by Ann Omasta
The drawn looks on Molly and Grant’s faces as I approached had me fearing the worst. My voice came out in a frightened screech when I asked, “Is Scout going to be okay?”
They both nodded before Molly said in a hushed tone, “Yes, the doctors said he’s going to be fine. We got him out of the water before hypothermia set in. He went into shock, but they expect him to make a quick and full recovery. We’re very lucky.”
Her grim tone and their twin concerned expressions didn’t match the positive news she shared. My eyebrows pinched together as I asked, “What aren’t you telling me?”
Molly’s face crumpled as she wailed, “Scout’s birth mother is suing us for custody of him.”
The blood drained from my face as I stared at my best friend, unable to believe this dreadful turn of events. My head shook back and forth of its own accord as I tried to make sense of Molly’s words. Finally, I said, “She can’t do this. Can she?”
“I’m afraid so,” Grant said in a deep voice that was so familiar, even though he was practically a stranger to me.
My gaze darted to the handsome actor. I had almost managed to forget who he was. In the heat of the moment during our emergency this morning, he had merely been a frightened fellow human, but it was impossible not to remember he was a famous movie star when I was this close to him.
“You’ll help us fight this, won’t you?” Molly gave me a pleading gaze.
Of course, I would do anything to help my best friend and her fiancé keep custody of their son, but I was afraid Molly was putting too much blind faith in me.
Just as I started to voice that sentiment, Grant said firmly, “We’ll be hiring the best team of lawyers that money can buy to fight this case for us.”
Molly angled a fiery gaze toward him before saying, “That’s fine, but I want Avery to be a part of that legal team.”
“Molly, I haven’t even passed the bar yet,” I reminded my friend.
Grant gave her a knowing look, as if to say that settled it, but Molly was adamant. “I know that, but you have been studying for months. Everything is fresh in your mind, unlike a bunch of stuffy, overpriced old codgers who graduated law school a hundred years ago.”
Grant started to object, but Molly held up a pointer finger that immediately stopped him. “Besides, Avery knows and loves us. She won’t be in it for the payday. It will be a passion project for her because she actually cares about the outcome and has our best interest at heart. I want her on our legal team.”
Molly’s words were said with such finality, Grant had little choice except to nod his agreement. With that settled, Molly turned to me. “You’ll help us keep custody of our little boy, right?”
Plastering a fake look of confidence on my face, I said, “Of course,” and hoped they couldn’t hear my gulp of fear from knowing that I was in over my head deeper than Scout had been in the pond this morning.
4
Avery
I could have called to check on Pepper, but something compelled me to go visit the vet’s office in person. I told myself it was because I wanted to see with my own eyes that our furry baby-rescuing hero was truly okay, but deep down, I knew it was in large part because I wanted to see the handsome doctor again.
When I pulled into the driveway of the large, white, clapboard home, I stared at the hand-painted sign that read “Noah James, DVM.”
Noah was a good, strong name, and it perfectly suited the handsome veterinarian. How had such an eligible bachelor been in town for several weeks, and I was just now meeting him? Oh, right… I ignored Mrs. Branson and the other busybodies in town who tried to convince me to borrow a pet to bring to his office for a checkup. Perhaps, just this once, the nosy older women had been right.
In any case, I was here now, and I intended to make a better impression on him than the frightened, mute one I’d left him with this morning. After flipping my car’s sun visor down to use the lighted mirror to apply a fresh coat of tinted lip gloss, I declared myself as ready as I’d ever be and emerged from my vehicle.
I purposely avoided looking at the frozen pond at the back of his property where this morning’s near-tragedy had taken place. I didn’t want to get all weepy just before going in to see the heroic vet.
Bells jingled when I opened the door to the small office. The front desk was empty, so I took advantage of the opportunity to have a look around the reception area. It was tidy, inviting, and comfortably furnished.
I was grinning over a sign that read, ‘Free belly rubs with exam. Sorry, pets only!’ when Dr. James emerged from an exam room.
If I was better at flirting, I would have made a comment about wishing I was a pet, so I could get a free belly rub from him, but I wasn’t that brave. Instead, I said, “How is Miss Pepper doing?”
“Remarkably well,” he assured me with a wide, dashing smile before adding, “I just spoke with your brother and gave him a full update. I’m going to keep her overnight for observation as a precaution, but I expect she’ll be ready to go home tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful news,” I said, allowing my body to sag with relief.
“She’s napping, or I’d bring you back for a visit,” he offered kindly.
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Dr. James,” I answered automatically.
“After what we’ve been through together, I think you can call me Noah.” That sexy grin emerged and stole my breath away.
“Okay, Noah,” I said in a husky voice that I hoped sounded flirty, rather than congested. Deciding he would probably like to know, I added, “Scout, the little boy who fell in the water, is doing well, too.”
“That’s wonderful.” A relieved look emerged on his face, making me think he truly cared.
We stood there staring at each other for a long moment as I searched my mind for something witty to say, but came up frustratingly empty.
Finally, he said in a serious tone, “We need to have a discussion about your trespassing on my property this morning.”
