Papers gusted out, the wind catching them and sending them in all directions. The crowd scattered, everyone trying to rescue the paperwork.
“I’m so sorry!”
I looked past the scattered paperwork, past the volunteers, to the dog owner who came to a stop, breath wheezing in and out as if he’d just run a race—but then, he probably had.
Jamie looked so mortified my heart twinged.
“I was the one who decided to bring paperwork to a dog park,” I said ruefully.
Jamie shook his head, sucked in a breath, and called out, “Tramp, get back here!”
The naughty Lab actually paused mid-flight, cast Jamie a guilty look, then hid behind a tree.
“He’s gonna be the death of me,” Jamie muttered, then cast me a guilty look very similar to his dog’s. “This wasn’t planned, I swear. I didn’t mean to ruin your meeting.”
Before I could respond to that, he’d taken off after his dog, a demure Lady following in his footsteps.
My volunteers returned one by one, clutching handfuls ofpaper, but it was clear they hadn’t caught it all. I’d have to make a round of the park to gather up the lost forms.
“Well, that was just a taste of the chaos of a dog festival,” I joked as they returned.
Kelly chuckled. “Is Jamie setting up a vendor booth at Dogtober Days?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I think it’s coincidence his path crossed with ours.”
“Oh, you should ask him!” Clark Rhodes called. The history teacher was holding a dustmop of a little black dog. “He makes the best dog treats. He gives them out at the park sometimes.”
I remembered, with a pang, our text conversation the night he’d mentioned baking treats for his dogs. I’d thought he just spoiled his pups rotten; I didn’t realize he did it for others. Then again, I hadn’t even realized Jamie was ahe,so it was no great surprise I’d missed a few other things as well.
“Unfortunately, he failed obedience training,” Kelly added. “He lets that dog run all over him. Labs have so much energy. You have to either tire them out or really take the lead as an alpha they’ll respect.”
I could see why Jamie might have trouble with that. He was too darn sweet to discipline Tramp. But then I was no better with Bruno.
I cast my gaze around the park, realizing I hadn’t seen where my little trouble-maker ran off to.
I handed out the forms we’d managed to round up and thanked my volunteers, then grabbed up my box and went to find Bruno.
Along the way, I collected stray papers caught in the brambles of bushes, plastered against the trunk of a tree, or continuing to float along the ground, carried by the wind.
I found Bruno snoozing under a tree—right next to Lady.Jamie was a few feet away, scolding Tramp in a crooning voice that made the ornery guy wag his tail. No wondered he’d failed obedience training.
“You will clean up your mess, Mister,” he told him. “And you’ll apologize to Hank, won’t you?”
“No apology necessary,” I said as I walked up behind him.
Jamie jumped and whirled toward me. Tramp—who was now on a leash—ran around him at the sound of my voice. He wound the leash around Jamie’s legs twice, causing him to fall?—
Right into my arms.
CHAPTER 10
Jamie
Just as Hank’sdeep voice made my heart go haywire, Tramp tripped me up with the leash. I crashed forward, right into his chest.
His very broad, strong, muscly chest.
Ah, god. Can I never catch a break?
