Read Home Is Where the Bark Is for Free Online Page A

“I haven’t been in San Francisco long.”
    Her dark brows lifted. “And you haven’t had Bessie for long, either, am I right?”
    Whoa! He was the one who should be asking the questions around here.
    “Long enough to want to make sure she’s looked after properly,” he said.
    Serena’s chin tilted upward. “She won’t get better care anywhere else in the Bay Area. My clients are my best advertisement.”
    “I can see that.”
    He didn’t have to fake his answer. Except for the huge black dog that still lay quietly by itself, the dogs looked healthy and happy. If dogs could feel the actual emotion of happiness, that was.
    “You can go to work without worrying about Bessie,” Serena said in her brisk, professional tone. “And if you still have doubts, there’s the doggy day cam.”
    She pointed to the wall-mounted camera lens that swung around the room in a slow arc. “I’ll give you the password and you can log in to our website and check on Bessie at any time.”
    As if.
    He could imagine what his tough, former special agent partner would think of him goofing off to check in on his pooch’s playtime.
    Hold on, Whalen.
    A camera.
    The place was under surveillance. Somehow he had to gain access to that footage.
    “That’s a great idea,” he said. “Make sure you get Bessie to wave to me when she’s on camera.”
    “Of course,” said Serena. “I pay Kylie extra just to waggle paws at the lens. All part of the service.”
    Was she serious? In an establishment that dyed dog fur bright pink and painted claws to match and where furballs had Facebook pages, he couldn’t be certain.
    “Uh, sure,” was all he was able to choke out in response.
    “That’s settled, then,” she said, making to turn on her heel. “Rest assured, Bessie couldn’t be in better hands.”
    He was being dismissed as surely as she might command a puppy to “drop it.”
    “No tour of the facilities?”
    She twisted back to face him. “There’s not much more to see.”
    “I need to see it all.”
    Dammit. He’d let his voice slip from doggy-daddy mode to interrogation mode.
    She frowned. “There’s really only the television room and the yard . . . I’m guessing you don’t want to inspect the potty area.”
    “Uh. Maybe not. But the treatment rooms sound . . . Well, they sound fascinating.”
    She checked her watch. “It’s time to get the dogs ready for their mid-morning walk. Can it wait until you come back for Bessie this evening?”
    Nick swallowed an impatient retort. “Sure,” he said.
    He had to gain access to that footage. And any other information that might be of use to his investigation. Legally if she showed him; otherwise if she didn’t.
    Serena Oakley was hiding something. He intended to uncover her secret. He wouldn’t let any inconvenient, unplanned-for attraction to her stand in his way.
     
     
    He ’ll be back tonight. Serena gave a little shiver of excitement that she disguised by tugging down the edges of her shirt.
    Truth was, she had plenty of time to sort the dogs for their walk. She could easily finish Nick Whalen’s tour right now. In fact, she was proud of the state-of-the-art dog-potty facility. Would be happy to show it off.
    But she needed an excuse to spend more time with the hunky Yorki-poo owner when he returned to collect Bessie in the evening. She wanted to give him a detailed report of his little dog’s first day. Chat to him about Bessie’s likes and dislikes; discuss treatment options. Ask him to retie that amber-colored ribbon just to prove he could do it.
    Liar.
    It wasn’t about any of that stuff—except maybe the ribbon. It was about that buzz of awareness she’d thought she’d never feel again. The heady rush of hormones.
    She found this guy so attractive.
    Not that she planned on doing anything more than admiring him from a distance. Not with a client. Not with a guy whose inscrutable pale eyes didn’t show even a hint of any returned interest. Not when her