CHAPTER 11: Annabel
I had just finished giving Bootsie, the two-hundred-pound Mastiff, her annual shots and settled into my dinky little office to grab a Diet Coke and a protein bar for a late lunch when I heard the bell over the front door tinkle. That wasn’t unusual. As the only vet in town the bell tinkled constantly, so much so on some days that I’d threatened to rip the damn thing from its hanger. Then I remembered what old Doc Anderson once told me, “Every time that bell rings it’s money in the bank.”
To which I wisecracked, referring to the old movie, It’s A Wonderful Life, “Kind of like every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings?”
The old man rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. “Just try paying the light bill with angel’s wings.”
I took a deep breath and rubbed the tiredness from my eyes as I munched on the protein bar, which tasted a little like cardboard that had been dipped in unsweetened chocolate. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly three and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. No wonder my stomach was growling like a starving wolf. And my day wasn’t even close to being over.
It was a Friday, which meant we were open until seven to give folks time to pick up the dogs we “doggy daycared” during the week to make room for dogs that needed overnight boarding over the weekend. Mine was the only boarding facility in town and I could charge twenty bucks per dog per night. Multiply that times the ten boarding pens and I could rake in four to six-hundred bucks over the weekend. That would cover my light bill and then some. It was good money I couldn’t turn down. Plus, since I lived right upstairs it was not a big deal for me to come down to feed and water the boarders and let them out to run in the fenced-in play area a few times a day. It wasn’t like I had anything else to do—not like I had a life or anything.
I had popped the rest of the protein bar into my mouth and was washing it down with the water when I heard the voice of the man who had come in the door. My office was right off the lobby so I could hear everything that went on out front. I leaned forward in my chair and sat perfectly still for a moment, waiting for him to speak again. I literally froze at the sound of his voice, like a ghost from the past echoing in my ear. At first, I didn’t recognize it. It was a voice I’d heard before, but far back in my distant memory, like a whisper rumbling through a canyon in the middle of the night. Then it hit me. I knew who was standing in the lobby, but I could barely believe it.
I heard Wendy, the receptionist, ask, “What’s the name of your pet, sir?”
“Biscuit, and she’s not my pet,” he said, his voice deep and husky, much deeper than I remembered. “She was Irene Mavic’s dog. Irene is dead, so I need to make some kind of arrangements for the care of the dog until I can find it a home.”
“Yes, sir, just let me pull that paperwork.”
I slowly got out of my chair and tiptoed quietly to the door. I held my breath and peered around the door frame. There he was, standing with his hands in his pockets, perusing the various dog and cat toys hanging on the wall. He was huge now, all muscle packed onto his tall frame. It had been over ten years since I had last seen him, climbing on that Greyhound bus headed for Navy boot camp.
When he turned and our eyes met, there was no doubt who he was.
Shane Mavic—my Shane Mavic— had finally come home.
* * *
Shane frowned at me for a moment, like he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. His skin was too naturally dark to drain of color, but I could tell he thought he was seeing a ghost. Then a smile slowly broke across his lips.
“Annabel? Is that you?”
“It’s me,” I said, taking a deep breath before coming out of my office with my hands outstretched in front of me like a blind man feeling his way across an empty room. Shane took my hands, then pulled me in for a bear hug. His muscular arms closed around me like a warm blanket. My cheek instinctively pressed to his chest. My arms went around his thick back and squeezed. I listened for his heartbeat. There it was… soft but strong in my ear. It made me smile. Reluctantly, I pulled back and gazed up into his eyes.
Shane glanced down at my white jacket and nametag. He gave me a sideways look and smiled. “Wait a minute… You’re the vet?”
“I am,” I said proudly, tugging down the tail of my jacket like a little girl giving him a curtsy. “Dr. Annabel Lee Bates, at your service.”
A look of confusion clouded his dark eyes. Was he disappointed that I had taken someone else’s name? It was silly, but I certainly hoped so.
He asked, “Bates?”
“Yeah, I sort of got married and divorced while you were gone,” I said, shrugging it off as if I was just explaining a stupid stunt that had gone wrong. “Randall Bates. Not sure if you remember him from high school.”
His eyes told me he did, but he shook his head and forced a smile. His teeth gritted. Shane and Randall hated each other in school. Randall was a year younger and always trying to get the varsity coach to put him in when Shane’s passing wasn’t up to snuff, which rarely happened even though his back and ribs were usually covered in bruises.
He quickly put Randall out of his mind and took my hands and held them out to look at me. “Wow, you look… amazing,” he said. “I remember you loved animals, but I had no idea you were interested in becoming a vet.”
“Yeah, well, neither did I until halfway through med school,” I said, smiling at him, rolling my eyes like an idiot. I let go of his hands and shoved my hands into my jacket pockets so he wouldn’t see them shaking. “So, what are you doing home… Oh shit… your mom… Shane, I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks, it’s okay,” he said, his round shoulders going up and down. “I’m just here to get her house sold and then get back to work.” He had black tribal tattoos coming down his thick biceps from inside his tight shirt sleeves. I wondered if they went across his shoulders and back. I wondered if he’d let me see them if I asked. I wondered if he’d let me touch them, lick them…
He was even more handsome than the last time I saw him all those years ago. Just a cute boy then, he was now an amazing looking man. His dark hair was buzzed short. His face was tanned like dark honey, but his eyes were soft and brown and his smile warm and inviting. He had packed on the muscle. His chest and shoulders and biceps looked like they were about to burst from the tight black t-shirt. He had on a pair of tight jeans and worn cowboy boots. I couldn’t help but glance at the bulge going down his right thigh.
