Puppy Love for the Veterinarian

by Amy Woods

  When she went back inside, Ethan had made himself at home in her kitchen, and she couldn’t help but think he looked good there. They ate together and he sent her off to take a hot shower while he fed the puppies some of the kibble he’d packed up for her from the clinic’s supply closet and texted his vet techs to find out if either of them would be able to drive in and take over that morning while he went home to take a nap.

  By the time she finished relishing the steamy water as it thawed her cold skin and wrapped herself in comfy sweats and socks, Ethan had fallen asleep on the couch. The puppies had done the same, snuggled together, safe inside their shared crate with full bellies.

  She stood in the doorway for a long time, just enjoying the view. The stunning, kindhearted doctor passed out on her couch after a night spent caring for the two most adorable little fur balls she’d ever seen, all nestled into her small living room.

  If she’d been certain it wouldn’t wake them all, she would have dug out her phone and taken a photo.

  It was an image she didn’t want to forget as long as she lived. Instead, she went with her very next impulse. For once, she allowed herself to do exactly what she wanted, without thinking.

  Ethan sighed as she lay down next to him on the couch, eyes remaining closed as he drew her against his chest and tucked an arm around her. She looked up just in time to see him smile before drifting back to sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  “Over here!” June called when she caught sight of her mother’s strawberry-blond head passing through the front door a few days later. The coffeehouse, which had the unique luxury of being the only such place in their small town, did not belong to any competitive chains and was especially crowded.

  “My goodness,” Abigail Leavy said, joining June at the long counter by the window. She set her purse on the bar stool June had saved for her. “Looks like folks got a little case of cabin fever in the storm.”

  “I think you’re absolutely right,” June said, standing to give her mother a big hug. “Hi, Mom. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

  “Hi, sweetheart,” the older woman answered, squeezing June in response.

  Her mom was tiny and resembled a pixie with her short, stylish haircut, sparkling blue eyes and cheeks that always looked as though they’d been recently pinched. At sixty-five, Abigail looked a decade younger. Despite having worked since she was fourteen, June’s mother had not slowed down after retiring from the grocery store, where, over the years, she’d climbed from bagger to manager; the woman made a point of spending time regularly with her numerous friends, walked several miles per day and took pride in her commitment to a healthy diet. June always teased her that she put her daughter to shame.

  “Let me go get a cup of joe and I’ll be right back.” She pulled out her wallet and pointed a finger at June. “Don’t you run off now, girl. I haven’t seen you in ages and it’s getting harder and harder to track you down.”

  June waved her away and took a sip of her peppermint hot chocolate, a foray from her usual Americano. For some reason, since that first cup of coffee Ethan Singh had made for her a few days ago, nothing she prepared for herself or purchased tasted anywhere near as good.

  She smiled, whipped cream tickling her nose as she let her mind circle around and around that man.

  Though, at the time, she’d thought that night with him would go down as the longest of her life, it had been nothing compared to the past few days.

  He’d gone back to his regular shifts at the clinic, of course, and she’d been happily soaking up her lazy days at home as the power company worked to restore electricity at the pizza place. Only the challenge of training the puppies occupied her time, and she was loving every minute of it.

  Despite being busy with the clinic, Ethan called every day on his lunch break to check on her and see how the little ones were doing, and they’d met for coffee once.

  But dammit, she missed him.

  And nothing she tried could make that fact go away. He’d gotten under her skin.

  “All right, sweetheart,” her mother said, setting a ginormous cup of black coffee on the counter. “Let me just get some of this stuff into my veins and I’m all yours.”

  “It’s certainly no mystery where I got my coffee addiction,” June said, giggling.

  Abigail took a long sip before putting down her extra large cup. “Come on, girl. You ain’t foolin’ nobody.” She gave June’s frothy beverage the stink eye. “That is not coffee.”

  June looked down into her delicious but admittedly oversweet drink. “You’ve got me there.”

  “What’s up with that, anyway? Why aren’t you having your normal Americano with cream and sugar? What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing’s on my mind, Mom. I just wanted to try something different.”

  Her mother glared at her, without a word, and that’s all it took for June to break.

  “Okay,” she said. “Maybe there is a little something on my mind.”

  Abigail looked a little too satisfied.

  “But that’s not why I’m here. I really just wanted to spend a little time with you while I’ve got a few precious days off work.”

  “That’s more like it. I knew something was up. You’re usually so chipper, and today you look like you’ve got a bug in your biscuit.”

  June snorted at her mom’s goofy expression, one of many in the woman’s vast collection of odd colloquialisms. Even after hearing it all her life, that particular one still made her laugh.

  “It’s just the puppies, Mom. Nothing more.”

  Her mom smiled. “How are those little squirts? Have you given them names yet?”

  “No, not yet. I want to, but Ethan—Dr. Singh—keeps discouraging it for some reason.”

