Jacob nodded, taking another bite of his hot dog.
Phoebe felt her heart skip a beat. She’d thought she was going to have to convince the boy that Alec would make a good addition to their little family, but he seemed to already be on board with the idea. Alec reached over and put his hand over hers, giving it a light squeeze.
“Can I go watch a movie?” he asked his mom, and Phoebe nodded. They both laughed as Jacob slung his leg over the bench seat and got up. He ran into the house, making car noises with each step.
“Look at him. A few weeks ago he could hardly walk, let alone run,” Phoebe said as she turned back to her hamburger. Alec reached over and touched her hand.
“He’s done really well. I’m glad he’s going to be my son,” he whispered. “I know you told him I won’t try to take Dan’s place and I won’t. But I will love him like he’s my own. He will be my own.”
Phoebe looked at him with bright eyes, then she leaned in. Alec met her halfway and their lips met. Once again, Phoebe felt her heart skip a beat. Never before had she felt this way about anyone, and it meant the world to her that Alec had vowed to love her son, too.
She wanted nothing more than to have a happy family, and she knew they were soon to be just that. They’d decided to get married the following month in a small wedding for family and friends. Pastor Tarrant had agreed to officiate, and the Centerpoint Church sanctuary was reserved.
She pulled back and looked into Alec’s eyes. They were deep blue and searching, looking deeply back into her own.
“What is it?” Alec asked, and Phoebe simply smiled as she shook her head.
“Never forget that I love you,” she whispered as she leaned in for another kiss. As their lips met, she felt a jolt run through her entire body, and she knew she was falling even more deeply in love with this man. He was everything she ever wanted, and now she believed she deserved what she wanted.
She couldn’t wait for the wedding, and she couldn’t wait for them to be a family. And she was finally really happy. Happy they were there together. Happy Jacob was home and on the road to complete recovery. Happy she’d cast her fears aside and taken a risk.
“Alec, I’ll never be happy that Jacob had a heart condition. But I’m thankful that the challenge God put in our lives brought us to you. Jacob’s heartbeat brought us together. Though it took time and faith, we made it.”
“We did. It’s always about the heartbeat, Phoebe. Always.”
* * *
Preview of All About Trust
Karin is new to Reno, at least sort of. She's been there a year and hasn't fully settled in to her life. Her job as a veterinarian is satisfying and she loves what she does, but something's missing. She knows exactly what it is, but she's afraid to do what it takes to change things.
Nick and Buzz meet Karin in the line of duty. As K-9 cop and handler, they need to stay in tip-top shape and Karin is happy to help--at least with Buzz. Nick will have to be on his own. He's thrown off guard when he realizes he wants her to be a little more involved with him, not just Buzz.
Just when Nick breaks through Karin's wall of fear, a secret comes crashing down around them. Will they be able to overcome it? Is a relationship really what God has in store for them or is this a sign that it's not the right thing?
1
“Down, boy.” Nick Cardwell patted the dog’s head, his partner and side-kick of the furry variety. He couldn’t blame Buzz for alerting him to all the goings-on. There were dogs, cats and other fuzzy creatures all headed into Bright Lights Clinic, just like he was.
There was a difference, though, and that was more than apparent the minute Nick got out of his state-issued vehicle, stood up in his uniform and grabbed the leash then clipped it onto Buzz. The leash wasn’t necessary, but it seemed to make non-dog lovers a little more at ease around the big German Shepherd.
Buzz was incredibly well-trained and Nick joked regularly that Buzz had gone through more training than he had for his position. Buzz was probably better behaved too, at least sometimes.
They headed into the vet’s clinic, waiting for a family of four and their pet rabbit to go in first. Nick wasn’t in a hurry. Buzz’s normal veterinarian, Dr. Vince Morgan, was usually pretty quick for his annual check-up.
When the family moved aside from the reception desk, Nick smiled charmingly at the receptionist. Lucy flushed and stuttered like she normally did once a year. “H-hi, Officer Cardwell.”
“Please, call me Nick. I’ve seen you for three years. Well, Buzz has at least.”
Lucy just seemed to blush harder at that, so he dropped it. She wasn’t the only female who did that when he came around. Nick chalked it up to the police uniform and the fact he kept his body in good shape. After all, it was part of his job to be in top physical condition and he took his job very seriously. He wouldn’t let down his fellow officers because he got lazy and skipped going to the gym.
Nick was proud of his job and all that he’d accomplished since deciding to join the police force. His uniform was crisp and clean, with the insignia for the K-9 unit of the Reno, Nevada police force embroidered brightly on it. He was thirty years old and a dog handler. He loved his job, and it kept him busy. In fact, his job was the biggest part of his life.
He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes that sometimes looked black and sometimes looked a warm, chocolate brown. He’d heard women say he was handsome, but he didn’t think much of it. He believed the state of his heart was more important and he just needed to find a woman who agreed with that logic.
Though he’d never been a player, he wanted his dating around days to be far behind him. After high school and college he’d been trying to settle down, but good women were hard to find in Reno. It was even harder to find a woman who understood the demands of his job and the relationship he had with Buzz.
