Prologue
Serena Harper skipped down the boardwalk at the Steel Pier, snatching up flowers growing along the edge. Today had been the best day of her life. As much as that meant, since she was only fifteen years old. But today, Mom and Dad had brought the entire family to Atlantic City, and she’d been able to go off by herself. Well, not exactly by herself. With her twin sister, Alexis. But no parents. They’d given each of them twenty dollars and told them that it had to last until dinner. Told them to go have fun.
And she had.
Serena stepped up and leaned her arms on the railing, the wide, expansive beach stretching as far as she could see down below. The wind swirled around her and blew her hair. She tried to tuck the loose strands behind her ear, but the wind won. Her hair would probably be tied in knots by the end of the day, but she didn’t care. She was mesmerized by the waves that poured in, one by one, each crashing onto the white sandy beach. What she wouldn’t give to live near the ocean. To wake up every day to that peaceful sound. To hear the wind whoosh through the trees. It could be her escape. Somewhere she could go and do what she wanted, when she wanted. Not what her Mom and Dad wanted her to do. And certainly not everything that her sister did. She loved Alexis, but sometimes being a twin sucked.
As Serena stared down the beach, she spotted someone pointing a camera at her. Not someone. A boy. He held the camera up to his face for another minute… and then he lowered it.
She gasped. He was the cutest boy she’d ever seen, his shoulders broad and not skinny like most of the guys she knew. His brown hair tousled by the wind.
“Alexis, look.” She nudged her sister who had been more interested in watching the people passing by on the boardwalk. “Look at that boy.”
“Where?”
Serena pointed toward the beach. “Over there. But don’t look. Don’t look.”
Of course, Alexis did the opposite. It was as if she enjoyed doing exactly what people didn’t want her to do. “He’s cute. And he’s taking our picture.”
Serena didn’t correct her sister, but he’d been taking her picture long before Alexis turned around. He lowered his camera, slid a cap over the lens and then headed down the beach.
“Oh, well.” She turned her back to the ocean. “What should we do now?”
“We could play some games.”
“I thought you spent your cash already.” While Serena had held onto her money until she knew what she wanted to spend it on, Alexis had burned through her twenty dollars in no time.
“But you still have— don’t look, don’t look. The boy is coming this way.”
Serena ducked her head and turned toward where Alexis was looking. Boys were always coming up to her. Talking to her. They may be twins, but there was something about Alexis that made the boys pay attention.
The boy stepped up in front of them, his camera still slung around his neck. Now that she saw him up close, she wasn’t sure this was a boy at all. He was older. Certainly a lot older than her and Alexis. His broad shoulders stretched his blue T-shirt tight across his chest and his square jaw was darkened by stubble.
“Hi.” Alexis didn’t waste any time. She didn’t have a shy bone in her body. Not like Serena.
“Hi.” Alexis may have spoken first, but unlike most boys, he wasn’t looking at her when he spoke. He was looking at Serena. Staring at her… with hazel eyes with flecks of gold that almost glittered in the sun.
The boys she went to school with were cocky and full of themselves. But she knew that was all for show—they were as awkward and nervous as she was. Not this boy. There was nothing cocky about him. He was confident.
“Serena?” Alexis nudged her shoulder.
“Your name’s Serena?”
She nodded. She couldn’t speak. His deep voice washed through her and settled deep in her gut.
He held out his hand to her. “I’m Edward.”
She stared at it for a minute and then took the offering. She’d never shaken hands with a boy before. Waved and giggled, sure, but not shaking hands. “I’m Serena. Serena Harper.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
“Right.” He smiled at her and she was a goner. Her heart started a rapid beat and butterflies fluttered in her belly. She’d read in books about how women felt when they met a man and fell in love. It was nice in a story but she didn’t think it was real.
Boy, was she wrong.
She giggled. God, she hated it when the girls at school giggled at boys. Had insisted she would never be like that. But one look, one touch from this boy and that’s the first thing she did.
