“Fuck,” I hissed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m at the vet with Pepper Jack. It was an emergency, but I’ll head over as soon as I can.”
I hung up and stuffed my phone back into my pocket. The vet tech left the room, giving Caroline and me some privacy. I knew she had other patients, but I wasn’t ready to see her go yet. There was a crease between her brows, and her mouth was pinched in a frown. “Is everything okay?”
I couldn’t say anything until it was confirmed to be Dr. Velasquez. I knew Caroline had taken on some of her clients and even one of her vet techs. I didn’t want to cause panic if there was none to be had, and I had no idea if the family had been informed of the possibility yet. “No,” I answered. “Work emergency.”
“You can go,” Caroline said gently.
“I can’t leave him.” Pepper Jack was lying down again. He wasn’t panting anymore and his eyes were closed. He still didn’t look good, but mildly better than when I brought him in.
“I’ll look after him. I can bring him home with me, and you can pick him up later. He’s mostly going to be sleeping. I wanted to keep him for observation anyway. You’re more needed for work than sitting next to him right now. I promise I’ll care for him.”
“I know you will,” I said. “It’s why I came here instead of an emergency vet.”
She flushed but smiled softly. “That means a lot to me, to know you trust me with him.”
“I’ve trusted you from the beginning. Remember, I had to beg for you to be his doctor and to train him. Only the best for my boy though,” I joked, but it didn’t have the usual muster I was able to summon up. I didn’t want to leave Pepper Jack, but I knew he would be in the best, most capable hands, and the faster this murderer was off the street the better. I didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if this guy had chosen a different vet. My vet. My Caroline.
“I’ll bring dinner tonight. Thank you, Caroline.” I leaned over Pepper Jack’s sleeping form and kissed her cheek.
17 Caroline
Kiernan had texted throughout the afternoon and evening that it would be a while, but he’d get Pepper Jack and come with dinner as soon as he could. The more time I spent with him, the more confused I was. He didn’t kiss me when he stayed the night, but he seemed attracted to me and seemed to care. I was too afraid to ask and wasn’t sure if I wanted to face outright rejection. It had been hard enough when he didn’t kiss me that night.
Pepper Jack was recovering nicely, but he was drowsy. He curled up in a ball on the couch as soon as we got home, but the most surprising part was Harmonica sensing his distress. She curled up in a ball on top of Pepper Jack, who peeped through one open eye and let out a long sigh.
I took pictures on my phone and couldn’t resist glancing at them every few minutes. The adorableness of them cuddled together was almost too much for me to take. Kiernan had told me Pepper Jack didn’t get along very well with other dogs. It was one of the objectives we planned to cover in training classes, but it seemed he had no issue with Harmonica. And my bitchy girl, who pranced around the house like she was the queen of the palace, liked him too.
This wasn’t our first dinner since Kiernan had stayed over. He checked on me every night, usually bringing dinner with him. We’d fallen into a routine together. I wanted whoever had been stalking me to go away, but I wasn’t ready for Kiernan to disappear from my life.
I jumped up from the chair when a knock sounded on the front door. I peered out and caught sight of Kiernan standing there. He was in jeans and a dark shirt. The shirt was tight over his arms and chest but looser around his waist and hips. And the jeans fit him perfectly. “Open up, Caroline.” My eyes popped up, catching his gaze and knowing smirk. He’d caught me checking him out.
I opened the door. Kiernan swept past me carrying two brown paper bags from a local Italian restaurant. The scent of garlic and butter followed him and I groaned. It smelled delicious and I wasn’t even sure what he’d ordered for me—I wasn’t picky and whatever was creating that smell, I knew I’d love.
“How’s Pepper Jack?” Kiernan asked. “See he’s made a friend.” Kiernan looked over his shoulder and grinned. “I don’t think your girl is as rude as you say she is.”
I scoffed. “She’s simply putting on an act in front of you. Pepper Jack is doing well. He needs to rest, but he’ll be okay by tomorrow and probably back to destroying your home by the next day.”
“Never thought I’d be so glad to hear that my home will be destroyed again. It was hard seeing him like that today. I hated it.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “It’s so hard. Animals are innocent and seeing them hurting is inconceivable.”
“How do you do it every day?”
I lifted one shoulder and let it fall, playing with the charm on my necklace. “Healing and helping them makes it worth it.”
“Did you always want to be a vet?” Kiernan asked while unpacking our dinner. He opened each container. I opened a cabinet, grabbed two plates and two wine glasses, and set them on the table.
I grabbed a bottle of wine from the small rack on the kitchen island. “Pretty much. I’ve always loved animals and had a pet one time growing up. I was the only one who liked him though, and when my parents got rid of him, I knew there wasn’t another option for
