Jay grinned. He could see where Mia got her sparkle and vitality. He also remembered that she was a teacher, and he could see that about her as well. “That’s the way we work, ma’am. We’re a team. I couldn’t have done my job without them, either.”
“What’s wrong with the dog?” Mia asked, stepping around her mom and into his line of sight.
Their eyes met and Jay felt that same pull of attraction, even stronger this time if that was possible. Had she had enough time to get over the gratitude-attraction thing?
“Laceration on her back,” he answered.
“Oh, I see it.” She knelt beside the chair and crooned, “Hi, pretty lady. Rough day, huh?” She kept talking in the same soothing tone as she caressed the dog behind her ears. The dog let out a whimper, but not like she was in pain. More like she was in heaven.
“I’m gonna give her a second to trust me.”
“Yeah,” Jay commented drily as the dog licked her chin. “I’m thinking mission accomplished.”
Her low chuckle made him smile. Slowly, she worked her hands around to the wound. Jay liked the way she moved, gentle yet confident and practiced. It was cute the way her brow furrowed as she examined the injury. When her hands brushed against his, a current of awareness coursed through him. Funny that he’d had this thought a few days ago, of using a dog to get close to her again. He felt guilty about that now, because this poor pup’s life had just been upended in the worst possible way.
“It’s not too deep, but she could use a few stitches. You did an excellent job of cleaning it up.” Dipping down, she kissed the dog’s forehead. “Poor baby. I can only imagine what you’ve been through. That helicopter ride was probably bad enough, but losing your person is beyond tragic.”
She then pinned that warm look of concern on Jay. He felt his insides start to go soft and realized he was no better than the dog. This woman oozed compassion and obviously knew animals.
“Who did you say you were going to leave her with?” she asked.
He cleared his throat. “Holly Camp. She runs Paws for a Second Chance. It’s an animal adoption place.”
“Yes, I know Holly. She’s great.” She kept one hand on the dog as she talked. Small hands with slim fingers and trimmed nails, he noticed. Delicate-looking, like the rest of her. But he already knew from the rescue she was anything but. No one who demanded that their fellow airplane-wrecked passengers be rescued first was “delicate.” He’d watched her plunge into the ocean after Aubrey without even pausing, seen her concern for her mom and Captain Shear during the helicopter ride. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine that anyone who chose veterinary medicine as a career would be considered delicate.
“Do we know her name?” Mia asked.
“Holly?” he asked, thinking that her eyes were like the blue of the ocean on a calm, sunny day.
“I think she means the dog,” Aubrey said with a chuckle. “You need some shut-eye there, big guy?”
He felt his lips twitch with a grin. No, what I need is for this blue-eyed woman who smells like flowers and makes me forget my own name to back off so I can think. “Yeah. Maybe. I’m beat,” he said. “No, no collar. She was wearing a bandanna. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like this dog is... It’s a miracle she even survived. We spotted the guy because the dog was swimming right next to him, or rather, swimming circles around him. She was in that choppy water for a long time and she’s so small, I can’t believe she didn’t drown.”
“Dogs have the most incredible will to live. You know how you hear that dogs are the most loyal creatures on the planet?”
Jay found himself nodding.
“We hear it and say it so much that I think it’s become a cliché. But last year I was finishing my residency in Colorado when this border collie was brought in. Half-starved, dehydrated—turns out, her sheepherding owner had suffered an aneurysm and died. From the condition the dog was in, my colleague and I determined that she had been waiting by his side for at least a week. Just sitting there and waiting for help to come along.”
He had no idea how to respond to that. He couldn’t relate; he’d never had a dog or a pet of any kind. He’d always been too focused on his own survival, and more to the point, his family’s survival.
She smoothed a hand over the dog’s cheek again, adding, “The dog lived through it. And the sheepherder’s daughter adopted her.” She added a grin, and Jay could tell the incident would stick with her forever. He knew what that felt like. He would never forget a single rescue, but there were certain ones, and sometimes certain people, that just grabbed your heart and never let go. He couldn’t help but think that Nora Frasier and her daughter were quickly earning a top spot on that list.
“Tell you what? How ’bout I take the dog to our vet practice and fix her up? She’ll need a checkup and a blood panel anyway before Holly can adopt her out. You can pick her up later?”
“Uh, sure, that would be great. Thank you.” He noticed she wasn’t wearing a ring. Of course, that wasn’t a sure sign in this day and age that she was single. Not that it mattered, he told himself; a relationship was not in the cards for him. Not until Josie finished nursing school and the kids were older, much older. Between his financial obligations, his time and the mental energy he expended trying to pseudo-parent from a distance, he simply couldn’t do it.
“You can stop by Pacific Cove Vet Clinic any time after about three. I should have her test results by then.”
“Oh, I have a meeting this afternoon. I wouldn’t be able to get there until this evening.”
“How about I bring her home with me after work then? You can pick her up at my house.”
“Any time is fine,” Nora chimed in. “It’s just Mia and me. She usually gets home from work about six or seven, depending on the day.”
“That sounds great. In the meantime, maybe we’ll be able to get a hold of some family.”
* * *
AT THE END of his shift, Jay stowed his gear, feeling the stress of the last twenty-four-hour shift working its way into him. It was always like this for him. He didn’t let himself feel tired until he had the time to be tired. That’s when the exhaustion slammed into him like a tidal wave.
“Hey, Johnston, congratulations! I hear you got yourself a new puppy.”
Removing his backpack from his locker, he shut the door and turned to find a smiling Lieutenant Commander Eli Pelletier standing behind him. Eli was a pilot and Aubrey’s fiancé. He’d also become a friend in the months since he’d been stationed here, as much of a friend as Jay allowed himself to have, anyway.
“Funny, Pelletier.” Jay took a moment to look him up and down before saying, “Wow, you look like you’ve reached a whole new level of fitness these days. Almost like you’ve been doing yoga.”
“That obvious, huh?” Eli chuckled. “Aubrey’s been talking, I see. Seriously, though, how’s the dog doing? Are you going to keep it?”
They’d had no luck tracking down any of the dog owner’s family. Holly had returned his call only to tell him that there was no room at the shelter right now, especially for an injured dog. Could Jay keep the dog or find someone who could until space was available? He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. “I want a dog about as badly as I do a root canal.”
“Uh, I don’t think veterinarians do root canals. At least not on people.”
Aubrey walked up to join her fiancé. “Besides, it would be much less painful to just ask her to dinner.”
Jay rolled his eyes. “Has anyone ever told you how pushy and annoying you can be?”