Alexis tried to get him to talk to her. She was always doing that when the two of them were together. Serena didn’t mind—usually. “So where are you—”
“Did you want to go on a ride with me?” Edward pulled a handful of tokens out of his pocket and extended them toward Serena.
What do you think? Serena asked her sister wordlessly. They’d always been able to understand each other, even without words. Carrying on conversations in their minds used to drive their parents and siblings crazy. Serena didn’t realize for a long time how unusual it was.
Alexis nodded. Go have fun. He’s a cute boy.
Serena heard the words in her head as clearly as if Alexis had said them out loud.
She turned back to Edward. “Okay.”
He grinned and his face relaxed, like he was afraid she wouldn’t say yes. “What did you want to ride?”
Any other girl might choose to ride the Ferris Wheel, to cuddle up next to the boy, but she wasn’t any other girl. “How about the Crazy Mouse?”
He raised his eyebrows. Had he not met a girl that liked roller coasters before? He held out his hand. “Sounds great.”
She hesitated for a moment before slipping her hand into his. His fingers wrapped around hers and a huge jolt shot through her; her heart beat so fast it almost hurt. She’d never held hands with a boy before. She liked it.
They ran down the pier toward the rides, and as they reached the roller coaster, he pulled her closer and they slid into a seat, side-by-side, right before the gates closed. His thigh pressed up against hers, his body leaned into her. She couldn’t remember the bench being this small before.
He slid his arm along the back of the seat and wrapped it around her shoulder. None of the awkward nervousness of the boys she’d gone to school dances with, afraid to touch her. This boy was all confidence. Her stomach did a flip-flop, and they hadn’t even started the ride yet. She might not have had a boyfriend before but knew for certain this was how she was supposed to feel.
There was no time to dwell on her thoughts as the car started its slow climb up the hill. She shivered, and Edward pulled her closer. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and snuggled into him as they crested the hill. Her stomach dropped and she screamed, throwing her hands in the air. A second later, they swept across the bottom of the hill and back up the next one. She turned to Edward, but he wasn’t looking at the track. He was watching her. Before she could ask him why, she was jerked to the side and around another curve. Up and down, around and around, much like her heart felt with Edward’s arm on her shoulder.
A minute later, the roller coaster glided into the station. The ride was over. Much too soon. She wanted to spend more time with Edward.
He helped her out of the car and then climbed out behind her.
She smiled at him as they walked down the ramp and back to reality. If only she could wrap herself up in that ride and live in it for the rest of her life. “That was great.”
“It was.”
“Let’s go—”
“What do you—” They both spoke at once.
She laughed and pointed to him. “You go.”
He shuffled his feet. She hadn’t thought he could be nervous, but it sure seemed he was feeling the same way she was right about now. “I wanted to know where we should go next.”
“You want to do something else?” She almost screeched but would rather not look like a silly girl to Edward.
“I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
“Oh, wow.” The words came out as a whisper. She hadn’t meant to say them out loud.
He stared at her for another second and then steered her to the Ferris wheel. A few minutes later, she was snuggled against him as their car swung high above the boardwalk. Like their own little world, with only the two of them in it. The sounds of the boardwalk and the ocean were far away.
Edward wove his fingers through hers. He was holding her hand. She couldn’t believe it. “Where are you from, Serena?”
She loved hearing him say her name. “I’m from Pennsylvania.”
“I’ve never been to Pennsylvania.”
Maybe he could find a way to visit. “What about you? Where are you from?”
“Nowhere. Everywhere.”
“What does that mean? Don’t you have a home?”
He shook his head. “No. Well, I guess, kinda. My family lives in California.”
“Wow, California. That’s so far away. Are you here on vacation?”
“Nope. I left home two years ago.”
“Then where do you live?”
He scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “I don’t live anywhere. I go where I want to go. I take pictures to pay for places to stay.”
Wow. She’d never met anyone who lived like that. What she wouldn’t give to run away from home. To avoid the yelling and the arguing. To get away from their father. But she would never have the nerve to do that. And certainly wouldn’t go anywhere without Alexis.
