Paige jogged around to the front of the house, unable to keep the smile off her face…until she saw the familiar SUV belonging to her mom. Sigh. "Hey, Mom."

Louise jumped out of the truck, followed by her three shaggy canines. Feeling like a lost soul after her divorce, Louise had needed dogs to give her the love she'd been without for so long. She'd insisted on finding her new soulmates at the shelter, knowing that Paige would be able to train them into wonderful companions. Paige figured she was smarter than her mom; instead of spending thirty years with an emotionally vacant workaholic and then getting dogs, she'd go right to the dogs and save herself years of pain. And no matter how attractive Luke was, she wasn't going to make the same mistake her mother did.

"Who was that peeling out of here in that Mercedes? For a moment, I thought you'd bought your old car back, but you're here, so it obviously wasn't you," Louise asked.

"It was Luke."

"The lawyer? Doing a little dog training in your bikini? I like it." Louise grinned, wearing a tank top that showed off her own muscular figure.

"I was swimming when he arrived. He was early."

"Of course. That makes sense. Why would you pause to put on clothes for dog training when there was a perfectly good man there to inspect your curves? Excellent decision." Louise looked much too amused. "Where'd he go?"

Despite her dismay over Luke abandoning his dog and the training, Paige couldn't help but grin. She dug the piece of his boxers out of her pocket and held it up. "Muffin bit him in the butt and tore his shorts. He wasn't happy."

"You're kidding." Louise slipped the material from Paige's fingers and examined it. "A boxer man, huh? Bet you were guessing briefs."

"Doesn't matter. He abandoned his dog and stormed off. I knew he wasn't a nice guy."

Louise handed the material back to Paige, raising an eyebrow when Paige carefully tucked it safely away. "Aren't you being a little harsh? He did get bitten by his own dog. For someone who isn't a dog person, that can be a little daunting."

Paige closed her heart to the tug of doubt. "No. He's a jerk. Arrogant, domineering, and a workaholic. When he can't control the situation, he can't deal. After Dad, I'd think you'd be warning me to stay away from someone like that."

"And I would, but I'm not convinced that he's like your father. It's possible for a man to be a hard worker with a strong personality, yet still be a good person. He did adopt the dog for his sister, after all."

"Yeah, and then he dumped it when it didn't fit into his narrow definition of acceptability."

"You keep saying he abandoned his dog? He took him to the shelter?"

"No, he left him here." She shifted. "He did ask me to make sure he was safe, but he said he was going to call his sister and figure out a new situation for him. That's an exact quote, by the way."

Louise grinned. "Better than telling you to roast Muffin for dinner. I'd be a little more concerned if he'd said that. He knows you'll take care of the animal."

Paige scowled at her mother. "What am I supposed to do with the dog?"

"Take him back."

She blinked. "Take him back where?"

"To Luke's." Louise hollered for her dogs. "Let's go find Muffin. He'll find our dogs if we just get out in the woods, right?"

"I don't know where Luke lives." Paige trailed after her mom and the four canines, her mind whirling. She couldn't go track Luke down. She didn't even want to see him again. Well, she did, but that was why she couldn't.

"That's what Google is for," Louise said. "Hope you have sunscreen on. You're going to get fried."

Paige wrinkled her nose. "I'll be fine once we get in the woods. How can I take his dog back? Luke made it clear he didn't want him."

Louise rolled her eyes. "Spoken in the heat of the moment, while his pants were hanging open and his rear end was bleeding. Not the most dignified moment for him, which must have been quite embarrassing for it to happen in front of the woman he's trying to impress."

Paige snorted. "He's not trying to impress me. If anything, he's trying to get a cheap roll in the hay with someone he considers to be no more than a peon."

"Perhaps," Louise muttered noncommittally. "But you must admit that you can understand why he got upset when his dog bit him in the arse in front of you."

"Maybe."

"So, he's probably home right now, stewing about the whole thing, and wondering how he's going to get the dog back without looking like a fool. If you take Muffin over there, he'll appreciate it."

She eyed her mother. "It was those same rose-colored glasses that made you believe Dad would change if you married him. I'm not making the same mistake."

Louise sighed and kicked at a rock. "Paige, there were some wonderful times with your Dad, especially at the beginning. He changed as his success and power increased. I was afraid to fight it, when I saw those changes starting. By the time I realized I didn't like it, it was too late. I suffered in silence for many years, unable to stand up for myself."

Paige nodded. She'd heard the tale before.

Her mom stopped walking and faced Paige. "You're different than I was. I was naïve and taught to be the obedient wife. You're strong and worldly. You would never stand back and let things spiral out of control."

"Which is why I would never get in that situation in the first place. I learned my lesson with work and Dad, and now I'm very careful not to get into any risky situation. It's not worth it."

Louise placed her palms on her daughter's cheeks. "My dear sweet daughter, don't you understand what I'm trying to say? You'll never make the mistakes I made, because you're different than I am. I'm just afraid that you'll miss out on the right man because you're too scared to try."

"Luke is not the right man for me," Paige said firmly. "Walt Jr. is."

Her mom blinked. "Walt Jr.?"

"Yes." Unfortunately, every time she tried to picture him, Luke's image kept getting in the way. "Do you have a picture of Walt Jr.?"

"You need an intelligent, strong man. Not a dull wimp like Walt Jr."

"Yeah, so I can end up married to a man like Dad? No thanks." Paige pulled away and kept walking. She didn't bother to call Muffin, because she knew he wouldn't respond.

"Paige, not all strong men are like your father. You've seen the signs that Luke is different. Give him a chance. He loves his sister enough to take Muffin, even though he interferes with his lifestyle. Your father would never have done that."

Paige heard a dog barking off to her right. "Go get him, Bandit!" She pointed in the direction of the bark, and Bandit took off through the woods, yowling noisily. Her mom's dogs followed in hot pursuit.

"Paige? Did you hear me?"

She nodded. "I'll take the dog back, but that doesn't mean I believe in him. I still think Walt Jr.'s the one for me."

Louise patted her daughter's arm. "At least you're keeping the door open. That's all I ask."

The barking subsided, hopefully indicating that Bandit and his entourage had found Muffin. Paige pursed her lips and a shrill whistle echoed through the woods. "When he breaks my heart, I'm going to blame you."

"Don't let him have your heart until you're certain."

A chorus of dogs sounded, baying and crashing through the underbrush. "Easier said than done, Mom."

"I know."

Five dogs emerged from the underbrush. "We've got him." Paige's stomach tightened at the sight of Muffin. Now that she'd found him, she'd have to take him back. Despite her assurances to her mom, she would not give Luke a chance to break her heart. She would return the dog, and that was it. She tried to ignore the stab of regret that plunged through her at the thought of giving up on Luke.