Lucy checked the paperwork. “You and Buzz will see Dr. Boling today, our new addition to the team. I’ll just make sure your exam room is free and then I’ll take you back.”
Nick frowned. “I think there’s been a mistake. Buzz always sees Dr. Morgan.”
Lucy smiled apologetically. “Yes, normally he does, but I’m afraid Dr. Morgan is out today. He’ll probably be out for a while. He took a bad fall and ended up with a broken leg. The other vets have split up his work load, and I can assure you Dr. Boling is a fantastic vet. Buzz is in good hands.”
Nick wasn’t convinced. Dr. Morgan knew about Buzz, knew about his history and the stress of the job, along with its dangers. He knew what to look for and what to keep an eye on. Nick wasn’t crazy about some new doctor. His hackles were up about this change and he wanted to prevent Buzz from being seen by just anyone.
Plus, it sounded like this Dr. Boling was new and he didn’t like the sound of that. Buzz wasn’t a tester dog. He was a police officer. However, unless he wanted to wait until Dr. Morgan was back in, he really didn’t have a choice.
“Alright, I guess we can make it work. Just make sure she gets Buzz’s history.”
Lucy nodded, and he took a seat in the grayish-green chairs in the waiting room. Buzz looked up at him, waiting on his cue. There was a little boy next to them, probably waiting on his pet, who kept looking at Buzz.
Smiling to himself, he looked at the little boy. “Do you want to meet Buzz?”
The little boy giggled. “His name is Buzz?”
Nick grinned. “It is. Why? Is that not a fierce enough name?”
The boy smiled, revealing two missing front teeth. “Like a bumble bee?”
“Nope, not quite.” Nick crossed his arms. “A police dog like this needs a hero’s name, doesn’t he? I’m sure you know Toy Story, right?”
The boy nodded, his eyes wide. “He was in Toy Story?”
Nick fought back a laugh. “Not quite, but he’s named after Buzz Lightyear. I mean, Buzz is pretty awesome right? Protector of the universe?”
The little boy nodded, his shaggy brown hair falling into his eyes. “How does he protect
the universe?”
Nick leaned real close and the little boy leaned in with him, determined to hear the secret. “Buzz is a part of the K-9 unit. He’s just like any other police officer, only in doggy form. I protect him and he protects me, because we’re partners.”
The boy looked at Buzz in awe. “Can I pet him?”
“You can, but only once very gently on the head. Just like me, he knows that when his uniform is on he’s working. This little patch on his harness is his uniform. And we can’t play when we’re working, right?” Nick showed him the harness and then pointed to the patch on his own police uniform.
The little boy reached out and gave one small, tentative pat directly on the top of Buzz’s head between his pointed ears. As he was trained to do, Buzz didn’t move, he sat completely still. Only his tongue lolling out was the sign that Buzz enjoyed the pat. Buzz knew when it was time to play and when it was time to work and he knew he wasn’t allowed to play right now, but it didn’t stop him from enjoying the attention.
“Buzz? We’re ready for you.”
A pretty blonde-haired woman in a white lab coat was standing at the edge of the hallway, waiting for him to bring Buzz over to her. He hadn’t seen her before, but he was intrigued. She must be one of the new vet techs for this Dr. Boling. Maybe he would like to switch doctors after all. That is, if this Dr. Boling was good to Buzz.
She kneeled down as soon as they were close. “Hi Buzz. Your dad tells me you’re a hero. Is that true?”
Nick smiled sheepishly. “Technically, he doesn’t belong to me. He belongs to the Reno, Nevada Police Force. I’m not really his dad.”
She looked up at him and smiled. He felt a little dazed. She wasn’t just pretty. She was stunning. From what he could tell she wasn’t even wearing any makeup, and she still stopped him in his tracks. She wasn’t wearing any lipstick and her lips were a pretty bubble-gum pink. She had amazing green eyes that were almost translucent. Her hair was just a little wavy and she left it loose in almost a windswept kind of look, with long bangs that fell softly along one side of her face.
He realized she was talking to him and he’d totally missed whatever she said while he was taking in her looks. He grinned apologetically. “Sorry, what was that?”
She didn’t seem fazed by his loss of attention. He supposed she was probably used to it. “I just said that you don’t have to be a legal guardian to be a dad. I’m pretty sure Oscar, that big fat orange cat you saw lounging on the front desk, isn’t legally mine, but he comes home with me, so… semantics, am I right?”
He laughed out loud. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. I certainly feel like I’m his dad sometimes. He ate my roast beef sandwich when I took like, two steps away from it yesterday. I almost took away his Xbox privileges for a week.”
He glared at Buzz, who just smiled back at him in his usual way. She laughed and beckoned them into the room. “Follow me, and we’ll get this party started.”
She led the way, and he gladly followed her. At least a foot shorter than his own six feet and four inches, she was petite but had just the right number of curves. He and Buzz followed her down a long hallway then turned right and went past three more doors until she stopped. A steel door with a glass window was open and she motioned for them to go in first. He stopped, and Buzz immediately sat. Both men waited for her to go inside first.
