Chasing Trust: A Small Town Steamy Romance (Harper Family series Book 3) Read online

  Today, she just presumed… and brought Bandit along with her.

  She suspected that Alexis might need Bandit as much as the little puppy needed her.

  Now all her sister needed to do was open the door.

  Serena raised her hand to knock again when the door swung open. She tried to stifle a gasp as her gaze landed on her sister, her hair askew and her clothes practically hanging off her. Serena had been concerned about Alexis for a while now. Over the past year, she had withdrawn from the family more and more, spending more time with Mom than anyone else. But even that had stopped.

  Serena twisted Bandit’s leash tighter in her fist. “What’s up with you?”

  “It was a long night. I just got up,” Alexis dropped her hand from the door and turned toward the kitchen. “I need some coffee before I have this conversation.”

  “It’s noon.” Bandit hugged Serena’s calf as she stepped into Alexis’s house and closed the door. Serena had intentionally waited a few hours before she darkened her twin’s door, knowing that as a writer she kept unusual hours anyway. Must be nice to have that kind of freedom, to work when you want to work. Or not.

  Not that Serena was complaining. She got a lot of love—and a lot of satisfaction—from her animals, but they had to be fed. And they were particularly impatient when she was running late.

  “What are you working on now?”

  Alexis wrote psychological thrillers, a genre Serena suspected contributed to her emotional roller coaster. Not that her sister would listen to anyone who gave her advice. “I make a living with my writing. That should be enough for all of you,” she would say.

  “I wasn’t writing last night. I went to FitzGeralds with some friends.”

  And got drunk. Alexis didn’t need to finish the sentence. Especially not to Serena. The two of them had always been able to communicate without words, a furtive glance, a few nods. She figured it was a twin thing but knowing that Alexis had likely gotten drunk didn’t take twin intuition. She reeked of stale beer and cigarettes.

  Just like their father.

  Alexis stepped back into the room, her hands wrapped around a huge mug with Java scribbled on the side. The local coffee house was a favorite for most of the residents of Cedar Hill. The Harper family was no exception. “You don’t need to worry about me. Everything is fine.”

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  Alexis tapped her temple as she climbed onto the couch and tucked her feet under her. Bandit took that as an invitation and hustled up beside her, resting his head on Alexis’s lap and looking up at her with eyes that had sucked Serena in the first day he’d been brought to the shelter. Alexis absently rested her hand on Bandit’s head, stroking his short, wiry fur as she gulped from her coffee mug.

  Serena knew that Alexis was the right person for Bandit. Or was it that Bandit was the right dog for Alexis? Either way, these two were meant to be together.

  “What’s his story?”

  Serena sighed as she eyed the puppy, his ribs visible, “He’s not doing well at the shelter.”

  “He seems fine right now.”

  “When he’s not around other dogs or stuck in his kennel for so many hours a day, yeah, but all he does is huddle in the corner and shiver. He needs to be in a home where he can feel safe. I was hoping you could—”

  “Serena.” Alexis’s voice held a warning.

  She lifted her hands. “Just a foster. I promise. His picture is already up on the web site and I’m hoping that there will be interest in him soon. But he’ll never be adopted if the only image people have of him is curled up in a scared ball. He doesn’t need much. Mainly some cuddles.” She gestured to where Bandit had snuggled up into Alexis’s side.

  “And to be fed and walked.” Alexis knew the drill. All of her siblings did. And for all of her hemming and hawing, she’d already relaxed with Bandit by her side.

  “Well, yeah. But look at him. He already loves you. He didn’t even warm up to me like that.”

  Alexis stroked her hand between Bandit’s rounded ears and Serena could have sworn the dog sighed. Another successful match made. And if Serena were lucky, this wouldn’t be a foster situation for long, and Alexis would adopt Bandit.

  They were good for each other.

  “Is this mutt the only reason you stopped by?”

