Читать книгу Sanctuary Cove - Kate James - Страница 15

CHAPTER SIX

IT WAS A glorious fall day, with just a hint of a gentle breeze to flutter flower petals and blades of grass, and sunlight streaming down from a cloudless, clear-blue sky. It emboldened Emma and she took what she considered a daring move—visiting the clinic midday. She’d tried to rationalize it in a number of ways, but if she was honest with herself, it was because she’d hoped to see Josh. She felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment to learn from Sherri that Josh had been called by another veterinary clinic to assist with a complicated surgery and wasn’t expected back until late afternoon.

Wasn’t that just her luck?

On the plus side, Theo was coming along nicely. Emma suspected, and Sherri agreed, that since they hadn’t already found Theo’s owner, it was unlikely they would.

After her visit with Theo, Emma spent much of the afternoon starting the fall cleanup of her gardens. In the evening, she finished off a speech she was working on for the CEO of a mining company.

The telephone had rung once while she’d been working, but she’d been on a roll and had ignored it. She felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment as she clicked on Save, satisfied with her first draft.

It was near bedtime, but her stomach reminded her that she’d skipped dinner...again. She ate leftovers while standing in the kitchen, her thoughts still on her assignment. When she finally remembered to retrieve the message from her voice mail, a pleasant male voice greeted her. She’d only spoken to Josh on the telephone a couple of times, weeks before, but she recognized his voice immediately.

“Sherri mentioned you asked about me when you visited the clinic today. I’m sorry I missed you. As you could see for yourself, Theo’s recovery continues to progress well. So well, in fact,” his message went on, “he’s ready to leave here and go home. Emma...”

Home? Did they find his owner? Emma’s heart started to beat painfully at the thought of not seeing Theo again.

Then Josh continued. “Why don’t you give me a call and we can discuss your taking him, if you’re still interested.” There was another moment of silence. “Theo’s been through a lot. I want to make sure it’s the right thing—for him and for you.” Emma smiled.

If all went well, Theo could be home with her and Max by tomorrow afternoon. The thought of that made for a positive end to an already good day.

One day at a time, she reminded herself...

* * *

MIDMORNING THE NEXT DAY, Emma spread a blanket in the back of her X5. She and Josh had agreed she should bring Max with her to pick up Theo. Although Max got along well with all creatures—two-or four-legged—both she and Josh wanted to ensure the dogs’ first meeting went smoothly. Neutral territory would help. Calling Max, she patted the back deck of the SUV. Max trotted over and leaped in effortlessly. She got him settled and rewarded him with a dog biscuit.

Emma drove to Josh’s clinic with her window open, enjoying the sunshine and comfortable temperature. She hummed softly with a Tim McGraw song on the radio. She turned into the drive leading to Josh’s house and clinic. A blur of motion to her left had her glancing toward the side yard. She stopped the vehicle and grinned as she watched Josh try to coax Theo into a game of fetch. A yellow Lab was with them, and he was clearly an old master at the game. Emma surmised that the Lab was Josh’s dog rather than a patient, as he appeared to be in excellent health. The little guy did an energetic happy dance as Josh held the ball, bulleting after it when Josh sent it flying.

Theo, by comparison, wasn’t quite certain what was expected. He sniffed the ball as Josh held it, but shied away from taking it. The Lab watched the interplay patiently and raced off as Josh sent the ball soaring once more.

Emma focused her attention on Josh. He wore a faded blue denim shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, navy jeans and well-worn hiking boots. His movements were fluid and agile. A gust of wind swept his bangs forward, and he ran a hand through his hair, the thick, dark strands falling back in disarray. He paused, as if sensing she was there. He turned, his gaze settling on her, and he smiled and waved to her to join them. Emma’s heart did a little skip and a jump.

She got out of her X5 and opened the back. Max hopped out and ran to greet the other two dogs. By the time Josh and Emma caught up with them, they were getting well acquainted.

Theo had been groomed and sported a new, bright-blue collar. All cleaned up, he looked very handsome and more dog than wolf, Emma thought. He was only slightly bigger than Max. The larger dogs seemed to instinctively know to be gentle with the Lab.

With Theo distracted, his gait was steady and his limp nearly imperceptible. “He looks good,” Emma observed.

Josh’s gaze skimmed over her. “So do you. It’s nice to see you.”

She immediately felt self-conscious, but playful yips had both of them shifting their attention to the dogs.

