Free Love_Unleashed by Marcia James Page B

he’d done his best to romance her into a serious relationship.
    Throughout the afternoon, he took a break every fifteen minutes to allow Cara to extol the virtues of this kitten or that mutt. Each time he relinquished the microphone to her, he reveled in her nearness, like some pathetic kid with a crush instead of an experienced, thirty-three-year-old man.
    Cara, for her part, was always friendly but in a distant way, as though they were just acquaintances, not ex-lovers. Damn, it was discouraging.
    One by one, the pets found new owners, and the vans retrieved more needy animals from the shelter. By the end of the day, over one thousand dollars in donations had been collected and a remarkable two hundred thirty homeless animals were adopted. Only one cage remained on the tables.
    Ron thanked the remaining fans, switched off his mic, and handed it to Darryl. “Can you—”
    “Yeah, yeah. I knew when you drove your own car here, I’d get stuck packing and returning the remote truck.” He glanced toward the shelter vans. “Hope your plan works.”
    Nodding his thanks, Ron wished like hell he actually had a plan. His first goal had been to see Cara again. And, dammit, he really wanted to know what had gone wrong with their relationship. Maybe if he knew why she’d dumped him, he could move on with his life. Hell, who was he fooling? He wanted Cara back.
    Ron strode over to the last cage. Cara was crooning softly to the animal within, a dog she’d described in her unsuccessful adoption pitch as a Chinese crested.
    The poor animal resembled a bald Chihuahua with snout-to-tail liver spots. A small, plain brown leather collar encircled its scrawny neck. Several of its molars were missing, and the dog’s tongue hung through that dental gap, lolling out the side of its mouth. The single tuft of hair on its skeletal head contributed to its canine Crypt Keeper appearance. Too bad the adoption fair hadn’t taken place on Halloween.
    Ron cleared his throat. “Sorry we couldn’t find a family for this little guy.”
    Cara straightened, her expression somber. “His name is Charlie—after the cartoon character Charlie Brown, who has just about as much hair on his head as this crestie.”
    “Is he a stray?”
    She shook her head. “Just another victim of the economy. His previous owners lost their house and couldn’t afford their pets anymore. They found new owners for their cats, but not for Charlie.”
    He hated seeing the sadness on Cara’s face. Sticking his hands in his pants’ pockets to keep from reaching for her, Ron offered, “Maybe if you could cure Charlie’s mange, give him some doggie Rogaine or something?”
    Cara’s mouth dropped open, and then to his astonishment, she belly-laughed, tears sparkling in her dancing eyes. Frowning, Ron waited through her lingering chuckles to be let in on the joke.
    Brushing the backs of her hands across her damp cheeks, Cara shot him a full-blown smile that made something squeeze almost painfully in Ron’s chest. “Charlie is a Chinese crested hairless dog. He’s supposed to look like this.” She gestured to the homely pooch. “Well, except for the bad teeth.”
    “You’re shi—uh, kidding me, right?” Ron stepped closer to the cage. “He’s bred that way?”
    Grinning, Cara opened the cage, reached in, and lifted out the dog. “Charlie has the sweetest disposition. He may not win any beauty contests, but he’s got the title of Mr. Personality locked in.”
    He held out his hand, which the dog sniffed and then licked, his tongue tickling. Ron slid the tips of his fingers down Charlie’s back, amazed at the softness of the animal’s skin. “Since he didn’t get adopted, what will happen to him?”
    Cara sighed. “There are rescue groups dedicated to different dog breeds, including cresties. I’ll call the local contact on Monday, to see if they can place him. It could take several weeks to a month, though, before we can find him a new home. I was hoping