Elle found Megan and Ruby sitting on her bed with all three dogs when she made it upstairs—first she’d stopped in the kitchen for a much-needed bottle of water.

“We were starting to think you were spending the night at the guest house again,” Megan said with a smile as Elle sat in the chair beside her bed. Darcy hopped down and came to sit beside her.

Elle rubbed her sweet little pug face. “He dropped me off out front tonight.”

“So?” Megan’s gaze was curious. “What happened?”

“We’re good,” Elle said, clutching the bottle of water between her palms. “I apologized for bolting and said we needed to slow things down, which is why he dropped me off instead of taking me back to his place again.”

“That was a smart decision,” Ruby said, nodding.

“I think so.” Elle took a long drink. “Anyway, I’m semi-trashed and completely exhausted. I’ll make better decisions tomorrow.”

“I think you made great decisions tonight,” Megan said. “But we’ll let you get your beauty sleep.”

“’Night.” Elle stood as her friends headed for the door. Shiloh the lab mix followed at Megan’s heels.

“Oh, and by the way, I gave Sean my number. He’s going to take me dancing this weekend,” Megan said with a wink.

“Awesome,” Elle told her with a smile, not at all surprised that Megan had finagled a date out of their run-in with the guys tonight.

Once they’d gone, Elle sat on her bed with Darcy on one side, Remington on the other. She chugged the rest of the bottle of water and then gathered the dogs close for a hug. Tears welled in her eyes. What the heck was that about? Too much beer and not enough sleep, probably. She’d been at the castle for a month now, and what a rollercoaster ride it had been so far. She was so close to achieving her dreams, but at the same time farther than ever.

“Why hasn’t anyone adopted you yet?” she asked Darcy and Remington. They were adorable and generally well-behaved. If the Fairy Tails program failed…well, it would be a huge disappointment.

With a heavy sigh, she climbed out of bed and clipped leashes onto both dogs to take them for their last walk of the night. She went out the side door by the kitchen, leading them over to the patch of grass designated as their potty area. While they did their business, she allowed her gaze to wander down to the guest house.

The lights were still on. What was Theo doing? She imagined him sitting in the living room, reading a book. No, that didn’t sound quite like him. He might be watching the news. Maybe he was already in bed. Did he sleep naked? He had last night. A flush crept across her skin.

Feeling somewhat ridiculous, she hustled the dogs back inside and changed into her pajamas. Instead of crating them, though, tonight she let them get in bed with her. As she drifted off to sleep, her final thought was that she was snuggled up with another warm body three nights in a row. What was happening to her normally anti-snuggly self?

She woke the next morning, refreshed and rejuvenated. After a long, hot shower, she felt ready to take on the world. Even her toe felt better. Maybe it wasn’t broken after all. She wrapped herself in a towel and headed into her bedroom to get dressed. But, crap, her bedroom door was open. She rushed to close it before anyone happened by and saw her in her towel.

And…double crap. Both dogs were gone. She hadn’t taken them out yet this morning, and if one of them peed somewhere in the castle…well, that wasn’t the kind of impression she wanted to make with their new program. She scrambled into a tank top and jean shorts, shoved her feet into sneakers, and raced down the hall.

“Have you seen Darcy or Remington?” she asked Ruby, who was coming up the stairs with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Ruby shook her head. “No, why?”

“They got out of my room.”

“Oh. Give me a minute, and I’ll come help you look for them.” Ruby gestured to her coffee cup.

“Thanks,” Elle told her as she headed down the hall past the guest rooms. Luckily, they didn’t have any guests this morning who might wake up to loose dogs roaming the halls or worse…a puddle of dog pee. Why hadn’t she walked them before her shower? Or remembered to close her bedroom door?

Since there was no sign of the dogs in the guest wing, she went downstairs. It was early still, only seven o’clock. No one was around but Beatrice, already cooking in the kitchen.

“Did you see any of our dogs come through here?” Elle asked her.

Beatrice turned, taking an earbud out of her ear. “What was that?”

“Have you seen any dogs in the kitchen? I’ve got a couple on the loose.” A sinking feeling settled in Elle’s stomach as she noticed that the door leading out to the gardens was open. Beatrice often left it open while she baked to let in fresh air.

“Haven’t seen them,” Beatrice answered with a smile.

“Thanks. Do you mind if I close this while I look for them?” Elle gestured to the door.

