Frozen Hearts (WaterColor Romance #5)

Chapter 1

Melanie Stewart gave herself one last glance in the mirror. She nodded her head approvingly at her own reflection. Her outfit was a simple pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt, but she wanted to look put together. Today was an important day. At least for her.

Three months ago, Mel had moved out of her parents’ home and into her own townhome. She was one of the few people who had been born and raised in WaterColor. Most of the people she’d known growing up had long since moved on from the quiet beach town. But Mel loved it here. She’d moved into the WaterColor Beach Community and her whole world had opened up.

WaterColor Beach Community bordered the beach, and even had its own beach access. There were larger homes towards the front, and townhomes in the back. Playgrounds and three swimming pools were just some of the many features that had drawn Mel in. But now that she’d settled, it was the little dog park she could see from her living room window that Mel liked the best.

She had spent weeks watching the people come and go with their dogs. Mel had always wanted a dog, but her mom had always said no. Now that she was in her own place Mel was beyond ready. Her friend Jordan ran a local dog rescue, and a doggy daycare. She’d already filled out all of the adoption applications, so today she’d go and meet the dogs that were at the rescue.

Jordan was waiting for her up front when she arrived. As always, Jordan was perfectly composed. She wore a button-down blouse and black pants. To say that Jordan was visually stunning to look at was an understatement. The woman was cool and crisp but somehow still managed to hold a certain amount of warmth to her.

“Do you handle all the adoptions personally?” Mel asked, genuinely curious.

“Only the special ones,” Jordan smirked. Mel felt a tiny pinch of pride inside.

Most people who met Jordan found her to be vaguely intimidating. But Mel had immediately seen how funny and intelligent she was. Perhaps it was because she knew the woman through her work at Mallie’s Cafe. People were usually pretty nice to the people bringing them food.

“Are you ready to meet our little friends?” Jordan asked.

“Yes, bring them on. I have been waiting for this day,” Mel said excitedly.

“That’s what I love to hear. Is there anything in particular that you’re looking for? Big, small, young or old. Do you have any preferences?”

Mel took in the question for a moment. Her brain sorted through her mental images of what she’d imagined her dog would look like.

“I would like a dog that is sort of athletic. I like to go for runs on the beach and I would like a dog that could keep up with me.”

“So probably medium to big, and younger. Not one of our more elderly residents,” Jordan suggested.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I think we have some dogs that will be a great fit for you,” Jordan smiled.

Jordan directed Mel down a long hallway with the wave of her hand.

“I want to start you off in our play area. This is where our residents that are dog friendly spend time during the day.”

Mel felt a warmth in her heart. Jordan had thought of everything when it came to the happiness of the animals that found themselves at the rescue. Jordan opened the door at the end of the hallway. Mel immediately felt assaulted by the mix of noises that assaulted her ears.

Inside the room Jordan’s soon to be wife, Reese, was throwing a ball for a group of dogs. When Reese saw them she gave the ball one final throw before coming over. Reese and Jordan were a perfect contrast to one another. Jordan was all business, while Reese had a casualness to her demeanor. Reese wrapped her arms around Jordan and tugged her closer. Mel watched as Jordan allowed herself to be drawn in by Reese. Mel smiled to herself, she hoped to find that kind of happiness with a partner someday.

“Hey, Mel. Are you here to volunteer?” Reese asked. Her blonde hair fell messily over her shoulders and a thin bead of sweat was over her brow from playing with the dogs.

“Not today. Mel is actually here to adopt one of our friends,” Jordan explained.

Reese clasped her hands in front of her and smiled.

“That’s terrific news. What are you looking for in a future friend?” Reese asked.

“I’m not completely sure. But I would love it if I could find a dog to take running on the beach with me every morning,” Mel smiled. Her eyes drifted along the group of dogs playing together in the room.

“Reese can probably give you some insights. She volunteers in the playroom pretty regularly,” Jordan suggested.

Reese’s smile grew wider. Mel watched as Reese scanned the room of dogs. In an instant Reese’s arm was around Mel’s shoulder leading her around the room.

“These two over here are named Toby and Kyle. They both love to swim and play ball,” Reese began.

“Kyle?” Mel asked.

“He came with the name,” Jordan offered with a laugh.

“The big dog with the bone is Jazz,” Reese smiled. Mel took in the sight of a huge dog chewing a bone, his jowls hung loose and his head was bigger than Mel’s.

“Okay, I probably need to bring home someone smaller than that. I don’t think Jazz would fit in my townhome,” Mel chuckled.

“That’s fair,” Reese laughed. Mel watched as Reese looked over the remaining dogs.

“We have Jade. She’s over there,” Reese pointed to a furry dog in the corner.

Mel looked over and saw a large dog with thick black fur.” Mel considered internally whether she’d want to clean up all that hair when Jade started to shed. Or the amount of time grooming would likely take.

“I don’t have a lot of time for grooming,” Mel offered.

“Hmm, someone with shorter hair then,” Reese nodded her head in understanding.

