Page 28 of Knot So Sweet
"Meredith," I whisper, trying to put her mind at ease, but I can tell she's still confused. Meredith knows nearly everyone in town, and a new face does spark interest. I'm sure someone asked her and she explained why there's a new face around.
It doesn't matter if Violet has been here one day or one hour, someone would know she's not from around here and go to Meredith for answers.
"Yeah," Violet says to Cole, though I catch how her posture tightens slightly at the mention of law enforcement.
"Cole's one of the good ones," I tell her after he's left. "Been keeping this town safe for almost fifteen years."
"I'm sure he is," she says, but there's still a careful quality to her words making me want to ask more questions I probably shouldn't.
The phone rings, startling both of us.
"Your first challenge," I say with a grin. “Do you want to give it a try?"
Violet nods, reaching for the receiver with determined precision. "Mairi Veterinary Services, this is... um..." She looks at me in panic.
"Violet," I supply helpfully.
"This is Violet. How can I help you?"
I listen as she takes down information for an appointment with Tom Bradley's border collie needs her annual shots. I’m impressed by how professional she sounds despite her nerves. Her smell has a sharp edge of anxiety, but she's pushing through it.
"Tuesday at ten works perfectly," she's saying, scribbling notes on the appointment pad. "Yes, I'll make sure to note Shep doesn't like the thermometer. Thank you, Mr. Bradley."
She hangs up and looks at me with a mixture of pride and relief. "How was it?"
"Perfect. Natural customer service approach, got all the important details. You're a natural."
The praise makes her smell bloom with those warm vanilla notes again, and I find myself breathing a little deeper than strictly necessary. There's something incredibly appealing about an omega who's pleased with herself – it brings out every protective instinct I have.
The morning continues with a steady stream of appointments. I handle the medical side while Violet manages the front desk, and I'm impressed by how quickly she picks things up. She's efficient, friendly, and seems to have an intuitive understanding of how to calm nervous pet owners.
Janet Reeves arrives with her ancient Persian cat, Duchess, who needs her monthly arthritis medication. The cat is a cranky old thing who barely tolerates anyone except Janet, but I watch in fascination as Violet somehow coaxes a purr out of her while Janet fills out paperwork.
"You have a way with animals," I observe when they've left.
"I think it's because I understand being defensive," Violet says, and there's more honesty in those simple words than I expected.
Around ten-thirty, we're both in the front area when the door opens and Mrs. Henderson walks in carrying a cat carrier emitting the most indignant yowling I've heard in weeks.
"Good morning, Mrs. Henderson," I call out cheerfully. "How's Whiskers today?"
"Difficult as always," she replies, setting the carrier down with relief. "He's been hiding under my bed for three days, andwhen I finally got him out, he knocked over my entire spice rack."
I can see Violet watching the carrier with interest, clearly curious about the legendary bad-tempered feline inside.
"Would you like to meet him?" I ask her.
"Will I lose a finger?"
"Perfectly safe. Whiskers is all drama, no real malice." I move toward the carrier, speaking in the soothing tone I use with all my difficult patients. "Besides, you should probably get familiar with our regular customers."
I'm reaching for the carrier latch when the front door opens again with such force the bell above it sounds like an alarm. Dr. Sarah Richards rushes in, her usually calm demeanor replaced by urgency.
"Liam, thank God you're here," she says breathlessly. "I need your help. Crisis at the Peterson farm , their prize bull got into a fight with a neighbor's dog, and there's a lot of blood."
"How bad?" I'm already moving toward my kit, my mind shifting into crisis mode.
"Bad enough they're talking about putting the bull down. But I think if we work together…”
