Hayden

Why was I so giddy? It wasn’t like Derek McLaughlin, star linebacker for the Carolina Cougars, was going to come by the clinic to see the dog he’d helped me rescue. Guys like him didn’t do stuff like that. I felt stupid for actually being hopeful.

“So you saw him again last night?” Michael asked.

I ate a bite of my salad and nodded. “Yep. He was at the grocery store. I asked him if he wanted to stop by and see Bear.”

He gazed at me in awe. “This is some serious book-worthy shit right here. How many people can say this kind of stuff happens to them?”

I tossed a crouton at him. “You’re such a hopeless romantic. I think you’re worse than me.”

He chuckled. “I can’t help it if I believe in fate. Did you give him back the phone?”

“Yep. I couldn’t keep it forever. Besides, it was about to go dead, and I didn’t have a charger for it.” It had killed me not to look through the contacts and everything on it just to see who all Derek talked to on a regular basis. But I’d felt like I was encroaching on his privacy.

“I can’t believe you had the balls to ask him.”

“Me, either. It just kind of slipped out.”

He stared at me with a mischievous grin. “You like him, don’t you?”

“No,” I blurted out. “He’s a nice guy. I just thought with the way he helped me with Bear, he’d like to check up on him.”

His gaze narrowed. “And that’s it? The only reason why you asked him?”

I stuffed another bite of lettuce into my mouth. “Yep. Now let’s drop this. Derek McLaughlin will never be interested in a girl like me.”

Michael snorted. “Keep telling yourself that. You’re beautiful, and you have a big heart. What’s not to love about that?”

I looked into his eyes. “Sometimes that’s not enough.”

That was something I understood all too well. The man I had loved so deeply and thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with had cheated on me with my best friend. Her betrayal had struck me the hardest. Emily and I had been best friends for most of our lives, all the way back to elementary school. Now she was married to my ex and they were expecting their first child. It was always her, Michael, and me, the unbreakable trio. It was funny how life seemed to throw you for a loop. Jake was a good-looking guy and extremely smart, a prestigious lawyer working high-profile cases. He was always the life of the crowd, a smooth talker who could get anything he wanted. I learned that the hard way, when he was able to sneak around with Emily without me knowing. He tried his best to convince me to pursue a degree in something other than veterinary medicine, and when I didn’t, he loved to talk down to me, saying I wasn’t going to get anywhere in the world. For the longest time, I never felt good enough for him. I started to believe I wasn’t until I caught him with Emily, and it was as if the blinders came off. The pain, however, was still there.

“Dr. Hunter, your one o’clock is here,” Amanda called out over the speaker.

Finishing the last bite of my salad, I got up and threw the container away. “Thanks, I’ll be right there.”

“You okay, Hayden?” Michael asked, concern in his voice.

I grabbed my hairbrush out of my purse and ran it through my hair. “I’m fine,” I lied.

He got up and wrapped his arms around me. “No, you’re not. I saw the look on your face. You were thinking about Jake, weren’t you?”

Halfheartedly, I shrugged. “It’s hard not to. He hurt me, Michael. So did Emily.”

He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I know, babe. But in the end, it’s for the best. It leaves you open to explore new possibilities. Now put a smile on your face and get to work. I have a feeling you’ll have a visitor today.”

“I doubt it,” I grumbled against his chest.

His laugh vibrated in my ear. “Have some faith, sweetheart.”

For the past hour, I’d watched Bear hobble around in his walker until he got the hang of it. The heat of the summer sun was a bit much, but he didn’t seem to mind it.

“He’s moving so well,” Kellie announced excitedly.

“Yes, he is. He’s a survivor. I just wish I knew who hit him so I could punch the shit out of them. I mean, who does that?”

“Not everyone thinks like you, Hayden. The world would probably be a better place if they did.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’m just glad I was able to save him. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a home, but he didn’t have a collar or a microchip. Signs were posted near where he was hit, but no one took the bite.” Judging by his bone structure and size, he was most likely a little over a year old, basically still a puppy.

“Hopefully, we’ll find him a home,” Kellie murmured. “He’s still a young pup. With him moving around as good as he is, you can transfer him over anytime you want.”

“Thanks, Kellie. He’ll love it here with the others. It’ll give him some company.”

Slowly but surely, Bear hobbled around the fenced-in yard, fetching balls left and right. I was amazed at how quickly he’d been able to find the energy. Animals were so resilient. With Kellie being Wilford’s granddaughter, it gave our animals an advantage. I was able to bring them over to her place so they could run around and have fun while recuperating. No other facility in the city had the kind of establishment we had.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small cup of doggie peanut-butter ice cream and whistled. “Bear, come here, boy!” He started toward me and picked up his pace the second I ripped off the lid to the ice cream. His tongue lolled out to the side and he huffed.

“He’s going to love you forever now.” Kellie laughed.

I set Bear’s treat down and rubbed his back as he lapped it up. “If I had the time and the space, I’d take him home with me. Hell, I’d take them all home if I could.”

Kellie sighed. “So would I.”

When he was done, Bear lay down beside me, his body warm against my leg as I rubbed behind his ears. His fur was golden and soft, and he’d put on a little bit of weight in the past two days. I could still feel his bones, but that’d be fixed once he stayed with us a little while longer.

