Her lips clung to his for the longest time. Not long enough. Not nearly long enough.
And then she was gone.
A short time later he was staring down at the skinny black and white dog in Melissa’s arms, a new red collar around his scrawny neck. ‘What’s the mutt doing here?’ he demanded. But he couldn’t resist scratching behind the silky ears. He’d always been a sucker where animals were concerned. ‘Looks like he could do with a good feed.’
‘This is Angus and he’s from the pound. He’s a year old so you don’t have to worry about the puppy thing. He’s fully house-trained and vaccinated and needs a loving home.’ She held him out. ‘He’s yours.’
‘Mine? I don’t want a dog. What would I do with a dog?’
‘He’s Sophie’s gift to you,’ she said softly.
He frowned, stepping away, denying the choked feeling clawing up his throat. She’d given him a dog. ‘What in hell was she thinking?’ he muttered. ‘You need to spend time with them, walk them, train them.’ Love them.
That was what she’d been thinking.
‘Sophie’s thoughts exactly,’ Lissa said. ‘He’ll be a companion now that you’re on your own. You’ll need to come home from work earlier—a good thing, Jared. Sophie understood that. She left food, bedding, toys…and a letter.’
He reached for the envelope in Lissa’s hand.
Dear Jared,
Angus means ‘unique choice’, and that’s what he is—the moment I saw him at the kennels, my search for a suitable companion for you was over. You said you didn’t have time for pets but now you’ll make the time. And in return, I promise that Angus will give you absolute loyalty and unconditional love.
Sophie.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BARELY over her jet lag, Sophie walked into a job in a London pub on her fourth day. Waiting tables wasn’t her preferred choice but the position included meals and dormitory-style accommodation and it suited her fine for now.
It kept her hands busy and her mind occupied, she reminded herself three weeks later as she climbed the narrow staircase to the room she shared with two Aussies and an American from Philadelphia. Dwelling on Jared and what she’d left behind was a waste of energy and was a downer on what was supposed to be the best year of her life.
While she showered she reminded herself that even if he’d asked her to cancel her plans and stay with him she’d have said no. Which he wouldn’t have, she thought, remembering his promise not to tread on her dreams. It was finally her turn and she’d worked long and hard for it.
Under different circumstances she might have told the man she loved she’d come back and asked him if he’d wait. But these weren’t ordinary circumstances and this was no ordinary man. This was Jared, who loved kids, wanted a family and had already broken up with one woman because she didn’t want children cluttering up their lives. In fact he’d been openly frank about it.
Her room mates had gone clubbing after their shifts but she’d told them she was too tired. She slipped into long flannel pants and a T-shirt and climbed into bed. It had become a nightly ritual to deal with her emails first. Another to tell herself she didn’t expect Jared to contact her. And he didn’t.
But every night she got that same fluttering anticipation in her belly when she opened her inbox, and the same dragging sensation when she didn’t see his name. She’d had a couple of emails from Pam, but nothing about the office and Jared and how he was doing. Same with his sister. Melissa loved her new living arrangements, Angus was putting on weight and growing more handsome by the day. But no mention of his new owner.
Tonight was no different and she closed her laptop refusing to be disappointed. She was going to compose another entry in her new book of dreams instead. She caressed the silk-brocade-covered notebook. Jared’s farewell package. He’d written on the first page:
Sophie,
For your dreams. May they all come true.
Always, Jared.
She’d spent the long-haul flight crying and staring out of the window and wondering what he was doing. What she was doing.
She’d unwrapped it somewhere over China and could almost hear him tell her, ‘They’ll be safer on paper…’ And she could still see him smile that sexy smile that said he shared the joke.
Except now she wrote daydreams. Castles-in-the-air dreams. Where she and Jared and their offspring played happy families for ever after.
Impossible dreams that could never come true.
‘Pam,’ Jared boomed from his office at four o’clock one afternoon. ‘The reports on those soil samples for Surfers’ Retreat and Spa should’ve been back Monday. Get on the phone and give them a blast, I—’