Page 7 of New in Town

“Yes, that’s the more official term, top cowboy.”A small smile forms on his lips and her heart stutters in response. Nettled by the way her body keeps reacting to him, she gets to work examining the blue heeler.Focusing on work is easy, natural for her. She slips into the examination seamlessly.

“What’s her name?”

“Pippa. Can you tell me how old she is?”

“I can. Kind of,” she says, opening Pippa’s mouth. “She’s at least eight weeks, and I’d say close to it because she has all her puppy teeth, no adult ones yet. Has she had her first round of shots?”

He withdraws a hand from his pocket to rub the back of his neck. “I didn’t ask the guy that. Or even get his name to be able to get in touch with him—”

“That’s okay,” she reassures him. “I’ll run some tests to see where her antibodies are at. Overall, she looks good. You have a healthy dog.”

He nods and reaches out to give his pup a pet as she begins collecting what she needs for the tests.

“Arlo says you’re new in town. How did you end up in Sterling Ridge?”

She hesitates. How does she answer that without sounding absurd? “I’m from Colorado. My, um, family… brought me here.”

He nods and leans down, his forearms coming to rest on the exam table. He’s moved so close that she can see a slate-colored outer ring to his pale blue eyes. Mesmerized, she finds herself leaning closer, too. When he speaks again, his voice is low, intimate.

“Tell me Maddie, how are you liking it here?”

“Today's actually my first day. I only got in last night. But I’m pretty happy with it so far,” she murmurs.

Grey

He can watch Maddie bat her eyelashes at him all damn day. It doesn’t matter that he can’t stop staring, or fidgeting, or looking like a bad pet owner. All that mattered is getting her to smile at him again.

Which is odd. Usually he avoids chatting with strangers, and most acquaintances for that matter. But when her pretty olive skin flushes under his gaze, he feels desperate to keep her talking.

She has other plans, though.

“I should go run these tests for you. I don’t want to keep you from the ranch,” she says hurriedly, reaching to collect her sample vials.

He straightens, trying to hide his disappointment. He doesn’t want to go back to the ranch yet, which is a first. “It’s fine,” he says, “take your time.”

“No cows to ride a horse in front of today?” she replies, a vial slipping from her grasp.

He moves quickly, catching the glass vessel before it hits the ground. From where he’s kneeling, only inches separate them and Maddie. She lifts her head, a startled look in her warm brown eyes and her hand still extended from trying to catch the sample herself.

“Sadly no, not today,” he replies, placing the vial in her waiting her hand.

“Careful, if you don’t do cowboy things, I hear that you don’t get to wear the hat,” she warns, brushing a strand of silky brown hair from her face. The way she delivers another quip so innocently has him breaking into a full grin.

“Which is a damn shame, you should see me in the thing.”

She scoffs in response, but he doesn’t miss the twitch of her lip. They stand in unison as a soft yelp escapes the puppy before them. “You’ve been such a good patient today, girl,” Maddie tells Pippa. “And you’re all done.”

With her free hand, she reaches into the pocket of her white lab coat and withdraws a treat. The puppy accepts the offering eagerly. “I’ll see you again soon, yeah?” she asks as she pets Pip. Then turning to him, she says, “Depending on her antibodies, she’ll need one or two rounds of vaccines. Either way, we can do the first of them next week?”

He lifts Pippa back into his arms as she leads him to check out. “Next week,” he agrees, “I’m looking forward to it.”There’s that blush again, he thinks as he watches her cheeks heat once again. “And Maddie, I hope you enjoy your first week here.”

A smile stretches across her face. “Thank you, I think I will. At least, I am so far.”

As he moves to the exit, he feels an aching need to be the reason for that.

5

GREY

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