda said. "They have no idea of romance."

  "Sorry, girl," I whispered to Bella. "I tried. This isn't the kind of place where you're going to get to put a bill in his G-string before taking him up to your room. Not a stripper pole in sight."

  Bella had been born in Vegas. I took a chance she knew what I was talking about.

  There was a dog pen in the corner of the room. No bed. No rose petals sprinkled around. Not even a doggy park play area like Puppy Love. A male Corgi sat placidly in it.

  I pointed. "Bruno, I presume."

  He was a handsome Corgi. Well built. But if you asked me, I preferred Charlie.

  Wanda smiled proudly. "That's our stud. Aren't you, boy?"

  Baby-talking to your big, bad stud? There was something off-putting about that.

  I wasn't so sure about Bruno's studliness. If you asked me, he should have started barking up a storm the moment I walked in with Bella, ready to smash through the gates of that pen to get to her. That was what a real male would do. Didn't he smell her in-heatedness? The dogs at Puppy Love sure had. And it had only been secondhand on me.

  Maybe Bruno was inured to bitches in heat. Maybe they were so everyday as to be boring. Another bitch, another mating. Yawn. Sex as your day job can become monotonous just like any other, I suppose. All I knew was that it didn't seem to bode well.

  I leaned in and whispered to Bella. "This is the dog I've been talking about. Handsome, isn't he? And probably a gentle, considerate lover."

  She just looked at me.

  "Let me take a look at your little bitch." Wanda held out her hands for Bella.

  I reluctantly handed her over.

  Wanda carried her to the examination table and set Bella on it, holding her gently in place. She ran her hands over Bella.

  Bella yelped and looked to me for confirmation.

  "It's all right, girl. You've been to the vet before," I said. "This is just like that. Only more fun in the end."

  "She's healthy," Wanda said. "She's got a fine form and build. Nice coat. Definitely in heat. Her vulva's nicely swollen." She frowned. "You didn't shave her." She reached for an electric shaver.

  "No!" I reached to snatch Bella away. "She's short-haired. No Brazilian for her."

  Ruin her strut? Mess with her wiggle and nice furry momo butt? No way.

  Wanda blocked me. "It will up the odds of success. Bruno's very particular. He doesn't like fur in his way."

  "I don't care about Bruno's preference for Brazilians. I don't care if fur tickles his dick. He gets the full bush or nothing here."

  Wanda sighed. She flashed Mitch a look like he'd made a happy escape and put the shears down. "All right. But I'm warning you. This might not take."

  Mitch took a step toward me. "Shel—"

  I held up a finger. "Shaving wasn't in the agreement."

  He held up his hand and took a step back. "All right."

  I sighed with relief.

  Wanda picked Bella up. "How would you like to play with Bruno, little one? Let's get you to the breeding enclosure so you two can get to know each other."

  The breeding enclosure? Such romantic names. The doggy boudoir would have been so much better.

  Bella barked nervously.

  I walked over to her. "There's nothing to worry about. You're going to like this. Bruno's a nice dog, I'm sure. And look—he really is handsome."

  Wanda carried Bella to the dog pen, the breeding enclosure. As they got closer, Bruno deigned to get to his feet and look somewhat less than bored. He barked. Once.

  Not ringing passion. But at least he was polite enough to stand for the introduction.

  Bella took one look at him and yelped. Clearly, she didn't like what she saw and sensed something was up. Without warning, she jumped from Wanda's arms and made a run for the exit. Mitch tried to grab her. She slipped past him.

  Wanda took off after her.

  Fortunately, all doors were closed. Bella took us on a merry chase, trying each door and running around and around the room with the three of us like the Three Stooges after her.

  "Bella. Bella. Calm down." I whistled for her.

  She squeezed behind a chair against the wall and hunkered down, barking.

  "Like dog, like owner," Mitch said bitterly. "Another runaway."

  "Shush." I frowned at him and approached the chair. "She's just scared."

  Mitch let out a heavy sigh.

  I squatted on the other side of the chair to be at Bella's level. "Come here, baby. Come on. There's nothing to fear here. Come to Mama. You have to trust me." I snapped my fingers and held my hand out to her.

  She crawled under the chair just far enough to lick my fingers. Her form of kissing and making up.

  "That's it." I coaxed her out and scooped her up, cooing encouragement to her. "Let me put her in the pen," I said to Wanda.

  I took Bella to the enclosure and stood while she checked Bruno out from my arms. "Take your time. Have a good look. Quite a stud up close, isn't he? And look how gentlemanly he is."