2
Karin Boling wanted to smile when she realized that both Buzz and his intensely hot owner, Nick, were waiting for her to go inside, like she was some lady from fifty years ago. She wanted to be annoyed, but she actually thought it was sweet and gentlemanly. She walked in first, being careful to press against the door so it didn’t shut and lock on them before they could get into the room.
“So, any problems with Buzz? Issues eating, drinking? Any high temperatures or things we should know about?” Karin fired off questions as she pulled out the paperwork. From what she’d read in advance Buzz seemed in peak physical condition - much like his owner. She tried not to stare at Nick’s biceps straining against the black uniform, but couldn’t help a quick peek.
Focusing her attention back on Buzz she rolled her stool over to him, first checking his vitals and then looking inside his ears and eyes. Buzz had all the looks of a completely calm dog, but Karin had been at this a long time. Just because she was new to Bright Lights Clinic didn’t mean she was a new veterinarian. She’d gone to school for six years and had been practicing ever since. Since she was thirty-three, that meant she had almost a decade of taking care of any kind of domestic pet that came through the doors.
“Nothing new to report. Just his annual checkup. We did have a scare a few weeks ago with an errant bullet, but it just missed him. He’s a lucky dude, though I almost had a heart attack.” Nick ruffled the fluffy fur on Buzz’s neck. Buzz turned towards him, his mouth opening and curling into what looked like a big smile.
“Well, he certainly loves you. But Buzz, I promise you if you just relax a little we’ll be the best of friends. Your ears aren’t as relaxed as they should be, but maybe you’re in work mode.” She knelt next to him, petting the soft fur behind his ears and speaking soothing words to him.
“He should be ready for his usual round of shots as well, but I can run through that with the doctor if you want.” Nick raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Karin paused, and then sat back on her stool. “That’d be me.”
Nick looked confused. “I’m sorry? What would be you?”
She sighed and fought not to roll her eyes. And here she’d thought such good things about a guy like Nick but, apparently, he was just like the rest - assuming that because she was a pretty face and wore a skirt, she was just some nurse or vet tech. She stuck out her hand. “Karin Boling, Veterinarian. Pleasure to meet you.”
To his credit, he got through his look of surprise relatively quickly and masked it with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, I just assumed you were the tech.”
“No need to apologize, Mr. Cardwell. Happens all the time.” She jotted Buzz’s weight in the file along with a few other notes.
“It shouldn’t, though.”
She heard Nick’s response and paused, her pen stopping mid-word. “Excuse me?”
“That assumption shouldn’t happen all the time. I shouldn’t have thought just because you’re a female that you couldn’t be the vet. It isn’t the Stone Age. I’m well aware that women can be doctors.” He smiled charmingly, and that allowed her to forgive him instantly.
“It’s not a problem. I suppose it’s usually the techs who take down the information, but since this is our first meeting I wanted to do it myself.” She pushed away from the stainless steel desk. “Can you lift him onto the table?”
“Of course.” Nick leaned down to scratch behind Buzz’s ears. “Come on, bud. Let’s do this.”
With one lift, he heaved up the heavy dog onto the table. Karin couldn’t help salivating over his show of strength. He must work out. Like a lot.
“Every day, sometimes twice a day.”
Her face beet red, she realized that she’d said those words out loud. “I d-didn’t… um…”
He smiled and cocked his head. “Fitness is part of my job. It’s nice to see that someone appreciates it.”
She finished the exam quickly and efficiently, without any other blurt-outs. He was almost disappointed when she finished even earlier than he had been expecting.
While she was writing up her final notes and recommendations, his mind was racing. Was it weird if he asked her out? Between work and Buzz at home he didn’t have a lot of free time, and he definitely didn’t meet a lot of women who looked like or were as ambitious as Karin. He looked over at her and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t see a wedding ring on her finger, but then realized that she wasn’t wearing any other jewelry either. He supposed that in her line of work, just like his, jewelry wasn’t really the smartest idea.
Drawing in a breath, he knew he was just going to have to ask or he
’d be kicking himself for the rest of the week. “Hey, are you married?”
She looked at him, surprised. “Why do you ask?”
Nick looked sheepish, an uncomfortable feeling for someone as used to being in a position of authority as he was. “I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner sometime, but obviously if you’re married that wouldn’t be such a good idea.”
Karin laughed out loud, trying to picture him as a player. “No, I’m not married. But I’m not really interested in dating right now. I’m still trying to get settled in Reno, and in my new job here. I don’t want to press my luck.”
“All right, then. Well, we should probably get out of your hair. Buzz has a date with a kindergarten class.”
“Oh, I meant to ask you about his name. I love it, by the way.” She looked at him intently. “Did you name him Buzz?”
“Nah, it was the little boy of the trainer who named him after his favorite cartoon character. Why do you ask?” He grabbed the leash from her, loosely wrapping it around his hand.
“I was more of a Woody fan myself. Buzz just took all the credit.”
He laughed all the way out to his police cruiser. Too bad she didn’t want to have dinner with him. He had a feeling he really would’ve liked Dr. Karin Boling.
* * *
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A Doctor's Patience (Hero Hearts; Medical Romance) Page 9
