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“And the girl?”

Rowdy gave her look out of the corner of his eyes. “Still working on it. But things are promising.”

Duncan came out of his office, grinning as well. Rowdy met him with a hand-shake and followed him inside. “So, tell me about the case,” his boss said, and Rowdy did.

Later on that afternoon, Rowdy was delving into his next case when he heard a commotion out front. A dog yipped, high and sharp, and he had a feeling he was being paged. Walking out of the office and down the hallway, he wasn’t surprised to find Mrs. Dodd and an exuberant Cookie. Duncan and Shannon were talking to her, and Annabelle stood quietly behind the group.

As soon as she saw him, Mrs. Dodd came to him and wrapped him in a hug. Cookie managed to get in a few licks on his cheek, but Rowdy took it all with good grace.

“You are my hero,” Mrs. Dodd said, and tears glimmered in her eyes. “If you hadn’t found my Cookie, I don’t know what might have happened. Everything was up in the air until you brought him home. I thank you for that. Truly.”

“You are very welcome, ma’am. And Annabelle helped.”

They all turned to look at Annabelle, who blushed prettily and waved a hand. Her eyes flicked to his. “I didn’t do anything.”

Rowdy knew she was thinking about the kiss, and he grinned. “Oh, you did plenty,” he said, voice deadpan, and her blush deepened. But her polite smile turned into a grin, too, and she flashed him a subtle wink.

“Well,” Mrs. Dodd continued, “I want you to be the guest of honor at my gala this weekend.”

Rowdy winced. “I don’t know, Mrs. Dodd. I’m happy to come to your party, but I don’t need the recognition. I’m an investigator. I need to be a little low-key.”

She seemed a little put out, before she turned to Duncan, a grin splitting her mouth. “Then I’ll recognize the company. That would be okay, wouldn’t it?”

Duncan blinked, before giving her a slow nod. “I think that would be fine, Mrs. Dodd.”

She gave an excited little clap. “Perfect! I’ll have a stack of invitations couriered over by the end of the day.”

Annabelle dropped her head, scribbling a note in her book with a pink pen.

The three of them left soon after that, and Rowdy was disappointed that he and Annabelle didn’t have a moment. But she was driving Mrs. Dodd around town, and they were checking on final details with caterers and decorators.

He would see her in two days.

* * *

The night of the party, Annabelle’s emotions were in a whirl. Everything seemed to be going right, but in the back of her mind she was waiting for something to fall apart. And she was prepared. Or she thought she was.

The rescue center had brought in their ambassadors, all wonderful dogs who had been behind cage doors for way too long. There were a couple of pit mixes, wagging their stocky butts. There was an older dog that looked to be full German Shepherd, ears cocked and eyes watchful. There was also a Dalmatian mix, a small fluffy white dog that could have been Cookie’s brother, and a few chihuahua mixes. They all seemed happy to see people, which would go a long way with their benefactors. Annabelle had no doubt that they would all be adopted by the end of the night.

The caterers were in place and the valet company had come through. There were plenty of young men out there parking cars, and the supervisor was keeping a tight rein on everything. As soon as she’d met the man, she’d been at ease. He knew what he was doing, and he would keep his drivers in line.

Annabelle glanced down at her dress, feeling out of place. She liked color, but she didn’t always go for red. This dress was very red, and sparkly. But it made her happy with its festivity. She’d done her makeup a little bolder than she normally did just to help carry the dress, and she thought she’d done well. She didn’t normally wear contacts, but she made an exception for the night. Emma had helped her with her hair, and she felt pretty. Already, two men had approached her to dance, but she was too busy watching the front door for Rowdy.

When he finally appeared, she thought she’d imagined seeing him. It took her a moment to realize he was standing in the entryway, head cocked as he surveyed her.

Annabelle could feel her cheeks flush as he walked closer. He was staring at her as if he’d never seen a woman in a dress before, and she was so happy she’d taken the time to do herself up right.

When he stopped before her, he lifted a hand to her cheek. “You look stunning, Annabelle.”

Annabelle swallowed, her throat tight and her tummy quivering. “Thank you. You do as well.”

It was a black-tie event, and he wore the tux like it had been poured on him. His shoulders were broad, and his hips narrow, and he’d combed his dark hair back from his forehead. There was a scar on his forehead she was curious about, but she would ask him about that later.

Lifting a hand, she rested it on his freshly shaved jaw.

Annabelle thought she would be happy just seeing him tonight, but she realized she wanted more. Rowdy pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Annabelle was becoming very fond of that particular move, and she wrapped her arms around his tight waist, leaning into his hold.