The Vet's Caribbean Fling, page 18
Delano looked over at her and chuckled as he removed the arm-length disposable glove he’d worn to reposition the foal prior to delivery.
“It’s not too bad, once you get used to it,” he said, shrugging off the surgical gown.
“And with this result, it’s all worth it,” her father added. He was gently wiping the bay foal down with handfuls of straw, while the mare, Marmalade, sniffed and snuffled her new colt.
“He is awfully cute,” Mellie conceded.
“And it’s just as well I’m the one Mr. Charlie called to deliver him.” Delano gave her a pointed look over his shoulder as he washed his hands. “You could belly up to the mare, but your arm would be too short.”
Mellie stuck out her tongue at him, even while acknowledging he was right.
Being thirty-nine weeks pregnant did make it difficult to get too close to anything!
“Speaking of which,” her father interjected, “aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
It was a mark of her father’s concern for his mare that he was just bringing it up, and Delano snorted in response, earning himself a narrow-eyed glare from his wife.
“I’m on maternity leave,” she replied, wondering how many more times she’d have to say it. “Not bed rest. The doctor said to keep active, just not to overdo it. Sitting here watching you two—and Marmalade—do all the work isn’t exactly stressful.”
“Aunt Eddie has already texted me three times this morning,” Delano groused to his father-in-law, while drying his hands. “And Dad isn’t much better. I don’t dare tell them she isn’t at home with her feet up.”
Mellie snorted, but the warm sense of contentment she felt at his words was undeniable.
She and Delano had been together almost three years, and the time had flown by in a whirlwind of experiences. Through their marriage and taking over of the clinic, as well as arranging freedom flights for dogs and expanding the shelter, they’d lived, worked, laughed, teased and grown together.
And, most of all, loved.
So much loving that she couldn’t picture her world or life without him.
For the first time ever Mellie felt truly secure, surrounded by family and friends, with Delano always by and on her side. And with their baby due any day now, who could ask for more?
“Let me get you home, babe,” Delano said, coming over and holding out a hand to help her up. “Maybe stop and get you some ice cream on the way?”
“That would be perfect.”
Taking his hand, she stood and was enfolded in his arms, where she longed always to be.
Safe.
Happy.
Home.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Ann McIntosh
The Nurse’s Holiday Swap
Twin Babies to Reunite Them
Christmas Miracle on Their Doorstep
One-Night Fling in Positano
All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Her Forbidden Firefighter by Traci Douglass.
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Her Forbidden Firefighter
by Traci Douglass
CHAPTER ONE
“I’M NOT LOST,” Luna Norton said to the chipmunk watching her from across the wooded path. “I’ve been down this trail a million times. But I don’t suppose you know which way to go?”
His nose twitched, then the chipmunk turned tail and vanished into the underbrush.
Well, that’s what she got for asking for directions from a wild animal.
Luna stood there another moment trying to get her bearings, with the hazy winter sun seeping through the evergreen branches, her phone in one hand and her sketch pad in the other. The forest around her was a profusion of greens, thick with the remnants of the latest snowstorm a week ago. Even with the chilly mid-January temperatures, the place was abuzz with activity, and she constantly had to leap away when birds and squirrels chattered at her. Luna was used to life in the tiny town of Wyckford, Massachusetts—quaint shops, cozy diners and people constantly around. Coming out here to the wilderness, which she did at least a couple of times a month, was her escape. From stress, from work, from basically everything she didn’t want to deal with. At thirty-five, she supposed she ought to have better coping skills than running away, but hey. If it wasn’t broken, don’t fix it, right?
She yawned and turned in a circle, searching for the trail out, which was easier said than done given all the snow on the ground. She’d been up since before dawn that morning, first working a full shift as a physical therapist at Wyckford General before driving out here to the trails this afternoon, and she was still on her feet, if a little unsure about which direction to go.
With a sigh, Luna tried the GPS on her phone again, but it was still out of service. Great.
She hiked for what felt like forever, going in the direction she was pretty sure was right, searching for more bars. The terrain looked so much different in January than it did in the summer, but Luna was usually spot-on when it came to the trails. And she’d come prepared for the cold in her winter gear, as well. She wasn’t one of those dumb tourists who got stuck out here at least once a week. She knew what she was doing. Or at least she thought she did. Luna wasn’t exactly a wait-and-see kind of girl. Never had been. Patience wasn’t a virtue she possessed. At least that’s what her parents always told her growing up anyway. She’d always been more of a mess-around-and-find-out kind of person. Or she had been until life had other ideas.
