Man's Best Friend (The Dogmothers #5) - Roxanne St. Claire Page 0,59
appointment, she’d ended up spending the better part of two days at Molly’s office, seeing patients from as far away as Holly Hills and Chestnut Creek. Today, in between painstakingly cleaning the chandelier, she’d studied up on the CVS procedure, watching videos from around the world, including one of her performing the surgery on a Great Dane about five years ago.
Was that the last time she’d done the procedure? She wasn’t sure, but she felt ready. And now, it was time to give Judah his last meal before the surgery in the morning. After she finished up with Granddaddy’s dinner, she brought Judah down the front stairs, which he navigated easier than the back, for the chicken feast she’d prepared.
“You have to eat well tonight,” she told him. “You have a very big day tomorrow.”
But as she headed into the kitchen, a tap at the front door stopped her, and the silhouette that was becoming pretty familiar thrilled her.
That thrill only deepened when she opened the door to Declan.
“Hello,” she said slyly, leaning against the doorjamb and crossing her arms. Her gaze dropped over the blue button-down and navy trousers, then settled on the simple badge on his broad chest. “Captain.”
“Hello.” He reached for her chin and tipped her face up to meet his gaze. “Doctor.”
“Are you here to raise a chandelier, or are you just glad to see me?”
“Both.” He laughed and came into the house, heading straight for the dog, who barked in greeting. “Hey, buddy. Is she corrupting you with off-color jokes?”
“Of course I am. And he thinks my bad humor is paw-some, right, Judah? It’s keeping us both from getting nervous about tomorrow.”
Declan straightened and turned to her. “I didn’t think you got nervous.”
“It’s been a while. I’ve been studying the surgery and looking over his images, so I have a plan, but I want to be ready.” She wrapped herself as if she were chilly, but the truth was she had to do something with her hands, or she’d reach out to grab hold of him.
Silent, he examined the massive chandelier that hung a little lower than eye level. “Sparkly.”
She lifted her hands. “I have the Brasso under my nails to prove it.”
He took those hands in his, examining her nails. “They look like surgeon’s hands to me.”
She wiggled her fingers. “They better be tomorrow.”
For a moment, he looked over their joined hands and into her eyes, long enough to make her knees a little weak and her toes curl in her sneakers. She tried to come up with a joke—anything—but her brain went blank as she stared back at him.
The only thing she could think of was how good it would feel to kiss him. A lot of kisses. All-night kisses.
So where was her joke? She had…nothing. Just raging hormones sending blasts of heat low in her belly that somehow managed to fry her sense of humor.
“I can get it up,” he said.
“Oh, I bet you can.”
“I meant the chandelier, and that was cheap and easy, even for you.”
She gave a playful laugh and poked his chest. “There’s so much I could do with cheap and easy.”
He rolled his eyes and snagged the finger pressing into him. “Remember I’m just off a twenty-four-hour shift, so I can’t keep up with your mind, even when it’s teetering on the edge of the gutter.”
“Oh, you must be exhausted.”
“Not at all, but I am starving, so let me get this chandelier up, and then I’ll be back to beg for food like a dog.” He tossed a look at Judah. “No offense, J.”
“I’ll make you dinner,” she offered quickly.
“Or we can go out.”
As appealing as a dinner date with Declan was, she shook her head. “Granddaddy was a little out of it, and I don’t want to leave Judah. I’d love to cook for you, though. I made my grandfather spaghetti and can whip up some more with a salad. Yours won’t even have to be cut in small pieces. Yes?”
“Are you kidding? Yes, please. Be right back.” He took the stairs two at a time, leaving Judah at the bottom, panting as he watched him.
“Clearly, I know how you feel, bud.” She guided the dog with her to the kitchen to start dinner, and Declan was back in less than five minutes.
She glanced at him, knowing the impact the attic had had on him last time he was there, but he seemed cool, calm, and kind of sexy in his work clothes. God, not kind of.