Page 19 of Ruff and Tumble

Cole didn’t know when things had started to shift—whenhehad started to shift—but it wasn’t the sack that had caused his stupid injury in the first place. He suspected it had more to do with Mia’s birth than anything else. It had been a bloody, messy, terrifying affair…and the happiest day of his life.

All the things he’d accomplished in his career, the heights to which he had risen, paled in comparison to holding that perfect, squirming bundle in his arms. Mia had been so tiny and had wailed so loudly that the nurses were forced to put in earplugs before they came into the room. Just a few minutes into life on this planet, and she’d been making herself heard.

Thatwas a real accomplishment.Thatwas real life.

He’d felt the same way on the elevator yesterday. Dogs gave birth to puppies every day, obviously, but there was something extraordinary about witnessing it firsthand. Even in the company of a woman who would have preferred being trapped with anyone else.

“Withyou, for example,” he said, seeing his friend as if for the first time.

Garrett must have sensed something in Cole’s voice, because his hands came up in a gesture of surrender. “I didn’t do it.”

“Not yet, you haven’t. But you will.” For the first time since he’d walked into the weight room, Cole felt a genuine smile cross his face. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it earlier. Nothing could be better calculated to get Hailey to agree to his plan—or to make her turn pink with embarrassment. At this point, he wasn’t sure which motivation was stronger. All he knew was he wanted to be part of the Puppy Cup.

And bizarrely, he wanted to see her again.

“What are your plans tomorrow morning?” Cole asked.

“The same plans I have every morning” came Garrett’s prompt reply. “This. Why do you want to know? And why are you looking at me like I’m a Christmas ham?”

“She likes you,” Cole repeated, a smile creeping across his face. “She might be able to resist me, butyou’reGarrett Smith. She’ll let you right in, and you won’t even have to shed tears to do it.”

Chapter 5

“I brought you a latte. Almond milk, two Splendas, and a dash of cinnamon, right?” Jasmine pushed the door to Hailey’s office open with her hip, a steaming paper cup in each hand. Without waiting for Hailey to respond, she slid the larger of the two cups across the desk. “Where’s your dog today? And her babies?”

Hailey stared first at the cup and then at her boss. Instead of Jasmine’s usual white pantsuit, she was in one that looked an awful lot like Lumberjacks teal.

“I left her at home,” Hailey said, still warily eyeing the latte. Jasmine didn’t bring coffee. Jasmine never brought coffee. In fact, nine mornings out of ten, Hailey was the one who got sent on an office-wide caffeine run. Apparently, they all liked the way she organized the cups.

“And those little darlings of hers?”

“They’re too little and too darling to haul around just yet,” Hailey replied, her heart thumping. She might not be the smartest person in this office, but she was no fool. The coffee, the teal pantsuit, the unprecedented show of concern for her foster pups…they could only mean one thing.

“That’s a shame. I was hoping we could get the photographer in to snap a few shots. I thought you might be able to get Mr. Bennett to come in for some quick promo.”

And there it was. Hailey knew it had been a bad idea to tell Penny about yesterday’s visit from Cole and Mia before she got any of the details confirmed, but she’d had to talk tosomeoneabout it. The only other option was Mrs. Magda, and she was even less discreet.

Jasmine further unbent to take a seat on the edge of Hailey’s desk. “Youweregoing to tell me about his offer, right?”

Hailey plastered a smile on her face and nodded, using the coffee as an excuse for not answering right away. The latte was delicious and exactly the way she liked it. Jasmine must have either asked around or gone to the place on the corner where they knew her order by heart.

“Of course,” Hailey said. “I was just waiting for you to get in.”

“You must have made quite an impression on him.”

Hailey almost choked on her mouthful of coffee. If byimpressionJasmine meant a complete and utter fool of herself, then yes, she’d done an admirable job.

“Hiya!” Penny breezed through the open door with yet another latte. “Do you know what kind of coffee Cole likes? I was going to grab him a cup, too, but… Oh, Jasmine. Good morning. You beat me to her.”

“Yes, I did. It’s one of the benefits of getting to work on time.” Jasmine looked pointedly at the clock. Penny barely had time to do more than stammer an apology before Jasmine waved her off and returned her attention to Hailey. “Doyou know what kind of coffee he likes?”

She did, actually, but not for the reasons her boss supposed. She’d read an article a few years ago about the dangerous amounts of caffeine that some football players consumed, and it had mentioned Cole’s preference for extra-dry cappuccinos. So it was a totally normal thing to know about a stranger.

“It doesn’t matter, because he’s not here,” she said. “They started training and practice at six this morning and go all day.”

“Oh. Right.” Jasmine’s lips formed a moue of disappointment. “We’ll have to get a copy of his schedule so we can work around it. Can you get on that, Penny, and have it forwarded to Hailey and me?”

Hailey could only stare at her. When it came to doling out menial tasks, Jasmine never looked to Penny. For six long years, that had been Hailey’s role. Making coffee, sending faxes, calling the IT guy and listening to him condescendingly tell her to turn the computer off and back on again… At this point, she was the only person in the office who actually knew how to use the copier.