Thank God—subject change. The thought of incorporating a dog into my life suddenly seemed easy, at least compared to this conversation. “Yeah. I am.” I motioned back to where I left the clipboard on the plastic chairs. “I just finished filling out the paperwork.”
His smile looked more natural this time. “Great. Since I have a little time, I’d be happy to be the one to introduce you to the dogs we have right now. You okay with that?”
I doubted how much I’d be able to focus on the dogs with him by my side, but it wasn’t like I really cared about what kind of dog I got anyway.
WITHIN MINUTESNoah had read through my answers to the form questions and led me into a long, brightly lit hallway. Despite the cheerful green paint and how clean everything was, I felt like we were getting ready to walk down the corridors of a jail. Cinderblock walls. Endless rows of cells, each containing one or two dogs. The only things missing were the bars on the doors. In their place, each entrance was a thick slab of glass.
“So what kind of dog are you looking for?” Noah paused after the door shut, blocking us off from lobby.
I shrugged. “Don’t know, really. My seven-year-old niece is dying for a dog, but she isn’t allowed to have one, so I told her I’d get one.”
Any residual flirtation vanished as he turned a serious gaze in my direction. “Do you even want a dog?”
Another shrug. “Hadn’t thought about it much, but it could be fun.”
I suddenly wished that girl had given me the tour instead of Noah. I could have lied to her. To him? Not so much.
“Randall, a dog is a big investment. You’re going to be his or her whole world. And if you decide you can’t handle it in a month or so, that will really mess with the dog’s life.”
“I won’t get rid of it. I promise. I’ll be good to the dog, and I know Bailey will absolutely love it.”
His eyes remained narrowed. “Promise me that you’ll call me if you have a problem or need to bring the dog back. Don’t take it somewhere else.”
Promise to call him if I had problems? Call Noah Carroll. Yeah. I had no issue with that. Hell, sign me up for ten dogs—that would guarantee a problem and a phone call. “Sure. I promise.”
“I think your paperwork said you live in an apartment. So we need a dog comfortable with that and one that’s good with kids. Anything else?”
I shook my head, and Noah started to move down the hallway. This time I did reach out and grasp his arm. “I almost forgot.” I pulled out my cell and opened up the photos, then held it out toward him. “These are the supplies I got for the dog. Can we get one that will match these?”
Noah’s gaze slowly lifted from the phone to my face. “You want your dog to match its doggy bed and food bowl?”
I could literally see whatever attraction he’d felt and the power of our shared memories drift away. “Um, not match. Fit. A dog that will fit into this size doggy bed.”
He studied me for several seconds. I felt my cheeks flush, but not from arousal.
“Are you sure you want to do this? Maybe a hamster or something would be better. I’m sure your niece would love that too.” He sounded like he was talking to a five-year-old.
No way I was going to admit I’d thought about getting a hamster as well. “No, I’ll do good with a dog. I promise. I’ll give it a safe home and love it.”
Noah stared at me for so long I thought he was going to ask me to leave. At last he let out a long sigh. “Fine. I have to tell you, if it was anyone else, I wouldn’t let one of my dogs leave with them. But it’s you, so—promise me you’ll call me if there’s any problems.”
But it’s you….
How could I not read into that?
“Yeah, I promise. I swear on a stack of fucking Bibles—” My words fell away, and I stared up at him, horrified. I couldn’t fuck this up any more if I tried. Noah had always been religious. As devout as his missionary parents. “Ah, sorry. I mean—”
He waved me off. “Just call if you need anything.” Without another word, he started walking down the hallway, passing cell after cell of hopeful-looking dogs. Some simply sat there, tails wagging, staring up at us with pleading in their eyes. A couple jumped up and down, leaving paw prints on the glass as they barked frantically.
I motioned to a cute white dog with brown markings on its face and legs. It was hopping and twirling in its excitement at seeing us. “How about this little guy? He looks like Eddie onFrasier. He’s adorable.”
Noah walked back to join me where I was petting the glass with my finger, the dog slathering the other side with its tongue wherever my finger touched.
“Ah, Jackson. He’s cute for sure. And very sweet. He’s a Jack Russell terrier. And you’d be bringing him back within a week. Crazy energy. Not for you.”
I glanced up at him from where I was kneeling. Despite my attraction to him, I couldn’t suppress a flash of irritation. “What do you mean he’s not for me? We haven’t seen each other since we were thirteen. You can’t base my dog choice on who I was then. I have actually matured over the years.”
A smile played at the corner of his lips. “You asked me to pick a dog that would match accessories.”