Ugh. Life.
She’d spent her whole life in Wyckford, and she had what most people would consider success—a good job, a nice apartment, loving family, great friends. And while she was beyond grateful for those things, recently she’d noticed an inconvenient yearning for something more. Probably because her two best friends—Cassie Murphy and Madi Scott—had found their forever person over the last year, and their happiness had suddenly made Luna uncomfortably aware of what was lacking in her own life. And it was inconvenient because with all their love in the air and in her face, she felt a bit left out, even if she didn’t really believe in happily-ever-after.
As she continued walking, Luna dodged obstacles like rocks, jutting tree roots and, in two cases, downed trees with trunks bigger around than her car. But Luna knew a thing or two about taking detours and getting back on the right path. So she kept moving, amid sky-high evergreens she couldn’t even see the tops of, feeling small and insignificant.
And awed.
She just needed to find a new direction, a goal. Some peace would be good, too. And love? Well, she didn’t care so much about that. Love, of the romantic kind anyway, was scary and dangerous and best avoided, in her opinion. Her past run-ins with romance had included a bunch of one-nighters and a few relationships that had lasted a few months even, but nothing beyond that, which was fine. Luna preferred her freedom and her safety over “till death do us part” anyway. Especially the death part.
When she finally stopped to check her GPS again—still out of service—she took a break and opened her backpack, going directly for the emergency brownie she’d packed earlier. Luna sat on a large rock and sighed from the pleasure of resting for a moment.
Then a bird dive-bombed her with the precision of a kamikaze pilot, and Luna jumped up and eyed her fallen brownie, lying forlorn in the dirt. With a sigh, she checked her smartwatch and saw it was 4:30 p.m. It would start getting dark soon, and Luna figured she had maybe another half hour to find her way out of here before nightfall. She slung her backpack over her shoulders and decided to retrace her steps back to where she’d started when an odd rustling sound had her swiveling fast as the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. “Hello?”
The rustling stopped and she caught a quick flash of blue in the bushes. A hoodie, maybe?
“Hello?” she called again, her heart racing and throat dry. “Who’s there?”
No answer.
Luna reached into the pocket of her parka for the pocketknife she kept there just in case.
Another slight rustle, then a glimpse of something—
“Hey,” she yelled, louder than necessary, but she hated being startled.
Sudden stillness fell, telling her she was alone again.
Blood still jackhammering in her ears, Luna turned around. Then around again.
She walked back along the path for a minute, but nothing seemed familiar, so she did a one-eighty and tried again. Feeling like she’d gone down the rabbit hole, Luna tried her cell phone again, but still no service.
Don’t panic.
Luna never panicked until her back was up against the wall. Eyeing an opening in the evergreens, she headed toward it. Maybe if she could get into a clearing, she could get better reception. But she emerged through the trees to find herself standing at the edge of a steep embankment down to a frozen creek bed, sharp, jagged pieces of ice jutting up like knives waiting for a hapless victim.
The ground beneath her feet was slick, and somewhere behind her, Luna heard rustling again.
She inched back from the edge of the embankment as the scent of pine made her nose itch, looking around and wondering what sort of animals were nearby, hunting for their next meal. She’d read online there were bobcats in the state, but primarily in the central and western parts. Also, black bears. In fact, there had been more recent reports of them coming closer to town because of the food. She should have brought bear repellent.
Why didn’t I bring bear repellent?
With the sun rapidly setting, she needed to get a move on before the temperatures dropped below zero that night. She resettled the comforting weight of her knife in her palm and wished for another brownie.
As she headed back into the forest, the noises started up again. Birds. A mournful howl echoed in the distance, and goose bumps rose over her entire body. Luna nearly got whiplash from checking them all out. But as she’d learned long ago, maintaining a high level of tension for an extended time was exhausting. Eventually, she heard footsteps coming up the path from the opposite direction she thought she’d come from. They weren’t loud, but Luna was a master at hearing someone approach. She could do it in her sleep. Her heart kicked hard as old memories resurfaced, heavy, drunken footsteps heading down the hall to her bedroom...
