Danielle studied Samuel. He hadn’t shaved today. He had just enough shadow to give him that certain bad-boy look that she found irresistible. The same thought occurred to her that she’d had when she first saw him. He would look good on a book cover.

Women would definitely drool over him. Not that she was drooling. Well, maybe just a little.

Maybe she could talk him into posing – just for this author. Not that he would want to be a model. She knew enough about pilots to know that they were single-minded. In fact, she wondered why he was here and not off flying somewhere.

He caught her looking at him, and his eyes widened. He shook his head just enough for her to know that he knew what she was thinking.

“Samuel,” she smiled sweetly. “Let me take a few pictures of you and Avery and send them to the author.”

Now he was shaking his head in earnest. “I’m not a model.”

“You don’t have to be a model. You just have to let me photograph you.”

“To be on a book cover,” he glanced at Avery. “with her.”

“Seriously,” Avery crossed her arms. “Do I have a wart on my nose or something today?”

Danielle tore her gaze away from Samuel long enough to respond. “You’re beautiful Avery. He’s just being difficult. And Jacob… well… you would know better than I what’s going on with him.”

Avery rolled her eyes. “Yeah. You don’t want to know.”

“It’s hard working with someone you have a history with.” Danielle shrugged.

Avery had a stunned look on her face. As if everyone couldn’t see it. Danielle turned back to Samuel. “Maybe I could take a couple and text them. If she says no, it’s a moot point.”

Samuel glanced at Avery and seemed to consider. Danielle swallowed a flash of regret. Samuel with Avery together in a photograph, much less on a book cover for all of eternity. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

She was about to open her mouth and say they would look for other options when Samuel said. “Okay.”

“Okay? You’ll do it?” Her emotions were all over the place. In that moment, she truly hoped she was pregnant, so she could blame it on that. She didn’t want to admit that although it would help her out professionally if he said yes, she had truly hoped he wouldn’t do it.

Avery was gorgeous, and Samuel was handsome. They were going to make a great couple. How could the author not want them on her book cover? Together.

She nodded and let professionalism win. “Go stand next to each other on the porch.”

Lifting her camera, she watched them through the lens. Avery was looking at Samuel, but Samuel was watching her, not Avery.

“You have to look at Avery,” she said.

Samuel turned his gaze toward Avery. Good. She took several pictures. Zoomed in. They did look good together. Avery reached out and put an arm on Samuel’s.

Danielle was going to be sick. Right now. She lowered the camera and turned around.

By the time she was hurling the contents of her breakfast, Samuel was there, holding her hair. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Danielle sat on the porch steps. If I’m not pregnant, I have something terribly wrong with me.

“Are you okay?” Avery asked. This was the first time Danielle had been sick around her.

“I think I must have a virus,” Danielle took a tissue from her handbag and wiped her mouth.

“I’ll get you some water,” Samuel darted away.

“I hope I don’t catch it,” Avery said.

Danielle didn’t answer. She didn’t tell Avery that she wasn’t contagious.

Within minutes, Samuel was back with water… and crackers.

“Let’s take a break, Avery. Come back at one o’clock. By then I should have an answer from the author.” Danielle pulled up the pictures, picked out three, and sent them to the author.

“No problem,” Avery said, gathering up her backpack and heading down the path to her car.

Danielle nibbled a cracker and sipped from the bottle of water.

“Better?” Samuel brought over her tripod.

She nodded. “Thank you.”

He sat down beside her. He rubbed her back, right between her shoulder blades. No. I will not be attracted to Samuel. I can like him, but I’m not attracted to anyone right now.

A dating moratorium. She might even be pregnant. Not a good time to be crushing on her father’s new employee. A pilot at that. A pilot that was helping her out by posing as a model with her best girl model.

The nausea had passed, but she was still feeling unsettled. Seeing them gazing at each other had been too much. Had it been the possible pregnancy or just seeing them together? She really needed to get that question answered. Maybe she would get an over-the-counter pregnancy test on the way home and take that. She needed to know what was going on with her. Just so she knew how to interpret all these emotions going on with her.

When she was around Samuel.

Suddenly, a little golden retriever puppy was racing toward her. The puppy jumped into her lap and began licking her face. Danielle laughed.

A little girl, about five, was running toward her with her mother right behind her.

“Rex!” The little girl ran up to Danielle.

The puppy jumped out of Danielle’s arms to nip around the little girl’s heels. She squealed in delight.

The woman, winded, caught up with them. She smiled at Danielle. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do anything.”

“My daughter loves this puppy.” She held up the harness. “I don’t know how he managed to get loose.”

“He’s adorable.”

The woman knelt and wrangled the dog back into his harness. “Do you two have children?” Her daughter danced around them.

Danielle glanced at Samuel and shook her head.

“Well, don’t wait too long. The older you get, the harder it is to keep up with them.”

“I would imagine It’s hard at any age.”

The woman held her daughter’s hand with one hand and the puppy’s leash with the other. “Again, thank you for helping.”

“Bye!” The little girl grinned and waved as she walked away.

“Cute.” Danielle said. “Do you have any pets?”

“My mom has a couple of cats, but no, I don’t. Do you?

“I have a cat at my mom’s. His name is Charlie. I miss him terribly.”

“Maybe your mom can bring him for a visit.”

“Maybe.” Danielle stared after the girl with the dog.

Samuel glanced at his watch. “Want to get some lunch?”

“Sounds good.” Anything to distract her from the direction of her thoughts.

They walked together down the path to his truck. “Do you mind stopping by the drug store when you take me home?”

“Of course not.”

Her phone beeped. “She’s already responded.”

“That was fast.”

“Yeah, unusual.” Danielle slid open her messages. Looked up at Samuel. “She loves it.”

“You don’t seem happy about it.”

Danielle shrugged. “I’ve put a lot of work into the images with Avery and Jacob. I even had a mock up done. I didn’t know she was gonna want them kissing.”

“Why wouldn’t Jacob kiss Avery?”

“I don’t know details, but they have a history.”

“Still… if he’s kissed her before...”

“I guess kissing is intimate for some people.”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “I thought kissing was intimate for everyone.”

Her face flushed. “Maybe he didn’t want to risk opening up old feelings. Or maybe he just really doesn’t like her.”

“Guess we’ll never know.”

She took a deep breath. “So now you get to kiss Avery.”

He stopped walking. She took two steps and turned back. He looked a little stunned. “What? You didn’t put this together?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought it through. It was kind of sudden.”

Danielle took it as a good sign that he hadn’t been looking forward to kissing Avery. In fact, she liked it that he didn’t look any too happy about the whole situation.

By the time they reached his truck, she had a little bounce back in her step.