Chasing Trust: A Small Town Steamy Romance (Harper Family series Book 3) Page 6

Thank God the sun was finally shining. That was about the only thing going right. Even that had been questionable until last night, when the huge storm front they were expecting turned north.

  Serena opened the doors to chaos this morning. Daisy had found a way to jiggle open the latch on her kennel. She hadn’t appeared to cause any damage. Serena’d found the escape artist lounging in the straw in one of the puppy pits, but her presence had riled up most of the other dogs. They clearly knew something was up, too. Dogs were intuitive and whether they were feeding off her nervous energy or the change in their routine, she didn’t know. What she did know was that she wasn’t sure how successful this event would be after all.

  Izzy rushed up, her hair pulled up on her head in a messy pony tail with strands straggling around her face. Serena knew Alexis, Justin and Maddie were also here somewhere. “Hey, Serena. I’ve got the models setting up in the two greeting rooms. I wasn’t sure where to put them. And, for the record, I have to say that some of them are f-iiiiii-ne.”

  Serena couldn’t disagree that having sexy men pose with the dogs would probably sell a few extra copies of the calendar. “For the record, you’re married, right? And having a baby?”

  Izzy’s head snapped around and then back, like she was checking to make sure Tanner hadn’t walked up. “I am, but man, these pregnancy hormones are driving me crazy. I’m horny all the time.”

  “I doubt Tanner’s complaining.”

  Izzy grinned and waggled her eyebrows. “He’s trying to keep up, but I gotta tell ya’, I think I’m wearing the man out.”

  “No such luck.” Tanner threw his arm around Izzy and her face grew three shades of red. “But you keep thinking that, babe. Hey, Serena. I think I saw the photographer unpacking his equipment in the yard.”

  Serena felt the heat rise on her cheeks. Thankfully, Izzy was so caught up in kissing Tanner that she didn’t notice. Other than Alexis, the rest of her family, as far as she knew, didn’t know about the completely unprofessional feelings she’d been harboring for the sexy photographer since he’d walked away from the shelter almost two weeks ago. “On that note, I think I’ll go check out some of these fine models we have.”

  Izzy waved, not breaking their kiss as Serena walked away. She stepped around the corner into her office and collapsed against the wall, heaving out a huge breath. She’d hardly thought of anything other than Chase since she received the test photos last week. She’d run this scenario through her head a thousand times. What she would say to him when she saw him again. Would the attraction that buzzed between them last time still be there or was that a result of the initial excitement of their meeting?

  “Serena, that sexy photographer is looking for you.” Alexis burst into the office and nearly slammed into Serena when she popped off the wall.

  “Shh. You didn’t need to announce that to the entire world.”

  Alexis dropped her voice to a whisper. “Sorry. The photographer is out in the yard and he’s looking for you. And you were right, he is H-O-T.” Alexis waved her hand in front of her face.

  Serena laughed. She knew for certain that Alexis would never show any interest in someone that Serena liked, but that wouldn’t stop Alexis from teasing her relentlessly. What were sisters for anyway, if not to tease each other?

  Serena tucked her hair behind her ear. Maybe she should have worn it up and out of her face like she normally did. But when she’d stared in the mirror this morning, she thought about Chase seeing her again and wanted her hair down. She brushed her hands down her blouse, tucking a corner that had pulled out back into her jeans.

  “Oh, you look fine. Just go out there and talk to him.”

  “Yeah, all right. I’ll do that.”

  “Wow. I’ve never seen you like this. You must really like this guy.”

  “I don’t know what it is, but ever since I met him, I can’t stop thinking about him. It’s been like it was after our trip to the Steel Pier when I met Edward. For a long time after that, no boy could live up to the fantasy I had created in my head. Shoot, even when I was dating David, it was like I compared everything about him to Edward.” She hung her head. “What is wrong with me?”

