Jonathan got into the delivery truck, but his thoughts were far from his next delivery. His attraction to Dr. Nicole Caruso had delivered a knockout punch, blindsiding him. Harry had said she was pretty. He’d misspoken. She was beautiful. Petite, with curves in all the right places. A man could lose his soul in her big brown eyes. He wondered if her skin, smooth and creamy olive, was as soft as it looked. Her thick black hair, tied back in a severe ponytail, seemed to beg for him to release it to spill over her shoulders and down her back. But it was the sweetness and vulnerability in her generous mouth that touched something deep in his soul. He shifted uncomfortably as desire surged through him. He’d never felt this instant attraction to a woman before, not even his ex. But he’d been so young when he’d met his ex. He looked at everything, including women, differently now.

He’d like to get to know Dr. Nicole Caruso, to make her smile, to kiss those lips. The traffic sounds on the busy street broke through his thoughts. When he started the engine and glanced in the side mirror, he spotted Charlie, the company mechanic, stopped at the light down the street. He considered waiting to talk to him but decided against it. He had deliveries to make.

* * *

Nicole stepped into the muggy August air and took a deep breath. After the air conditioning in her office, the humidity wrapped around her like a hot wet coat, pressing against her chest. Across the sidewalk, the delivery service van with Jonathan at the wheel idled. A jolt of excitement shot through Nicole as she watched him. He leaned out the driver-side window to wave at someone behind him. Then he eased the van onto the roadway and was gone. She wondered if she’d see him again.

The parking garage where she kept her car was across busy Main Street. Nicole walked to the curb and waited for the light to change. While she waited, she scanned her surroundings. Quaint shops—upscale boutiques and antiques stores—lined the sidewalks, along with a few trendy restaurants and coffee shops. Nicole’s practice was housed in a refurbished nineteenth-century building that blended with the other historic structures in the town, but nothing was out of the ordinary anywhere she looked. She laughed softly. The humidity must be affecting her brain. She’d almost believed she would see a green jaguar of some sort. The light changed and she stepped into the street.

A soft breeze rustled against her neck, bared by the ponytail she wore. She glanced to her left and gasped. A green vintage Jaguar was quickly bearing down on her. She backpedaled to the sidewalk, nearly tripping in her haste. The Jag came to a screeching halt in front of her. The driver, a guy about her age, thirty, shouted out of the open passenger side window. “Be more careful next time, lady. I could have hit you!”

“You had the red light,” she said. The light changed, and the man scowled at her and hit the gas pedal so hard the tires squealed. Nicole shook her head. Madame sure got that wrong. That guy wasn’t Prince Charming. He was a frog. But then, she hadn’t used Madame’s potion.

* * *

Finished at the shelter, Nicole washed her hands and prepared to leave. It was past seven. She’d stayed longer than normal. A cat and her litter of kittens had been dumped at the shelter’s front door that morning, and Nicole had wanted to check each one out. Sadness flowed through her, as it often did when she saw the way some people threw away animals. The shelter had more cats and dogs than it could handle.

As she walked through the large cattery, a familiar voice, smooth and smoky, caught her attention. She whipped her head around. Jonathan Brand sat in a chair with a fat black cat named Ebony on his lap.

“You’re a pretty girl,” he crooned. Ebony, a deliriously happy look on her face, rubbed her head against his chin.

“Ebony is a sweetheart,” Nicole said, approaching the pair.

Jonathan looked up at her and smiled that smile of his that warmed her like the August sun. Placing Ebony gently on the floor, he stood. He’d changed into faded jeans that hugged his long legs and a black T-shirt that stretched across his muscled chest. Nicole kept her hands at her sides, resisting the urge to touch the dimple in his chin. For the first time, she noticed the tattoo of a snake that wound down his left arm. Interesting. She wondered what meaning the snake had for him.

“I’d hoped to see you here, Dr. Caruso.”

The awareness in his green eyes sparked an answering awareness in her, but ignoring the heat that arced between them, she said, “I’m glad you took my advice about a shelter cat.”

Nodding, he looked around then back to her. “There are so many cats here that need homes. I planned on adopting a kitten, but when I walked in, Ebony ran up to me. I think she’s selected me.”

“Often cats will select their people. But I’m glad you want her!” In her delight that the sweet cat would finally have a home, Nicole touched Jonathan’s arm. He glanced down at her hand, then back up, a twinkle in his eyes. Hot with embarrassment, she stepped away.

“Ebony came in over a year ago, part of a litter,” she said, covering her discomfort at having touched him. “All the kittens were adopted quickly except her and Bandit, the other black cat in the litter. It would be terrific if you could adopt both Ebony and Bandit. Black cats are always the last to be adopted.”

Jonathan rubbed a hand down his face. “I’d planned on one cat. Which is Bandit?”

Nicole nodded to a large black cat sitting in a corner staring at them. “He’s over there. He’s very protective of Ebony. Probably watching to make sure you don’t hurt her.”

Jonathan followed Nicole’s gaze. “Bandit sounds like my kind of guy, watching out for his sister.”

“Do you have a sister?” Nicole cringed. Why had she asked that? She’d met the guy today and already she was asking personal questions. So unlike her.

He chuckled. “I have three sisters. All older than me.”

“You poor thing,” Nicole said with a laugh.

“Tell me about it.” Jonathan strode over to Bandit. The cat stood and rubbed up against his ankles. Lifting the cat, Jonathan turned to Nicole. “Well, Dr. Caruso, I’ll take your advice and adopt both Ebony and Bandit.”

“That’s great. I’ll help you with the paperwork. And call me Nicole.” As they headed to the shelter office, Nicole felt a spring in her step. Two wonderful cats would have a home. Maybe Jonathan would bring them to her practice for their care. Then she’d see him again and again. She smiled at the thought.