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But first…the dog.
“All right, big guy. Let’s go for a ride.” Sean guided his new friend off the highway. The dog jumped readily into his rental truck. There was a no-pets policy, but he’d just swing by the car wash and vacuum after he took the big guy to the vet.
He wasn’t going to just leave the dog there by the highway. Semi trucks had been all over the road the entire drive he’d been headed toward Masterson.
Sean just couldn’t do that.
He drove into town. Fortunately, there was a vet clinic right there, unimaginatively named Masterson Vet Clinic. It seemed to be a thriving place.
He grabbed his duffel and pulled out his spare tie. He didn’t want the dog yanking free. Masterson wasn’t a big town, by any means, but the main area was a bit congested. He tied it to the big guy’s collar. “Come on, bubba. Let’s get you home.”
He crossed the parking lot, the dog loping along beside him, big floppy ears giving the dog real character. When he pushed open the door, he paused. Took a look inside for threats. He’d watched for threats his entire career. It was just ingrained now.
There was a woman there. Just three feet inside the door. Kneeling down to pet a smaller dog. She looked up when he entered. Smiled.
Sean stared. Well. His day had certainly gotten a little brighter.
He hadn’t expectedthis.Expectedher.Sean paused where he was for a moment, and admired. This was a woman worthy of admiration. No denying that.
She was blond perfection. With hair that was long, straight and warm gold. It fell almost to her waist. When she smiled at him…
Holy hell, she had a smile as powerful as LaDonna’s. And her eyes? So green. Beautiful green.
It was almost as if he’d seen those eyes before, too. Somewhere. Maybe in hisdreams?
He could see dreaming about this woman. She was the type of woman men definitely dreamed about. Sean might have been near forty, but he was a healthy man, still. This woman was beautiful.
Well, Sean had always preferred blondes.
He laughed at himself, bemused. Sean wasn’t prone to flights of fancy, but sometimes…
Well, he was a lonely man at times, on the road as much as he was.
Thevisionin front of him smiled. “Hello, how can I help you?”
“I…” Needed to get himself together. He was a professional with the federal government, after all. He couldn’t be knocked sideways by a much younger woman in puppy-covered hospital scrubs. Why was he there? Something tugged his arm. The dog. The dog! Sean was far more tired than he had realized, apparently. “Well, I’m hoping you can help me help him actually.”
She looked down when the dog gave a woof in greeting and wagged his tail excitedly. Like he’d been there before. Which he might actually have been. Sean had googled—there was only one vet clinic in the entire county, after all. “I found this big guy on the highway, and I believe he may have hurt himself a bit.”
She reached out. Ran one slender hand over the dog’s head affectionately. Stan envied the dog. “You big lunkhead. What have you gotten into this time? The dog, not you, sir.”
The dog barked, like he was explaining himself to her.
“I take it you know this…delinquent.” He was a good fifteen years older than this beautiful creature. But his body was on high alert, telling him that he was aman.
And this was such a beautiful woman. Utter perfection.
Males had been attracted to females since the beginning of time. It was survival of the species, after all. It was the law of the jungle. One he understood, but he had never been attracted to much younger women before. He had always preferred women with maturity, with knowledge of the world, and confidence.
Older women.
He had always had a thing forolderwomen.
Maybe Sean needed to remind himself of that here.
His ex-wife was five years older than Sean. But this woman wasn’tordinaryin the least. Sean just reminded himself he was a professional. Again.
And got himself back on track.
