Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Diana grabbed a piece of ham and smiled at Anna. She got up from her seat and rushed after the dogs. Instead of chasing after them, she took a look at where they were headed. She knew they were likely to take a curve away from the water, and the little dog leaned to the left.

So, she headed in the direction she knew they were likely to go. She had predicted it perfectly. Diana waited for the first small dog to pass her, then held the ham out for the larger dog to see.

It came to a quick halt. The dog had his full attention on her as she held the ham just out of its reach. She placed her hand over the dog's head, and it sat just as she knew it would.

A large man, completely out of breath, arrived and took up the dog's lead.

"This is a large dog," Diana said sternly.

"And he seems to like you," the man said between gasps.

"You are no match for this dog, clearly," Diana reprimanded him. "I'm sure you're smart enough to know that this could have ended differently."

The large man smiled at her, and it made her skin crawl. "Thankfully, you were here Miss…"

"You need to do better," she said sternly. "Get your dog under control so that I don't have to chase after it again."

With that, she spun around and headed in the direction that the smaller dog was going. She stopped a moment to scout the park out for a sign of where it might have gone just as another breathless man appeared behind her.

It was the handsome man who'd had her mind in a chokehold earlier. And, he was even more attractive than he'd seemed in passing, despite the now redness of his cheeks.

He was even more dapper than he'd seemed in passing. His eyes seemed to hold a world as deep as the oceans, and when he spoke, the sound of his voice crashed over her and dampened the harshness of the world around her.

"Thank you," he said, trying not to gasp.

She turned to face him and found herself at a loss for words. A tall blond man with eyes as blue as ice looked back at her. His normally pale skin was pink from the running. He wore a neat suit, and something about him stunned her.

She pushed thoughts of her attraction to him out of her mind. She was certain a man like that had to be married. After all, he had a child, and thoughts like that were hardly appropriate. She couldn't hazard a blush, giving her away. Reputations spread faster than fire in a place like that, and she couldn't risk it.

"The smaller dog, Spot," he said. "Did you see where it went?"

Diana shook her head. "Sorry," she said kindly. "But it should be safe now."

The gentleman looked distraught. His blue eyes looked past her as she searched the park for signs of Spot.

"It's my daughter's dog," he said. "I don't know how I will console her."

Diana smiled kindly. "There's no need for consoling yet," she said. "We'll find Spot. He must be tired by now, so he won't have run too far. As soon as he notices the threat is gone, he'll have stopped."

The man nodded and took a deep breath.

"Let's go this way," Diana suggested.

They walked the park, searching for Spot. As they walked and the man caught his breath, he seemed to calm down a little. He walked more upright, and the pink in his cheeks had subsided to flaunt his perfect complexion.

Diana tried not to look at him too often. Every time she did, she felt an inappropriate flutter in her chest. One that she tried desperately to subside, hoping it wasn't evident in her voice or face.

"Spot!" the man called.

"Not so urgently," she suggested. "If you hope to get his attention, you need to sound excited. He's a puppy. He'll respond."

The man nodded, and she shifted her voice into a higher pitch, a more excitable tone.

"Come, Spot!" Diana called the dog, clapping her hands lightly as she listened for a response from somewhere. They strolled, searching anywhere they could for a sight of the puppy.

Just then, Diana saw some disturbed dirt beneath a hedge. It was clear that something had crawled underneath it. She pointed it out to the man, and they approached slowly.

"Spot?" she called out. "Come Spotty! Here!"

Just then, the hedge rustled and shook, and she saw just the tip of a nose sticking out from between the leaves. Diana stepped into the flower bed and crouched down to look between the branches of the hedge.

There, she saw the puppy. It whined a little before he started to wag his tail just slightly. A beautiful black puppy with one white patch over its left eye. She reached in with a smile and pulled the dog out. It was panting heavily and squirmed excitedly at the sight of the man.

She wrapped her arms around it and smiled. "I'm assuming this is Spot?"

The man gave her a relieved smile. "It is, indeed," he said. "Again, I don't know how to thank you enough. Evangeline, she must be worried sick about him."

Diana lifted the puppy to check it for any injuries or stress. It allowed her to carry it, and then she brought it back and scratched it behind the ear. She was aware of the man's eyes on her and the nerves that fluttered through her every time she glanced at him.

"Despite being a little dirty and thirsty, Spot is just fine," Diana announced cheerfully.

"I think Spot has had enough of the park today," the man said. "Let's get him back to Eva and get him home."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to give him some water first," Diana said. "He's had quite the run, and I'm sure it is a short trip home."

"Certainly, the man said."

"I have some water where I was sitting," she said. "He can have a drink, and then he can go home and get some rest."

He smiled at her, and she felt an excited lump form in her throat. "Lead the way," he suggested.

She smirked and turned her face away so that he would not see her blush. They walked side-by-side back to where Anna was awaiting her return.

The air had a chill to it then as the sun was lower in the sky. Thankfully, Spot was warm as he snuggled into her arms. For the first time in her life, she found herself worried if she was walking upright or speaking properly.