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He spared an irritated glance at the recent—and decidedly obscene—graffiti on the side of his garage as he sprinted to his Yukon, which was parked in front of the veterinary clinic that adjoined his house.
He hadn’t recognized the woman’s name, so she must not have been a local, he decided as he climbed into his truck. “Careless weekend cottager,” he grumbled under his breath and turned onto the highway. The Adirondack region had more than its fair share of them, in his opinion.
* * *
IT DIDN’T OCCUR to Emma to wait in the dry comfort of her vehicle. Thrusting her phone in her pocket, she moved closer to the animal. As he didn’t show any immediate signs of hostility this time, she cautiously knelt beside him. His head jerked toward her and he strained to emit a warning growl. Although a moan was the best he seemed to be able to manage, out of respect for the large white teeth that flashed in the glow of her headlights, Emma slumped back on her heels, putting a little more distance between them.
“It’s okay,” she soothed. “I know it must hurt terribly. Help is on the way.” Uncertain whether it was the words or her tone that caused it, she was gratified that he settled, but his breathing had become even more labored.
“Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t you give up!” she urged. “Hang in there.” Disregarding the veterinarian’s cautionary words, she held her hand out to let him scent it. Through slitted eyelids, the dog stared at her and sniffed her hand listlessly. Appearing to have passed the test, she reached forward slowly to stroke the matted fur of his neck.
He emitted a soft whine and shifted his head a fraction. Although his eyes were dull, he held Emma’s gaze a few moments longer before his eyelids drifted shut.
Continuing to pat him gently, Emma prayed fervently that he would have the strength to hold on until the veterinarian arrived.
And where the heck was the veterinarian?
* * *
THE HEAVY RAIN made the trip longer than Josh had anticipated. Driving in the nasty weather hadn’t improved his disposition. It was nearly twenty minutes from the time he’d hung up the phone to when he spotted the black, late-model, luxury SUV parked on the shoulder of Otter Creek Road. And the woman huddled on the ground in front of it, stroking the animal. A set of choice words raced through his mind. It would be her own fault if she was bitten. Pulling up behind the BMW X5, he grabbed his medical bag and climbed out of his ancient Yukon.
The woman was hunched over the still form of the animal, as if trying to shield him from the worst of the downpour with her own body. There was a sadness about her—evident in her posture, the slope of her shoulders—that tore at his heart. When she glanced up at him with shimmering eyes, huge in her pale face, something shifted inside him.
He hoped he wasn’t too late. That he wouldn’t be deprived of the opportunity to save the animal. For the animal’s sake, as much as the woman’s.
“Josh Whitmore,” he said when he reached her, and extended a hand.
“Emma Meadows,” she responded in a voice so soft, the rain nearly drowned her out. “Thank you for coming.” She briefly placed a chilled and wet hand into his, then inched back to make room for him.
She seemed so fragile, so distraught, but she wasn’t his problem, he reminded himself.
Josh lowered to one knee and noted immediately the dog’s labored breathing. The animal was still alive, as he’d hoped, but he wasn’t certain if that was a blessing or a curse, depending on the extent of his injuries. The dog’s hind leg had sustained the worst of it. He had a closed fracture, meaning the bone was broken but the overlying skin hadn’t been pierced. There was a large laceration on his flank, too. Josh needed to find out if there were additional internal injuries. Those would create the greatest risk. He pulled a syringe and a small vial out of his bag, and administered a sedative.
Giving the drug a chance to take effect, Josh ran his hands along the creature’s torso. He was relieved that he didn’t detect any other obvious signs of trauma. He quickly dressed the cut to stop the bleeding. Next, he splinted the leg temporarily, so he could transport the dog to his clinic without exacerbating the break.
Having done all he could for the dog right now, Josh turned his attention to the woman.
She was soaked. Her long blond hair was plastered to her head despite her hood. He was three inches over six feet, but they were nearly eye-to-eye, kneeling beside each other. Disheveled as she was, he was struck by her beauty. She had large, almond-shaped eyes, the color indiscernible in the muted light, a small, straight nose, sharp, well-angled cheekbones and a generous, wide mouth.