“Not at all.”

Elle hurried down the hall, checking each room as she passed. In the library, she found Theo crouched in the corner, a stack of books perched beside him. As she watched, he felt around on the empty shelf before them, pressing against the wood—almost as if he expected it to spring open and reveal a hidden compartment.

“Looking for something?” she asked.

He turned, knocking over the stack of books in the process. She walked over to help him restack them, glancing with curiosity at the empty shelf, but as far as she could see, it was just a shelf.

“Seen any dogs?” she asked.

“No.”

“Darcy and Remington are loose somewhere in the castle. Let me know if you see them,” she said as she stood.

He nodded. “Are you free tonight?”

“Yes.” Anticipation fluttered in her belly at the look in his eye.

“I thought maybe we could enjoy a date here at the castle, dinner and a movie in the theater.”

“I’d love that.” She remembered her last attempt at watching a movie there, when she’d fallen asleep and woken to a sexy advance from Theo. “Who gets to pick the movie?”

“I’ll leave that to you,” he said with the dry smile that she’d come to love. There was a quirkiness to his staid demeanor that was irrationally sexy.

“It’s a date,” she told him with a quick kiss. “But right now, I’ve got to go find my dogs.”

“They can’t have gone far.”

Famous last words. Because by the time she’d finished searching the castle, she was starting to think the dogs might have gone pretty far after all. Right out the kitchen door, to be exact. She headed into the garden, trying to imagine where a couple of dogs taking a freedom romp might have gone.

The blue glint of the pool caught her eye. Oh God. Was the gate latched? Did Darcy and Remington know how to swim? A tight fist clamped around her stomach as she raced toward the pool. Empty. Gate latched.

Phew.

Okay, onward. She hurried through the gardens, calling for them as she went. Movement caught her eye from the far end of the rosebushes a moment before Darcy’s little tan head popped out.

“Darcy, you naughty girl!” Elle rushed toward her and scooped the dog into her arms. Darcy’s curly tail wagged like crazy. “Okay, one down and one to go,” Elle said as she carried the pug back toward the castle. In her haste, she hadn’t thought to bring leashes with her. Back inside, she brought Darcy up to her room, grabbed Remington’s leash, and headed downstairs.

“Find them?” Megan asked, poking her head out of her bedroom.

“Got Darcy. Remy’s still MIA. I’m pretty sure he’s outside somewhere.”

“I’ll help you look as soon as I finish getting ready.”

“Thanks.” Elle was still in a tank top and shorts, no makeup, her hair air-drying over her shoulders as she walked. Not a look to greet guests as they arrived, but Megan and Ruby could cover for her if necessary. She needed to find Remington before he got into trouble out there on his own.

Outside, the sun shone overhead, already warm enough to let her know today was going to be a hot one. Well, hot by Virginia standards. The air always felt fresher here than it did in Orlando. The humidity was lower. And the mountain breezes were absolutely fantastic. Blowing out a breath, she struck out. “Remington! Remy, where are you?”

She tried to remember the areas he preferred when they ran. Sometimes he tried to guide her toward the woods behind the pond. Shit. The pond. Would he try to go for a swim? Breaking into a jog, she headed for the pond, but it looked as deserted as ever when she reached it.

Of course, it would look like that too if he’d already gone under…

No. Falling into a pond wasn’t like falling into the pool. The edges were shallow. He’d have been able to climb back out. “Remington?” She slapped her thigh the way she did when she was encouraging him to run toward her when they played outside.

Nothing.

She walked a little way into the woods, calling and calling, but still no response.

Oh, Remington, where are you?

Theo finished work by five that night, eager for his date with Elle. He’d already spoken to Beatrice about having a dinner tray sent to the theater for them. But when Elle came down the stairs, he knew right away something was wrong. Her usual radiant personality was dimmed tonight by the cloak of worry she wore around her shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he walked to her. She wore form-fitting purple pants and a long, flowy top, and she smelled like sunshine and flowers.

“I’ve lost Remington,” she said.

“You never found him this morning?” Theo frowned as he thought of the miles of Appalachian forest surrounding the castle. How far could a little dog go?

She shook her head. “We’ve looked everywhere, called for him for hours. He’s just…gone.”

