Free Small-Town Cinderella (The Pirelli Brothers) by Stacy Connelly Page A

a few months ago, unaware the dog was about to give birth. She’d called Nick, the local vet, and that had been the start of their relationship. The last Debbie had heard, Maddie, Nick’s daughter, had been pushing to keep the mama dog and the four puppies, much to Nick and Darcy’s dismay.
    “Kara and Sam took one of the boys for Timmy,” Drew said, referring to Sam’s recently found four-year-old son who also happened to be Kara’s nephew. “A friend of Maddie’s took the other girl. I think Maddie’s going to get her way, though, and they’ll end up keeping the last boy. Unless you’re interested?”
    “Oh, no, not me!” Debbie straightened abruptly as if she expected him to try to foist the other puppy on her right that minute.
    “Why not? You clearly like dogs.”
    “I do. What’s not to like? They’re cute and cuddly and loving, but they’re also a lot of work.”
    “Yeah, but it’s worth it,” he said with a grin as Rain turned her attention toward him. The puppy was clearly smitten with her new owner, and not just because of her fascination with the laces on his tennis shoes. The affection was mutual as Drew picked up the squirming puppy and held her in his arms. His big palm just about covered her small back, and as he rubbed her silky fur, the puppy groaned in bliss.
    Smart girl, Debbie thought, figuring she’d do the same if Drew buried his fingers in her hair.
    Goose bumps rose on the back of her neck at the very thought. Debbie wished she could blame the reaction on the cool breeze and overcast fall morning, but she knew better. It was all Drew—the memory of his kiss and the unfulfilled promise of his caress the night before.
    Crazy that the puppy snuggled in his arms didn’t detract from that oh-so-masculine sexiness. Crazier still that it only added to it.
    “So what exactly are you doing out here?”
    “I heard you talking and thought you were bringing someone inside. The last thing I need is anyone thinking I spent the night with you.”
    His dark brows pulled together. “You did spend the night.”
    Heat touched her cheeks. “You know what I mean.” Dropping her focus to her shoe, she said, “I couldn’t find my other shoe.”
    His frown morphed into a sheepish expression as he said, “Yeah, um, about that...Rain’s still teething, and she’s been doing really well but—”
    “No! Seriously?” Her shoulders slumping, Debbie clutched her sole surviving pump to her chest. “They were so cute.”
    And though she’d had them for months, they were brand-new. She’d been saving them for a special occasion, and wasn’t it a sorry testament to her life that a few dozen or so weeks could go by without a special occasion in sight?
    “Would it help to know it made a really awesome chew toy?”
    “Oddly, no.” She sighed.
    “How about if Rain said she was sorry?” Drew held out the puppy as if prompting a five-year-old to remember her manners. Rain rolled her head toward Debbie, draping her neck over the crook of Drew’s elbow. With one ear flopping over, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth and her eyes bright and happy, she didn’t look the least bit repentant. She did, however, look absolutely adorable, and any irritation Debbie might have felt disappeared. Toward the dog and toward the man holding her.
    She’d been angry and hurt and humiliated when Drew had turned her away the night before, but in the clear light of day, she could see now that he’d made the right decision. Sexual chemistry aside—assuming, that was, that it wasn’t just on one side—she and Drew were at different places in their lives. He was four years older than she was, and while that age difference was minimal, they’d taken very different paths to get where they were.
    Though Drew had worked odd jobs as a teenager, he’d still had plenty of time for sports and extracurricular activities as well as parties and hanging out with his friends. He’d been one of the cool kids who’d