AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How big will he get, do you think?”
“Given his age, probably a few more pounds. Small breeds mature faster than the larger ones.”
She fell in step with him as they walked the six blocks to a vet clinic in the area. “You sure seem to know a lot about dogs.”
“I’m a vet—or I was.”
“Really?” She gave him a wistful smile. “That was my dream. But my fiancé pointed out that I needed to be practical. So I went into nursing and put him through law school.”
And she had regretted it ever since. “Where did you practice?”
He walked in silence for a few moments. “I had several clinics in the St. Paul suburbs, but the last couple years have been sort of tough. I finally sold out to a veterinary management corporation just to get away.”
Escape from the memories of losing his wife, she supposed. “Early retirement, then?”
“Maybe. At least for now. What about you?”
“Same state, but I’m from the opposite side of the Twin Cities, out in Minnetonka.”
She had her own difficult memories and ongoing family challenges that weighed heavily on her heart, but she wasn’t going to share them with a man she barely knew.
“I’ve been widowed ten years. I was a neonatal intensive care nurse until I hit complete burn-out. That’s why I decided to come here—for a chance to step back, catch my breath, and decide what to do next. I applied for some jobs before I left, though.”
They walked the rest of the way in companionable silence until they reached the vet clinic. “Thanks for the escort. In the bright light of day, everything seems fine. But would you like to come in? If Sniper isn’t chipped, I should talk to them about vaccinations and such. But after this, I promise I won’t be a bother again.”
“It’s no bother at all.” He winked. “This is my chance to see a clinic in Hawaii, in case I decide to start practicing again.”
After a brief wait, a veterinary assistant brought them back to an exam room and lifted Sniper onto the stainless steel exam table, where she scanned him for a chip. “Nope. No chip. Did you just find him?”
“Yesterday on the beach. But no one seemed to be looking for a dog or calling out its name.”
“I’ll get the doc. You’ll be seeing Dr. Bailey today. She just finished with another client.”
The assistant zipped away and a stocky, middle-aged vet appeared a minute later.
She greeted them both, then her gaze returned to Nick, and she cocked her head. “You look really familiar. Have we met before? Maybe at church. Or are you an old client, maybe?”
“Perhaps we met at the continuing education program on feline oncology a couple months ago. I’m not practicing in Hawaii, but I’ve been taking a long break and thought I’d pick up some CEUs since I had the time.”
Dr. Bailey nodded and she reached out to shake his hand. “Great to see you again. So this is a stray you found?”
He tipped his head towards Lucy. “She did, but she and I met shortly afterward during an altercation along the beach.”
“I wanted to find out if he’d been chipped. He was terribly matted and dirty when I found him, and he seems awfully thin. I don’t know how long he’s been a stray or if he’s ever had any vaccinations.”
Frowning, the vet ran her hands over Sniper’s flanks and belly. Checked his teeth and eyes, then held a stethoscope at each side. “He’s markedly underweight and looks like he’s been fending for himself for a long time. Dogs are closely regulated in Hawaii, so finding a stray in the Waikiki area is rare.”
Lucy nodded. “I’ll be leaving in three weeks and I want to make sure he ends up in the right hands.”
“Good.” Dr. Bailey leaned back and called out to her assistant, then smiled. “Kathy can give you a handout. There are a number of animal rescue organizations in Hawaii, and there’s at least one Hawaiian “lost pets” group on Facebook. There’s also the Hawaiian Humane Society here in town.”
Lucy felt her shoulders relax a little. “That’s all good to hear.”
The vet idly rubbed Sniper behind his ears. “Very few vacationers bring their dogs from the Mainland because our quarantine laws are so strict here. So this one is probably local. But if he’s been lost a long while, the owners might have given up.”
“When I stopped at Petco last night I asked about finding lost pets,” Nick said. “They told me about their Petco Love Lost program and said it could help.”
Lucy frowned. “Would I need to leave him there?”