“Surely, he’ll turn up when he gets hungry, right?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have much experience with dogs.” She let out a weary sigh. “We had to let the shelter know he’s missing. They’re probably not very impressed with me so far. We’ve had five of their animals for several weeks now without a single adoption, and now I’ve lost one.”

“Well, I can’t speak for the animal shelter, but I’m quite impressed with your work.” He tugged her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

“Really?” She peeked up at him through a wayward blonde curl.

He tucked it behind her ear. “Really. And I very much did not want to be impressed by you, Elle. It wasn’t in my best interest to become involved with you, personally or professionally, and yet I’m quite taken with you on both fronts.”

“Oh.” She burrowed closer, tilting her face up to his for a kiss.

“What do you say we take a stroll through the grounds before our movie date and see if any dogs pop out of the bushes while we’re at it?” he said. “I can ask Beatrice to delay our dinner.”

“That sounds…perfect, actually. Thank you.”

“Of course.” He let go of her and walked into the kitchen to ask Beatrice to hold dinner for an hour. By now, she must realize he and Elle were more than friends, but she’d been with the family long enough for him to know he could trust her.

For the sake of their guests, however, he and Elle kept their hands to themselves as they left the castle. They struck out along the path that led to the stables, calling for Remington as they went.

“What if he doesn’t come back?” she asked, her brow drawn with worry.

“You’ll cross that bridge when you come to it. I don’t know much about dogs either, but I imagine he’s having a little adventure and will come home when he tires of it.”

“What if he gets lost?” she asked. “Or hurt? Or worse?”

“Those are things you have no control over. We’re looking for him. The shelter is looking for him. That’s all you can do for now.”

“We’ve also put the word out on social media,” Elle told him. “We posted his picture in some lost and found pet groups.”

“There you go. Someone will find him.”

She glanced over at him. “You sound awfully sure about that.”

“I’m an optimist by nature.”

“So am I. I’m just…I’m worried about him.” She blew out a breath. “And I’m so mad at myself for leaving my bedroom door open this morning.”

“Pets get out all the time. It happens.” He squeezed her hand.

They walked to the barn, checking to make sure Remington wasn’t hiding inside.

“Why don’t you rent it out?” Elle asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe the next owner will.”

She huffed in annoyance. “I really don’t see why you’re so set on selling. We could rent out the farm house and the stable for you and bring in so much money. Reservations at the castle are picking up too. And tours are booked out for the next three weekends, although I have to say the percentage of women is unusually high on those tours.” She gave him a sly look.

“Are you saying you wish I were ugly so your tours attracted fewer women wanting to date me?” He grinned at her. “Because I thought I’d made it abundantly clear that the only woman I’m interested in is you.”

A blush spread across her cheeks. “I don’t care who comes as long as they fill my tours.”

They left the stable and kept walking. He held her hand as they walked, enjoying the beauty of a summer evening in Virginia. The sun streaked the sky with pink and purple as it sank below the tree line. Several birds flew overhead, and the air hummed with the sound of insects.

“What are you looking for, Theo?” she asked suddenly, turning toward him.

He didn’t follow her question. “Excuse me?”

“A couple of times now, I’ve seen you searching for something here in the castle. And maybe I’m being nosy, but what are you doing?”

“Oh,” he paused, debating for a moment how to answer. “Apparently, my grandfather hid several family heirlooms somewhere in the castle, pieces of Rose’s jewelry. I need to find them before I sell.”

Elle’s eyes rounded. “Like hidden treasure?”

He chuckled. “Not exactly. A tiara. A ring, and a few other items.”

“That sounds like treasure to me.” She gave him a playful shove. “Can I help look?”

“At this point, I can use all the help I can get.”

“Is it okay if I tell Megan and Ruby? Then we can all keep an eye out for them.”

“That’s fine. Just make sure they keep it to themselves. The last thing we need is guests going treasure hunting and getting sticky fingers with my grandmother’s jewelry.”

“Our lips are sealed.” Elle leaned against him with an easy smile. “Don’t worry, Theo. Between the four of us, we’ll find them.”

He squeezed her hand. “And we’ll find Remington too. I’m sorry about the circumstances, but this has still been a nice start to our date.”

“It has been,” she agreed. “Although I’m so worried about him.”

“Tell you what. If we don’t find him before then, we’ll go for another walk after our movie and look for him again.”

She nodded. “I’d like that.”

“And then, I was rather hoping you’d spend the night at the guest house with me.” Lust curled in his gut at the thought of having Elle in his bed again.

