Blurb:
Mallory Morris loves autumn filled with crisp, cool evenings, bonfires, football, and visits to the dog park with her canine posse. But a rash of home burglaries casts a pall over her hometown. Then, she meets a scruffy stranger at the dog park who clearly doesn’t know anything about dogs.
Garrett Alexander has agreed to help his old friend solve a puzzling burglary case. Now, he' s playing temporary dad to a borrowed canine, and a beautiful but distracting veterinarian suspects he's the burglar!
When Garrett and Mallory are thrown together, they resolve to keep things professional, but that changes quickly when they put their heads together— figuratively and then literally. They both yearn for love, but a series of misunderstandings threatens to put an end to their dreams.
How will they reach their happily-ever-after?
Extract:
Mallory set off down the asphalt path and waved to the other dog moms and dads. She recognized everyone except a tall, fit man with longish, dirty-blond hair. He wore jeans, a T-shirt advertising a Phoenix sports team, and earbuds. Which dog belonged to him?
Soon, she had her answer when she saw Daisy running with a golden-brown rottweiler chow mix. They brought a smile to Mallory’s face.
She continued to watch the man. He had to be the owner of the sedan. Why would someone from Washington, DC be in Autumn Springs? Mallory’s mind raced, and she suppressed a gasp. That had to be it. The FBI had sent in someone to solve the wave of home burglaries in Carlisle County.
Well, the man looked more like a dishwasher at a restaurant than an FBI operative. But that was good. After all, the point of being an undercover agent was not to look like one. He walked at a brisk pace and stared straight ahead. Every few steps, there was a hitch in his stride. He didn’t seem particularly interested in his dog.
Oh, boy, here came Jolly. The little border collie mix adored any living being, canine or human. Everyone at the dog park loved it when Jolly came looking for pets. She ran next to the man and jumped. Keeping his gaze straight ahead, he reached down with one hand and batted her away.
What in the world? Everyone at the dog park welcomed all the dogs. Mallory watched him do it again, and then a third time, accompanied by a scowl at Jolly, who was unfazed.
Time for the Dog Mom gloves to come off. Mallory marched across the grass. “Hey,” she shouted. Jolly ran toward her, tongue lolling out. “You’re fine, baby. Such a good girl.” Mallory ruffled Jolly’s short fur, and the dog took off after Margo Reyes’ beagle.
Mallory approached the man from behind. “Hey. Hello?” She tapped on his elbow.
He slowed to a stop and turned. A sapphire blue gaze speared her like a laser and stole Mallory’s breath. Whoa, he was attractive. A little scruffy, but off-the-charts gorgeous. A deep frown overtook his face as he pulled one earbud out. “Yeah?”
“Hi. I just, um, well, I wondered why you were so unfriendly to my dog.”
The frown deepened. “Unfriendly?”
“Well, yes. How would you feel if I slapped your dog away?”
Confusion painted his features. “I guess I wouldn’t feel anything. It’s a dog.”
Mallory gasped. “It’s a dog? That’s all you have to say? Dogs are people, too.”
The man burst out laughing, which revealed white teeth and boosted his handsomeness into the stratosphere. “Dogs are people? Lady, you’re a little—” he pointed his index finger at his head, rotated it, then reinserted his earbud, and left.
“Why do you come to a dog park if you don’t like dogs?” Mallory shouted at his broad back. Handsome or not, any man who didn’t love dogs scored a zero in Mallory’s book. Even less than zero.
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