The Bridesmaid and the Billionaire. Shirley Jump

she did date him, even only for the few days he’d be here, it wouldn’t be because he was Kane Lennox. Or because she hoped to be draped in diamonds by the end of the week. Not because of anything other than she truly liked him.

      A curl of desire ran through Kane, a feeling so new, it was almost foreign. It awakened a hunger he hadn’t felt in so long, he thought he might have imagined it all those years ago.

      Beside his feet, the stray dog, which Susannah had started calling Rover, raised his snout and let out a little bark. “I think someone else wants a bath, now that Dakota’s about done,” Susannah said. “We could always do a two-for-one today.”

      “Sorry. One dog’s my limit.”

      “You did a good job,” Susannah said a minute later, thankfully taking Kane’s place and allowing him back into doing leash-holding duty. “Dakota’s nice and clean. Maybe I’ll offer you a job.”

      “I have one, thank you.”

      “What do you do?”

      “I’m, ah, in the jewelry business.” He left it at that. No telling her he imported billions of dollars worth of diamonds and precious gems.

      “Really? Do you work in a shop, too?”

      “Uh, sort of.”

      The last of the suds ran down the drain, and Dakota, sensing the end of her bath, began to shake. Susannah tightened her grasp on the leash, and calmed the dog with a few soothing words.

      “If you want, I can bring Rover closer, and then we can get that two-for-one,” Kane said.

      She laughed. For the first time, he noticed how easily her laughter came, how light the sound was, almost like chimes. The animation in her face brought a lightness to him, too, like spreading sunshine. “Now, there’s a great business idea. Almost like assembly-line dog washing.” She reached over the tub for a giant hose and turned it on, blowing a steady stream of warm air on the dog. In minutes, the retriever was nearly dry.

      A teenage girl breezed into the shop, dumping an overstuffed neon-pink backpack into a chair as she did. Her brown hair, tied back in a ponytail with a blue-and-gold ribbon, swung back and forth as she bounced over to the cage holding the standard poodle. “Sorry I’m late, Suzie,” she called over her shoulder. “Hey, Dakota. Hi, Fancy Pants.” She cooed at the white dog, unlatching the cage and opening the door enough to give the dog a little head scratch.

      Then, as if Kane was a lesser species that she had just noticed, the teenager latched the poodle’s cage and sent Kane a half nod. “Oh, hi. Who are you?”

      “This is Kane. Kane, meet Tess.”

      He greeted the girl, but she had already bent down and started petting Rover. “Do you belong to him? He’s a cutie.”

      “No, no. No.”

      Tess grinned when Rover perked up at the sound of Kane’s voice and darted over to his side. “Seems he disagrees.”

      Susannah opened the gate on the side of the tub, helped Dakota down, then led the retriever over to a grooming table in the next room. Kane took Rover out to the front of the shop. With the distance of a room between them, relief whispered through Susannah. Working so close to Kane had set her on edge.

      She’d been aware of his every move, of the water droplets on his skin, of the way his muscles flexed when he’d worked the soap into Dakota’s coat. She needed distance from him, from the senses he’d awakened. Most of all, she needed to redouble her focus on her job—and her ultimate goals.

      “Tess, do you mind finishing up Dakota and then holding down the fort alone for a little while? There’s only one more appointment left for the day.”

      “Not at all.” Tess slipped a Sudsy Dog apron over her head and helped Susannah get Dakota into place on the grooming table, then readied nail clippers and brushes. “Let me guess. You have ten thousand errands to do for other people.”

      Susannah smiled, but the grin seemed to droop. “Only nine thousand and ninety nine.”

      “Just say no. That’s what they teach us in health class.” She grinned.

      “That might work with randy teenage boys, but not when it comes to my sister. She’s—”

      “Needy. And you’re too nice to turn anyone down.” Tess patted her on the arm. “I know, I know, I should keep my mouth shut and respect my elders and all that.”

      “No, you’re right.” Susannah sighed. One of these days, maybe Jackie would get it and stop relying so much on Susannah. She knew she should simply stop doing for her sister, but that was easier said than done. She’d gotten so used to watching out for Jackie, to being both mother and father, that turning that instinct off was nearly impossible. Susannah took her apron off and hung it on a hook. “Anyway, I better get going. I’ll be back to walk the shelter dogs later tonight.”

      “No problem. Me and Fancy Pants and Dakota will put on some Rolling Stones and have a great time. A real party.” Tess winked.

      Susannah was still laughing when she reached the main part of the shop, where Kane and Rover waited. “Thanks again, Kane. I appreciate your help today.”

      “Not a favor. A deal, remember?” He handed her the leash, collar and dog food she had given him earlier. “Thank you for taking my problem off my hands.”

      “It wasn’t a problem.” She smiled. “At all.”

      When Susannah’s gaze met Kane’s, a part of him wondered if she was talking about the dog. Or dealing with him. Or something else.

      Dating Susannah Wilson could certainly be a great part of his vacation. She was a fiery, beautiful woman, one who had captivated his attention. By spending time with her, perhaps his days in Chapel Ridge would be a lot more entertaining than he’d expected—and come with a few extra perks, beyond a couple of days alone in the woods, time that allowed him to temporarily leave the problems of his real life far behind.

      But as Kane left and the door to Susannah’s shop shut behind him, he felt something brush up against his leg. Kane looked down and saw the little barrel of brown-and-white fur, right beside him, a determined stowaway. Apparently, leaving his problems behind wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought.

      CHAPTER FOUR

      “YOU are a saint.”

      Susannah laughed. “Far from it. I’m just helping Jackie.”

      Kim Sheldon put a fist on her hip and arched a brow. Curvy and brunette, Kim brought her straight, no-nonsense approach to everything from her conversations to her jeans and in-your-face T-shirt logos. Today’s read Get Your Ducks In A Row…And Keep Them Outta My Pond.

      “Story of your life, Suzie.” Kim reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a squat glass bowl, then placed it on the round table. “Tell me again why you’re here instead of at the bachelorette party. I mean, that is one of the duties of the maid of honor, too, you know. To get rip-roarin’drunk and embarrass herself with a really hunky male stripper.”

      “I don’t have a whole lot in common with those girls.”

      “What’s to have in common? You look at the sexy guys, toss out some dollar bills and throw back some Long Island iced teas.” Kim grinned. “For some people, that’s the basis of a lifelong friendship.”

      “Jackie didn’t need me there. She needed me here.” Susannah opened a bag of clear glass beads, poured several dozen into the bowl, then began arranging light blue and white artificial flowers in the center. After the flowers were set, she draped silver ribbons along the edges of bowl, giving the centerpiece a touch of shimmer.

      Kim put a hand on Susannah’s as she reached for another bowl with her opposite hand. “She asked you to pick the centerpieces up, not set them up. So what gives with the big avoidance deal?”

      Susannah