chance.
But the dog took a few steps ahead, ignoring the silent plea.
“I should probably leash him,” Declan said. “But that makes him—”
“Howl,” Evie finished, her attention riveted on the dog’s backside. A frown formed as she followed, and her head dipped, her concentration complete. “Has he always walked that way?”
“With that little hitch? Well, yeah, since he’s been at the station, but I thought it was because he’s overweight.”
She caught up with Lusky, ushering him to the side in front of a store and out of foot traffic. “Hey, bud.” Crouching down, she put her hand on his back and slid it very slowly along his spine, working up from his flank. When she reached a point right above his shoulders, he put his head back and let out a monstrous howl.
“Now that’s pain.” Declan came closer, his instinct to protect the dog, even though he knew what good hands the animal was in.
“Wobbler Syndrome,” she said.
“What’s that?”
She looked up at him. “The technical term is cervical spondylomyelopathy, a common and not inconsequential spinal problem. I’ve seen it frequently, and I’ve performed surgery for it many times, not that we’d go straight to surgery. But we should start with an X-ray to make sure. Maybe some pain management or physical therapy, depending on how far along the disease has progressed. You don’t know how old he is, do you?”
“I don’t know a thing about him,” he said honestly, getting down next to her. “Is he in a lot of pain, Evie?”
“Likely only when he moves his neck a certain way.” She stroked his head again, holding the animal’s gaze. “You’ve figured out how to cover it, haven’t you, buddy? Because you’re beautiful and smart.”
Exactly like the veterinarian in front of him. “There’s an X-ray at Waterford,” Declan said, a plan clicking into place. “Will you come with me and check him out? It sounds like something we’d want a neurologist for anyway.”
She opened her mouth to respond, and he was positive she would say yes. There wasn’t an animal in the world she wouldn’t help. It was like breathing to her.
“Molly can do the X-ray and email me the pictures. I’ll be happy to give a diagnosis and recommend treatment.”
“Evie…” He stood and took her hand to guide her up, knowing that one of them had to do something to break this pattern. Lusky helped, but Declan had to close the deal. “That dog needs you.” And so do I.
She held his gaze with the same expression she’d used on the dog, her eyes full of warmth and hope and caring. A look he remembered on the darkest nights when he went down to that emotional basement and unpacked all the baggage.
“Okay,” she whispered on a sigh. “I’ll take the croissants to Granddaddy and meet you there.”
“Thank you.”
She got down again and let the dog give her a swift lick on the cheek. “And we’ll do what we can to get you out of your misery, mister.”
And maybe, just maybe, she could get Declan out of his misery, too.
Chapter Five
As Evie neared Waterford Farm, she admitted the truth to herself. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that she was going to walk away from that handsome creature making such a valiant effort to hide his pain.
Either one of them.
Lusky had Wobblers, she’d bet her professional reputation on it. And Declan? He had…something. Deep inside, she could see the spark of the boy she’d spent so much of her childhood laughing with, clawing to get out of a cage of his own making. He didn’t laugh quite as easily as he used to. He didn’t tease her with playful observations and inside jokes. He didn’t even talk as much as she remembered, not that he was ever that talkative.
Exactly like the dog, she could see that shadow of distress when he swallowed his thoughts and tried to hide them, and she could hear the ache in his voice when he tiptoed around tough subjects the way Lusky limped on his back paws.
And Evie had only one mode when it came to animals in pain—fix them all.
On a sigh, she forced herself to focus first on the one she understood. If left untreated, Wobblers could make a dog’s life absolutely wretched. And, except for a professor at Vestal Valley, there wasn’t a highly qualified veterinary neurologist for miles in any direction. So she might have been wary about Declan’s invitation, but she couldn’t actually let that dog far from her sight.
As