“Should we take them outside?” Amelia asked.
“They would enjoy that very much. Perhaps on sunny days you can take them out to their pen in the afternoon so they can play in the grass.”
“Would you like us to take them on walks?” Amelia asked eagerly.
“For now, they get enough exercise in here, playing with each other. If you’d like to walk them around the yard that would be fine but it isn’t necessary. I should warn you that they’re not very good on leashes yet. If you decide to do that, you can find leashes for them hanging inside the room where I keep the puppies.”
“All right.”
“Let’s see. What else? They love to play with toys. Balls and sticks are their favorite.”
“Got it,” Amelia said.
“The gate on the door to their room opens by pushing the button on the top, then swinging it inside the room. If you have any questions at all, I’ve put my cell phone number on the card there. You can reach me throughout the day. Please don’t hesitate to call me. It’s no problem at all and I can be back here in ten minutes.”
“I can’t imagine they’ll have any problems we can’t handle but it’s good to know how to contact you,” Ian said.
She held out the card. “I’ll give the instructions to you, Amelia. Though you may want to have your father take a picture with his phone, in case it gets lost somewhere.”
“Good idea,” Ian said. “I’ll do that now.”
He pulled out his mobile, snapped a picture, then handed the note back to his daughter, aware of Samantha watching the entire process.
“Thank you so much for your help,” she said when he was done. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
“You’re very welcome,” Amelia said in a solemn voice. For all her seriousness, Ian could see how excited she was at the task ahead.
Samantha had to know what a treat this was for the children. It wasn’t a burden at all but an experience they would treasure. He suspected their time playing with the three cute puppies might even become their most memorable part of the entire trip.
“Is there anything else we need to know?” Amelia asked with that same air of solemnity.
“I can’t think of anything right now but if I do I’ll let you know.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m afraid I need to leave so that I can open my store on time. Again, if you have any questions at all, please call me.”
Her smile encompassed all of them but Ian still wanted to burn it into his memory.
Letty’s words seemed to ring in his head as he and the children walked back to their house, Amelia carrying the key as carefully as if she’d been asked to transport the crown jewels.
You know, maybe while you’re here, you should go on a date or two. It might take your mind off things.
He couldn’t deny he was tempted. Samantha was a hard woman to resist. He couldn’t ask her out. He would only be here a few weeks and he would be busy with his research, the children and the wedding the entire time. What would be the point in dating someone he wouldn’t see again after this summer?
Even as tempting as he was beginning to find the lovely, sweet, delicious-smelling Samantha Fremont.
“WHERE ARE YOU? I thought you were coming to the Helping Hands meeting today.”
Sam frowned at her phone, glad McKenzie Kilpatrick couldn’t see her frazzled expression right now. “I planned to be there but I got slammed with two new brides at the same time who drove over together from Boise. Apparently one of their friends wore one of my older designs so now they want me to customize their own dresses.”
“That’s fantastic! Your reputation is climbing, girl. Next thing you know, you’ll be in all the bridal magazines and we can all say we knew you when.”
Samantha’s breath caught at the idea. Her designs in a bridal magazine. She couldn’t even imagine it. “That’s not going to happen any time soon.”
“You don’t know. Your designs are innovative and beautiful. I love the one you did for Dani’s wedding to Ruben. It fit her personality so perfectly. Feminine and tough at the same time. That’s your genius, Sam. You have the uncanny ability to see through what a woman thinks she wants in a dress to the style she really needs.”
Sam appreciated the kind words but wasn’t sure she agreed. That was her end goal but she acted more on instinct than any intentional effort.
That was also one of the reasons why she doubted she could ever take her wedding gown designing to another level. She created bespoke wedding dresses based on the wearer’s personality, body type and design likes. She couldn’t mass produce that with any degree of success.
“Are you sure you can’t come?” McKenzie cajoled. “You’re only a half hour late. If you can swing a break, even for a few moments, we’d still love you to drop by. Everyone missed you last week.”
That had been another case where her best intentions had given way to expediency. She had been looking forward to the meeting after the fitting with Gemma the week before. Just as she had been about to walk across the street with Katrina, a bus full of tourists had pulled up and about a dozen of those tourists had headed into the store. She hadn’t felt good about leaving her staff alone to handle the onslaught so had missed the meeting.
Right now, in contrast, the store was empty. Completely empty. Clarissa Wu, the salesclerk who had been scheduled to work that day, had called