Josh whistled and all three dogs bounded over. Reaching into his shirt pocket, he pulled out dog treats and offered one to each dog.

“Emma, I’d like you to meet Winston,” he said, stroking the yellow Lab’s head. “He’s mine. Or I suppose it would be fair to say, we’re each other’s.”

She crouched down in front of Winston and laughed when the dog licked her face exuberantly.

She rose and Josh sent the dogs off to play again. “Do you have time for coffee?” he asked.

Emma almost declined on instinct, but after a moment’s hesitation, nodded. She wanted to get to know him. “Sure. Thanks. No appointments at the clinic this morning?” she asked as they walked toward his house.

“Not today. The clinic is closed.” He flashed his heart-stopping grin. “Being the boss has its advantages.”

As they reached the back deck, the dogs suddenly bolted in the direction they’d just come from. Josh and Emma followed to see what had captured their interest. All three dogs were running down the gravel drive chasing a cloud of dust.

Emma grabbed Josh’s arm in alarm. “The road! They’re heading for the road.” There wasn’t a lot of traffic, but the thought of one of the dogs getting hit terrified her. “Max, Theo, come!” she called, as Josh whistled.

It appeared the dogs had tired of the chase anyway, and headed back. “What was that all about?” she asked, once they were safely with them.

Josh shook his head. “I don’t know. Could have been someone coming to the clinic, then realizing it was closed. Whoever it was apparently changed their mind and left in a hurry.”

They walked to the back again, the dogs at their heels. Josh opened a gate to a fenced enclosure and let in the dogs. “They’ll be fine there,” he assured her.

Following Josh inside, Emma looked around the bright, airy kitchen. He motioned for her to make herself comfortable at one of the stools at the large center island, and he went about preparing the coffee. While the coffee brewed, Josh placed a basket of muffins on the island, along with plates and napkins. “They’re fresh. Help yourself,” he insisted.

“You baked these?”

“If my life depended on it, yeah, I could. But these are from Chadwick’s,” he said, referring to the local grocer. “I picked them up this morning.”

They smelled delicious. She selected a blueberry muffin and placed it on her plate. Elbows on the counter, she rested her chin on her fists.

Josh was obviously at home in the kitchen. When she felt a flutter in her belly again, she looked for a distraction.

She was impressed with the open space, the big windows that allowed the sunlight to flood in and spill across the glistening hardwood floors.

“This is a wonderful space. It seems large for one person.”

He chuckled. “Sometimes I forget just how large it is until I have to clean it. The house has been in my family since I was a kid. My parents first built it when I was a toddler and gradually expanded it, either because our family grew or simply on a whim.” Turning, he smiled at her. “I’m responsible only for the final expansion. I added the clinic when I decided to set up my practice here.”

“But you didn’t grow up here?”

Josh shook his head. “We spent weekends and most of the summers here. It wasn’t our family’s primary residence, though. We lived in Westchester County. My father had his practice there.” Josh placed two steaming mugs of coffee, sugar, milk and a spoon for her on the island counter.

“Your father is a veterinarian, too?” she asked as she mixed sugar and milk into her coffee.

Josh took a cautious sip of his own black coffee. “No. He was a surgeon. I disappointed him when I didn’t follow in his footsteps.”

“How could he be disappointed when you do such wonderful work?” she asked with a touch of defensiveness that surprised her.

“Oh, he never would have said so to me, but I expect he was for a short time, when he first realized my mind was made up. Fortunately, my sister stepped up to the plate so the pressure was off me.”

Emma sensed there was no resentment and was happy for it. “What type of surgeon is he?”

“Was,” Josh said, correcting her again. “He’s retired. He was a neurosurgeon. One of the best in his field. He was the head of neuroscience at the Westchester Medical Center up until his retirement a few years ago.”

“Impressive. And your mother? What did she do?”

“She studied to be a nurse. That’s how they met, though she had a short-lived career. She stayed home with us—me, my brother and sister—when we were young. The plan was she would work again when we were all in school. By the time Angie, the youngest of us, made it to that stage, my mother was heavily involved in charitable work and decided to keep with that rather than go back into nursing. She’d been away from it too long anyway. She ran a number of charities before my father retired.”

Emma was intrigued. “Where are your parents now?”

Josh rose to retrieve the coffeepot and topped up their mugs. “Right now, Europe. In the summers they travel a lot. The winters they tend to spend in Palm Beach.”

“Quite the lifestyle.”