“I’m going to fatten you up a bit,” I said to him. He lifted his head and licked the side of my cheek. Laughing, I wiped my face off with my sleeve. “I guess you like that.” Then he froze, his ears perking up. I looked up at Kellie and glanced around the yard. “What does he hear?”

Kellie shrugged. “I’m not sure. I don’t see anything.”

Bear slowly made his way to the edge of the fence. I got to my feet and started toward him. “What are you looking at, boy?”

It wasn’t until I got closer to the fence that I saw what he was looking at. Getting out of his truck was none other than Derek McLaughlin. He started up the sidewalk, but then Bear barked and caught his attention. His gaze found mine, and he smiled. “There you are,” he called out.

He strolled toward us. I quickly glanced back at Kellie, whose eyes went wide the second she figured out who he was. “Oh my God,” she whispered excitedly, coming up beside me. “Is that who I think it is?”

His dark auburn hair was slightly wet, and I could smell the fresh soap on his skin. The stubble on his chin had grown out a little more since last night. I liked it.

I laughed. “Yep.” Bear was going crazy at my feet, his tail wagging ninety miles an hour. Derek leaned down and petted him through the fence, Bear trying his best to get as close as possible. “He likes you,” I said.

“He looks like a completely different dog.” He stood and smiled at me before turning to Kellie with his hand outstretched. “Hey, I’m—”

Kellie grabbed his hand excitedly. “Oh, I already know who you are.”

I nodded toward her. “This is Kellie Spence. She owns Furever Yours. She finds homes for abandoned animals.”

Derek let her hand go and nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Kellie stared at him for a few more seconds as if in a daze and then snapped out of it, her attention focused on me. “I have some things I need to get done inside. I’ll leave you two be.” She waved at Derek. “It was nice meeting you, too.”

Heart pounding and palms sweating, I turned back to him. “I didn’t think you’d come,” I said.

He blew out a sigh. “I wanted to get here earlier, but practice ran over. I hurried as fast as I could. What time do you normally leave work?”

I shrugged. “Usually about six o’clock. Some nights I stay later, it all depends on what’s going on.”

“I see. Does your husband not mind you working late?”

“If he did, he’d have to get over it.” I watched his reaction and his smile faded slightly; it was the reaction I’d wanted. “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t have one,” I added with a laugh. “However, I will have a young man moving in with me soon. Do you want to meet him? He’s small and furry.”

He chuckled. “Lead the way.”

I let him inside the gate, and Bear was all over him. Derek knelt down to pet him and let Bear lick his face. It was the sweetest exchange I’d ever seen. I walked inside and held the door open for them both.

“How was practice?” I asked.

“Good. We’re getting ready for our first pre-season game next weekend.”

“That’s exciting. So do you get the summers off, or do you have to train every day?”

“It’s best to train every day. I just got back from Wyoming a few days ago.”

I wanted to ask more questions, but I didn’t want to pry into his personal life. I was pretty sure he didn’t want to talk about why he’d fled to Wyoming, so I pretended I didn’t know anything. I opened the door that led to the kennels and Bear rushed right on in, going straight to his.

“I’ve never been to Wyoming. I bet it’s beautiful out there.”

A sad expression passed across his face. “It is. I had a good time while I was there.”

The puppies started to whine, so I went over to their cage and opened it. As soon as he saw them, his mood lifted. I told him, “These little ones were found in a Dumpster a few days ago. Luckily, they didn’t die from the heat.” I picked up Patch and scratched behind his ears. “This one’s coming home with me in a few days. I named him Patch.”

Derek scratched his head. “The man of the house, huh?”

I laughed and set him back in the cage. “Yep. I saw him and fell in love. I just wish I could find a home for Bear. The puppies will go easily, but it’s harder to find homes for bigger dogs.”

Bear waited by his kennel, and I helped him out of his walker so he could lie down. The second his head hit the bed, his eyes started to close. Derek knelt with me and looked at him. “Give me a few days, and if you don’t find someone to adopt him, I’ll do it myself.” I gasped and lost my balance, falling over on my backside. My cheeks started to flame. Chuckling, he grabbed my hand and helped me up. “Are you okay?”

“My butt will be hurting in the morning, but did I just hear you right? You’re going to take Bear?”

He turned his attention to Bear, who was sound asleep. “I haven’t had a dog since I moved here. He’ll do good at my house, lots of space to run around in.”

My eyes burned. “I don’t know what to say. He will need some extra attention while he’s healing, but other than that, he should be good to go. You just have to make sure you have everything he’ll need.”

He smiled and my knees weakened. Why did he have to smile like that? “That’s what I have you for. I have this weekend off, so maybe you can go with me to the store and help me find everything he needs. You can even come by my house to make sure I set it up all right.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying my best to pretend I wasn’t giddy, like a schoolgirl. The thought of spending more time with him made my blood run wild. I hadn’t been so excited in years. “I might just have to do that. I can’t have Bear going just anywhere; he’s special.”

He pulled out his phone. “Let me know what day and time work for you and I’ll pick you up. I just need your number.” Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I gave him my number, and he gave me his. I couldn’t believe that was actually happening. “All right, I think we’re good. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

I walked him out the back door so he didn’t have to go through the clinic. Before he got into his truck, he waved, and I waved back. What the hell was I getting myself into?