Page 10 of Seaside Cowboy's Marriage of Convenience

Her scent, something expensive, sophisticated, and mysterious, smelled vaguely like flowers, but he couldn’t figure out which ones. The only thing he was sure about was that it wreaked havoc on his senses. And that a tiny birthmark where her jawline met her neck drove him crazy.

“Hello, Austin. And... and Saylor.” Kennedy shifted from one foot to the other. “I hope it’s not bad timing. No pets were waiting to be seen, and I just wanted to ask you something.”

“For you, it’s always perfect timing.” Heat crept up his neck. Was he too forward? “I’m glad you’re feeling okay. You are feeling okay, right?”

“Right.”

He waved for her to step inside, and so she did. In a short-sleeved, keyhole-cut canary-yellow summer dress with a golden necklace and a wide-brimmed sunny-yellow hat, she could’ve been a ray of sunshine pouring into the building. Into his life, actually.

His heart jumped like Caramel usually did the moment he got home. Then he remembered Kennedy’s allergies. While no dogs were nearby right now, plenty of puppies had been here before. After handling the Pomeranian and Chihuahua, he might even be wearing some fur particles on his clothes. “Is it okay for you to be here?”

She gulped. Then her silver bracelets clattered as she ran her fingers through that glorious honey-blonde hair he ached to touch. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be here.”

Great.Disappointment ripped through him. Had he—again—ruined the last chance God had given him with her? “I didn’t mean... I didn’t mean to run you off.”

Thankfully, she wasn’t sneezing yet. She must’ve taken a lot of allergy medicine.

She studied the floor or maybe her toenails. They were worth a second glance, painted in that adorable ballerina-slipper hue polish. Then she said, “Thank you for the gifts.”

Now or never. “Will you have dinner with me? Please?” he said the words so fast he hoped Kennedy understood him.

Saylor gasped.

Kennedy blinked up at him. Of course, she was going to answer no. According to rumor, every time guys asked her out the last two years, she’d graciously declined. “Yes. I’d love to.”

Did he hear that right? He couldn’t believe this. It sounded too good to be true. Did his dream girl say yes to him asking her out, despite his double fiasco with the wedding and allergies?

“I’m so glad you stopped by.” His chest expanded. “It was a great idea. A fantastic idea. The best idea ever. I’m thrilled. Exhilarated.” If he were a dog, his tail would be wagging so much it would be invisible by now. Okay, he should stop now. “You get, well, the idea.”

Her lips curved up. “I do. Thanks. See you soon, say around seven? And is Bay and Basin okay? It’s just a casual date. I mean, a casualmeeting.”

“Totally okay. More than okay. Amazing. I can’t wait.” He meant it. At least, he didn’t jump up and down like a puppy.

She left.

He closed the door and turned around to Saylor. “What just happened? Did Kennedy Crawford agree to go out with me? Or did I imagine it all?”

Saylor sighed. “I got the answer to my question. You are both oblivious to female attention,andyou have someone occupying your heart.” Her features clouded, an unusual expression for her. Huh. What upset her?

He toned down his enthusiasm. Kennedy hadn’t dated in over a decade. Possibly, the dinner was going to be some business meeting. Yet his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.

He used the three minutes before the next patient to call Kai. “You’re not going to believe what happened.”

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