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“Mine’s the instigator with the red bandana around her neck. Her name’s Boci. She’s a Puggle. Part Pug, part Beagle. I got her from a rescue about six months ago.” His dog squealed to a stop almost stumbling over herself. Par bent and scratched behind her ears.
    “She’s adorable.”
    “Yeah, she’s my girl… for right now anyway.” He shot her a sexy look and then a grin.
    Her stomach did a little flip. The chemistry snapped between them, but Tennyson quickly tamped it down. The three dogs ran off in the other direction.
    He stood, straightened his back and frowned. “The other dog who’s running with ours, I wonder where his owner is? I only saw two cars out in the lot.”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. If they left, I’m sure they will be back soon.” She grabbed the leash and headed toward the main gate. “It was nice meeting you, Par.”
    “Likewise.”
    She felt his gaze on her back as she walked away. She started to put a little swing in her hips, but stopped. She gave herself a mental tap. She reminded herself, no men. But he was awfully cute. James was blond. She’d never been attracted to anyone with dark skin and black hair, but with Par she could make an exception. But again… he didn’t have ears or four legs… so definitely no, it didn’t matter how cute he was.
    She whistled with two fingers, waited for Mobley and then took him out to the parking lot. Tennyson looked over the field and caught one last look at Par as he played with the two remaining dogs. He threw a tennis ball and they both ran after it. He laughed. He’d put on his sweatshirt… too bad .
    When she and Mobley got in the car, she looked at the clock on the dashboard. 9:45. She was off tomorrow morning at this same time, and Mobley seemed to get along with Boci and the other dog. Mobley liked to have a playmate. She’d finished all of her holiday shopping , so she had a little extra time. She might have to try and make it back here… for Mobley’s sake.
    Chapter Two

    Par looked at the clock that sat on the corner of his desk and then at the stack of files. He’d come in at five to get a jump on the day, but no matter how early he arrived, it didn’t seem to matter. The more he worked in his father’s corporate land trust company the more he hated going to work. This was his father’s company not his.
    His father told him that if he worked alongside his brother, he promised that Par would be placed in charge of the company’s foundation. But it had been three years and it still hadn’t happened. He loved his parents, and owed them much. But since his family moved here from India when he was a child, all his father did was work. Status climbing was the last thing he cared about. He cared much more about mountain climbing.
    He pushed away from the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. He was smart and his college education trained him for this profession, but he couldn’t keep his head in the game. He finished his protein drink, stood and walked to the executive restrooms where he quickly changed into his jogging outfit. If he timed it well, he could be out the door before the front desk people arrived and not be swamped with more work.
    Par knew he deserved breaks like everyone else, though his father disagreed about taking any time off.
    He took the back four stories of stairs, and headed out into the alley. He’d take an extra minute to swing by his house and pick up Boci. As he hit his stride, he wondered if the cute girl he’d seen the other day might be there again.
    That just might make the morning doable.

    As he jogged into the parking lot, he noticed the girl’s red car took up two slots. He smiled. She’s cute, but she can’t park worth a darn.
    Par grabbed Boci’s leash and opened the gates. He’d take a quick half-loop through the park to make it look as though he’d stumbled upon her again. He clicked his tongue and Boci trotted up alongside him. He broke through the trees. This