“You owe me, Luna.”
The footsteps got closer, sounded heavier. A man, who was apparently not making any attempt to hide his approach. Luna squeezed the knife in her palm, just in case. Then, from around the edge of a towering evergreen, he appeared. Tall, built, gorgeous and, best of all, familiar!
She knew him. Mark Bates. A local firefighter. They saw each other around Wyckford General regularly, and from when Luna taught stretching classes at the fire station to help the guys reduce occupational injuries. All the ladies of Wyckford fawned over Mark, which Luna attributed to the electrifying mix of testosterone and his uniform. Women loved a man in uniform.
Well, women except Luna. She’d learned long ago not to trust appearances.
He stood near an evergreen, wearing a black down jacket with a reflective Wyckford Fire Department logo on the front and a red knit hat covering his blond hair. Dark sunglasses hung around his neck, his light blue gaze missing nothing in the gathering dusk. Those sharp eyes were in complete contrast with his lazy smile, all laid-back and easygoing, but Luna suspected Mark was trouble with a capital T, mainly because he was just so darn attractive, and she’d given up trouble a long time ago.
Dammit. Out of all the people in town, he would have to be the one to find her.
She was still and silent, but Mark’s attention tracked straight to her with no effort at all. “Kind of late to be out here on your own, isn’t it?”
If he wanted to hear Luna admit she was lost, he’d turn to a block of ice first.
When she didn’t answer, Mark’s smile grew.
Childish and immature? Yeah, probably. But Luna didn’t like the way her pulse tripped and her skin heated when he was around. It scared her, and she refused to be afraid again. Or ask for his help. Even if he did look like he knew exactly how to get her out of this forest.
“You need help getting back to your car?” he asked after a while. “I’m pretty familiar with the territory since the fire department trains out here a lot.”
Luna squared her shoulders, hoping she looked more capable than she felt. “I’m fine. I know these woods, too. I wouldn’t have come out here if I didn’t.”
He smiled, his teeth even and white in the growing darkness. “Great, then.”
“Great.” For some reason, his smug grin annoyed the crap out of her. Like he knew she was lying. Which was impossible, because if there was one thing Luna knew how to do, it was hide her secrets. Whatever. She didn’t have time to stand around chatting with him. Luna waved her hand dismissively as she passed him. “See you around. I’m sure you have kittens to rescue or something.”
“Kitten rescues do actually take up a lot of my time,” he agreed good-naturedly. “But if you’re heading out, maybe I’ll just tag along, then. For the company.”
His voice always did funny things to Luna’s stomach. And lower, too, but she ignored those things because it was safer that way. And all that unwanted tingling only made her more determined to get away from him. Injecting as much sarcastic venom as she could into her words, she gave him a saccharine smile. “I don’t need company.”
“Okay.” Mark shrugged, looking completely unbothered as they continued walking side by side. “You might not know this, but on top of all the kitten wrangling I do, rescuing fair maidens is also part of my job description.”
“I don’t need rescuing—” Outraged, Luna turned and prepared to let him have it, but something screeched loud directly above her, and she crouched instead, covering her head, and ruining her tough-girl cred.
“Owl.” A hint of amusement edged Mark’s tone now. “They’re getting ready to hunt.”
Luna straightened as another animal howled in the distance. She pointed in the direction of the noise. “What about that? That was no owl.”
“Coyote,” he agreed. “Lots of predators in these woods.”
“I know that.” The words squeaked out of Luna’s suddenly constricted throat before she cleared it and turned away. “I’m usually just gone when they come out. I need to get home.”
Mark shrugged, looking completely unperturbed as he followed beside her. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent bear sightings and—”
Luna kept her attention focused straight ahead, not answering. With his charming, “I’m here to help you” facade, he was everything she didn’t trust. She’d fallen prey to that once before and had the internal scars from her attacker to prove it. Easy smile, easy nature, easy ways—it all had to be an act, no matter how sexy the packaging.
Copyright © 2024 by Traci Douglass
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ISBN-13: 9780369738578
The Vet’s Caribbean Fling
Copyright © 2024 by Ann McIntosh
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Ann McIntosh, The Vet's Caribbean Fling