“I’d like that too.” She leaned in and kissed him.

They re-entered the castle through its rear doors and snuck into the theater without bumping into anyone else on the way. Not that they needed to sneak around—not exactly—but dates were generally more romantic when only two people were involved.

“What movie did you have in mind?” he asked as he punched the button to turn on the projector overhead.

“Do you like classics?” She bent in front of the movie library, running her fingertips over their plastic cases.

“Like Psycho?” he asked, grinning as she turned to give him a dirty look.

“Something a little less likely to give me nightmares.”

“The Godfather?” he offered, enjoying the look of frustration in her eyes. He was totally messing with her; she just hadn’t realized it yet.

“Not exactly what I had in mind.”

“Jaws?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What about Casablanca?”

He nodded. “That works.”

“Have you seen it?” she asked as she slid it from the shelf and handed it to him.

“I have. My grandfather was quite the movie buff. I’m told my grandmother was too.” He paused, remembering how Colin had told him Elle reminded him of Rose.

“I would have liked to have known them,” she said softly.

“And I know they would have liked to know you too. I have a feeling you would have gotten on famously.” He slid the Blu-ray into the player and walked to the covered tray on the table before them. “Hungry?”

“Starving. What’s for dinner?”

“Pizza, of course,” he told her. “What else can you eat while watching a movie?”

“Pizza movie night.” She grinned as he lifted the cover from the tray. “And that’s no Domino’s pizza. Have I mentioned how much I love Beatrice?”

“She’s amazing, all right.” He handed Elle a plate, and they each loaded up with several slices of Beatrice’s specialty—steak, peppers, onions, and mushrooms all melted into some secret blend of cheeses that was so delicious his mouth was already watering. “Beer?” he asked as he walked to the bar against the far wall.

Once he and Elle had pizza and beer in hand, they settled side by side into the reclining theater chairs as the opening credits for Casablanca played.

“Theo,” she said, glancing over between bites of pizza. “Are you thinking about the last time we were in this room together?”

When he’d gotten her off in this very chair and they’d agreed to take their relationship to his bed? His cock hardened at the memory. “I am now.”

“Good.” She smiled wickedly. “Because I am too.”

She was learning.

Elle fumbled for her cell phone on the table beside the bed, silencing the soft hum of her alarm before it woke Theo. She’d planned ahead so there’d be no frantic rush this morning, had even brought a bag with her to the guest house so she could walk up to the castle in fresh clothes.

Theo’s arm slid around her waist. “Leaving so soon?” His voice was low and gritty with sleep.

“I need to look for Remington again before I get ready for work,” she said, rolling to face him. “He’s been gone twenty-four hours now.” Something heavy settled in her stomach at the thought.

“I’ll help you look.” Theo’s cheeks were dusted in dark stubble, his eyes droopy with sleep.

She reached out to brush a finger over his scratchy chin as a smile tugged at her lips. He’d helped her look for Remy last night too, before and after their movie date. “I’d love the company, but don’t feel obliged if you have more important things to do.”

“I don’t.” He leaned in to press a kiss against her lips.

And so, they got dressed and headed outside together. Dew coated the grass, making it shimmer beneath the rising sun. They walked the perimeter of the castle grounds, calling for Remington as they went.

“I’m starting to get a really bad feeling about this.” Elle pressed a palm against her forehead. What if Remy was lost somewhere deep in the forest? What if they never found him?

“Hopefully he’ll turn up today,” Theo said. “I’ll check in with you later and see if there’s been any news.”

“Thanks for your help.” She leaned against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “I had a really great time last night.”

“Me too.” He dipped his head to kiss her. “Let’s do it again sometime soon.”

“I’d like that.” She looked up at him, and something warm and light fluttered in her chest. “I’ll see you around then.”

With a nod, he followed her in the castle’s side door, headed toward his office while she ducked into the back stairwell to run upstairs for a quick shower. She passed Megan in the hallway.

“How was last night?” she asked, her brown eyes sparkling.

“Great,” Elle answered, feeling her cheeks warm.

“Excellent,” Megan said with a wide smile. “Darcy’s already been walked and fed. She and Shiloh are chilling in my room together.”

“Thanks so much.”

“No problem. We’re having lunch in Ruby’s room so we can go over some business stuff. She insisted,” Megan added with a good-natured eye roll.