  “Not exactly. Mayor Presley called me yesterday. He said someone donated funds to produce a charity calendar for the shelter. You know, those pin-up calendars that have photos on the top.”

  Alexis’s eyes brightened. “Like the one with Australian firefighters and their pets?”

  “Maybe. Wouldn’t that be something. Imagine teaming up with the fire department. They could pose with the animals and we could share—”

  Alexis held up her hand. “Serena, stop. I’m not caffeinated enough for this conversation. And you said someone donated the funds for you. It’s nice that you want to help the fire station but why don’t you take this opportunity to use the funds to take care of the shelter.”

  Serena sighed. If she had a million dollars, she’d help everyone in Cedar Hill that needed it. Shoot, probably more than that. It was in her nature to see a need and want to fix it. That’s how she’d ended up with the animal shelter in the first place. “Yeah, I know, you’re right.”

  Alexis finished off her coffee and set the mug on the table in front of the couch. Bandit took the opportunity to curl up, his back pressed to her thigh and resting his head on his paws. A minute later he was asleep.

  Alexis studied Serena for a moment, but her sister’s mind didn’t betray her thoughts. Alexis finally spoke. “What are you thinking about?”

  Serena had been afraid to remember the image that flashed through her mind when the Mayor first told her about the photo shoot, but she’d never been able to keep anything from Alexis. And she had wanted to gauge her sister’s opinion. “Do you remember that trip to the Steel Pier? The one right before Izzy went to New York the first time.”

  “You mean when you kissed that cute boy under the boardwalk?” Alexis’s energy surprised Serena. She hadn’t shown an interest in much other than her friends and going out partying recently, but she perked up at the thought of Edward.

  “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about that trip a lot. When I called the publisher to discuss the details of the calendar, he mentioned the name of the photographer and it reminded me of that boy. They have the same last name.”

  “Maybe it’s the same person.”

  She wished… but wishing didn’t make it true. “I don’t think so. That boy’s name was Edward and this photographer’s name is Chase. Besides, it’s been ten years. Even if it was him, it’s not like he’d remember me or anything.”

  “You really liked that boy.”

  “Yeah, I did. For the first time, I was Serena. Not Alexis’s sister.”

  “What do you mean?” Alexis never understood how Serena felt.

  She loved her twin. More than anything. But it was hard to grow up in the shadow of someone with such a big personality. As they had become adults, Serena had come out of her shell and found herself, apart from Alexis, while Alexis retreated into her own. When they were teens, it was completely the opposite. “I felt like we did everything together. Mom even dressed us alike until we put our foot down and said we were different people. But people noticed you. You had this huge personality that made people flock to you.”

  “I did not. We had the same friends. How could you say people noticed me over you?”

  “See right there. We had the same friends. Most of them were your friends first and allowed me to tag along. I was always quiet little Serena… until Edward noticed me at the beach.”

  “And he gave you your first kiss.” Alexis teased and made smooching sounds with her lips. “Serena and Edward, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

  Serena couldn’t stop the heat from creeping up her cheeks. A curse of her fair skin and blonde hair—she could never hide how she was feeling.
/>   Regardless, she’d never forgotten that kiss. Had held it up as a standard that no one had been able to meet since. Her fingers brushed across her lips, like she could still feel Edward’s pressed against hers. “Yeah, my first kiss. I’ve been thinking about Edward a lot since the publisher mentioned his name. I even looked up the photographer’s web site. His photos are awesome. He’s taken pictures of the famine in Africa and the war in the Middle East. I don’t know why an international photographer wants to come shoot pictures of my little shelter, but I’m not complaining.”

  “Well, did you think to look for his picture on the web site?”

  “Well, duh. Of course I did. There wasn’t one. And I couldn’t find one when I googled either. It’s as though he’s always behind the camera instead of in front of it. Besides, with all the awards he’s won, he’s probably an old man with gray hair and a paunch.”

