The Good Luck Sister: A Wildstone Novella
By Jill Shalvis
After a difficult few years, Tilly Adams is ready for life to
start going right. Though she has a case of first-day nerves teaching art at
the local community college, she knows it isn’t anything a few snuggles from her
rescue puppy won’t cure. Until she sees Dylan Scott again, her one-time BFF and
first love sitting in the front row. Dylan knows he should’ve left well enough
alone, but when he sees Tilly living her dream, he can’t help but make contact.
Ten years ago, he left Wildstone and everything in it behind, including Tilly.
He had his reasons, but now he wants her back in his life, anyway he can get
her. When Tilly agrees to design the logo for Dylan’s new helicopter touring
company, it’s business only . . . until she finds herself falling into his arms
once again. Can she possibly open her heart back up to the only man who’s ever
broken it? But soon they’re both realizing the truth—love always deserves a
second chance.
Chapter 1
“I’ve finished my
free trial of adulthood and am no longer interested, so please cancel my
subscription.” From The Mixed Up Files of Tilly’s journal.
Tilly Adams sat in the vet’s office
staring at the doctor in shock. “Say that again?”
Dr. Janet Lyons smiled. “I think Leo
faked being sick. Probably so you’d stay home from work today.”
Tilly looked down at Leo. “You do know
he’s a dog, right?”
All six pounds of him smiled up at
her. About a month ago, she found him on a street corner hiding beneath a bus
bench; wet, dirty, cold, hungry and matted. He’d been Dobby meets Gremlin meets
neglected, abused Care Bear. Tilly had looked around for an adult, and then had
to remind herself that at twenty-five years old, she was legal herself. So then
she’d searched for an adultier adult, but she’d been the only one in sight.
So she’d scooped the little guy up and
had brought him to the SPCA, who’d said he was about five weeks old, a possible
Maltipoo, which meant he came by his care bear look naturally. He was
malnutritioned and suffering from mange. They’d said they’d do what they could,
and Tilly had turned to go. That had been when she’d seen all the eyes on her
from an endless row of cages … and she’d realized her care bear would soon be
sitting in one too. Then she’d heard herself offer to foster him until they
found him a forever home.
They’d found him one too. Tilly had
signed the adoption papers last weekend in spite of the fact that just that
morning he’d escaped his crate, eaten her favorite sneakers, destroyed her
favorite pillow, and then yakked up the stuffing from the pillow.
He was a destructo of the highest
magnitude, and something else too. He had no idea how small he was. He went
after her sister Quinn’s twenty-plus pound cat and her neighbor’s hundred pound
black lab with the same fierce, fearless gusto. Turned out, the little guy had
a bad case of small-man syndrome, which was how he’d earned his name.
Leo, short for Napoleon.
And now on top of Leo’s impressive
chewing skills, his escape artist skills, and his ability to get up on her bed
and yet still not understand why stepping in his own poop was annoying, he had
a new skill.
He’d faked being sick.
Proud of himself, Leo smiled up at
her. Smiled. An hour ago he’d been coughing and limping and acting all sorts of
odd. Now he just kept smiling up at her while sending her meaningful glances at
the open dog biscuit bin between her and the doctor.
Dr. Lyons laughed and gave him one.
“Dogs can’t fake sick,” Tilly said while
Leo inhaled the biscuit whole before licking the floor to make sure he got all
the crumbs. “Can they?”
Dr. Lyons scooped him up and gave him
a kiss on his adorable snout. “Yours did.”
Tilly sighed. It was too early for this. She’d had a crazy late night. Not hanging at Whiskey River, the local bar and grill. Not at a club with friends. Not working on her designs for he upcoming graphic art showing.
Tilly sighed. It was too early for this. She’d had a crazy late night. Not hanging at Whiskey River, the local bar and grill. Not at a club with friends. Not working on her designs for he upcoming graphic art showing.
Nope, she’d been on a serious stress
bender -- a marathon of Game Of Thrones. She hadn’t fallen asleep until after
two and her alarm had interrupted her in the middle of a really great dream
starring Jon Snow.
Dr. Lyons handed Leo over. He
immediately snuggled into the crook of Tilly’s neck and dammit, her cold heart
melted on the spot and she hugged him close. “You’re sure he’s okay? He was
coughing. And then he limped funny. And then he wouldn’t eat.”
“But he hasn’t coughed once that I’ve
seen. And he’s not limping either. And you said all his food vanished while you
took a quick shower.”
“Yes,” Tilly said.
Dr. Lyons waited for her to catch up.
Tilly sighed. “He really did fake me
out.”
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town
in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky
characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s
bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her
website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list
and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
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