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ChapterOne
FARRAH
I hurried to the front of the vet clinic, practically skidding through the door into the reception area. Our office manager and ruler of our vet clinic universe was out today. That left me handling my vet tech duties and fumbling through managing the reception area as well.
My shoes squeaked on the tiled floor as I came to a stop just as my eyes collided with who had to be the sexiest man I’d ever seen. He was holding a cat carrier and peering inside it.
“Hi, can I help you?” I asked, my voice sounding a little breathless.
The man glanced up, and my hormones clambered up to take a thorough look. He had dark hair with a wave that curled along his collar paired with cognac eyes. He was dressed simply in a T-shirt with a battered denim jacket thrown over it. The jacket hung open, revealing the muscled planes of his chest. The T-shirt did little to disguise them. He had broad shoulders and easily cleared six feet tall, based on my guess.
“I’m here. With Humpty. He has an appointment.” He pointed at the cat.
I glanced down at the calendar. Fortunately, our office manager extraordinaire, Tiffany, had left us a paper calendar. Although Alice, my boss and the vet here, and I were savvy with the computer scheduling program, Tiffany anticipated we’d be too busy to deal with it on our own.
“You must be Cooper. Cooper Hughes?” I prompted
“That’s me.” His voice was low and gruff.
He held my gaze directly. I felt somehow as if this man, who I had now spent maybe two minutes with, could see right through me.
I shifted on my feet. “Great. Well, come on back.”
I rounded the desk and opened the door that led into the back hallway. Humpty let out a disgruntled wail when Cooper lifted the cat carrier.
Cooper glanced toward me. “He hates being in this thing.”
Cooper had a straight nose and cheekbones that angled up almost dramatically. But it was his strong jaw with clean lines that got to me.
When he smiled a little, his eyes crinkled at the corners and his mouth kicked up higher on one side. My hormones let out a noisy cheer and butterflies flitted about in my belly.
I cleared my throat, trying to stay focused. “Most cats aren’t fans of cat carriers.”
Cooper walked by me when I gestured him through the door. I scurried ahead in the hallway. “Right through here.” I walked into one of our exam rooms.
Alice was still finishing up in an exam room farther down the hallway with another patient, an exuberantly friendly and elderly lab-mix dog. I closed the door once Cooper was in the room. “You can just set his carrier right there on the table.” I pointed at the stainless-steel exam table in the center of the room.
“So what’s going on with Humpty?” I asked as I stood opposite from Cooper on the other side of the table.
Humpty studied me through the bars of his carrier. He was a rather rotund orange cat.
Cooper took a breath and squared his shoulders. “He keeps scooting his butt around. Like a lot. I looked it up online, and it says he might need his anal glands expressed.” He let out a sigh. “Apparently, some people do this themselves. I’m pretty sure Humpty will hate me forever if I even think about trying to do that.”
I chuckled. “He probably wouldn’t love it. If he’s scooting around like that, it’s possible we need to do that. But let’s have our vet take a look. If that’s the issue, we can take care of it today. I can show you how to do it if you’d like.” When Cooper’s brows hitched up skeptically, I grinned. “Or you might decide to bring him to us regularly for it.”
Cooper looked at Humpty before nodding. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be bringing him here.” When his eyes met mine again, he shrugged, offering a sheepish grin.
“Understood. I’m a vet tech, and it’s not my favorite thing to do.”
Just then, there was a quick knock on the door, and Alice stepped through. She cast a smile at Cooper. “Hi, I’m Alice, the vet.” She stopped in front of Humpty’s cat carrier, peering inside. Humpty shifted backward slightly, eyeing her with deep suspicion. Glancing at Cooper, she added, “He looks thrilled to be here.”
Cooper cracked a grin. “He’s not so sure about this whole situation. I’m Cooper. This is Humpty.”
“Humpty might need his anal glands expressed,” I chimed in. “Apparently, he’s been scooting his butt around.”
“All over my apartment,” Cooper added.
Alice’s eyes twinkled as she lifted her hands to tighten her auburn ponytail. “Well, then, let’s take a look. Do you mind if I take him out?”
