Saved by the Doctor

by Ivy Wonders

  Liza, the manager, led us around the place. “And this one here is Doolittle. He’s a mini-Yorkie and he came to us from the home of an elderly woman who passed on. We’ve had him for two weeks, now. He’s a little on the nippy side, but we’ve been working with him to stop that.”

  “He looks like a girl’s dog,” Eli remarked as he shook his head. “He’s not the one for me.”

  Liza looked a little miffed but moved on to the next kennel. “This is Roger. He’s a mixed breed—we’re thinking Doberman and Pitbull. He looks mean, but he’s a real sweetie.”

  “And how did he end up here?” I asked, knowing both breeds to be aggressive if not properly trained.

  Liza didn’t look directly at me as she said, “His owner was a single woman who decided she didn’t want such a large dog anymore.”

  I looked at Eli. “What do you think, Eli?”

  “I think he looks sort of mean, and I don’t want him.” Eli looked at Liza. “I think I’d like a medium-sized dog or maybe a large one if he’s kind of cute and cuddly. Nothing really little. I want to be able to run and play with him. Or I want to be able to hang around with him and just chill sometimes, you know?”

  Harman and I laughed at Eli’s specificity—the boy had clearly put a lot of thought into this. Liza looked at us as if we were crazy. “I only have what we have here. Maybe you’d like to just walk around and see if any of the dogs meet your qualifications?”

  “Sure.” Eli broke away from us to walk around. He pointed at a Cocker Spaniel who barked at him as he approached his cage. “No to this one.” A mutt wagged its tail at him as he walked toward it, but then started growling as he got closer. “No to you, too, Mr. Growly.” One by one, he turned them all down.

  So we got back into the car and headed to the next place. “Now this one is going to be a lot rougher than the last one,” I let them know. “It’s the city pound. They’re not as snooty as the other people were, but the dogs might not be in the best of condition, either.”

  Eli proved just how much research he’d likely done before we came on this outing. “So they kill these dogs if no one takes them after a while, right?”

  Nodding, I felt it wouldn’t do him any good to lie to him. “Yes. But I still don’t want you to pick one just because of that. It’s important to make sure that the dog you choose is compatible with your lifestyle.”

  “I got it, Rebel.” Eli didn’t seem like he’d try to save them all, but one never knew when faced with such a terrible choice.

  “Okay. That said, I’m a real softie and will need you guys to help keep me from taking home every animal on death row.” I reached over to pat Harman on the shoulder. “Don’t let me fall in love, Harman. Promise me.”

  He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. “It might not be that easy, Rebel.”

  “Distract me if you have to.” I was only half-joking. I did have a real problem. “Anything it takes to stop me from looking into their sad eyes, do it.”

  “You got it,” he assured me.

  Once we got inside, I had to keep burying my face in Harman’s shoulder, so I wouldn’t fall in love with every one of the poor dogs we passed. And luckily, it didn’t take long for Eli to find his doggy soulmate. “This is him. This is the one.”

  We left there with a shaggy older Sheepdog who would need tons of grooming. But both he and Eli sat happily in the backseat of the car together. “You two look great together, but I can’t wait to give Moppy a makeover once we get to my place.”

  Nothing could’ve removed the smile from Eli’s face. “How can I love him so much already?”

  I thought the same thing about him. “When you know, you know.” I looked at Harman and tried to fight off a blush, wishing things could be different.

  If I didn’t fear that he’d take his ex-wife back in a second if it came to that, then I would’ve been more open with him about the way I felt. But she was always there, lurking in the background of everything we’d done together so far.

  Harman pulled into my drive then looked at me. “Hey, after we get the dog cleaned up, want to come to our place? I can get Rene to make whatever you want for dinner. We want to thank you for your help today.”

  Seemed I’d be spending the entire day and part of the night with this man who I was finding it harder and harder to hide my feelings from. “Sure, that would be nice. And you guys are very welcome. I loved helping you pick out the newest member of your family.” And I loved spending time with them, too.

