"I can't stay. My aunt and uncle are coming in today."
"Their flight's not due until two-thirty."
He'd know, of course. She caught herself twisting her fingers together, and made herself stop. "Yes, but I have things to do, and so do you. So, I'll just…"
She was saved by a scrabbling sound and the surprising sight of two running balls of yellow fur. "Oh, God." Automatically, she went down on her knees and caught the deliri ously happy puppies in her arms. "Oh, you're so cute. Aren't you sweet? Aren't you wonderful?"
In unanimous agreement, they bathed her face with eager tongues, yipped and wiggled, crawling over each other to get closer.
"That's Nip and Tuck," Byron informed her as he got down on the floor with them.
"Which is which?"
He sent one puppy into slant-eyed ecstasy by scratching a furry belly. "I don't know. I figured we'd work it out with time. I've only had them a couple of days."
Kate picked one up to nuzzle and forgot she'd been anxious to get in and out. "What are they?"
"A little of this and a little of that. Some golden retriever, some Lab."
Before the second puppy could desert her, she kissed his nose. "Followed you home, right?"
"I adopted them from the animal shelter. They're eight weeks old." Byron found the remnants of a well-chewed rawhide bone on the floor and skidded it over the polished wood for the pups to chase.
"Mind if I ask what you're going to do with two puppies when you're at work?"
"Take them with me—for a while. I figure I can fence in part of the backyard, and they'll have each other for company when I'm not here." They came barreling back, jumped him. "I was only going to get one, but then… well, they're brothers and it seemed only fair." He glanced over, found her smiling at him. "What?"
"You wouldn't know it to look at you."
"Wouldn't know what?"
"You're a sucker."
He shrugged, tossed the bone again. "I'd think a practical woman like you would see the value of taking both. A backup dog is a sensible plan."
"Yeah, right."
"Jesus, Kate, have you ever been in one of those shelters? They break your heart." He tolerated wet, sloppy kisses from the rebounding puppies. "They're doing a great job—don't get me wrong—but all those cats and dogs, just waiting for somebody to come along and take them. Or…"
"Yeah. Or." She reached over, rubbing her hand over the dog in his lap. "You saved them." Her gaze came back to his. "You're good at that."
He reached out, curled a hand around her calf and slid her over until their knees bumped. "I tend to get attached to things I save. You look good." Anticipating her, he kept his hand on her leg and kept her from scooting back. "Rested."
"I didn't do much more than rest all week. And eat." She smiled a little. "I gained three pounds." .
"Well, strike up the band."
"It may not seem like much to you, ace, but I've spent most of my life trying to develop something resembling a figure. I tried everything you read about in the back of magazines and Sunday supplements."
He had to grin. "Get out of here."
"No, really. There I was, faced with Margo—who I think was born built—and Laura's feminine little body. I always looked like their undernourished younger brother."
"You don't look like anyone's younger brother, Kate. Believe me."
Feeling foolishly flattered, she shrugged. "Anyway—"
&nbs