A mouth that at present was frowning at him.
Josh ignored the frown. Not so easily, he also ignored the sudden tug of attraction. He tried to imagine what she’d look like if she smiled, before he reminded himself that slick city girls weren’t his type. Crystal had taught him that lesson well.
Emma interrupted his thoughts. “Is he going to be all right?” Her voice broke on the final word.
Josh felt an unexpected need to comfort, but he couldn’t lie. “His leg’s in bad shape. He’s lost a lot of blood. I’ll know better once I’ve had a chance to properly examine him.”
She nodded slowly. “Is it okay to move him?”
“I don’t have a choice. I’ve immobilized the leg so he should be fine. His best chance is for me to get him to my clinic and ascertain if he has any internal injuries.”
“How can I help?” she asked, as they both rose. She was tall, probably around five-ten, he guessed.
Josh swiped at the water dripping from the brim of his cap and gestured toward his truck. “Open the back, if you don’t mind. The latch is on the bottom. In the center. There’s a blanket in there. Spread it out so I can put him on it.” As she was about to move away, he touched her shoulder. She swung around, her eyes meeting his. He felt that tug again. “Take this, too, please,” he added and handed her his medical bag.
Josh lifted the dog as gently as he could, carried him to his truck and placed him on the blanket. “I’m going to help you, pal. Just hold on a while longer, okay?” Time was of the essence, especially if there were internal injuries. He turned to Emma. “I’ll do what I can,” he assured her.
“I’ll follow you. I know where the clinic is.”
He hadn’t expected that. He’d assumed she would’ve considered her penance done and head home—glad to get out of the storm.
“I won’t get in your way,” she said quickly before he could respond. “I just want to know he’ll be fine.”
Definitely not what he’d expected. Josh pursed his lips and nodded slowly. “All right, but try not to hit anything else,” he said, as he climbed into his truck. He immediately wished he could’ve bitten the harsh words back. He wasn’t a mean-spirited person, but there was something about her that poked at him.
CHAPTER TWO (#u276d3288-08b9-5d3c-9d86-5b07a3deeb7c)
EMMA SCRAMBLED INTO her own vehicle and made a quick U-turn. As she followed the diffused glow of the Yukon’s taillights, Josh’s departing comment registered.
He thought she was responsible for the dog’s injuries! She was more likely to drive off a road and into a tree than hurt an animal.
It didn’t matter what the judgmental veterinarian believed, Emma consoled herself, as long as he saved the dog.
She spent well over an hour in the veterinary clinic’s reception area.
She’d hung her windbreaker on the hook by the door to dry. There was a coffee machine on a counter, and she took the liberty of preparing a pot. She sipped the cooling coffee from a paper cup and listened to the metallic clang of instruments from behind the closed door of the examination room. She could also hear the quiet murmur of the veterinarian’s deep voice, although the words were indistinct. The fact that he was talking to the animal, whether he was heard or not, pleased her. It showed compassion. That emotion was in stark contrast to his harsh treatment of her. Maybe he was one of those people who was good with animals and not with humans, she mused.
When the examination room door finally opened, Emma was on her feet by the time he stepped out.
She observed again—with an uneasy feeling—Josh’s quick perusal of her that she’d noticed at the side of the road when they’d first met. But she also saw the weariness and the unmistakable worry on his face.
He’d removed the baseball cap he’d worn earlier, leaving his dark hair curling just above his collar. He wiped his hands on a damp towel as he approached her, and she saw the towel was streaked with red.
Too much red.
Emma felt her stomach clench. She pressed a hand over it and tried to ignore the blood-soaked towel. She moved forward hesitantly. “How is he?”
“He’s still heavily sedated,” he responded. “I’ll keep him that way overnight, but he’s doing well under the circumstances. I surgically inserted a metal plate to repair the fracture and stitched up the laceration. It looked worse than it was. There’s no muscle damage. There are no signs of internal trauma or bleeding. If I’m right about that, he should recover fully.”
Emma blew out the breath she’d been holding. She took another step toward Josh. “Can I see him?”