  That had Alexis laughing. “Yeah, probably. Either way, this guy’s name is Chase. Not Edward. He can’t be the same person.”

  “I guess.” But Serena couldn’t deny that she wanted it to be him. Not so much that she expected Edward to show up, but that she wished she could go back to the time when she met him. When her life was simpler. When the brush of his fingers across hers had the butterflies turning over in her belly. And when a kiss was fresh and new.

  And before she had been faced with the harsh reality of what her family life was really like. Of her father and his betrayal.

  Chapter Two

  Serena tucked the broom beside the fridge that sat in the back corner of the shelter. That would have to do. She could spend all day keeping the shelter clean, but that wouldn’t leave her much time with the animals. Something had to give.

  That’s why this calendar shoot was so important. It was poised to raise much needed funds so that she could hire some more part-time help. A teenager to take some of the easier tasks - feeding and exercising the animals, cleaning out the kennels -so Serena could focus on the more daunting task of placing the animals in temporary or permanent homes. And raising the necessary funds.

  Sure, today wasn’t the actual shoot, but that hadn’t stopped her from hopping out of bed early and rushing around most of the morning. Today was a chance for the photographer to “get a feel for the space”, as his publisher had said. Serena wanted the shelter sparkling anyway. This would be his first impression of what she had built from nothing, and ridiculously, she wanted to amaze him.

  She stopped in front of a kennel and rubbed her knuckles between the ears of the mutt that the sheriff’s deputy dropped off last night. Poor pup—he hadn’t stopped shaking since he arrived. The Sheriff’s department probably contributed more residents to Helping Hands than anyone else, but that was fine by her. If she had her wish, not one animal would be abused, abandoned, or put down because someone was too busy to care for them. Every time she thought of a poor animal, shaking in fear of what was about to happen, her blood boiled. How could people do that to other living things?

  She worked her way down the row of kennels, giving love to each of the residents. This shelter may have been a place to rescue these animals, but it had rescued her as well. Had given her somewhere and something she could pour all her love into at a time when her world felt like it had turned upside down.

  “I’m sorry, honeys. We’ll go out and run as soon as this is over. I can’t have you all too excited before the photographer arrives.” Last year, she’d been able to raise barely enough funds through individual donations to build an open dog yard and runs. She’d convinced the owner of the hardware store to sell her the materials at cost, promising to keep her eye out for a dog for his daughter. Thankfully, her brother Justin and a couple of his friends had pitched in for the construction. It helped to have a handy brother who would do anything for his family.

  She wouldn’t be able to have this shelter at all if it weren’t for her family. They’d put in countless hours, helping out around the place when she couldn’t afford to pay for additional staff. And they’d fostered more pets that she could count. She’d take them all in herself if she could, but the two dogs and four cats she currently had tucked away in her cottage was all she could manage right now.

  Every little bit helped, every foster home, every donation after an adoption. But she couldn’t afford to keep the animals here indefinitely… and refused to put them down. Something had to give eventually.

  The fate of the shelter was riding on this calendar.

  After she’d loved all the dogs and worked her way through the cats and other random animals that had made their way to her shelter in the past month, she glanced at her watch. Oh crap. She’d lost track of time. Not uncommon when she was with her lovies. But she refused to meet the photographer with dirt and god knows what smeared on her shirt and smelling like, well, yeah.

  A quick twenty-minutes later, she was brushing her hands down a pair of dark, skinny jeans. She adjusted her blouse and then patted her hands over her hair. She didn’t know why she was so worried about what she looked like. Stop kidding yourself, Serena. She spent so many hours here at the shelter with the animals, that the prospect of a sexy man in their midst had her flustered.

  Not that she knew for sure he was sexy. His name was, though. Chase Foster. Every time she thought of the photographer’s name, an image of the boy she met at the Steel Pier all those years ago flashed in her mind. But that was Edward. Not Chase. Edward, with his too-long brown hair hanging long over his ears, and the sparkle in his eye when he talked about all the places he’d visited and the plans he had. She envied his freedom that day. His ability to pick up his entire life and do something different.