  Alexis slung her arm around Serena’s shoulder. “Nothing. You’re finally admitting to yourself that you don’t really want to spend the rest of your life out here alone with your animals. But that’s exactly where you’ll be if you don’t get out there.”

  Alexis pushed on her shoulders and shoved her out of the office.

  Serena laughed as she crossed the large open area in the shelter and hurried out the door to the play yard. As soon as the door closed behind her, the sounds of the animals and the people diminished, and it was just her… and Chase.

  He hadn’t noticed her yet, his focus completely on setting up a camera on a tri-pod. He hadn’t told her much about how he planned to conduct the shoot and she hadn’t thought to ask, but she certainly didn’t expect the three different cameras with lenses of varying lengths and four of those umbrella things that she’d seen photographers use at the places in the mall. She had no idea how he expected the dogs to sit still long enough to pose.

  “I don’t expect the dogs to stand still. The cameras are stationed based on how I saw the dogs play last time. I can operate all of them by remote control if I need to get the right shot.” Chase stepped up behind her and answered her question as if she had asked it out loud.

  She hadn’t even realized he’d moved but now that he was behind her, the heat of his breath on her neck, she was definitely aware of him.

  “Do you have a few minutes before we start shooting?”

  “Sure.” She turned to face the man that had filled her thoughts since the last day he was here. She’d love more than a few minutes, but she’d take any time she could with Chase.

  But he got right down to business. “I thought we’d use the yard again for the shoot. The natural light is great out here and I doubt I’ll even need my flashes, but I brought them along, just in case. The trees are starting to turn colors and the dogs seem happy when they’re out here.”

  “They are.” Serena loved that he wanted to make sure the dogs were happy despite the turmoil in their environment. The excitement of the extra people around the shelter already had them on edge, but she knew that once they had a few minutes to run off their energy, they’d be great.

  “Did you have any last-minute questions about the test shots I sent? Or the schedule? My assistant finalized that with you yesterday, right?”

  “The shots were great. And yes, your assistant has been very helpful.” Each time she saw an email about the photo shoot, she opened it quickly, hoping it was from Chase. But inevitably, the message was signed by Nancy, his assistant. Serena hadn’t heard directly from Chase since the day he’d last come by the shelter.

  “I spoke to my publisher, and he’d like to include the shot of you and Charlie that I took last time. That’s the kind of feeling that I’d like to have for all the photos.”

  She didn’t want to be the focus of the calendar. She begrudgingly agreed that the models would help sell calendars, but she had no intentions of being included herself. “But, I’m not a model.”

  “No, but you’re the owner, and we both think that including a personal message from you, talking about what you’re doing here, will really help promote the calendar and the shelter itself.”

  That made a lot of sense. “Whatever you think is best. You have more experience with this kind of thing than I do.”

  He stared at her for a minute, like he wanted to say something else, but then he shook his head. “All right, then. I think I’m ready. Your sister Izzy has the matchups of the models and the dogs that we worked up. Let’s get the first two pairs out here.”

  Serena hoped that Chase was all business because of the shoot and not because he hadn’t felt anything the last time they met. Because he clearly wasn’t as shaken being around her as she was around him. Maybe she’d built up their first meeting into som
ething it wasn’t. Disappointment washed through her. It was so typical of her, making her feelings into more than they actually were. She was so bad at relationships with men, which is why she was best out here with her dogs.

  But she could have sworn she’d seen interest in his eyes the last time. Not now. This was all-business Chase.

  She nodded and hurried inside.

  As soon as she started letting the dogs out in the yard, the photo shoot settled into a nice rhythm. Alexis stayed with Sofia, Aiden, and Hayley inside, playing with the animals that weren’t part of the shoot, Izzy ran back and forth with Chase’s assistant, shuttling models and dogs back and forth, and Serena spent most of her time in the yard. Watching Chase work.

