Chapter One
The stupid squirrel was to blame.
Or maybe it was her own fault. She should have been paying attention while walking Bobo. Instead, Annalee was distracted, thinking about the evening ahead and how much she wasn’t looking forward to it.
She was totally unprepared when the squirrel skittered across Bobo’s path. The dog, who was half German Shepherd, half Tyrannosaurus Rex, tore after the bushy-tailed bandit and hauled her across the park.
“No, Bobo. Stop!” Her cross trainers slipped on the fallen October leaves as she tugged at the hound’s leash. But the big dog would not be reined in. The squirrel scrambled up a tree, and Bobo had every intention of following.
Only one thing to do. Sit down before she fell down. Annalee grabbed the leash with both hands, dropped to the ground on her butt, and dug in her heels to brake herself. Her shoes gouged up grass and dirt, leaving tracks. The seat of her jeans grew soggy as she skidded over the damp leaves. It didn’t slow Bobo down any, but at least she avoided a head-on collision with the huge maple.
Whining and barking, Bobo stood on hind legs at the tree’s base, his claws scrabbling at its trunk.
Annalee sighed. “No, goofus. Dogs don’t climb trees.”
Bobo whined again, then dropped to all fours. He glanced at her, and his befuddled expression asked, How’d you get there? Then he shook himself and ambled over to give her a lick.
She laughed and pushed him aside. “Nice try, but you’ll need more than that to get on my good side.” She’d just gotten to her knees when Bobo nudged her. Down she went again on her keister.
“Uff.” She groaned, grateful no one was around, especially no one from her fifth grade class. She could imagine one of her students seeing it all and hollering, “Hey, Ms. Mondello! That was cool!”
She groaned again when someone appeared at her side and spoke. “Are you all right?”
Terrific. The only saving grace to this catastrophe had been the hope there were no witnesses to her humiliation. Even that small mercy wasn’t granted her.
“Fine, thanks.” From her vantage point, she saw only jean-clad legs and a large pair of men’s athletic shoes. She struggled to her knees while wrestling with Bobo’s leash and avoided looking at the man, hoping he’d leave her to her embarrassment.
It was not to be. A strong hand gripped her under the arm and helped lift her to her feet. The Good Samaritan spoke. “Sure you’re okay, Annalee?”
Surprise smacked her. He knew her? She looked at him for the first time and blinked. “Eric?”
Eric Sanderson’s lips quirked into the smile she remembered so well, and Annalee swallowed hard to quell the fluttery sensation in her middle. Had the fall rattled her brains? Why was she finding it so hard to speak? “Uh…how are you?”
“Fine. The question is how are you, Anna Banana?”
The silly nickname caused the flutters to expand into her chest. “Pretty well. No broken bones.”
How long since she’d last seen him? Had he always been this handsome? A firm jaw, straight nose, and heavy brows the same color as his dark blond hair. He’d been a cute guy in high school, but now he was a stunner.
She was mooning like a schoolgirl. Get a grip. This was her best friend’s kid brother.
She tried to explain how she ended up on her backside. “It was a squirrel.” She nodded to the dog. “He went crazy.”
Eric patted Bobo’s head as the big dog sniffed him. “Is this guy yours?”
“No. He belongs to my neighbors, the Weissmans, but they’re on a cruise.”
“So you’re babysitting Sasquatch?”
“Something like that.” The glow of seeing Eric faded as she suddenly became aware of her muddy shoes, soggy rear end, and tangled mane. He plucked something from her hair and held it up to show her. A smallred leaf.
He tossed it aside. “The last time we were this close, I was pulling leaves out of my hair.” The low rumble of his voice sent a shiver
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