  Chapter 9

  Harman

  “Come on, Rebel, please,” Eli begged, trying to convince our neighbor to stay and swim with us.

  “I didn’t bring my bathing suit, Eli.” Rebel ducked her head a bit shyly and fiddled with the front of her shirt, making me think she wasn’t feeling too secure about her body—and that possibility blew my mind.

  Without realizing what I was doing, words flew out of my mouth before I could catch them. “You have nothing to be shy about, Rebel. Your body’s perfect.”

  “Yeah,” Eli chimed in.

  Now Rebel’s checks blazed red. “You guys, stop. It’s not that. It’s just that I didn’t get my bathing suit, and I don’t want to go all the way home and back. That’s it, nothing else.”

  I figured we’d asked her enough times to join our swimming dates with no success that maybe we should give it a rest for a while. “Okay, she’s given her answer, Eli.”

  Cocking her head to one side, Rebel checked the time on her cell, then looked at me. “I’ve gotta get going. Dinner was great, and I can see Moppy has settled in already. I’ll see you guys later.”

  She began walking out of the pool room, but I wasn’t having any of that. “Hey, you can’t walk home. First of all, it’s cold outside.”

  Eli wasn’t having it either. “And it’s dark.”

  “I’ll drive you.” I turned to look at Eli. “Nancy is still here. You get changed into your swimming trunks, but don’t get into the pool until I get back. I’ll let the maid go home after that.”

  “It’s not that cold, Harman,” Rebel tried to put me off.

  “Yes, it is. And Eli’s right, it’s dark out, and I can’t have you strolling away from my home all alone on a cold, dark night.” I hooked my arm through hers as she stood there with her hands on her hips. “What would the neighbors think if I did something as ungentlemanly as that?”

  “Night, Eli,” she called out as I led her away.

  “Night, Rebel,” he shouted back at her. “Have sweet dreams.”

  Out to the garage we went, and I helped her into my favorite sports car: my blue Lambo. “See, I told you my favorite color was blue.”

  Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the futuristic interior. “You think you can give me a ride around the block before you take me home?”

  “I think I can do that.” I got in and we sped off, wheels screaming down the drive. “Hold on.”

  Her hands were on the ceiling, her mouth wide open, and a look of pure joy filled her face. “Oh, shit!”

  Sliding around the corner, I gunned it through the straightaway then slammed on the brakes before hitting the actual street. “Sometimes I take this to the track to really let loose.” I looked at her. “You should come with me sometime. Maybe next Saturday? If Eli’s mother picks him up.”

  “Just you and me, huh?” she asked with a smile. “That kind of sounds like a date.”

  I shook my head then took off again, heading down the street at a moderate speed. “That’s not a date. Adding in dinner and maybe some dancing? Now that’s a date,” I teased.

  She tossed her head to one side. “Throw in a box of chocolates, and you’ve got yourself a date for Saturday night, Harman.”

  I don’t know what response I’d been expecting from my teasing, but it hadn’t been that. I slowed to a stop at the end of the street. “You would really go out on a real date with me?”

  A sly grin moved over her ruby red lips. “Like I said, throw in a box of
chocolates, Harman.”

  I just sat there, staring at her. “You’re too good for me. You should know that right off the bat.”

  “You think you’re worse off than you really are,” she rallied back. “You just need a little more excitement in your life.”

  My brain was throwing out all sorts of reasons why a woman like Rebel shouldn’t give a guy like me—a single dad with one failed marriage under his belt—a chance. But my heart told it to shut the hell up. Right now, the girl wanted me. Right now, she was willing to take that risk. And I found that exciting.

  “Your mother named you aptly, Rebel.” I sped off again, taking the next right and making her squeal with joy.

  “So is that a yes, Harman?” she asked as she held on tight.

  “I thought I was the one asking you out, not the other way around.” I turned another corner, making the tires smoke. “So, is it a yes, Rebel?”

