Claiming Holly (Holiday Cove 1)

I shook my head, dismissing the thought, and turned my attention back to my breakfast, picking off another sizable bit of my scone. Just as I popped it into my mouth, Hunter surged forward, tugging frantically in the direction the man and his dog had just gone. I pulled on his leash. “Hunter, stop it. Chill!”

Hunter ignored me completely and started barking as loud as I’d ever heard him, still tugging and pulling to get free. I scooted to the edge of my chair, to reach for his collar, and in what must have looked like a slapstick comedy routine, he jumped at the exact moment I hovered above my chair, sending the chair—and myself—toppling to the ground.

I cursed loudly as my elbow hit the ground and was showered with the remaining few inches of my latte. I sat up, rubbing my sore elbow, and swore again as Hunter tore off down the beach.

Carly raced out the door and reached for my hand. “Oh my gosh, are you all right?”

I let her help me up and nodded. “I’m fine, thank you. I’ll be back to get all this…” I promised, gesturing at the mess on the table.

She waved me off. “I got it. Just go get your little guy!”

I took off as fast as I could, slipping out of my flip flops when I hit the sand, knowing I’d be faster without them. I ran like hell after Hunter, but he was so far ahead that he looked like a tiny brown blob, hurling over the sand. I pumped my arms faster. “Hunter! Hunter, get back here! Right! Now!”

Hunter stopped when he reached the place that the man and his dog had stopped. I slowed my pace as I zeroed in and stopped in my tracks when I got close enough to meet—the now sunglass free—eyes of the mystery runner. A lazy smile spread across his face as I panted to catch my breath. “I’m…so…sorry.”

The man stooped to pick Hunter off the ground. He patted his head and Hunter gave him a lick of approval. “No worries. I saw you guys together at the coffee shop.”

My heart rate spiked. He had seen me. “I think he likes your dog.”

“This is Princess,” he said, resting a hand on his dog, who was sitting obediently at his feet. “And I’m Jack.”

“Hunter.” I pointed at the wriggling pup under his arm. “And I’m Holly.”

I was thankful my sunglasses had stayed on during my sprint, as they provided perfect protection to let my eyes wander freely up and down Jack’s toned body. Somewhere between running by the coffee shop and reaching the end of his route, he’d stripped his shirt off and the display of hard, carved muscles made it impossible not to gawk a little. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a blockbuster action flick, only he was holding a puppy instead of a machine gun.

Which was essentially catnip for single women the world over.

I opened my arms and he stepped closer to hand Hunter back to me. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I remember the puppy years. It’s all cute and fun…till it’s not.”

I laughed. “Yeah, that about sums it up. I definitely let my cute-o-meter decide when it came to this little guy. There was nothing logical about it.”

Jack smiled. “It’ll be worth it. You gotta hang in there.”

I nodded but couldn’t think of anything to add to the conversation. I looked back over my shoulder, momentarily impressed with how far I’d managed to sprint. Apparently, I loved the little fur ball after all. “Well, thanks again. I have a mess to clean up at the cafe, thanks to this little monster.”

“It was nice to meet you, Holly,” Jack said as I turned to leave.

“Yeah, you too,” I called back as I began the trek back across the beach. I was a few yards away when Hunter started wrestling in my arms, trying to get loose. I gripped his leash in my hand before setting him down. He immediately turned to run back to Princess. I scooped him up again and marched back to the coffee shop.

Carly had the space cleaned up and appeared with a fresh latte when I made it back. I dug in my pocket to retrieve my debit card, but she waved it off. “It’s on me.”

“Thank you, Carly. That’s very kind.” I took the cup and sat back down at the table I’d been at before Hunter’s episode. He walked to the edge of the patio and gazed down the way Jack and Princess had gone, but before I could tug him back, he caught sight of a fat seagull overhead and was distracted instantly.

I found it harder to forget about the encounter, my mind drifting back to Jack’s sweat coated body and the way his strong legs had propelled him effortlessly across the sand. And then, there was his charming smile and easy going manner. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason he was so stuck in my head, but even as Hunter and I went about our day, wandering around the small beach town, I’d flash back to his dark eyes and the familiar quality he had about him.