Page 3 of No Good Deed

She blinked up at him. “Frenchy?”

He nodded. “He appears to be a French bulldog.”

She smiled. “I’ve never heard of those. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about dogs. But I don’t want him to die.”

The dog’s big ears twitched and the tongue shot out to lick his lips. Smiling, Troy moved to the back of the store. He grabbed two dog bowls and a bag of food for small breeds. He returned them to the counter where the woman stood. He poured a small amount of food into one bowl. “I know you’re not supposed to let animals overeat if they’ve been starving. I’m going to grab some water. Why don’t you see if he shows any interest in the food?”

He filled up the other bowl from the bathroom sink and brought it back to the front of the store. The woman sat on the floor beside the counter. The dog, still partially wrapped in her sweatshirt, stood with his face in the bowl.

“Looks like he was hungry. Once his belly’s full, he’ll feel better.” Troy placed the water bowl next to the food.

The woman smiled up at him with those huge chestnut eyes and her smile almost knocked him on his ass. His blood raced through his veins and his heart thumped. He’d never had such a powerful reaction to a woman.

What was it about this one that made him feel like a teenager again, with a crush on the cute girl in History class?

Whatever it was, he was going to have to ignore it. He’d hired her to help his town. And that came first.

CHAPTER 2

No Fail

Piper’s heart rate slowed as Oreo gobbled the food. Then he moved to the water bowl and slurped that up as well. When both bowls were empty, he turned to stare at her with hopeful eyes. “Sorry, Oreo. That’s all for now. We don’t want you to get an upset tummy. You can have more later.”

He turned those pleading eyes to the man, and so did Piper. She’d been in too much of a panic to notice him before. And that was almost impossible to believe. Dark blond hair and scruff with a hint of red. Deep blue eyes that shifted from the dog to her. Sexy eyes that sparkled with humor.

“Hi.”

She smiled back, face flushing. “Hi.”

Oreo turned in a circle on her sweatshirt then plunked his little body down and instantly fell asleep. She ran her hand over him to make sure he was sleeping and not unconscious. Or worse.

When she turned back to the man, his gaze moved from her hand to her eyes. The heat there had her heart thumping all over again.

Wow. This man could sell pretty much anything on TV. It wouldn’t matter if you already owned whatever he was selling. You’d buy three more anyway.

He tilted his head as he studied her. “Are you okay?”

Piper drew in a deep breath and assessed. “I’m fine. Thanks. Seeing Oreo climbing the ditch and collapsing made me frantic.”

He grinned and then stood and held out his hand to help her up.

She was sitting on the floor of Phail General. Great first impression. Maybe this wasn’t the man she was supposed to meet. She accepted his help but was surprised when he squeezed her hand and released it. She managed not to sigh at the loss of his touch. Man, she was a mess.

“I’m Troy Phail, owner of Phail General.”

Well, there went that hope. “I’m Piper Keenan. It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for your help with the dog. I don’t know much about dogs and I wasn’t sure if he was okay.” She checked the floor, but Oreo looked comfortable, and his little body rose with his easy breaths.

“He looks fine, but we can get the vet to check him out. He was lucky you came along when you did.”

“His family’s probably looking for him. He didn’t have a collar, but I hope he has a chip. Poor little guy. I can pay you for the food and the bowls.”

Troy waved that away. “It’s fine. Nothing to worry about. Did you have any trouble finding the town?”

She laughed. “No, but that’s thanks to GPS. Living in Chicago, I haven’t driven much, and the snow was a bit scary, but once I saw little Oreo here, I forgot to worry about driving. I just worried about him.”

And now the dog was warm and snoring comfortably with a full belly. Piper waved her hands. “Anyway, sorry about bursting in like that. I was in a bit of a panic.”

Troy’s smile was instant and easy. “No problem. I’m glad you made it and happy you stopped to help your little friend. Have you been to the B&B?”

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