Of all the things I had imagined him saying in that moment, this had never crossed my mind. The blood drained from my head as I gawked at his grim expression. He might be concerned about being sued by Scout’s parents. As I was preparing to explain to him that this wasn’t how things worked in our close-knit, small town, he added, “Perhaps we can talk about it over dinner tomorrow night?”
His sparkly-eyed gaze immediately released any concerns I had that he might truly be angry with me. Just as I opened my mouth to respond that I would love that, a golden retriever wearing a plastic cone emerged from the back of the office.
The dog was carrying a stuffed animal in its mouth as it rushed over to greet me. His tail flapped back and forth as I stooped down to rub his soft ears. When I got a good look at the toy he was carrying, I couldn’t help but be utterly charmed. It was a yellow dog with its own tiny, plastic cone around its neck.
When I glanced up at Noah and said, “Cute toy,” I could have sworn the man actually blushed.
“The dogs seem to like having someone else in the same situation as them. It helps alleviate the humiliation of wearing a cone of shame,” he explained.
The man was handsome, helpful, and charming. Plus, he loved animals and was obviously sensitive to their needs. Oh, and he was a doctor. Could he be any more perfect? Swoon.
Deciding I’d better get out of here before my panties decided to remove themselves and fly into his startled face, I said, “See you tomorrow night?”
“Can’t wait,” he said quietly as I turned and gave my best effort at a sexy saunter out of his office.
5
Avery
I was far too keyed up to sleep. Besides, if I returned to my parents’ home while they were still awake, I might slip up and tell them about my upcoming date with the sexy veterinarian. I already felt enough pressure to make it a success without adding their anticipatory looks into the mix.
I decided to take a late-night walk to burn off some of my excess energy. Although there
had been a recent crime spree of minor break-ins and petty vandalism in our lovely, coastal town, I refused to be afraid. Brunswick Bay Harbor was my home, and I would not hide out at my parents’ house in fear. Besides, Kevin Durley was the only major criminal that had ever lived here, and he was locked up.
The wind was brisk coming in off the water from the harbor as I walked down Blueberry Cove Street, so I raised the zipper higher on the light fleece jacket I’d found in my trunk. There weren’t many people out and about at this late hour, but I had no doubt that if I yelled for help several people would run to assist me. That was the type of place this was. Neighbors helped each other, without question.
As I approached the hulking figure on the ground, I squinted my eyes in an effort to figure out what I was looking at. The closer I got, the more certain I became that it was a large man stooping on the ground.
I didn’t recognize the broad back or scruffy hair of the kneeling man, but I felt compelled to offer my assistance with whatever he was trying to do, so I said, “Need some help down there?”
He jumped in surprise at my question, even though I hadn’t intended to sneak up on him. When he turned to face me, it was my turn to startle. This had to be the newcomer I’d heard so much about recently. I’d never seen him before, but I’d certainly suffered through plenty of scuttlebutt about his arrival in town.
I was a big believer in everyone being innocent until proven guilty, but many townspeople had mentally tried and convicted this man for every transgression that had happened recently in our little burg.
My hand involuntarily went up to my neck when he made eye contact with me. “Oh, hi.”
“Hello.” His voice was as deep as I expected, based on his massive size. It rumbled down my spine.
Just as I became convinced that he was going to dismiss me just as quickly as I had arrived, his eyes lit up with an idea just before he said, “Oh, you probably have skinny arms.”
I took a step back, alarmed by the odd statement. Since it seemed overly rude to ignore his strange suggestion, I said, “Umm. I guess,” but I remained ready to run for my life at a moment’s notice if this interaction became any more uncomfortable.
He sat up and asked, “Could I get your help down here?”
It felt like a trap, but his earnest look raised my curiosity. Not bothering to hide the wariness in my tone, I asked, “With what?”
“There’s a kitten trapped in this storm drain, and my hand is too large to fit through the grate,” he explained.
I wondered if I was being as gullible as a kid lured into a windowless van with candy, but something about the stranger felt sincere. I bent over to peer into the grate, but couldn’t see anything. After deciding I would give him a sharp elbow to the nose and a knee to the groin, if this was a trick, I sat down on the ground beside the man.
He pointed to the side of the grate I was sitting nearest and said, “It sounds like it’s over that way.”
I nodded as I stared with wide eyes at the grate. Never in my entire life had I even considered sticking my hand down one of these things. It would be just my luck to get stuck in it. I would never live that down. That was one of the drawbacks to living in a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business––no one ever lets you forget.
As I tentatively stuck my arm out, I tried to gauge if the opening was big enough for me to reach through. Pausing, I asked the stranger, “Is this a sewer drain? Am I sticking my hand down into poop?”
“Your hand and arm will wash clean,” he tried to assure me, but his words didn’t make me feel any better.
My hand had barely cleared the hole when the next fear struck. Turning horrified eyes to the man, I squeaked, “You’re sure this is a kitten, right? If I pull a rat out of here, I’ll never forgive you.”
