Free Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker Page B

him?"
    "Honey, he's a sweet dog. You just have to spend a little time with him."
    "And what happens when I leave for work? He just stays there . . . in our new house . . . by himself?"
    Andy laughed and took Sherilyn's hand between both of his. Raising it to his lips, he placed a firm kiss on her knuckles.
    "We'll figure it out."
    She didn't want to believe him. She wanted to put her foot down and tell him she wasn't ready to plan a wedding and
    become a wife, put together a new home and become, of all things, a dog owner. Especially to a ginormous motion-sick dog that wanted nothing to do with her without Andy in the immediate vicinity.
    But she made the mistake of looking into Andy's steel-blue eyes. To make matters worse, the breeze picked up his wavy dark hair and tossed it across his brow. And as a final coup de grace, Andy grinned at her. She adored the tiny lines that formed parentheses around those spectacular eyes of his, and the larger matching ones that framed his smile. From the time that they met, all the way until that very moment, Andy's smile did her in.
    "I'll tell you what," he said, kissing her hand again. "You spend a little time with Henry. And if you feel like he's too much for you, we'll find him a new home. Okay?"
    Sherilyn nodded, despite the fact that there wasn't a splinter of a doubt in her mind. She had just gained ninety-some unwanted pounds in the quick flash of Andy's smile.

    Four orthopedic physicians, six physical therapists, eight nursing assistants, two radiologists, and five administrative clerks made up the staff of the impressive Atlanta Sports Injury Center. For the most part, their clientele seemed to consist of athletes and the very physically fit, but Andy had been particularly interested in the overweight girl in the denim overalls out on the floor that morning. She'd come for her second physical therapy session after sustaining injuries while working out with an ill-equipped trainer at her local gym.
    His first week at the center had been filled largely with administrative tasks, Andy's least favorite thing right next to his mother's garden parties and rush-hour traffic in downtown Atlanta. He'd also set up his office, taken his new admin to
    lunch, shadowed three colleagues, and observed half a dozen physical therapy sessions.
    The center teemed with patients every day from 8 a.m. when it opened its doors until 6 p.m. when it closed them, but he wasn't set to see his first patient until the following Monday, so Jackson's invitation came as a welcome distraction. While Emma and Sherilyn indulged in an evening of wedding planning, Andy would join Jackson and a couple of his buddies at the hockey game. What a stroke of fortune that the Atlanta Thrashers were set to match up against his beloved Chicago Blackhawks!
    Andy wondered if wearing his Chicago jersey would be worth the risk when walking into the Atlanta arena. He opted for a gray Henley over a black T-shirt and jeans instead. No need to alienate a whole group of people on his first night out with them.
    "Emma said you're a Blackhawks fan," Jackson declared just moments after the four of them settled into their seats at Philips Arena.
    "Hold on. You invited a Blackhawks fan?" Decker Stanton asked, leaning around Jackson and bracing himself on the seat in front of him. With a glare at Jackson, he asked, "You allowed this blatant infiltration?"
    Joe Ridgeway reached over from his aisle seat to Andy's left, and he snatched the giant cup of soda straight from Andy's hand. "You should have told me that before I bought you a soda, man. Blackhawks?"
    "Gimme a break," Andy told them with a laugh. "I'm from Chicago."
    "But you grew up here in Atlanta!" Jackson exclaimed with a serious attempt at hiding the grin. "You're a traitor, plain and simple. I can't protect you."
    "Nah," Andy replied. "I'd be a traitor if they weren't Cup champions. But they are, so that just makes me a genius."
    The three of them howled and groaned.
    Joe smacked