  It was fascinating to see how he could almost blend into the background, as though it was just the models and the animals in the yard. He encouraged the guys to play with the dogs, to get down on the ground at times, and then he’d step back. She hardly even knew when he was taking a shot, but once in a while, he’d step up to a camera and frame a photo, or she’d see his fingers press a button on one of the many remotes he carried with him as he circled the yard over and over.

  Finally, the last two dogs were being led back into the shelter. Serena followed them in and was surprised to find it much quieter than it had been. Most of the models had packed their bags and left as soon as their specific photos were done, and now, the dogs were sprawled in their kennels, exhausted from all the excitement.

  “Whew, I didn’t think we’d ever get through.” Justin slung his arm around her. “Everything go all right out there?”

  “Yeah, it was great.” Except for the fact that Chase had hardly noticed her, much less talked to her, all day. He’d had plenty to say to the models and certainly to his assistant but had barely spared two words for her once he started taking photos. “I really appreciate all you guys’ help. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”

  Justin grinned. “We’re always happy to help, you know that. Izzy and Alexis cleaned up in the greeting room before they left, and Maddie fed all the animals. Is there anything else you need done before we head out?”

  She threw her arms around Justin. She hadn’t looked forward to the work required to put the shelter back together, and her siblings knew that and banded together to help her out. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe you guys did all that. Now all I have to do is go home and collapse.”

  “Well, then, it’s a good thing home is right out back. You let us know if you need anything else.”

  “I will.”

  As Serena watched, Justin pulled Maddie to her feet from where she was crouched down in front of one of the kennels, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. Aiden and Sofia threw their arms around the adults’ legs and the four of them hugged for a minute before heading out the door.

  And then Serena was alone. She hadn’t seen Chase or his assistant since she’d walked inside. Had they packed up and left when the last shots were taken?

  Serena wandered outside, ridiculously happy to see Chase still packing up the last of his equipment.

  “Whew.”

  He lifted his head from the bag he was zipping closed. “You can say that again. That was exhausting.”

  “I appreciate everything you did today. I’m really excited to see the final calendar. I think it will be very popular. And the shelter sure could use the funds.”

  He paused. Was he wondering the same thing she was? Whether they’d see each other again. “Well, I’m all packed up—”

  She panicked, afraid that this was the last time she’d ever see Chase. That she’d never have the chance to explore the feelings that he had stirred in her. “Listen, I was planning on taking my dogs Rascal and Roscoe for a walk.”

  “Your dogs?” He gestured to the building behind her. “I thought all of these were your dogs.”

  “Well, they are. Kinda. Until I find them homes of their own. But Rascal is mine. And Roscoe is a foster that does better in the house. I take dogs in from time to time if they aren’t doing well in the shelter, but Rascal is the first dog I rescued and I kept him for myself.”

  Chase shook his head. “I didn’t mean to keep you. I’ll get out of your way so you can get home to them.”

  There he was, trying to beat a path away from her again. That had to be for the best. She didn’t want to get involved with someone from out of town anyway. But she couldn’t help but try one last time. “It’s not that far. Home is just…” She motioned toward her cabin behind the shelter. “…right there. I was just thinking. I was, uh, wondering, if you’d like to help me walk the dogs. Well, it’s not like I need help, really it’s just—”

  Chase rested his hand on her arm. “I’d love to go for a walk with you.”

  She tried not to skip beside him as he stored his bags in his dust-covered jeep before heading around the corner to her cottage. She’d finally gotten a chance to be alone with Chase, really alone, to see if these feelings were real.

  Chapter Six

  Chase waited outside while Serena hurried into her cabin. Suggesting they walk the dogs had given him the perfect opening to tell her who he was. That he had met her once before in Atlantic City. That he’d carried the picture of her in his wallet.

  They were alone. This way, he wouldn’t be interrupted before he had a chance to explain why he hadn’t told her who he was the minute he met her.

  He wasn’t sure he could explain it himself.