“Okay.”

“See ya downstairs.” With a wave, Megan headed toward the stairs.

Elle went into her room. She showered and dressed in a pastel-striped shift dress before calling the shelter to check in about Remington. They didn’t have any news to share either, and Elle wasn’t sure whether she was imagining the hint of accusation in Priya’s voice as they spoke because she already felt so damn guilty for losing him.

After the call, she helped Megan and Ruby clean up from breakfast and then went to greet the Ballisters, who were checking in today.

“We’re so excited to be here,” Margie Ballister told her as Elle led the couple to their room. “We were looking at the adoptable pets on your website, and we’d love to meet Remington. He reminds me of a dog I had when I was a little girl.”

Elle smiled past the sour feeling in her stomach at Margie’s enthusiasm. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but Remington’s actually…missing at the moment.”

Margie’s eyes widened. “Missing?”

“He got out of the castle through an open door yesterday.”

“And you haven’t found him yet?” Margie’s voice rose, and she pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, how awful.”

“I know,” Elle said miserably. “We’ve been looking for him constantly, and the shelter is putting out bulletins too. We’re hoping he comes wandering home any minute now.”

“Well, my goodness, I hope so too.”

Elle nodded. “I’ll leave you two to get settled in. Just let me know if you need anything or if you’d like to meet one of our other dogs in the meantime.”

She left Margie and Luke in their room and went downstairs, feeling worse than ever about Remington. He might have gotten adopted today if he were here. She spent the rest of the morning burying herself in work to keep her mind off things, and she must have been successful because the next thing she knew, Ruby was tapping on her shoulder, a covered tray balanced on the edge of the table beside her.

“Lunchtime already?”

“It is, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” Ruby led the way upstairs, with Megan joining them on the way. “I’ve got a potential business opportunity to discuss with you guys.”

“Oh yeah?” Elle followed her into her room, her gaze automatically drifting to the incredible view of the castle grounds. Ruby’s cat, Simon, strutted over to say hello.

Ruby nodded as she set down the tray and removed the cover. There were three sandwiches beneath it, a small bowl of fruit salad, cookies, and three bottles of water.

“I want Beatrice and Mary to feed me for the rest of my life,” Megan said with a happy sigh as she began fixing herself a plate.

“Hold that thought.” Ruby tapped her laptop to life. A photo popped up of a large yellow house with white columns spanning its front porch. “I’ve been looking for investment properties, places we could take the Fairy Tails program when and if Theo gives us the boot, and this one just popped up.”

“It’s beautiful,” Megan said, lifting her sandwich to take a big bite. “So romantic looking.”

“Well, it’s a foreclosure. It was being used as a bed and breakfast, so everything would already be set up for us inside. It’s being sold ‘as is,’ but supposedly the property’s in decent shape. It might be our only chance to get a property this size with only thirty grand to put down on it.”

“Where is it?” Elle asked.

“It’s in Florida, outside Lakeland.”

In the alligator-infested, tourist-infested interior of the state near their hometown of Orlando. “Oh.” Elle couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

“It’s no Rosemont Castle, but I think we should seriously consider this,” Ruby said, beginning to tab through a slideshow of the home’s interior.

“I agree,” Megan said with a nod. “Thirty grand isn’t going to get us very far with properties suitable to a bed and breakfast unless we consider foreclosures.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Ruby said as she continued tabbing through photos of the property. “I thought I would go see it when I fly home next week.”

Elle forced herself to smile and nod her approval. This was good. It was better than going back to her job as a theme park princess, and the girls were right—Theo had been very clear about his intent to sell, whether they succeeded with their new program or not. She also felt guilty that Ruby was flying home for a few days next week to visit her family. Megan would be doing the same week after next.

Elle hadn’t booked a trip home yet.

She’d been getting along with her dad and sisters so much better since she’d gotten here, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to mess with that dynamic. Besides, if they only stayed in Virginia for three months, she’d be seeing them in person soon enough anyway.

After lunch, she gave today’s guests a tour of the castle and took Shiloh and Darcy on a long walk, calling for Remy the whole way. As she rounded the pond headed back toward the castle, her cell phone began to ring. She recognized the number for the animal shelter, and ugh, she hoped they were calling with news instead of asking if she had any.

She connected the call. “Hello?”

“It’s Priya from the Towering Pines Animal Shelter. We’ve found Remington.”