Page 32 of Shielding His Heart
A bank of chairs is to my immediate right, and an unmanned desk blocks off the rest of the room. The din from the dogs is buffered, but not much. The cat seems to know it’s found a friend because it snoozes happily in my arms. Meanwhile, I’m still frantic at the thought of it being hurt.
A woman blows in with a kitten in her lab coat pocket. It peeks out over the edge, scents the cat in my arms, and dives back down. The woman searches the desk for something and, not finding it, blows out a breath that moves the sweep of bangs from in front of her eyes. Seeing me, she offers a kind, if a bit harried, smile. “Sorry for the wait. We had a bit of an emergency. I’m Penelope Baker. You can call me Penny. How can I help you?”
I hold up the cat. “This girl needs some help. At least, I’m pretty sure it’s a girl. It just showed up at the park where I was at. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Penny’s bright blue eyes widen, and she moves around the desk to motion with a hand to the hallway. “Oh my goodness. Poor thing. Let’s go to the back, and we’ll take a look.”
I follow a step behind Penny to the exam room. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”
She places the cat on the table and makes soothing noises as she begins her examination. The cat, who doesn’t seem to know a stranger, is instantly friendly and butts her head against Penny’s hands, audibly purring. “It is a she, and she seems to be doing as okay as possible. Probably starving and dehydrated, and there’s definitely something going on with her front legs. We’ll have to get an X-ray and run some tests, but it’s good that you brought her in. She wouldn’t have made it long in the world like this.”
“I didn’t know what else to do,” I repeat.
Penny notices my nerves and gives me a comforting smile. “It’ll be okay, Tana. We’ll take care of her.”
I give a start at the sound of my name. “You know me? I’m sorry, I didn’t even think of that.” I probably should have known, considering how small Battleboro is. Even during my time walking around or when we went to the grocery store, people would give me a friendly wave like they knew me—and they probably did.
Penny moves around the room with practiced ease, drawing up vaccines and dispensing medication to the cat, who isn’t pleased but is placated with treats. “We know each other in passing. It’s a small town, and my brother Rhett’s best friend Jaxon works with Alec.”
Shaking my head, I say, “I don’t think I’ll ever get over meeting people who know more about me than I do about myself.”
She sticks her pencil into the bun of messy blonde waves on the top of her head, pushes up her glasses, and sticks out a hand. “Well, why don’t we pretend we just met. I’m Penelope Baker. You can call me Penny. I’m a veterinarian and run the rescue with a couple other volunteers. It’s nice to meet you.”
I can’t think of anything other than, “I am Tana Dorran, and that’s about it,” as I shake hers.
“C’mon, you can do better than that.”
“I’m Tana. I like true crime shows, gardening, and I’ve got the biggest crush on my husband.” Saying it out loud makes me give a nervous giggle. “But don’t tell him that yet.”
Penny mimes zipping her lips. “Nice to meet you, Tana.” She gestures to the cat stretching on the exam table. “This little girl looks to be about two or three years old. I’m going to bet her legs are from a birth defect. But let’s take those X-rays to be sure. We’ll keep her here for observation for a bit while we run some tests.”
I hesitate and then say, “Do you mind if I stick around while you do? I won’t be able to relax until I know she’s okay. Sad to say, but I have a lot in common with this cat.”
“Of course! You can hang out as long as you don’t mind lending a hand. We can always use the help, I’m afraid. I can’t seem to say no to any stray that shows up, and I have more animals than helpers these days.”
My spirits lift a little. “Really? Honestly, I could use the distraction.”
Penny nods enthusiastically. “I’m happy to put you to work.”
For the first time since I woke up in the hospital, I start to feel at home in my own skin.
CHAPTER16
ALEC
The memory of her sweetness is still on my tongue when I finally wake up. I must have slept like the dead because I don’t find her in bed with me. I’d broken down some of those barriers around her when she’d exploded under my mouth. Giving her space will only give her enough time to build them back up.
With that on my mind, I get dressed quickly to find her and check on the girls. Much as I want to head straight to her room, my priorities are Gemma and Paisley. I find them in the living room with my mom, but no Tana.
“Is Tana up yet?” I ask Mom, trying not to seem too eager.
“I sent her out to take a break. It looked like she needed it.” Mom gives me a pointed look.
She wants to chew me out, I can tell, but I ignore the bait. “Thanks for coming over to help. We didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Mom’s expression shifts. “I heard about the fire. Any news?”
“Not yet. The state fire marshal is investigating it as a possible arson.”
