Page 75 of Twisted Beauty

The first dog to notice her began barking, and soon they’d all chimed in—some barking, some whining, some clawing at their crates. Her eyes filled with tears.

“You’re here!” Jana came in from some other room. “I’m so glad you made it. The dogs and I thank you.”

Liv swallowed back the lump in her throat, but couldn’t say a word. Jana nodded as if she understood.

“It’s not as bad as you think.” Jana walked over to one of the crates and reached in to scratch behind a dachshund’s floppy ears. “We bring them in from bad situations and find them all great homes. We take really good care of them, and they’re never stuck here long. I have a feeling they’ll be out of here even faster when you’ve got them all looking pretty on the website.”

Liv cleared her throat. “I hope so. Where do we start?”

“How about our tiny yard out back?” Jana led her to the back door and opened it. “I can bring them out to you one at a time to photograph.”

She wasn’t kidding about the tiny part. The yard was barely big enough for a bench, but the lighting was good. It would work.

Jana paraded dogs out, one after the other. Dogs of all breeds, sizes and temperaments were stuck in this sad place. A golden retriever who couldn’t sit still, a beagle mix who howled every time a car drove by, a Chihuahua with big, sweet eyes.

Liv found various spots to take photos with slightly different backdrops, and forced every other thought out of her mind for the next few hours, focusing entirely on taking the best shots she possibly could. Every dog she met seemed thrilled just to be outside, and Liv had to bite back tears all morning. She wondered how anyone did this day after day. Thank god they did, but still.

“Last pup of the day,” Jana announced as she brought out an excited dog, pulling on his leash to get outside. “Meet Dexter.” Dexter’s tail dropped when he heard his name. “Sorry, Dex. He seems to think he’s done something wrong when I use his full name.”

Liv understood that all too well. “What a good boy you are, Dex,” she cooed.

Dexter wagged, and she snapped a close-up of his face. He was so photogenic, with his short brown fur, a white patch around his left eye, and a white spot at the base of his tail. But the killer for Liv was the one white paw. A Michael Jackson paw.

She coaxed him up onto a bench just outside the back door, and he looked at her with such sweet brown eyes that she sat down next to him to give him some love. He snuggled into her lap and she scratched behind his ears until he rolled over for a belly rub. Finally, after several minutes, she coaxed him off her lap and stood to take some photos.

“You’re such a handsome boy.” When she blew him kisses, he wagged his whole body and pranced his front paws up and down, barely containing his enthusiasm.

That dog. It was love at first sight for Liv. If she lived in Puerto Vallarta full time, she’d be taking him home today. Of course she wanted nothing more than for him to find the perfect forever family, but the thought of someone else adopting him made her heart ache.

Kind of like the thought of leaving Matt and Tito at the end of her trip.

Hell, she was sad enough this morning when Matt dropped her off. She still hadn’t had her fill. Probably not a good thing when you signed up for a meaningless one-night fling. But she couldn’t focus on that right now.

Liv twisted a bone-shaped cookie up above her lens. Dexter sat down like a perfect gentleman and tilted his head, licking his chops like he was starving when she knew damn well they’d all just had breakfast. What a little con artist.

“You’re so good with the dogs.” Jana walked out into the sunshine after returning Liv’s previous furry subject to a crate. “How do you make them sit so still? I can’t even get them to stop barking. You’re the photographer’s version of the dog whisperer.”

“I’ve never photographed pets before, but I found a lot of advice online. Some of it was crap, but this seems to work.” Liv moved the cookie around her camera and Dexter’s head followed as if his nose were attached to it by an invisible string. “It’s all about the treats.”

She was so smitten with Dexter, she had to stop herself from thinking about the cage he’d be returned to as soon as she was finished or she’d never be able to leave.

“I feel like I’m abandoning them here,” Liv said, looking into Dexter’s big, sad eyes. “I wish I could adopt them all.”

“Don’t feel bad. We have tons of volunteers who come by to help socialize them, play with them, take them for walks. In fact, you remember that guy Matt from the barbecue? He stops by a couple times a week to help out.”

“Seriously?” Well, crap. The thought of a beefy guy like Matt going out of his way for a sweet little dog like Dexter did something to her insides.

Maybe she needed to hear some bad stuff about him. Something that would help her keep an emotional distance. Like, for instance, the fact that he didn’t mention he volunteered at Mexipup. He’d just dropped her off this morning as if his involvement was a secret, the jerk.

Hard as she tried to feel irritated about that, nothing happened. She was still impressed with him. And his rock-hard abs, his cocoa eyes, those big, strong hands.

“Yep. The dogs go crazy for him,” Jana said. “Don’t you, sweet boy?”

Dexter wagged and turned in a circle. Liv knew the feeling.

She took a few more pictures of him, even though she already had plenty. She’d been at Mexipup all morning, taking the best photos she possibly could of each and every dog. Her reward was getting to spend the last ten minutes or so with Dexter. She swallowed as she looked into those trusting, brown eyes. She wasn’t ready to leave him yet, but she’d already agreed to meet Katie for lunch.

She gave him his cookie treat and kissed the top of his head. So soft. He whined a little when Jana picked him up to take him back inside, and Liv’s heart broke all over again.