“Sure.” He moved to the side, allowing her to walk by him and into the examination room, and followed her. Emma would have sworn she felt his gaze on her and it caused the back of her neck to tingle.
Ignoring the sensation, she noticed the stainless-steel examination table, scattered with instruments, gauze and soiled cloths. Her stomach tightened once more, nausea churned and she quickly looked away. Then she saw the dog through an open door.
He was sleeping peacefully on a thick blanket in the corner of the room, his head pillowed on a folded towel.
Relief washed over her and tears welled in her eyes. She turned away from both the dog and the man while she steadied herself. Once her emotions were under control, she asked, “Can I touch him?”
Josh shrugged. “The sedative will keep him asleep for hours. Go ahead.”
Emma crouched in front of the dog. She reached forward and gently stroked his head. “Aren’t you handsome? And you’re going to be as good as new in no time,” she whispered. Glancing up at Josh, she asked, “There won’t be any permanent damage?”
Josh nodded. “There shouldn’t be. He’ll need time to recover, though. After that he can gradually get back to normal activity.”
Emma turned to the dog. “Hear that? You’ll just have to take it easy for a while, but you’ll be fine,” she said reassuringly, speaking her thoughts out loud. “How could someone have done this to you and just left you there?”
She continued to stroke the dog gently for a few more minutes before rising.
When she looked at Josh, she noted his furrowed brow and wondered what she might have said now to annoy him. Regardless, she was grateful for what he’d done. “Thank you, for saving him.”
“It’s my job.”
Her gaze slid to the dog resting on the thick blanket and makeshift pillow, obviously having been placed there with thought and care. Just because Josh was lacking in social graces didn’t mean that she had to be. She smiled. “I believe it’s much more than that to you.”
“It’s what I do,” he said curtly and escorted Emma back into the reception area.
She retrieved her windbreaker from the hook by the door and reached into a pocket to pull out her wallet. “How much do I owe you?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No charge.”
“But—”
“No charge,” he repeated. “Consider it my good deed for the day.”
“Oh. Well... Thank you.” She put her wallet back into her pocket and pulled on her coat. “What will happen to him once he’s better?”
“I know most of the dogs around here. I don’t think he’s local. I’ll try to find his owner.”
“Is he a dog, then?”
“He appears to be, but he probably has some wolf in him, too.”
“And if you can’t find his owner?”
Josh’s protracted silence worried Emma. She immediately thought of an animal shelter—or worse. “I’ll take him,” she said quickly. “If you can’t find his owner, I’ll take him.”
Josh narrowed his eyes. “One step at a time. First, I’ll make sure he’s okay and try to locate his owner. If that doesn’t pan out, and if his temperament allows, we can talk about finding him a new home.”
Emma opened her mouth but ended up huffing out a breath. What Josh said made sense. “Can I check in with you to see how he’s doing?”
“Sure.” He lifted a business card from a small wooden stand on the counter. “You seem to know my after-hours emergency number.” As he offered the card to her, a quick grin lit up his face. The sharp planes and angles were transformed with its potency. “My office number is on there, in case you don’t have it and want to catch me next time when I’m not just stepping out of the shower.”
She studied his appearance for a moment. He had a wide, sturdy chin, an appealing nose with a slight bump, as if it had been broken at some point, strong, well-defined lips and perfectly straight white teeth. He was tall, with a solid, athletic build—broad shoulders, narrow hips and long legs. The sleeves of his sweatshirt were pushed up, revealing well-muscled arms. The thought of him in the shower made Emma blush.
Their fingers brushed as she accepted the card, and the contact sent a quick jolt through her system.
Stuffing the card in her pocket, she walked to the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she held his gaze. “Thanks again for what you did tonight. I’m sorry to have interfered with your evening. I’ll be in touch to check up on the dog.”
* * *
THROUGH THE GLASS insert of the door, Josh watched Emma head back into the storm. As tired as he’d been after treating the dog, it surprised him that the first thought he’d had seeing her in the reception area was that she was dazzling. In the harsh lights, he’d easily been able to make out the color of her eyes. They were gray. A deep, silvery gray.
