The energy disappeared as suddenly as it had started. Genghis jumped up and put his paws on the counter, and the man reached out and gave his head a rub.

Okay then, he said to the dog as he sat down at a computer. Since your owner seems to be on the shy side, maybe Ill get started with your name.

Genghis, Josie said, answering for her dog.

The groomer peered at the panting, happy-as-hell dog, trying to find a pair of eyes under all the hair. He doesnt strike me as the marauding-warlord type.

My sister named him, Josie said, as if that explained everything. The synapses in her brain started to fire again, and she gave herself a mental face slap. This was her moment to shine! Her physical appearance might be middle-of-the-road on her best day, but her wit was consistently sparkling, and Josie would not walk away from this counter without this mega-fine man being aware of that fact.

You see, Josie continued, running a hand through her snarled curls, hoping to appear carefree in the process. My dogs a Labradoodle, and my brother-in-law made fun of me for paying good money for a mongrel, but my sister thought he said?Mongol, hence Genghis, as in Genghis Kahn, but I see you already got that.

She knew her whole future was riding on his response. She waited. She wanted him to laugh. Actually, she wanted him to press her to his muscular chest and kiss her like a man possessed, but shed settle for a laugh. So what if he was just a dog groomer? Like shed said on her list, it didnt matter what he did for a living as long as he approached it with passion. And she could see passion beneath that calm surface. Plus, she was sure she could find a way to live with the tattoo. Josie Sheehan was nothing if not flexible.

After a brief pause, the mans eyes crinkled and a corner of his mouth twitched. Thats a great name, he said. And do you have one just as unique? His large, well-kept fingers hovered over a computer keyboard, waiting for the generic information hed want from any contest winner.