On the Scent: A laugh out loud pet detective rom com!. Angela Campbell

Hannah accepted the gesture. “Hannah Dawson. Nice to meet you.”

      “Hannah.” The woman repeated her name as if it were the lyric of a song. “What a beautiful name.”

      “Thank you.”

      Carolyn cast a backward glance at Brian before beaming a friendly smile in Hannah’s direction again. “I know how hard it can be getting settled into a new neighborhood. I thought the least I could do was bring you over a casserole as a housewarming gift.”

      Oh, right. This was the part where she should invite the woman inside. Hannah rubbed her forehead and cringed at her social ineptness. “I’m sorry. Would you like to come in? I’ve been unpacking, and I’m afraid it’s a bit of a mess right now.” She used her foot to guide Costello back and out of the way. Please, Lord, don’t let him hump my new neighbor. “Forgive my manners, but I’m not used to having company.”

      The woman stepped inside and immediately began looking around. “Don’t worry about it, dear. I won’t stay long. Like I said, I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood. I’ve lived here for six years, and believe me, if I didn’t come over to greet you, no one would.” She held up the dish. “Do you like chicken and broccoli?”

      “I love it.” Hannah awkwardly took the offering and moved to the kitchen. “Thank you.” After storing the casserole out of paws’ way, she turned and found the woman bent over and scratching behind Costello’s ear. The dog’s tail wagged in ecstasy. “That’s Costello. My cat is around here somewhere. He’s Abbott.”

      “Abbott and Costello.” The woman clapped once and laughed with delight. “That’s precious. I used to love to watch their films when I was a little girl.”

      “So did their former owner. She named all of her pets after her favorite movie stars.”

      Carolyn Carter stayed for at least ten more minutes, doing her best to learn as much about Hannah as possible. Was she married? Did she have children? Had she always lived in Atlanta?

      “I don’t mean to pry, dear, but I can’t help but wonder—” She leaned closer to Hannah and said, “Are you a famous actress or something?”

      Hannah’s eyebrows shot up. “Me?” She laughed. “No, I’m a nurse.”

      Carolyn glanced at the window. “Oh, I just assumed with the police cars patrolling the neighborhood and that man outside —” She waved her hand dripping with rings dismissively. “Never mind me. I’m an aging housewife whose only excitement is what I see on television. My imagination runs wild sometimes.”

      Hannah bit her lip, wondering how wise it would be to reveal the truth to her new neighbor. She wasn’t stupid. Chances were the woman would leave and be on the phone within minutes, sharing all that she had learned with a network of their more curious neighbors. Hannah had been living here for almost three weeks, and this was the first time any of them had attempted contact. She’d feared becoming a source of gossip after calling the police during the first break-in, and now she had police cars and strange men coming and going at all hours. Yeah, she’d have been curious too, but she didn’t want to scare the other residents unnecessarily by hinting they were in danger of burglary or anything.

      “Well, I—”

      She was saved from further explanation by the sound of the doorbell.

      Hannah hurried to answer it, eager for any reason to usher this woman out.

      Zach stood there, looking gorgeous and casual in jeans paired with a well-worn leather jacket. He tugged the sunglasses from his eyes as his lips spread into a killer smile—aimed right at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but his gaze drifted toward her guest. She saw confusion flitter across his face, but he recovered fast.

      His grin kicked it up a notch when he leaned down toward her. Hannah wasn’t sure what shocked her more. The fast, firm press of his warm lips against hers, or the feel of his hand sliding to the small of her back. She slid into the curve of his body without an ounce of protest.

      Before she could react, he reached his free hand toward Carolyn. “Hi, I’m Zach. You must be one of Hannah’s new neighbors.”

      Carolyn’s face turned a shade redder than it had been as she accepted Zach’s gentle handshake. She quickly brought her hand back to her chest. “Nice to meet you.”

      Hannah swallowed. Should she wrap her arm around his waist too? He obviously wanted to give the woman the idea they were a couple. Her left hand fluttered awkwardly at her side. She really, really wanted to touch him though.

      “Um, Zach, this is Carolyn, my neighbor.”

      “I appreciate you coming over,” he said, squeezing Hannah even closer to his side. “I’ve been so worried about Hannah since the break-in. It’s good to know she’s finally meeting some of the other residents.”

      Hannah’s eyes widened—but probably not as much as Carolyn’s did.

      “The break-in?” The woman’s hand fiddled with the necklace at her throat.

      “Yes, I’m sure you saw the police cars and the ambulance.” He shook his head and sighed loud. He waved his hand toward the bruise on his face. “I almost caught the guys, but they clobbered me pretty good. I’m out of the hospital now, and I’m not going anywhere until I’m sure she’s safe.” He pointed his thumb toward the door. “My best friend Brian and my other friend, E.J., have been helping me keep an eye out. You haven’t seen anything, have you? Any strange behavior in the neighborhood?”