“Work?” I forced my eyes to focus on his face. “What kind of work?”
“I’m still in the Navy,” he said, holding out his left bicep and tugging up the sleeve to show me the large tattoo of an eagle perched on a ship’s anchor holding a trident and an old timey pistol in its talons. “Captain Shane Mavic, US Navy SEALS. At your service, ma’am.”
“Wow, look at you,” I said, slapping at his arm like a flirty teenager. It was like hitting a boulder. “I thought you hated the water.”
“I did,” he said with a smile that made my heart flutter. “Still do. But I have learned to deal with it.”
“Wow,” I said again, because I couldn’t think of a better word. “So, you’re here to pick up your mother’s dog?”
“Actually, I was hoping you could just keep it and do something with it,” he said, making it sound like he was asking me to take out the trash. “I’m not really a dog lover and I can’t take it back to Iraq, so—”
“Here you go, Mr. Mavic!”
Shane looked up just as Wendy shoved the little white Maltese in his arms. Biscuit immediately climbed his round chest, making her way to his face so she could lick his chin. Shane grabbed her around the middle and held her out like she was a baby with a dirty diaper.
“Oh my god, Shane, she’s not going to bite you,” I said, giggling at him. I took Biscuit and cuddled her to my chest. The six-pound Maltese wouldn’t take her eyes off Shane. Her tail wagged to beat the band as if she could sense that he was the son of her beloved mistress.
“Like I said, I’m not much of a dog lover,” he said, wiping dog spit off his chin with the back of his hand. He gave me a pleading look. “Can you find her a home? I mean, I’ll pay for her boarding and food until you do.”
“Wendy, do we have anyone looking to adopt a small dog?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” Wendy said, her eyes bouncing between me and Shane. I could hear the gossip gears turning in her head. “And I’m afraid we can’t keep her in boarding because we are fully booked this weekend.” She looked at Shane and sighed. “You’ll have to take care of her until Monday.”
“What?” Shane looked like he was about to argue, but then blew out a long breath and started to nod. “Okay, um, exactly how do I do that?”
“Do what?” I asked as I shoved Biscuit back into his arms.
“Take care of a dog?”
“Such a helpless boy,” I said, teasing him like I used to when we were kids. I took a step closer and scratched Biscuit behind the ear. Shane was staring at me. I could feel his eyes caressing my skin. “Tell you what, why don’t I come by your place after we close and bring Biscuit with me. I’ll also bring a dog bed and enough dog food to get you through the weekend. Maybe by Monday we can find her a permanent home. I assume you’re staying at your parents’ old house?”
“You wanna come to the house?” Shane asked slowly. I could see the same look of hesitation that clouded his eyes when I brought up the subject of coming to his house when we were kids. Even though his daddy had been dead for years, Clint Mavic’s ghost still haunted his son’s thoughts.
I took Biscuit from him and cradled her to my chest. I brushed little white dog hairs from the front of his shirt with my fingertips. I saw his nipples harden beneath the thin material. I felt my nipples plump in my bra. I could feel the heat of his body radiating through my fingertips. I could feel hot moisture pooling between my legs. I resisted the urge to glance down at his bulge. I could feel Wendy behind me, watching us like a hawk.
“I don’t want to be a bother,” he said, his eyes studying mine.
“It’s not a bother.” I gave him a coy look, trying to put him as ease. “You are staying at your parents’ old house, correct?”
“Yes. On Dilbeck.”
“Good, then we’ll see you in a few hours.” I held up Biscuit to his face. Her tail wagged as she stuck out her tongue at him. “Do you want to give her a kiss goodbye?”
“No, not her,” he said, putting his hand on my arm. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. His lips lingered on my cheek for a moment, then he slowly pulled away. I resisted the urge to drag him into my office for a welcome home fuck. There would be time for that later, if that’s what he wanted.
“Sir, did you want to pay your bill?” Wendy was behind the counter, watching us, grinning. It thrilled her to interrupt our moment. I guess she had never seen me drool over a man before.
“Oh, yes,” Shane said, reaching around for his wallet. He stepped to the counter and handed her his credit card. “Here you go.”
“Okay, then,” I said. “We’ll see you around seven-thirty.” I held Biscuit close to my cheek and started toward my office. I paused before going through the door and turned back to look at him.
“Something else?” he asked, his dark eyebrows arched.
“Biscuit says we’ll be hungry,” I said, smiling. “Wanna order us a pizza?”
He smiled back and arched his dark eyebrows. “Thin crust, meat lovers, extra cheese?”
“Good memory,” I said with a wink. “See you soon, Shane. We’re glad you’re home.”
“Yeah,” he muttered. “Me, too.”