He surprised me by tipping his head back and bellowing with laughter before he answered, “It’s a frightened kitten, so time is of the essence.”
In an effort to distract myself from thinking about the possibility that I might be reaching for a feces-covered rat, my unhelpful brain decided to make me wonder if the man had purposely placed the kitten into this perilous situation to lure an unsuspecting woman down here.
Forcing that scary thought from my brain, I felt around the damp, filthy drain. When I touched the wet glob, I had to force myself not to yank my hand back.
As I quietly chanted the words, “Please be a kitten… Please be a kitten…” I wrapped my fingers around the small clump and began lifting it out of the grate.
My hand had gone into the grate much easier than it came out while holding the drenched animal. I turned it this way and that, but wasn’t able to make it work. The man noticed my struggle and stretched out on his stomach just over me to assist.
His warm nearness made me incredibly uncomfortable, but not in the frightened way I would have assumed. Clearly, it had been far too long since I’d had any physical interaction with a hot-blooded male.
He grabbed my wrist with his huge, strong hand. For as big as he was, he was incredibly gentle as he worked to guide my hand free of its metal prison.
We worked and worked, but couldn’t wriggle my hand free. My frustration grew by the minute as I tried not to be attracted to the man stretched out behind me, hoped no one would see us in this risqué situation, and wondered if the animal I was trying to save might actually be something other than a kitten.
Finally, I said, “I think I’m going to have to set it down to get my hand out. Maybe we can use a rope to pull it up?”
“Let me try one more thing first,” the man said very near me. His voice reverberated in my ear and made the tiny hairs at the back of my neck stand at attention.
I tried not to notice how much I missed his touch when he let go of my wrist.
He stretched out two long, thick fingers to create a bridge for the animal from my hand to an adjacent opening in the grate. The side of my palm heated in the spot where his fingers connected with it.
“Loosen your grip on the kitten and cup him in your palm,” the man suggested quietly.
Once I did that, he said in a sing-songy voice to the animal, “Come here, little guy. You can do it.”
I felt movement in my palm, so I whispered excitedly, “I think he’s trying to stand up!”
We waited for a long moment, but nothing further happened. “He must be scared or unsure what we want him to do.”
Or a rat that is getting ready to chomp his sharp teeth into my hand, I added silently.
In a higher-pitched tone than I would have imagined he could manage, the man chanted, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.”
That call must have been precisely the impetus the animal needed because I felt it begin moving and suddenly its weight was gone from my hand. I offered a silent prayer that it hadn’t just fallen back down into the drain as I waited for the animal to walk across the stranger’s fingers.
The bedraggled animal slowly emerged and flopped into the man’s oversized palm.
No longer clutching the animal made it easy for me to release my hand from its metal jail. Once I was free, I sat up and watched the man as he tenderly wiped off the filthy animal with the bottom of his shirt.
Relief swept through me when he had it clean enough for me to recognize that it was, indeed, a small kitten. It let out a pathetic mewl as the man gently rubbed it.
I couldn’t wipe the wide smile off my face as I watched the sweet interaction between the enormous man and the fragile animal. Seeing this sensitive side of him made me picture how loving and caring he would be with a baby in his arms––or a woman in his bed. My cheeks heated as I realized that he probably had a darker, more passionate side that would come out in the bedroom.
After shaking my head to clear that unwanted mental image, I said, “We should get that little one to the doctor to be checked out. It just so happens that I know the new vet in town, Dr. Noah James. I’m sure he would be happy to take a look at this little guy tonight.”
; The concerned look that arose on the man’s face was undeniable just before he asked, “Could you take him?”
I was surprised he would go through all of this effort to save the kitten, but then bail on him before taking him for a check-up. Not seeing another option, I said, “Umm, sure, I’ll take him.”
Relief arose on the man’s face just before he dug into the pocket of his jeans and emerged with several hundred-dollar bills. “Here. This should cover it.”
“Oh, that’s more than enough,” I assured him as he shoved the money and the kitten in my direction.
Once I accepted both, he stood and quickly walked away without another word. I looked down at the grimy animal and asked, “What the heck just happened?”
6
Avery
If my ringing of the office doorbell awoke the handsome doctor, he was polite enough not to point it out. He accepted the filthy kitten and promised to take good care of him before quickly ushering me out the door.
Once I got home, I answered my mom’s probing questions about my day, without telling her about my interactions with the two gorgeous men. Thanks to the small-town grapevine, she’d already heard all about Scout’s fall through the ice and the upcoming custody battle for him, so that kept her distracted from asking me about any potential love interests.
I sure didn’t want to tell her about tomorrow’s planned date with Noah, or she would immediately start planning the wedding. I could practically hear her now… “Oh, a doctor and a lawyer. You two will be unstoppable, and my grandbabies will be brilliant.”
After giving her enough of the scoop on the day’s events that she could share with her country club friends, I claimed being tired, and headed to my childhood bedroom. It was still decorated with the bright purple and hot pink polka-dot pattern I had chosen as a pre-teen, but I didn’t dare ask that it be updated. Afterall, they didn’t have to let me stay here.