  But what she remembered most was how he looked at her. Like she was someone special.

  She shook her head. It did her no good to wish for something that would never be. She couldn’t help that every boy or man she’d dated since had to live up to the fantasy she’d created about a boy she spent barely a fraction of her life with.

  She scanned the expansive room that made up the majority of her shelter. Everything was ready. The scarred, hardwood floor practically shone, the kennels had all been freshened, the greeting rooms were in pristine condition, and the sun had even come out after a week of dreary, rainy weather, as though it knew that today was an important one for her.

  She didn’t want to give the photographer or his mysterious benefactor any reason to change their mind about the calendar.

  Serena didn’t know how much longer she could hold on to the shelter with their current level of funding. The town had a small line-item in their budget for basics… and the donation fees she charged helped out a lot. But there were more animals than ever in need of saving, and she was only one person. She couldn’t save every animal in the world, as much as she’d like to. To give each of them the loving home they deserved.

  Thankfully, the building had a small cabin out back that she’d made her own, meaning she didn’t have a rent payment every month. And she ate more meals at her mom’s or siblings’ houses than she should. Anything to have a few more dollars free to help the animals.

  But it wasn’t a sustainable living. And it certainly didn’t give her the option of imagining her future family like her siblings had found. If she wanted a family. She loved her brother and sisters but growing up with her father was not a childhood she would wish on anyone.

  She checked her watch. Where was this photographer anyway? Maybe he’d caught one glimpse of her little shelter out in the middle-of-nowhere-Pennsylvania and high-tailed it back to wherever he came from. She wouldn’t be surprised. Why would an internationally-acclaimed photographer want to do something as simple as take photos of dogs for a calendar anyway?

  Not that she was complaining—just skeptical.

  Serena collected Sadie out of her kennel. Most of her dogs were mutts, and Sadie was no exception. From what she could figure, there had to be some terrier mix in her, but it was hard to tell. It didn’t matter. Serena loved them all and beside
s, mutts made for better pets. She didn’t know why so many people insisted on paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a purebred dog when a cutie like Sadie would love them just as much, if not more. And it only cost a small token amount to help keep the shelter running.

  She dug her nose into Sadie’s fur. “Yeah, sweetie, wouldn’t you love someone to take you home and love you?”

  “I know I would.”

  She screamed and hopped to her feet at the sound of the deep male voice behind her, shaking almost as much as Sadie. Serena kept her eyes lowered and willed her heart to stop racing as she spoke in a hushed voice to the nervous pooch. “It’s all right, honey. He didn’t mean to scare you.”

  The man’s voice was quick to add. “I didn’t. I’m so sorry. I thought you heard me come in.”

  Serena finally caught her breath and raised her eyes to the source of the voice. Nope, not old and gray. At all. If anything, the photographer was barely her age. Maybe a few years older. His brown hair was long and brushing his neck, like he was two weeks past a haircut. A black T-shirt stretched over an impressive set of biceps, tattoos peeking out beneath both sleeves. A battered camera bag hung from one shoulder.

  She bet that bag had a lot of stories to tell.

  Her gaze traveled up his body, studying the sharp lines of his jaw and, ooh, a delicious looking dimple in his chin. A scar sliced across his jaw and another bisected his eyebrow, evidence of this man’s mysterious life lived photographing some of the most spectacular and heartbreaking scenes in the world.

  His hazel eyes stared back at her in confusion.

  She shivered under the intensity of his stare. “What?”

  “It’s just that… you reminded me of someone.”

  That should have been her line. She’d run so many ideas of who the mysterious photographer could actually be that she wasn’t sure who to expect. Something about Chase was familiar to her, too. But this man with the hardened expression couldn’t be the smiling boy full of life she’d met all those years ago.