Spotlight 2: Valentine Pets & Kisses with Suzette Roddick and Susan Oloier

Whatever smart aleck retort she had ready to sass at him died on her lips. The dog’s owner was a mountain of a man. Her eyes traveled his entire length. He had to stand at least six-five with shoulders nearly spanning the width of the doorway he occupied.

She let out a long, slow breath. Lord have mercy he didn’t have a shirt on. And those pajama bottoms were riding low on his hips. She tried forcing her eyes not to stare at the dark hair on his chest tapering down toward his pelvis. But failed miserably. Her bosom rose and fell with each breath she inhaled and exhaled. Her fingertips were itching to caress his golden brown, chiseled, tight abdomen.

She bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning as her eyes traveled up to his stony face. The faded jagged scar slashed across his right cheek gave him a dangerous, but oh so sexy look. She could tell at one time he was what her grandma referred to as “pretty” boy handsome.

She continued to gape at him, her eyes blinking, wondering where in the world he had been all her life. The pain in her head was warring with the butterflies in her stomach.

The butterflies were winning.

Mary smiles over at Leah, who works hard to muster even a grain of enthusiasm.
“She can go home now,” Mary says, trying to elicit a happier response.
Leah pets the cat and finally looks at her for the first time. “You hear that?” she says to the cat. “We’re going home.”
Mary puts Fur Elise back in the kennel.
“Ev—Dr. Grady said I should make a follow-up appointment?”
“You can do that at the front desk with Stacy.”
“Okay.”
“See you up front.”
Leah rummages through her handbag for keys, but her attention is almost magnetically drawn back to the flowers.
She pads over and sneaks a peek at the card.
It reads, Forgive me. Love, Tess.
There’s a sinking in Leah’s chest. She takes the kennel handle and lifts Fur Elise out of the room and back to the lobby.
Mary hands paperwork to Stacy. “If you have any questions,” Mary says to Leah, “be sure to give us a call.”
Us.
Leah nods. It’s all she can manage.
Stacy reads from the sheet. “Says we should see you back here in one month.”
She clicks in the computer. “We’re looking at February 14th. How sweet! Valentine’s Day.”
“You know,” Leah says, “I don’t have my calendar with me. I’ll just call and schedule it later.”
“Sure.”
Leah picks up the cat carrier, ready to leave and find herself another veterinarian. But then the door flies inward, and Everitt walks through. His jacket collar is pushed up and his hair is a mop from the wind. The gusty weather keeps the door wide open, and Everitt fights to close it.
He prepares to move straight to the back exam rooms, but stops when his eyes meet Leah’s.
“Hi,” he says, brushing back his bangs.
“Hi.”