  Abigail was silent for far too long before speaking again. “Ah, so that’s what this is about.”

  June kept her features as neutral as possible, determined not to give in. If her mom caught a glimpse inside her head and managed to figure out how stupidly smitten June was with the doctor, she would never let it go.

  She cleared her throat and glanced out the window with as much nonchalance as she could muster.

  “That’s what what is about?” she asked awkwardly. “I have no idea what you mean.”

  The statement rang false even to her own ears.

  Her mom set aside the massive coffee and June knew she was in for it.

  “It’s this Dr. Singh, isn’t it? You’ve got a thing for him?”

  “Mother, I do not...”

  “Don’t give me that.” She held up a palm. “I know my daughter, and I know when she’s been bitten by the love monster.”

  June chuckled in spite of her good intentions. “Mom, you’re so silly sometimes.”

  “Don’t you try to change the subject on me. You’ve got a thing for this guy and I want details.”

  “Mom,” she said, injecting seriousness into her tone as she tried to conjure up sad images to keep from grinning like an idiot at the mere mention of the man’s name. “It’s nothing. Really, it’s not.”

  “Like you’d tell me if it was.” Her words were teasing on the surface, but underneath June detected the hint of hurt feelings.

  “Mom.” June rested a hand over her mother’s and squeezed. “Why would you say that?”

  Abigail shrugged. “I didn’t mean it, sweetheart. Really, I didn’t.” Her eyes settled on something out the window, but June could see they weren’t focused and her mother’s mind was far away.

  “I guess what I mean is that, well, I don’t see you much anymore.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom.” June cringed. “I had no idea you were feeling neglected lately.”

  “It’s okay. I know you can’t help it and I did not mean to guilt-trip you.”

  �
�No, really, I’ll make more of an effort to see you.” June’s shoulders sagged. “It’s just that I work so much, and when I’m not at the pizza parlor, I’m resting up to be at the pizza parlor.”

  Her mother nodded. “I understand what you mean, June Bug. It was like that for me after your father left.”

  Her mom didn’t talk about her father much, and June had never met the man; all she knew were bits and pieces she’d picked up over the years. He and her mother had never had a real relationship and June had essentially been, as her mom put it, “a happy accident,” but she’d always felt loved. Not once had her mom ever made her feel unwanted.

  “I’ve probably never said this before, Mom, but I know how hard you worked to give me the things I needed growing up, and I’ve always been thankful for it.”

  Abigail’s eyes filled with moisture. “Oh, honey, I did it because I loved you, and I wanted you to have the best I could give you, but all the same, that means a great deal to me.”

  June’s mom wrapped her in a big hug, then pulled her torso back to study her daughter, a hand on each of June’s arms. “I just don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.”

  “What do you mean?” She sipped her lukewarm hot chocolate.

  Abigail released her and then did the same with her own drink. “Well, you work so hard, and you’ve always been so independent, like I was. I certainly can’t blame you for that, because you got it from me.” She winked a pretty blue eye. “At the same time, I don’t want to see you miss out on the same things I did, honey.”

  “What mistakes, Mom?” she asked. “When I look at you, all I see is a strong woman who worked hard her whole life, who has a daughter and lots of friends who love her.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, thank you.”

  “I mean it—I don’t see any mistakes.”

  Abigail’s forehead creased as she studied her fresh manicure.

  “Surely there were times when you were a kid that you wished your father was around or that I didn’t work so much.”

  June nodded. “That’s true. I did wish those things sometimes, but if my father didn’t make you happy, and if you wouldn’t have been happy with him in our lives, then I trust that you made the right decision.”

  “He wasn’t a bad guy, but he didn’t want to be a dad, and no kid needs that kind of burden. Plus—” she gently touched June’s cheek with her palm “—I was so excited to have you, and you were such a sweet little thing, always smiling and happy to see everybody.”

  Though there had been times when she’d wished for a brother or sister, it was true that she’d enjoyed a happy childhood, and she knew that some kids didn’t have any parents; she was always just glad to have one that loved her so dearly.

  “I’d love to see you back to your old sunny self, Junie. I know you’re working hard and you probably won’t let me, stubborn girl, but is there anything I can do to help?”

  June shook her head. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Just need to keep working and save up again so I can change things.” She swallowed, wishing she could believe it would be that simple to start over. “I’ll find a way.”

  “I know you will, sweetheart.” Abigail paused. “I swear, if I could find that Clayton Miller, I’d kick his ass into next year.”

  June laughed so hard she almost snorted hot chocolate out of her nose. “I know you would, Mom. I know you would.”

  “Seriously, though, don’t work yourself too hard and forget to live your life. You’re too young for that.” Abigail’s voice quieted, her tone softening. “I dated a guy once, back when you were little—a good one—and I should have let him in more. He wanted to build a life with us, and he was so wonderful with you, which mattered to me more than anything else, but for some reason—I guess because I was too afraid to let any man near us again because he might disappoint you like your father did—I let a very good person go. Now I can’t tell if that was the right or wrong choice, and life’s too damn short to dwell on such things. But I’m telling you this because, if it happens to you, I don’t want you to miss out on love by being afraid that what happened with Clayton might happen again.”

