Angela Campbell - On the Scent - A laugh out loud pet detective rom com!

Brian was right. They needed to help Hannah Dawson. Maybe it was even meant for Zach to do penance by handling this case. Heaven help them both, but maybe it was.

He waved Kellan off and moved to press the doorbell. Sighing, he redirected his hand to push the hair away from his face instead.

This was gonna be awkward.

The echo of a dog’s barking grew louder until he knew that chubby little mutt was right on the other side of the door. Zach blew out a breath and pressed the doorbell.

He heard movement on the other side followed by a quiet, “Hush, Costello.” The chain rattled as the door opened against it, and he barely recognized the woman who peeked out at him. He saw enough to know she was now dressed in a pair of sweatpants, baggy shirt and bare feet. Her hair was yanked back in a ponytail, making her look years younger, too.

He felt his breath catch in his chest. He’d always enjoyed seeing her like this.

“Mr. Collins. Can I help you?”

The dog’s long snout poked out from the bottom of the cracked door as if it thought it could squeeze its entire body through the tiny space.

Zach squared his shoulders and forced a smile. “Miss Dawson. May I come in?”

She sighed, but nodded. “Just give me a second.” The door shut and the chain protested again as she unlatched it. The entrance cracked open. “Come in, and hurry.”

She was bent over, holding the dog’s collar as he stepped through the door. Zach made sure the cat was still inside—there it was, perched on the back of the sofa—and shut the door.

“Sorry. I wasn’t expecting visitors.”

The dog strained against her hold, and when she released him, he ran to Zach and jumped against his leg in greeting.

Hannah clapped and pointed at the ground. “Down, Costello.” Her shoulders sank some. “I’m sorry. Ellie never had him trained. He’s horribly disobedient.” Seeing the dog sit, she walked toward the open kitchen, separated from the living room only by a large island. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Zach squinted down at the dog sitting on his left foot and looking up at him with a smelly, open-mouthed, tongue-hanging-to-the-side smile. “No thanks. I wanted to come by and apologize.” He looked up to see her tugging a cookie sheet from the oven. The aroma of melted chocolate chips triggered his mouth to start watering. “And also to thank you for what you did today.”

“How’s Brian?”

“Holding up. His wife delivered a little girl. Seven pounds, eight ounces.”

“No problems?”

“None.”

“That’s wonderful. What did they name her?”

“Jessica Marie.”

“Pretty name.” She checked the cookies to make sure they were done, and then she turned toward him and leaned against the counter. “I’m glad it ended well.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Brian reacted that way. I assure you he has never fainted before, especially while on the job. We’d like to offer you a discount on our services for a month. Half off. It’s the least we can do.”

She looked away and her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. She was hesitating. Why was she hesitating?

“Mr. Collins—”

“Call me Zach.”

That seemed to give her more reason to pause. “I’m not certain your firm is the right one for me. Truthfully, I’ve decided I probably overreacted in coming to you.”

“But you signed a contract.”

“Yes, beginning with a trial day.” She straightened. Her eyebrows pulled together, but her tone was polite when she told him, “I’m sure Brian would prefer to spend this time with his family anyway. Perhaps, in the future—”

“Someone was following you today.”

“W-what?”

Ah, that had caught her attention. “Brian spotted the tail when you left our office.” He gave her the vehicle description. “Have you noticed that car before?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “You know, maybe Brian was mistaken.” But the expression on her face told him she was worried.

Why the hell was she being so stubborn? He blew a soft breath through his nose and said, “If it matters, I was also planning to take over your case personally.”

“You were?”

Oh, it mattered, alright. He could tell by the way her eyes had sparked with interest. Why? Because she thinks you’re psychic, dumbass.

Dammit. He did not want to lie to this woman, but what choice had she given him? They needed this paycheck, but more than that, his gut twisted at the idea of her being alone with only God-knows-who targeting her. He liked this woman. Always had. Hell, he owed her.

If he was careful with his wording, maybe that would excuse him from bending his ethics this one time. It was worth a shot. She might hate him when she discovered he’d twisted the truth, but at least she would be safe.

“I’d like to take over your case.” He felt a heavy weight crush against his foot and realized the dog had decided to lie down against him. He gestured to the animal, swallowed, and prayed Brian wouldn’t find out about this part. “And I will try my best to communicate with your cat and dog.”

She crossed her arms and leaned her head a tad to the right while she considered it.

Give her a reason to say yes.

What did those stupid Facebook memes always suggest cats and dogs were thinking? Food. Something about food would seem real.

“Your cat would like a treat.” He nodded toward the feline sitting on the floor behind her.

The cat perked up and shuffled its weight from paw to paw. As if Zach had said the magic word, the dog jumped to his feet and sat at attention.

Bingo.

Hannah uncrossed her arms. “You mentioned the T word. Doesn’t take a psychic to know that’ll get a reaction.”

Good point.

She turned and stretched up toward a cabinet. Zach used the opportunity to inspect his surroundings. Unopened boxes were strewn about the floor. Very few decorations were placed around the room. She wasn’t giving him much to work with here.

A phone book was open on the sofa. He recognized the full-page ad of one the agency’s biggest competitors. She was hiring someone else? Like hell.

What did he remember about her that he could use? His gaze landed on a familiar-looking DVD cover, half-buried beneath a few magazines on the coffee table behind him. He mentally snapped his fingers. When she faced him again, he gestured to the cat.

“He also wants to know when you’re going to watch the short little man with the funny-looking hat and mustache again.”

Her entire body froze as if he’d pressed a pause button on her. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at him, wide-eyed. “What?”

“I’m feeling laughter and seeing —” He scrunched his eyebrows. “Is it Charlie Chaplin?”

The bag of treats fell from her fingers and hit the counter with a soft thud. She turned her attention to the cat, who was still staring at Zach—and swishing its tail like crazy.

“Okay, that’s kinda creepy.” She lifted the cat onto the island and gave it a few treats while she stroked its back. “I’ve got a new alarm. The police said they’d try to have a car patrol the area for a few days. I’m sorry, but my mind is made up.” She rounded the island and stuck her hand out to him. “Thank you for your services, Mr. Collins.”

A few minutes later, Zach stood on her doorstep, pissed at himself that he’d tried to con her with his psychic routine and angry at her because she hadn’t taken the bait. Had he weirded her out, the way he was looking at her or something? He found her attractive, but getting involved with a client was the ultimate no-no in his book.

No, he knew he’d been careful not to give himself away on that front.