  But he was a selfish bastard, because he wanted this time alone with her in case she gave him the boot when he told her who he really was. That while he was known to the world as Chase Foster, he was really Edward Morton Foster, the fourth.

  Serena practically skipped out of her house, a Jack Russell attached to a long leash in front of her and a brown mutt dog hugging her leg.

  “Okay. We’re ready.”

  Chase bent down and extended his hand. The Jack Russell didn’t waste any time before sniffing around, looking for a treat, but the mutt took a bit longer to warm up to him. Chase was patient. He’d wait until the little one was ready. “Hey, puppy. How are you doing? Are you ready for a walk?”

  The Jack Russell barked, the mutt leapt toward Serena, and she laughed. “You’ve done it now. I took so long because I had to calm them down. They got excited the minute I picked up their leashes.”

  She started down a path that led into the woods and he fell into step beside her.

  For the next few minutes, neither of them talked. Rascal and Roscoe ran ahead, frolicking back and forth across the well-worn path, darting beneath the piles of leaves and fallen logs that lined either side of the ruts in the grass. Chase didn’t want to fracture the peace that surrounded them right now. A peace he had been searching for and unable to find for a long time.

  He was thankful today’s shoot had gone off without a hitch. He’d expected the models to be the same entitled divas he’d seen in New York, but it seemed like knowing this was a charity event brought out their better sides. And the dogs were in their element, laughing and frisking like they were the day of the test shoot.

  After all this time, Chase felt he wasn’t good around people anymore. Except for Serena. She seemed to appreciate the quiet as much as he did.

  His surroundings weren’t unlike many of the areas of the world he’d visited. But in many of those, the apparent peace masked their darkest secrets from the rest of the world.

  Chase eyed Serena’s hand hanging loose between them. It would only take a small movement and her fingers could be entwined with his in the way he’d envisioned since the day he walked back into her life. Well, he’d been fantasizing about a lot more than holding hands with her. In his dreams, he’d been hovering over her, her eyes closed and a blissful expression on her face.

  Serena sighed and he shook the X-rated fantasies from his mind. He had no business thinking about her that way. At least not yet. That didn’t stop his body from tightening by being around her.

 
“I love it out here. It’s so peaceful and quiet. I can be alone with my thoughts.”

  “Most people your, er, our age don’t appreciate the quiet like that. What made you move so far out of town?”

  Serena hummed under her breath but didn’t answer. “What about you? I’d think you’d be itching to get on the road again. To take one of those Pulitzer prize winning photos. How did you get started with photography?”

  Serena had given him the perfect opportunity to tell her who he was, but he had to ease into it, make her understand where he was coming from before he sprang his identity on her. “From the minute I was born, my parents—well, my father really—had very specific expectations of what my life would be. I was to grow up, go to law school, and become the fourth generation of attorneys to join the family firm.”

  “And you didn’t want that?”

  Her words may have sounded like a question, but she stated them like she understood him. And maybe she did. “Not at all. Thankfully, my mother supported me exploring what made me happy and what I was good at, and I found an interest in photography.”

  “And your dad let you off the hook?”

  He scoffed. “Hardly. I was fifteen when my mother died. Instead of comforting me in my grief, my dad grew even more distant. And stricter. His need for me to carry on the family tradition intensified into an obsession.”

  Serena kicked at the leaves, not looking at him as they talked. “Yet you’re not in the firm?”

  “The minute I could, I took off. I thought I’d find the peace I was looking for by traveling the world. But what I found was a completely different story. Some of the most beautiful countries in the world have been destroyed by war and famine. The people who depend on that land fight a daily struggle to survive.” He couldn’t shake the image of the child he’d held in his arms on his last trip, a tiny five-year-old who had been suffering for months from malaria and malnourishment. That child took his last breath in Chase’s arms. “I didn’t find the peace I was searching for, but I found more of a mission. I wanted to show the world how the other half lives, how a child may walk five miles to find clean drinking water… and how mothers bury their children way more than they should.”