He assumed her given the pink collar. The couple she’d been with wasn’t around. Her leash was missing.
Coffee could wait. The pup shouldn’t be out on her own. She could wander into the street or get lost.
Holding onto the handle to cushion the noise, he closed the car door. His old dog, a German shepherd named Jefferson, hadn’t liked loud noises. Car doors slamming spooked him. Ash didn’t want to scare the puppy and send her running. Chasing a dog didn’t appeal to him, but neither did the alternative.
The puppy glanced his way, then returned her attention to her tail.
He came closer, trying to be quiet and move slowly. He kneeled at the edge of the sidewalk, reached into his pocket, and jiggled his keys.
Keeping his fingers cupped, he pulled out his hand. “Hungry, pup?”
The dog scurried forward. The rounded belly and short, uncoordinated legs looked out of proportion to the rest of her.
“Sorry.” He scooped the dog into his arms. A lick on the cheek was his reward. “No treat this time. We need to get you back where you belong.”
Ash walked toward Jenna’s house, his steps lighter than they’d been minutes ago. He would get to see her sooner than he expected. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he had no reason to stay. Until now. He looked at the squirming puppy in his arms. “I have no idea what you’re doing out here, but thank you.”
“Perfect.” Jenna took two steps back, checked the lighting in her studio, then adjusted her camera lens while Kerri and Michael made silly faces and played with the props. “Ready?”
The couple nodded.
Jenna hoped working would push thoughts of Ash from her mind. She forced a smile. “Let’s see those pearly whites.”
Two toothpaste commercial–worthy smiles appeared.
She readied her camera. “Now show me your crazy personalities.”
Michael brought the empty frame closer. He and Kerri stuck their heads through the opening as if they were coming out of the picture.
“That’s great.” Jenna hopped on a chair to look down on the couple and get another angle. “You two are naturals.”
Kerri kissed her fiancé. “That’s because he’s so photogenic.”
“You’re the gorgeous one,” Michael replied.
“Happy couples make for happy photos.” Jenna kept taking pictures. Kerri and Michael weren’t just happy to be together; they were deliriously happy and very much in love. The way Jenna thought she and Ash had been.
She swallowed around the lump in her throat. Water under the bridge and all the way out to the Pacific Ocean by now.
“I want our portrait on your wall like the other couples,” Kerri said.
“One will be there,” Jenna assured. “But I have a feeling choosing what photo to use will be difficult.”
A knock sounded.
She ignored it. “Now I want you—”
The doorbell rang.
Strange. She wasn’t expecting anyone.
Another knock.
Kerri glanced at the doorway. “Sounds like they aren’t going away.”
“I’m sorry.” The only people who stopped by were clients. Well, except for Ash. “Someone must want to pick up their prints. Excuse me for a moment.”
“Take your time.” Grinning, Michael held a top hat prop over his head. “We’ve got plenty to keep us busy.”
Jenna hurried to the entryway and opened the door. Gasped.
Ash stood with Peaches cradled in his arms.
She shuffled back a step. Her skin tingled as if brushed by a feather.
Two little paws wrapped around his right arm as if holding a beloved toy. Adorable. Puppy drool left dots and drips on Ash’s tie. The tender way he stared at the dog brought a sigh to her lips. Appealing and attractive.
“Look who I found in the front yard,” Ash said. “I assumed that wasn’t the place for her.”
His words shook Jenna out of her daze. She motioned him inside. “Peaches must have escaped from the backyard. Thank you for catching her.”
Ash entered the house, then closed the door. “Least I could do.”
His six-foot frame filled the entryway in a way she didn’t remember. He’d always been fit, a runner and cyclist, but his shoulders and chest seemed wider, as if he’d been weightlifting. The scent of his aftershave brought a rush of memories, including when they’d met in a church parking lot. “Ash to the rescue.”
He rubbed Peaches’ head. “Right place, right time.”
That had been what he said about their meeting. Her battery had died while she’d been trying out a young adult group at a church on the other side of town, and he’d offered to help. She hadn’t noticed Ash during the gathering, but she’d been swept off her feet with a pair of jumper cables and his stunning blue eyes.
Ash stopped rubbing the puppy.
Peaches whimpered.
He grinned. “Her owners are going to have their hands full.”
“They already do. She escaped earlier today.” Jenna remembered her clients waiting for her. “I need to get back to Kerri and her fiancé in the studio.”
“I’ll carry the puppy.” Ash hadn’t been inside the studio since she took photographs for his primary run over two years ago.