“It is, but they’ve earned it. My dad worked hard during his career. It’s great they’re able to enjoy themselves now.”

“How often do you see them?”

“Not nearly enough,” Josh said with a wistful smile.

His obvious closeness to his family touched Emma. She took a bite of her muffin and washed it down with coffee.

“What about you?”

Emma glanced up at Josh. “What about me?”

“Your parents. Where are they?”

“Oh...” The pain of loss could still overwhelm her all these years later. “They passed away when I was still in college.”

He rested his hand on top of hers. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “So young. Do you mind me asking how?”

“My father had been ill for a while. A heart condition. Unable to keep working, his life became centered on my mother. When she died unexpectedly, I—I think he just gave up.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Do you have siblings?”

She shook her head. “My parents—”

The sudden barking outside caused Emma to jerk around, and she accidentally knocked over her coffee mug. Thankfully, it didn’t break, but coffee spilled and dripped down to the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said, quickly righting the mug. “I’ll clean it up...as soon as we make sure everything is okay outside.”

“The dogs are fine. They’re playing.”

Despite Josh’s assurance, she rushed to the window. Relieved that nothing was amiss, Emma turned. Seeing Josh mopping up her spill, her nerves jumped and she rushed back. “Oh, no. Please let me do that.”

She reached for the dishtowel, but he pushed her hand away. “It’s okay. I’ve got it.” He gave her a long look. “There’s no harm done.”

“Good. I’m so—”

“Please don’t say it again,” he said, cutting her off. “You don’t have to apologize, but even if you had something to be sorry for, you’ve done it enough already.”

“I’m s—” She had almost apologized for apologizing so much, but caught herself. Instead, she chuckled awkwardly and glanced toward the window.

“You don’t have to worry about those two getting along. They’re doing fine and working out their hierarchy in a constructive way,” he said as he tossed the dishtowel in the sink.

She placed her now empty mug next to it. “Speaking of the boys, I better get them home. I appreciate the coffee.”

“Anytime.” As they reached the back door, he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. “It wasn’t my intention to have made you sad. Before you leave, can I show you something that might lift your spirits?”

Uncertain of what it was all about, she followed him into the clinic. He pushed open the door to the recovery area and stepped aside to let her look in.

“Oh, gosh...!”

At the sound of her voice, the golden retriever lying on her side raised her head and the five tiny yellow balls of fur snuggled against her stirred with a chorus of yips and yawns. As soon as Emma squatted down, the pups scrambled to their feet and over to her. In their eagerness to get her attention, they climbed and tumbled over each other, and her, causing her to lose her balance and land on her backside. The pups wasted no time and piled into her lap.

“Aren’t you guys the cutest?” she said, lifting one pup. He wiggled and slathered her face with lavish kisses before nibbling on her nose with his sharp puppy teeth. “Ouch!” Emma exclaimed, then hugged the pup to her and laughed.

“That’s nice,” Josh commented.

“What?”

“Hearing you laugh. It’s a nice sound. You don’t do it enough.”

When she looked up at him, there was an odd light in his eyes.

“Have dinner with me, Emma. I’d like to get to know you.” His smile was warm and encouraging. “How about it? Let me take you out one night this week.”

Her mouth was suddenly dry. She wanted to say yes. She really did. But the flutter in her belly made her nervous and the word was stuck in her throat. “Umm, I...”

He arched a brow and held his hand out to help her up. When she was standing, he didn’t let go but, rather, covered their joined hands with his. “I hope the word you’re searching for is yes.”

“Some communications professional I am,” she said with a self-deprecating chuckle. “Yes,” she finally said, and found herself drowning in his honey-flecked brown eyes. “I’d like that.”

“Is Saturday good for you?”

“Sure.”

“Terrific!” He nestled the puppies back with their mother, followed Emma out and helped her load Max and Theo into her X5. He waved to her as she pulled away.

As she drove home, she admitted to herself that she was looking forward to her meal with Josh. After all, he was intelligent, charming, funny and very appealing to the eyes. What did she have to lose?

Then she thought of Richard.

Josh was not Richard, she reminded herself again, and she had to stop making comparisons. Why shouldn’t she enjoy the company of a good-looking, fascinating man who seemed to be interested in her? The possibility that he was interested in her sent a little thrill up her spine. It made her feel wanted, and she liked the sensation. Richard had hurt her and he’d shaken her self-confidence. It was nice to feel wanted again.