  “If you don’t kill me on this ride home, I’ll be happy to go out with you next Saturday night.” She gasped as I hit the gas hard and heavy, taking the last stretch as fast as I could before coming to a stop in front of her drive.

  “Here we are—safe and sound.” I eased the car into the driveway, parking behind her little car.

  Getting out of the car, I met her in front of it, then walked with her to the door. Waiting for her to unlock it, I leaned one hand on the doorframe. “I’ve gotten the site set up for the scholarship. I decided to include doctors of all kinds, Rebel. You should join the contest, too. Who knows, you might be one of the two hundred winners I choose next month. I’ll make the selections on Christmas Eve. It’s kind of like giving two hundred people one hell of a Christmas gift.”

  “Impressive.” She leaned her shoulder on the other side of the door. “I’ve been wondering why it took you until yesterday to visit me. I guess you were busy with the website?”

  “You missed me?” I asked with what I hoped was a sexy grin. It felt like it’d been ages since I’d even tried to flirt with a woman, and I was feeling a little out of sorts.

  She nodded. “But now that I know why you were so busy I suppose I can forgive you for making me wait so long to see that handsome face of yours.”

  “Then you’ll have to forgive me in advance for this coming week, I’m afraid. My parents are coming to stay with Eli starting tomorrow.” I hadn’t even told him about that yet. I wanted it to be a surprise—he loved spending time with his Nana and Papa.

  “And why’s that?” She twirled a tendril of hair that had fallen loose from the braid she wore.

  Another strand hung limply on the other side of her face, and I reached out to twirl it around my own finger. “Because I’ve got to get on a plane tomorrow morning. I’m heading to Los Angeles for a convention that lasts until Friday.”

  “Then you’ll be back on Friday?” She looked at me with shining eyes. “And you’ll stop by, right?”

  “After I check on things at the hospital, I will.” I moved my hand away from her face. The urge to kiss her was driving me mad. But I wanted that kiss to mean something. I wanted it to be special—something we’d remember forever.

  I wanted everything we did to be memorable. I didn’t want to make the same mistakes I’d made before. This time, I wanted to feel it all, not just go through the motions.

  Taking out her cell, she ran her finger over the screen then handed it to me. “Put your number in for me. I might want to hear your voice while you’re gone.”

  She really will miss me.

  I put my number in. “Call it. I want to have yours, too. Just in case I start to miss the sound of your voice.” I’d definitely be calling her—every night, if she’d let me.

  When she looked at what I’d written under the name of the contact, she smiled. “So, Hot Guy Next Door, what are you going to put me in as?”

  My cell vibrated, and I answered the call, saving the contact. “Guess.”

  She stood there watching me type it in then took a guess, “Blue Eyes.”

  “Close.” I turned the phone so that she could see it. “Possible Woman of my Dreams.”

  “Possible?” She laughed. “Oh, I am definitely the woman of your dreams.”

  Again, the urge to kiss her nearly overwhelmed me. I settled for running the back of my fingers along her cheek, feeling her soft skin and trying to memorize every line of her beautiful face. “I’ve gotta get back to Eli. I don’t want him getting into the pool without me. He can swim like a fish, but I’ve had one too many kids show up in the ER who knew how to swim but drowned anyway.”

  “Oh, God!” She stood up straight. “Go. Hurry. You’ve put a terrible image in my head now. Hurry.”

  I turned to leave, but I looked over my shoulder before she closed the door. “Night, Rebel.”

  “I had a great time.” She kissed her palm then blew it at me. “See you on Friday, then. ’Night.”

  She closed the door and I floated back to my car. It was a new sensation unlike any I’d ever felt. I felt light, like I could fly if I only raised my arms and lifted my feet off the ground.

  The drive back home went a little too fast. I was still in a daze when I got back and went to the pool room and saw Eli sitting at the edge of the pool, his feet in the water. “What took ya so long?” He jumped in, making a big splash.

  “Swim your behind over to the steps.” I still had to change. “You know better than that.”

