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SAWYER
The late afternoonsun cast a golden glow over the old wooden floors of the animal clinic waiting room. I leaned against the reception desk, arms folded, watching Hannah sort through a stack of patient files. The way she tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear with a graceless swipe of her hand made me smile. It was what I’d come to call classic Hannah—haphazard, yet endearing.
“You don’t have to make sure I close up safely every evening, you know.” Hannah said, side-eyeing the hell out of me as she scanned the appointment book and made some notes.
“I know. I’ve just been bored. I took some time off from the Anchorage after all that overtime I worked last month. Nothing better to do.” I sounded like an idiot, but that didn’t matter as much as my desire to make sure Hannah was okay.
As far as I was concerned, cut phone wires were always a sure sign of trouble. And as we gorged ourselves with Thai food the other night, she’d told me about the missing file and mentioned something about the guy from upstairs being weird. But when I tried to press for more information, she changed the subject.
All of it settled in my gut like lead. I’d decided right then and there to keep an eye on things until we figured all this out.
“Right,” she said, not believing my excuse for a second. I didn’t care.
“Look, I know you think you’ve got it handled,” I said, scratching at my bearded jaw. “But this isn’t something you just brush under the rug. It could be serious, Hannah. And your safety is serious.” I stepped closer, catching a whiff of her floral perfume—a sharp contrast to the antiseptic air of the place.
“Thanks, Sawyer,” she replied, her tone light but her gaze steady on mine. She gave a small laugh that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “But I’m not some damsel in distress. I can handle this.”
“Damn it, Hannah,” I muttered, frustration lacing my words. “It’s not about being a damsel. It’s about being smart. And safe.” My hands itched to grab hold of her, to physically put myself between her and any potential danger. But I knew better than to crowd her space uninvited. We’d been playing this game at becoming friends with attraction simmering underneath the surface. We both knew it, and we both ignored it.
“Appreciated,” she said, tilting her chin up defiantly. “But really, I’ll be fine.”
“Fine until what? Until it’s not just a cut phone wire, but something worse?” I couldn’t keep the growl from my voice. The thought of her getting hurt twisted my insides like a wet bar rag.
“Okay.” Hannah sighed, softening. “I get it. You’re worried. And I guess...I appreciate that. More than you know.” A small, awkward smile crept across her lips, and for a moment, there was a crack in her armor.
I reached out, letting my fingertips graze her wrist. “Let me help.”
She looked at me for a moment, then around at her clinic. Her space, that was possibly under threat. “What do you propose?”
“We need to get security cameras up in here.”
She glanced at me, annoyance flashing in those sea-green eyes. “Sawyer, I don’t even have a working computer system here yet.”
“I know, which is another thing I need to take care of.”
“No way—“
“One thing at a time. For now, the camera feed can be viewed right from your phone.”
Shifting to stand, she closed the folder in her hands. “And what? Security cameras are going to stop someone if they really want to break in?” Her skepticism was like a physical barrier between us.
“Maybe, maybe not. But they’ll think twice knowing they’re being watched. And if they don’t, we’ll have something to give to the cops.” My hand found its way to the back of my neck, rubbing at the tension there.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she crossed her arms. I could tell she was weighing the options, her mind racing faster than a stallion at full gallop.
“Fine,” she conceded after what felt like hours but were only seconds. “Do what you think is best. But I’m telling you, Sawyer, it’s probably just some local kids messing around.”
“Probably,” I agreed, but I didn’t believe it for a second. “But ‘probably’ isn’t good enough when it comes to your safety.” I stepped closer, and this time she didn’t back away. “I can’t...Iwon’tsit back and wait for ‘probably’ to turn into ‘definitely.’”
There was a flicker of something in her eyes then. Was it fear? Relief? Maybe it was trust. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Okay, do it. The cameras.”
“Thank you,” I exhaled, relieved but still wound tight. It wasn’t just about the cameras—it was about her letting me in, even if it was just an inch.
* * *
Caffeine pulsed through my veins the following morning as I balanced on a ladder, drill in hand. The metallic taste of adrenaline lingered in my mouth; I had been up since dawn, positioning each camera with calculated precision.
“Make sure you get the angle right on that one,” Hannah called from below, her green eyes squinting up against the glare.