Her older sister Isabella was leaving for New York to be a dancer in two weeks. Serena was going to miss her, especially since Dad didn’t seem to yell at Isabella as much as he did at Serena and Alexis. And Justin only came home for a couple of months each winter before he went back to Florida to play baseball. When Isabella left, it would be only her and Alexis for dad to be mad at. Living somewhere else, doing what you wanted all the time sounded like a great idea right about now. “That sounds like fun.”
“So far.”
The wheel started moving again and she lost her chance to ask him more about his trips, and too soon, the ride was over and she had to leave the cocoon that she had woven around the two of them. Like they were the only two people in the world.
Edward led her down the boardwalk, never letting go of her hand, as he talked about some of the photos he’d taken while he had been in Atlantic City. She could listen to him talk all day, especially when, once in a while, he looked at her with a huge smile on his face.
She scanned the people walking by, a couple holding hands, two girls giggling with their hair blowing in the wind. Were they looking at her and the cute boy she was with?
When they reached one of the stairways, he motioned for her to walk down to the beach.
Eep. She had always dreamed of walking along the beach with a boy, their hands swaying between them and now she was doing it. With Edward. They walked along the sand, talking about places he had been and pictures he’d taken, about how he loved to see the world through his lens and isolate certain parts of a big scene.
But he didn’t do all the talking. He asked her about her family and he looked at her when she talked. He wasn’t checking out who was around them. He focused on her. She’d never had that before. She’d always been “SerenaandAlexis”. Half of a pair. Never just Serena.
But Edward looked at her like she was the only girl in the world.
When it felt like they had walked for hours, he tugged on her hand. She nearly tripped over her own feet, then laughed as she followed him. He stopped in front of a sun-beaten blue Adirondack chair that had seen better days.
It was big enough for two.
He dragged her down beside him, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her to his chest. Tucked underneath the boardwalk, they were away from the sounds of the people and rides. The beach was practically deserted as the sun had sunk behind the tall buildings that lined the boardwalk. It was the two of them. Alone.
She finally broke the silence. “Where are you going next?”
He quirked his lips and stared out at the ocean. “I’m not sure. There’s a publisher in New York who wants to send me somewhere overseas to take pictures.”
As exciting as that sounded, it was too much to hope that he would be nearby. Maybe as close as Philadelphia.
He furrowed his brows and studied her. “What is it?”
“I wish that I’d met you on the first day of my vacation… instead of the last. We’re going home tomorrow.” She dipped her head. She felt like he could see right into her soul every time he looked at her. That everything she was feeling was out on display for him.
“I wish I had met you sooner, too. But I’m leaving anyway, so all we have is today.”
He slid his hand under her chin and lifted it so that she looked him in the eye. His hazel eyes darkened and he leaned a little closer. He was going to kiss her. Her first kiss.
He took her wrists and wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands cupped her cheeks. Her eyes widened and she puckered her lips. At least she thought she did. She wasn’t sure what to do. She twisted her hands in his hair, the soft strands falling over her fingers, and he let out a little moan. That was good, right?
Edward moved closer and her eyes fluttered closed. She couldn’t keep them open any longer.
His lips finally touched hers. A light peck. He pulled back a fraction before kissing her again, this time his lips moved against her mouth.
She sighed and his tongue darted out. He traced her lips and then slipped his tongue into her mouth. God, he was a good kisser. She held onto his neck tighter.
Serena touched the tip of her tongue to his. He groaned and slid his hands around to the back of her neck, tilting her head so that he could kiss her better. The sound of the ocean faded as they snuggled close on a chair tucked under the boardwalk, kissing. If only she could stay here forever, but she knew she couldn’t.
He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. She finally opened her eyes and saw him staring at her.
“Serena!” Alexis’s voice broke through her fog.
“Is that your sister?” Edward kept his hands around her neck, as if holding on meant she wouldn’t go away.
“Just ignore her. She’ll go away.” She leaned toward him, hoping he would kiss her again.
“Serena! It’s time to leave,” Alexis’s voice drew closer now.