  He swam over to them then sat there, waiting as I walked to the dressing room. “Why do you look like that?”

  “Like what?” I started unbuttoning my shirt as I walked along slowly.

  “Like you just woke up and had a really good dream.” He splashed water at me as I walked by him.

  “Never mind.” I went into the dressing room and stopped in front of the mirror. You do look like you’ve just woken up. What has she woken inside of you that’s been asleep your whole life, Harman Hunter?

  Whatever it was, I didn’t want it to ever go away. I wanted it to keep waking and waking until it was fully alive and with me all the time.

  I’d seen men with a skip in their step and smiles on their faces before. I never understood where all that inner joy could come from. But now I got it.

  It’s like every person is only half alive before we meet that perfect partner for us. We don’t allow ourselves to believe it could really be true, that there has always been a person out there who could bring out such wonderful feelings in us. Feelings that were always there, but hidden so far back that we were never aware of them in the least.

  Rebel had sparked something in me that had brought me fully awake. I knew it was only a smolder so far, but soon—after we kissed, held hands, nuzzled each other—it would grow into a flame. And then, after we made love, it would turn into a blazing inferno. I knew it would.

  What we had was undeniable, and it was already too late to stop it from becoming a fire that no one could ever put out.

  Chapter 10

  Rebel

  Getting Harman’s number was the best decision I’d made in a very long time. The nightly calls we shared were out of this world amazing!

  I found out so much about Harman that week, each of us telling each other every detail about our lives. He called me each night when he got back to the hotel after the day’s classes and lectures.

  Equally as important that week, I’d met his parents when they’d accompanied Eli to my place the first day they were there. I’d even eaten dinner with them a couple of times.

  Ida and Richard were as nice as any two people could be; it was no surprise they’d raised such an amazing son. And when I told Harman about them inviting me to dinner that first night, he said that they must like me already because they never had much to say to his ex. I took that as a great sign.

  The week went by slowly, and when Friday came around, I was readier than ever to see the man I’d gotten so close to. He’d made it back to town but was at the hospital checking on things as I headed home from work.

&
nbsp; I’d just pulled into my drive and gotten in the house when Eli came walking in my backdoor, looking sad. “She’s not coming.”

  No!

  I went to grab him a cookie and a bottle of water. “Have a seat, Slugger. What do you mean, she’s not coming? I talked to your father last night and he said she was definitely coming to get you today and would be bringing you back on Sunday. He said she’d even mentioned something about taking you to her family’s for Thanksgiving.” I was hoping Eli had just misunderstood her.

  He didn’t even take a bite of the cookie as he sat down, his head drooping. “She just called me. She told me she’s got to go out of town on business. It just came up.”

  I took him by the chin, lifting his face so I could get a good look at him. “You’ve been crying.” He had little lines down his cheeks that told me as much. “Eli, try not to cry. I’m sure it’s something super important that she just couldn’t get out of.”

  His cell rang and he took it out of his pocket. “It’s her. Maybe she changed her mind.” A smile broke out over his lips as he answered the phone with excitement. “Mom? Did you get out of it?”

  I could just make out her tense voice as she said, “No, baby. But you were crying and had hung up on me, and it made me worry about you. I don’t want you to think I don’t love you. Why would you say that to me?”

  I sat there, trying not to roll my eyes at the woman’s question. She hadn’t seen him in a month now. What did she expect him to think?

  “You’re not coming to get me?” he asked, instead of answering her question. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

  Before he ended the call, I held out my hand. “Can I talk to her, Eli?” The rational part of me knew that I had no business butting in here, but Eli had quickly nestled his way into my heart, and I was tired of seeing him hurt.

  Eli pushed the phone across the table without saying a word. I picked it up and tried to sound nonjudgmental, but it wasn’t easy. “Hi, this is Rebel, Eli’s neighbor. Your son is helping me with my animals; I’m a vet and he’s been such a great help to me. He’s really got a knack with animals.”