  June’s eyes were tearing up, and she dabbed at them discreetly with a napkin, not wanting to attract attention.

  “The point is, I don’t want you to stop living life to the fullest. No one can promise that your heart won’t get broken again, but if something good comes along, don’t be afraid to take it, June Bug.”

  “Mom, I can’t...”

  “Just promise me you won’t be too scared to try flying again.”

  She pulled in a breath, then released it slowly. “I promise.”

  “June?” Her ears picked up the low, smooth voice in the distance and she turned.

  “Ethan. Hi,” she said, standing up from the stool, righting her cup after nearly tipping it over. Very smooth indeed.

  He waved over the crowd, so tall she had no trouble seeing him. His hair was still damp from a shower and he’d shaved all that sexy stubble off, which would be a pity if he didn’t still paint a gorgeous picture. He wore a deep silver button-down shirt the color of storm clouds, the sleeves rolled up, revealing toned forearms with a coating of dark, silky hair.

  The thundering in her heart increased as he neared, women looking up from their tables to catch a glimpse of him as he passed. The thing that really set off her pulse, though, was that he didn’t notice a single one of them; he had eyes only for her. She wondered if it was possible that he’d gotten more handsome since she’d last seen him a few days ago.

  When he stood only a foot or so away, the intoxicating scent of his skin caused all rational thought to fly out the window.

  “June, it’s so great to see you here,” he said, seemingly unsure of what to do with his arms. For a man who had previously exuded confidence, seeing him a little flustered was just plain cute.

  Her little heart completely ignored her and went to town—the traitor.

  “It’s good to see you, too,” she said, helplessly grinning from ear to ear. “The puppies are doing really well. My neighbor—who is supertrustworthy, by the way, and has a rescue dog of her own—practically jumped at the chance to spend a couple of hours with them.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear,” he said, reaching out to touch her forearm, a gesture that was both unexpected and incredibly intimate. His touch tingled all the way up her arm, making the fine hairs stand at attention.

  Good Lord, the things he could do to her with such simple, innocent contact.

  She wondered if he had any idea what kind of effect his presence had on her. On her body, her mind, deep inside her most intimate places.

  “But how are you doing?” he asked, lowering his head to make up for their difference in height so he could stare straight into her eyes. Heat blossomed in her belly and spread all over.

  “Me? Oh, I’m... I’m good,” she stammered. “Thanks for asking.”

  “Ahem.” The sound of June’s mom clearing her throat startled her and Ethan.

  “Ethan,” she said, turning to include her mom, “this is my mother, Abigail Leavy. Mom, this is Ethan Singh, the veterinarian I told you about.”

  His eyebrows rose in response to that last part. “Ms. Leavy,” he said, and June reminded herself to thank him later for not assuming she was a Mrs. “It’s so very nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” Abigail said, flashing those baby blues at him. “I hear you were quite the hero the other night, saving those puppies.”

  June was tickled to see his cheeks darken. Suave, classy, worldly Ethan Singh, blushing over a simple compliment? She hadn’t thought she’d live to see the day and, of course, she made a quick mental note to tease him relentlessly about it later.

  “I was just doing my job. It was nothing out of the ordinary.”

  June’s mother pr
actically burst out, “Oh, I’m sure June would disagree.”

  “Mom,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m sure Dr. Singh has to get back to work.”

  “It’s true,” he said, those illegally sexy lips curving upward. “But I was hoping I could borrow you for a moment first, June. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about, if you can spare the time.”

  “Oh, she absolutely can. Can’t you, sweetheart?”

  “Yes, Mother.” She turned and shot daggers at her mom. “I think I can take it from here.”

  “I certainly hope so. Remember earlier when I advised you ought to say yes to a good thing, should one come along? Well, this is exactly what I was talking about, so do yourself a favor,” she whispered quickly to June, then turned and offered Ethan a million-dollar smile. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she said. “Call me later, June Bug.”

  Abigail picked up her purse and remaining coffee and hurried off, blowing her daughter a kiss over her red acrylic fingernails.

  June rolled her eyes, but was unable to help grinning at her mother’s tenacity.

  Ethan watched the older woman go, then turned to June. “She’s a firecracker, that one, isn’t she?”

  June chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

  “She seems like a lot of fun.”

  “Never a dull moment with Mom around.” They both stopped talking, and uncomfortable silence filled the space between them until he motioned for her to sit down. He took her mother’s chair.

  “There’s something I wanted to ask you, June.”

  She nodded, then took a sip of her now-cold drink and immediately regretted it.

  “A friend of mine, Isaac Meyer, owns a companion animal training facility in town.”