Chapter 3
CAMI
Islipped into the coffee bar side of the Thirsty Horse and took a spot at the back of the five-person line.
When an elderly lady walking past smiled at me, I realized I was already grinning—at her, at the man in front of me, at the world.
The volunteer from the dog rescue had restored my faith in humanity.
Yes, he was attractive. Those shoulders.
Those arms. Those kind eyes and that killer smile.
But more than that, I was drawn to the way he handled himself, his ability to take charge, keep his cool, and get the job done.
Competence was my aphrodisiac and my new hero was the pure embodiment of it. This guy might be the whole package.
And I didn’t even know his name.
How stupid had I been, insisting we follow the organization’s anonymity protocol when he’d been willing to bend the rules?
If that meant he’d felt the same pull between us I had, what would have been the harm in exchanging names?
I hadn’t been particularly lucky in love, and my last boyfriend had put me off dating for the past half year.
But maybe my luck was changing. By the time I made it to the front of the line to place my coffee order, I’d made up my mind to exchange names with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Loves Dogs at our 5:15 meeting.
“I’ll have a large iced mocha, extra whipped cream,” I told the barista. Lots of fat and sugar, unlike my normal non-fat, no-whip, no-sugar-added latte. I was indulging in my special-occasion drink because today there was much to celebrate.
My phone, still in silent mode, buzzed against my hip.
I stepped away from the counter and pulled it out of my pocket, expecting to see the clinic number.
My shift started in ten minutes, but Darla was used to me arriving fifteen minutes early.
But it wasn’t her. It was an unknown number.
I debated about whether to ignore it, but my texts with my new hero had come from an unknown number as well, so I couldn’t take the chance. I hit the green answer button.
“Hello?”
“Hi. It’s... We were supposed to meet half an hour ago. Sorry, but there was an accident on the highway and I’m stuck in the back-up.”
I smiled despite myself, happy to hear his voice again, even if it did sound different on the phone. “Everything’s okay, though? You and our new friend are both all right?”
“New friend? I’m confused. Is this the woman I was supposed to meet earlier in Bluewater Bay?”
“Yes, and we...” A hard ball settled in the center of my gut. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
“I apologize for not making it. I’m sure you aborted. But we’re not giving up. You let us know the next time you see...anything, and we’ll be on the lookout from our end as well.”
“Okay,” I said, because my mind was spinning uselessly, hearing his words but struggling to process their meaning.
“We’ll be in touch,” he said.
“Yes, of course.” No. No, no, no, no, no!
The line went dead. The real rescue volunteer had disconnected.
I ran to the front door of the coffee shop and looked out at the street. The black pick-up truck was gone. And the imposter, the man with the great shoulders and killer smile, had swiped the stolen dog right out from under me.