“I guess you have to go.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Why did Alexis have to ruin everything? Couldn’t she just tell Mom and Dad that she couldn’t find Serena. Then she could have a few more minutes with Edward.
He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers one more time and then pulled his hands from her neck.
Her sister rushed up to their chair, her chest heaving from running. “There you are. Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
“Yes, but I was ignoring you.” And if she’d go away, she’d keep ignoring her for a little longer.
“Well, Dad sent me to get you. We have to go.”
Serena looked at Edward. He didn’t look at her now.
Alexis motioned with her hand. “Come on, Serena.”
She turned to Edward. Did he regret kissing her, or that she had to leave? She knew what her answer would be. She could never regret her first kiss. It was everything the love songs she listened to on repeat had promised. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”
She reached around her neck and unhooked the necklace that always hung there. Daddy had given her the simple cross on the chain when she was a little girl. Back before the yelling had changed their relationship. She took the necklace and pressed it into his palm, closing his fingers around it.
“For you to remember me by.”
“I’ll never forget you, Serena Harper.”
“I’ll never forget you either. But I don’t even know your last name.”
Alexis pulled her out of the chair, dragging her toward the stairs.
“Hey, Serena?” Edward’s voice echoed behind her.
She spun to see that Edward had climbed out of the chair. She walked backward, following Alexis, as she watched him.
“Foster. My last name’s Foster.”
She finger-waved at him. “Bye, Edward Foster.”
Chapter One
Bandit fought against his leash, wrapping it around his legs and tripping over the cord. Even with his butt in the air, he was a cutie. Sadly, he wouldn’t last much longer in the shelter. He spent most of his time huddled in the corner of his kennel, shaking so much that she heard the rattling every time she walked into the center. The only time he was happy was when she was with him—or he was outdoors.
He needed to be fostered, or he might not live much longer. Serena hoped Alexis would take him in. Her other siblings all had one or more fosters already. And Alexis, with the most flexible schedule of them all, hadn’t helped in so long that Serena had stopped asking.
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 besides, 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.
He extended his hand. “I’m sorry. Chase Foster. Nice to meet you.”
Serena snuggled Sadie closer to her breast and took the man’s hand.
When his calloused palm slid into hers, a jolt shot through her. His grip was gentle and he held her hand like she was precious. Not like many of the men she met who thought there were better careers for women than running an animal shelter.
He stared at her with that intense gaze of his.
Right, she was supposed to introduce herself. “Serena Harper.”
His eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but then snapped it closed again, not letting go of her hand. She stared at him for a moment longer as he tilted his head like he was studying her. Then her gaze dropped to where their hands were still connected. It was a light touch, but it felt like his entire body was pressed against her, firing every nerve ending.
“Oh, sorry.” He withdrew his hand and she was surprised that she missed his touch. She was definitely working too much if the prospect of a man, any man, got her this excited for human contact. But she had to admit that even though he wasn’t Edward, this man was certainly everything she’d built him up to be in her mind… and more.
* * *
Chase couldn’t stop staring at Serena. When she’d first turned around with the puppy in her arms, he’d immediately been intrigued. He hadn’t been told any details about the shoot except for the fact that he’d be photographing animals at the shelter for a benefit calendar. Easy enough, he could do it in his sleep. This assignment certainly wasn’t up to the level of the challenges that he’d faced in the past few years. But he was tired. Worn out, exhausted, spent… physically and emotionally… and this job was the perfect remedy.
And then the woman raised her head and his eyes met hers. He immediately felt the connection to her, but his travels had taken him around the world, and he met all sorts of people. She could be another one of many.
Until she said her name.
He’d tried to mask his surprise. There was no way this was the same Serena Harper, was it? The name wasn’t that common, and the girl he’d met all those years ago had told him she was from Pennsylvania. It had to be her. But the image seared in his mind was so different, one of a young girl, her hair blowing in the wind as she laughed with her sister. That picture he’d taken had been the one that helped him land his first job. He carried a tattered copy of it in his wallet even now. Right beside the necklace that the younger Serena had given him. Right before she’d run off.
In a million years, he never would have expected to see her again…. …. …. ….
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