“I went by your shop first. Quite a place.” It had impressed him, as the hotel impressed him with its style and charm. “You had a crowd there too.”

“Yes, we’re doing well.” She tried to imagine him taking a turn around Pretenses. Not quite the bull in the china shop, she decided. More like the wolf among the lambs. “Did anything catch your eye?”

“The dress in the front window had its points.” His eyes slid down her. “Would have had more with a woman in it. I don’t know much about doodads and glitters. Kate fast-talked me into some blue horse.”

“Ah, the aquamarine mare. It’s lovely.”

He jerked a shoulder. “I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with it, or how she managed to con me out of three bills for that little statue.”

Laura laughed. “She’s good. But I’m sorry you had to run around looking for me. And now I’ve—”

“I like looking at you.” He eased forward.

“Michael.” She backed up, bumped into a shamelessly eavesdropping guest. “I really have to get into my office.”

“Fine. I’ll go with you.”

“No, it’s this way,” she began when he took her arm. “I really don’t have time.”

“I do. I’m meeting another breeder in a couple hours.” He saw the glass door with “Executive Offices” printed on it. “Is it always so noisy around here?”

“No. Check-in for a convention livens things up considerably.”

It wasn’t much more sedate behind the desk. Phones were ringing, boxes were stacked, people whizzed by. Laura turned into a small office with a central desk piled with tidy stacks of paper. The fax machine was humming away, spitting out an enormous stream.

“Christ, how do you work in here?” Feeling immediately hemmed in, he rolled his shoulders. “How do you breathe in here?”

“It’s more than adequate, and the limited space demands efficiency.” She tore off the fax and skimmed it as she picked up her phone. “Sit down if you like. I’m sorry, I have to finish this.”

After punching in numbers, she cradled the phone between her neck and shoulder to keep her hands free. “Karen, yes, I’ve got it right here. It looks fine. They need to set up their registration desk an hour earlier. Yes, I know, but they’ve had to readjust their estimate on walk-ins. Yes, I know Mark’s handling that, but he doesn’t answer his page. No, I don’t think he’s gone over the wall.”

Chuckling, she set the fax aside and picked up a memo. “Uh-huh. That’s on my list, don’t worry. If you could just . . . My life for you. No, I’ll buy the bottle when it’s over. Thanks. I want to—Hell! I’ve got another call coming through. I’ll check with you later.”