Spencer drew closer. His lips were pressed in a tight line, but Ruby recognized the glimmer in his eyes. That particular glimmer—of determination and drive, of daring—was one she knew well. He might not like having Wheezy in his precious dog show, but the die had been cast.

And now he had to play.

“This dog needs to be put on a healthier diet or he’ll be disqualified before the first competition,” he said in a stern voice that Ruby found much more appealing than all his brother’s schmoozing charm. “No table scraps and lots of long, brisk walks. If he doesn’t show signs of improvement, I won’t hesitate to forfeit your entry. Understood?”

Ruby nodded. “Absolutely. Deprivation and exercise. I know them well.”

His glance was suspicious, but he kept going. “You’ll also need to get him some training. And not just a few hoops in your backyard. I mean real training from a professional. We can’t allow dogs who will disrupt or distract the others, and this animal, I’m sorry to say, will do both.”

She hesitated. “You mean a pageant coach?”

“Is that going to be a problem?”

It was, but not for the reasons he suspected. “I, uh, haven’t always had the greatest experience with pageant coaches,” she admitted.

“That’s probably because you never had the right one,” Caleb said. She’d been so busy trying to stare down Spencer that she hadn’t even noticed his brother joining them.

“No,” Ruby agreed, but without feeling. There was no way she could explain her complicated relationship with her pageant coach to these two—especially considering her pageant coach was and always had been her mother. “I suppose not. I’ll have to see if I can find one.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that,” Caleb said, grinning. “It just so happens that I know the perfect person for the job. He’s qualified. He’s cheap. And best of all—he’s handsome.”

That last one caught Ruby by surprise. “He’s handsome?”

“Caleb, don’t even think about it,” Spencer said, but Caleb ignored him as he slipped a business card into Ruby’s hand.

“You won’t regret hiring me, Ms. Taylor,” he said with a wink. “If there’s one man in the world who knows how to beat Spencer at his own game, it’s me.”

Chapter 2

“Well, Mrs. Orson, it’s done.” Ruby let go of Wheezy’s leash and watched as the animal waddled up the walkway to where his mistress sat on her front porch. Mrs. Orson was reading a romance novel with a picture of a fleshy, naked couple embracing on the cover. Ruby had recently started a book club in hopes of sharing her affinity for sweet, small-town love stories with the residents of Parkwood Manor, but it had taken the group all of two months to take it over.