“I think I have the perfect dog for you,” Reese said excitedly. Mel watched as Reese’s eyes grew wide and her smile broadened. Reese grabbed Melanie by the arm and pulled her outside.

In a patch of grass laying in the sun was a brown dog. At first he seemed rather oblivious to their arrival. Mel looked at him laying there soaking up the moment. His fur was short and he had the squishy face of a bully-type of breed.

“This is Mase. He’s a fun-loving, goofy boy. I have no doubt he would be able to keep up with you. So he’d be perfect for runs on the beach. And he’s short hair so minimum time needed for grooming. What do you think?” Reese asked.

“I think I’d love to meet him,” Mel chuckled.

Reese called out and Mase turned his head. Mase’s expression was almost serene as he met Mel’s eyes. The dog stood and stretched before making his way over to them. Mel sat on her knees and waited for the dog to approach her. When Mase came up his butt was wiggling along with his tail. Mase gave Mel’s hand a lick. His eyes were a bright caramel color.

Mel spent a couple of hours playing with Mase. She threw a ball for him, which he excitedly chased. Then she took him for a short walk on the leash. By the end of two hours Mel was completely sold. Mase was going home with her.

“Do we have a verdict?” Jordan asked.

“Yeah. I would like to move forward with adopting this guy,” Mel smiled.

“Oh, my goodness. This is so exciting,” Reese said, clapping her hands together. At Mel’s feet, Mase gave an enthusiastic bark.

“What’s the next step?” Mel asked.

“We’ll make sure he’s up to date on shots and neutered. Then I’ll do one final home assessment. Then you bring him home,” Jordan answered.

Mel sank back to her knees and gave Mase a scratch behind the ears.

“Did you hear that? You’ll be home before you know it,” Mel said to Mase. The dog cocked his head to the side and met her eyes.

Mase seemed as if he was genuinely trying to understand her. The moment was broken a second later as Mase bounded off to play with a group of dogs with a tug toy.

“You guys seem like a great match,” Jordan suggested.

“Yeah. I feel like we’re meant for each other,” Mel laughed.

“Great. I’ll process the paperwork and let you know the timeframe you can expect,” Jordan said.

Jordan gave Reese a simple kiss on the lips, then directed Mel back towards the door. Mel followed Jordan. She was surprised by how quiet the hallway was. Jordan stopped beside the front desk and offered Mel one final hug.

“Thanks again for choosing one of our guys to give a forever home to,” Jordan beamed a smile.

“Of course, I’m so excited that I’m finally all set up and ready,” Mel laughed.

Mel spent the rest of the day gathering supplies for Mase. The Florida rain beat down on her car as she drove home.

As she pulled into her section of the community, she saw a woman walking on the sidewalk. Mel’s eyes were immediately drawn to the woman. She wore a red dress with white polka dots. Her movements were graceful even in the rain. She had a wave of red hair that hung past her shoulders. A pastel pink umbrella kept her perfectly dry. At her feet a cute beagle kept pace with her. Mel was struck by the sight of the happy little dog.

Mel pulled into her driveway just as the woman was walking past. She grabbed her bags of dog items and exited her car.

“Sushi, stop!” The call startled Mel.

She turned in time to watch the beagle pulling the woman, leash and all, in her direction. Mel stood frozen holding her bags. Sushi had her wrapped up in her leash before Mel could move out of the way. The woman tried to step in between Mel and the dog, the move only served to ensure her own foot was also wrapped in the leash.

“Don’t move,” the woman directed.

“I can get us untangled,” Mel argued.

Mel tried to pull a foot free and lost her balance. Mel realized too late that she was falling, she angled herself to fall on the soft, muddy ground instead of the hard concrete driveway. She and the woman hit the ground with a thud, mud splashed them both. Mel glanced down and saw that one of her hands was firmly planted against the woman’s left breast. Mel’s face warmed, she was sure she was blushing bright red. She quickly yanked her hand away.

Mel sat up and untangled the leash from around her feet. Sushi looked up at her penitently. Mel stood up and wiped mud from her hands. She bent down and offered the woman her hand. Only to have the woman refuse to take it. The woman stood up and looked down at her dress. Her mouth pulled into a tight, thin line.

“I’m Mel.”

“Willow,” the woman answered, still looking stern.

“I’m sorry about your dress,” Mel offered.

“I told you not to move,” Willow accused. Mel drew back unsure what to do with the woman’s anger.

“Hey, I was just getting out of my car, minding my own business,” Mel objected.

An expression that resembled regret flashed across Willow’s face for half a second. But the look was gone almost instantly. Willow gave a loud frustrated sigh.

“Sushi, come on,” Willow directed. Sushi followed, his head hung low as if he knew that he had misbehaved.

“Nice to meet you,” Mel yelled sarcastically. She looked down at the ground where her dog supplies were now strewn. Mel gave a defeated groan as she bent down to pick up her supplies. She was more than a little annoyed that the woman hadn’t at least offered to help. She supposed for some people beauty really did only run skin deep.