Although he had always appreciated physical beauty, he’d never considered it his sole or primary focus. As such, he’d been astonished to feel another raw and powerful pull of attraction—especially in view of the situation. With Crystal’s most recent little escapade, hadn’t he just sworn off women for the time being?
Yet the tug was undeniably there.
Then he remembered something that had struck him as strange. When she’d been petting the dog, she’d said something about how someone could’ve hit the dog and left him. Josh had assumed that she was the one who’d hit the dog. What had he really had to base that on? Having seen her with the animal, her anguish apparent, it was likely he’d misjudged her.
She’d also offered to take the dog. Evidently, there was more to her than what met the eye.
He smiled as he walked back to his recovery room to check on his patient. It occurred to him that he was in a distinctly better mood than he had been before he’d ventured out that evening.
CHAPTER THREE (#u276d3288-08b9-5d3c-9d86-5b07a3deeb7c)
EMMA’S NIGHTMARES WERE MUDDLED. Richard, with his arm around an attractive brunette in a sundress, as Emma stood transfixed on the opposite side of a busy NYC street. The two of them laughing at her stupidity for believing he’d ever loved her...thought herself worthy of his love. The star-speckled evening gave way to a raging storm. A dog was lying injured and helpless at the side of the road, looking at her, imploring her to save him. As Emma’s anxiety and desperation became nearly unbearable, a tall, dark-haired man materialized through the sheets of rain, dry and unruffled, to save the dog—and to save her. When he touched her shoulder, then ran a hand along the length of her drenched hair and whispered that everything would be fine, she jerked awake, disoriented and breathless.
Sitting up, she reached for the bottle of water she habitually kept on her nightstand. After taking a long drink, she let out a heavy sigh and rested her forehead in the palm of her hand.
Max, her Alaskan malamute, was immediately beside her. His solicitousness dragged her out of the lingering daze of the nightmare. She gave him a hug and, noticing her bedside clock, rolled her eyes. It was only ten after five.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. It would be hopeless trying to fall back to sleep. Looking out the window, she was pleased to see the sky had cleared.
“How about we have breakfast and go for a long run?” she asked Max.
Recognizing the words breakfast and run, two of his favorite things, Max danced with excitement until Emma got dressed and they headed downstairs.
The sun had gilded the sky an intense pink and gold by the time they ventured outside. The air was cool, and she welcomed the bite of it against her skin.
A flagstone walkway, flanked by gardens, made a sweeping arc around the southerly perimeter of the cottage from the back deck to the front porch and toward the parking area. Butterflies flitted and bees buzzed from bloom to bloom. The sights, the sounds and the sweet and spicy aroma of the flowers lifted Emma’s spirits.
A large and fit dog, Max loped easily by her side as she jogged up the driveway to where it crested before it sloped down again to join Otter Creek Road. She stopped and turned back. Her view was mostly unobstructed to the cottage, and where the property dropped off steeply to the small lake beyond it.
With the stillness of the air, the deep blue surface of the water was as smooth as glass and mirrored the wispy white clouds scattered across the sky. The vista from here never failed to take her breath away. It reinforced for her how right her decision to leave the city and move to her cottage in Sanctuary Cove had been.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, filling her nostrils with the earthy smells of wet soil and recently trimmed grass, before she and Max sprinted away.
It was past nine thirty by the time they returned to the cottage. After showering, Emma called the veterinary clinic. She was told by the woman who answered the phone that Josh was finishing with a patient and would take the call in a minute, if she wanted to hold.
When he came on the line, Emma immediately asked about the dog.
“He’s doing well.” Josh’s voice sounded pleasant. Even friendly. “Were you able to dry out from all the rain?” he asked.
Emma thought of the wet clothes she’d peeled off when she’d gotten back to the cottage the evening before and had yet to toss in the wash. “More or less,” she said. “Is it all right if I visit the dog?”
There was a brief hesitation. “I’d prefer if you’d leave it for today. I want him to get as much rest as he can to regain his strength and help the healing process.”
Emma gazed out the window at the bright sunshine and tried not to feel disappointed. Had she been counting that much on seeing the dog? Or...? No, it couldn’t have anything to do with the veterinarian.
