“I’m sending them both. Mai’s in the area this weekend, and if she finds out her brother is on an op, she’ll want in, too.”
Mai Li was Ben Hayes’s sister, and one of HEAT’s best agents. She wasn’t on our team, but she was available to lend a hand, or her crack sharpshooting skills, when we needed her.
“Calling it an op is a stretch. And sending three people for back-up including one with Mai’s skills, that’s overkill, don’t you think?”
“The problem is, I don’t have enough information to know what to think. And you don’t have enough blood flow to your brain when you’re around this woman for me to trust your critical thinking skills.”
Ouch. That was harsh, something our boss rarely was. Either she was convinced I’d fucked up royally, or her she was all up in her feelings because she was worried about her cat. I decided it was probably a little bit of both, so I didn’t take her anger too personally. But I also didn’t fight her decision to send a small army with me to meet the lone woman who was up tosomething, but probably nothing nefarious.
I pulled into the parking lot of the vet clinic, a modern-looking office building with a glass front of windows and one main entry door. I climbed out of the car and reversed the process we’d followed at Kat’s house. First, I lifted out Spike and led him to the other side of the car, where I took Emma out of her car seat. Kat, with her flowered bag, which I now realized was probably a toddler accessory, put the cat carrier on her back. She climbed out of the car and this time followed me so the dog was out of Mr. Fuzzy’s sightline.
We entered the clinic’s waiting room, which was a cheery space with light-colored wood laminate flooring, dark-green upholstered chairs, and a long, white counter. I noticed these things more after remodeling and decorating my own house. A middle-aged woman with short, dark hair smiled in greeting.
“Ms. Hartmann, how are we doing today?” the woman said. “I hear Mr. Fuzzy has gotten himself into some trouble again.”
My boss smiled. “Hi Darla. He does have a knack for it.” She glanced at me as she spoke, and I was pretty sure she wasn’t just talking about the cat.
One of two doors behind the receptionist area opened. Darla glanced up. “Hi, Dr. Vaughn. What do you need?”
I glanced at the woman, then did a double take. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail and her pink shorts set had been exchanged for blue scrubs. But I’d recognizethose wide blue eyes and pillowy, pink lips anywhere. I would be seeing them in my dreams that night, and I’d already been picturing them in some lurid fantasies. “It’s you.”
Kat glanced between the two of us. “Let me get this straight, Rogers. Your hot blonde is Dr. Vaughn?”
5
CAMI
Iwas staring into the dark brown eyes of the bastard who’d tricked me, the liar who’d stolen my stolen dog. I’d been heartsick with worry since then. She’d been counting on me and I’d let her down.
But now she was in my vet clinic, brought here by the man who’d taken her. And from the looks of it, he’d brought his wife, daughter, and cat as well. My rescuer, my hero, my insta-crush, was a good guy. But he was also a married man.
“Let me get this straight, Rogers,” his wife said. “Your hot blonde is Dr. Vaughn?”
Only she couldn’t be his wife because I knew herandher husband. They, with their two rescue cats, were clients of the clinic.
“This is the woman, boss,” he answered.Rogersanswered. That sounded like a last name.
I went around to the front of the desk and knelt to pet the dog. She was unharmed. Better, in fact, than the last time I’d seen her, now that the food and medicine had had time to work their magic. If I were a crier, I would have weptin relief. “I’m so happy to see you,” I whispered as I rubbed her head.
The front door opened and I stood.
Gage, Kat’s husband, with a little boy walking beside him, entered the reception area. He pulled his wife into a hug. “It’ll be fine,” he reassured her. “Cats do this kind of thing all the time.” He patted Rogers on the shoulder, then took the little girl from him. “Thanks for driving them, Kyle.”
“No problem,” he said.Kylesaid.Kyle Rogerssaid.
It was a good, sturdy name. It suited him. He wasn’t a bastard who’d stolen the dog. He was a friend of Kat’s. An employee, if I’d heard him correctly.
“Good to see you, Dr. Vaughn,” Gage said.
“Kat, Gage, nice to see you,” I said. “Are these your niece and nephew who love the cats so much?”
“They are.” Gage introduced Emma and Max.
Kat turned so I could see her backpack and Mr. Fuzzy with his face pressed to the plastic bubble. “And this is the bad boy who ate curling ribbon.”
“Gage is right, he’ll be fine,” I said. “Dr. Kramer will get Mr. Fuzzy all squared away.”
A minute later, Mr. Fuzzy was checked in, Gage and the kids were on their way to get ice cream, and Darla was leading Kat to the exam room that was set up for them.
