went.”
“You’re not married.”
“So we’re going to talk about me today?” She shifted and crossed her ankles again. “No. I am not married.”
“Gay?”
If he’d hoped for a reaction, he would be disappointed. “Unmarried. I like to read thrillers,” she mused smoothly. “Political intrigue. An occasional love story.”
“I think I was married,” he said abruptly. “Once.”
Ah. She wanted to cheer but contained it to an encouraging smile and set aside the notepad. “I’d like to hear about that, Jason.”
* * *
She was walking the dog.
More accurately, the dog was walking Hayley, practically dragging her along by the long leash she held as they crossed the street and entered the big community park.
For the past two days, ever since he’d unintentionally run into her at Shop-World, Seth had been telling himself that staying away from Dr. Hayley Templeton was the smart thing to do.
But what was a man to do when the universe put her in his orbit?
His rhythmic pace didn’t falter at the sight of her. Which meant it took only minutes for their paths to cross near the pavilion. Just when she was depositing a plastic bag into the trash with quite an expression on her face.
“Looks like you’re on doody duty,” he greeted as he slowed to a walk. The park was a hive of activity even on an early Monday evening. There was even a group of little girls dressed in tutus twirling around under the pavilion to the clapping of their dance instructor. “Fun times.”
Hayley dropped the trash bin lid back into place and eyed him as if he’d materialized out of nowhere. “What are you doing here?”
“Same thing I do most every day after work. Five miles.” Then there was the shooting range, followed by the dinky gym at his apartment building. He absently pulled the front of his sweaty T-shirt up to swipe his face with it, only realizing what he was doing when her gaze followed the movement.
She looked fresh-faced and feminine and he was an uncouth, sweating beast.
He let go of the fabric and went down on one knee to scrub his fingers over the dog’s yellow coat. “Isn’t this Casey’s pup? The one that keeps eating his shoes?”
“Moose,” Hayley provided. “And not just shoes.” She’d pulled a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer from the back pocket of the blue jeans that accentuated her long legs and squirted some onto her hands.
He couldn’t keep from chuckling over the sight. She’d probably want to shower in the stuff if he pulled her close the way every cell in his body urged.
“
What
?” She pocketed the bottle again. “I’m not big on doody duty, as you call it.” She folded her arms over the front of the long-sleeved thermal shirt that clung to her slender torso. Moose’s enthusiastic bouncing around tugged the end of the leash clasped in her fingers, which in turn made her arms bounce around, too.
And every time her arms bounced, her breasts plumped distractingly beneath the close-fitting top.
“At least he hasn’t tried eating any of my shoes,” she continued. “Not that I’ve given him a chance. I keep them in the closed guestroom closet. Which doesn’t stop him from chewing instead on the edge of the closet door and most anything else he can get his teeth around. I’m staying at their place while they’re on their honeymoon,” she added. “I thought I’d try tiring him out some with a long walk, to see if he’d sleep more and chew less tonight.” Her gaze shied away from Seth’s and she moistened her lips. “I was, um, going to stop at Colbys and grab a sandwich for supper after I walked Moose. I still owe you dinner for that shirt. If...if you’re interested.”
Looking up at her provided him with a new perspective. She had a tiny birthmark underneath her slightly pointed chin that he’d never noticed before.
He gave the slobbering pup a final pat and stood up. Between the bouncing arms and that cute little mole he wanted to kiss in the worst way,
“You’re not married.”
“So we’re going to talk about me today?” She shifted and crossed her ankles again. “No. I am not married.”
“Gay?”
If he’d hoped for a reaction, he would be disappointed. “Unmarried. I like to read thrillers,” she mused smoothly. “Political intrigue. An occasional love story.”
“I think I was married,” he said abruptly. “Once.”
Ah. She wanted to cheer but contained it to an encouraging smile and set aside the notepad. “I’d like to hear about that, Jason.”
* * *
She was walking the dog.
More accurately, the dog was walking Hayley, practically dragging her along by the long leash she held as they crossed the street and entered the big community park.
For the past two days, ever since he’d unintentionally run into her at Shop-World, Seth had been telling himself that staying away from Dr. Hayley Templeton was the smart thing to do.
But what was a man to do when the universe put her in his orbit?
His rhythmic pace didn’t falter at the sight of her. Which meant it took only minutes for their paths to cross near the pavilion. Just when she was depositing a plastic bag into the trash with quite an expression on her face.
“Looks like you’re on doody duty,” he greeted as he slowed to a walk. The park was a hive of activity even on an early Monday evening. There was even a group of little girls dressed in tutus twirling around under the pavilion to the clapping of their dance instructor. “Fun times.”
Hayley dropped the trash bin lid back into place and eyed him as if he’d materialized out of nowhere. “What are you doing here?”
“Same thing I do most every day after work. Five miles.” Then there was the shooting range, followed by the dinky gym at his apartment building. He absently pulled the front of his sweaty T-shirt up to swipe his face with it, only realizing what he was doing when her gaze followed the movement.
She looked fresh-faced and feminine and he was an uncouth, sweating beast.
He let go of the fabric and went down on one knee to scrub his fingers over the dog’s yellow coat. “Isn’t this Casey’s pup? The one that keeps eating his shoes?”
“Moose,” Hayley provided. “And not just shoes.” She’d pulled a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer from the back pocket of the blue jeans that accentuated her long legs and squirted some onto her hands.
He couldn’t keep from chuckling over the sight. She’d probably want to shower in the stuff if he pulled her close the way every cell in his body urged.
“
What
?” She pocketed the bottle again. “I’m not big on doody duty, as you call it.” She folded her arms over the front of the long-sleeved thermal shirt that clung to her slender torso. Moose’s enthusiastic bouncing around tugged the end of the leash clasped in her fingers, which in turn made her arms bounce around, too.
And every time her arms bounced, her breasts plumped distractingly beneath the close-fitting top.
“At least he hasn’t tried eating any of my shoes,” she continued. “Not that I’ve given him a chance. I keep them in the closed guestroom closet. Which doesn’t stop him from chewing instead on the edge of the closet door and most anything else he can get his teeth around. I’m staying at their place while they’re on their honeymoon,” she added. “I thought I’d try tiring him out some with a long walk, to see if he’d sleep more and chew less tonight.” Her gaze shied away from Seth’s and she moistened her lips. “I was, um, going to stop at Colbys and grab a sandwich for supper after I walked Moose. I still owe you dinner for that shirt. If...if you’re interested.”
Looking up at her provided him with a new perspective. She had a tiny birthmark underneath her slightly pointed chin that he’d never noticed before.
He gave the slobbering pup a final pat and stood up. Between the bouncing arms and that cute little mole he wanted to kiss in the worst way,
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