When Love Matters Most. Kate James

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СКАЧАТЬ it was just the two of them. As a kid, she’d shadowed her father and spent many hours with him at his office and even in the courtroom.

      She missed him. Much more than she’d expected.

      But her career meant a lot to her. A professional drive and a desire to make a difference were values her father had instilled in her from an early age. And those factors had resulted in her move to San Diego and the Mission Bay Veterinary Clinic.

      Through her father, she’d gained a tremendous respect for police officers, and the dangerous and often thankless work they did. She’d also had enough exposure to police dogs to know their jobs weren’t any easier and often more dangerous than that of their handlers.

      When she’d joined Mission Bay, Madison had learned that they provided care for the SDPD’s canines, and she’d expressed keen interest in working with them. It hadn’t taken long to prove herself to Jane and Don, the clinic’s owners. She’d been thrilled when in addition to her other duties she’d been entrusted with the care of the SDPD’s dogs.

      Zeke was the first police dog she’d treated for an injury sustained in the line of duty. It had hit her hard emotionally, and she was gratified that she’d been able to help him.

      She’d checked on Zeke first thing in the morning. He was still groggy from his medication, but she was pleased with his progress and had reduced his dosage. There was no sign of infection, which was a huge relief. If all went well, she thought he’d be an excellent candidate for a trial of the PRP therapy.

      She put on a clean lab coat, brushed her hair and braided it. She wanted to have another quick look at Zeke before her next appointment to ensure that he was doing okay with the lower dosage. As she did, she thought of the cop—Rick—who’d brought Zeke in. Too bad he didn’t have a personality. A guy like him probably got by on looks alone, and didn’t care how rude and unfriendly he was. Well, that wasn’t her type. She appreciated appearance as much as anyone, but what really mattered to her was a man’s inner qualities—what was inside. Rick seemed to have more than his fair share on the outside, but a major deficit in the personality department.

      In the months she’d been at Mission Bay, she’d met most of the K-9 Unit officers and their dogs. Being single, Madison accepted the amiable flirting from the officers. And being human, she wasn’t immune to the attention from the mostly good-looking cops. She didn’t take any of it seriously. If she allowed herself to be shallow for just a moment, she had to admit that Rick was the most attractive of the group. But based on what she’d seen of him, there wasn’t going to be any flirting.

      Which was probably for the best. He made her feel uneasy.

      Then, why was she even thinking about him? And why Rick rather than one of the supernice cops who were gracious and pleasant? She knew a lot of women were attracted to a rogue. She’d always scoffed at that, but maybe she wasn’t immune to it, either. She laughed at herself. She really needed to get more of a social life if her thoughts were turning in that direction.

      Satisfied that Zeke was fine, she left the recovery area. Her next appointment was with one of the few SDPD K-9 cops she hadn’t met yet, K-9 Unit sergeant Enrique Vasquez or Pitbull. She rolled her eyes at his alias. His canine partner’s name was Sniff. She smiled at the cute name for a narcotics dog. The cop evidently had a sense of humor. Sniff hadn’t come to the clinic for nearly seven months, certainly not during the time she’d been there.

      Madison checked her watch. Of course she had to meet a new client on a day she was behind schedule. She happened to be a stickler for organization and effective time management. She didn’t like to keep clients waiting, nor did she want to make a poor first impression, but she needed to review Sniff’s patient file first.

      Sniff was the only Labrador in the SDPD’s K-9 Unit. If she wasn’t mistaken, Sniff’s handler, Enrique, was the cop Heather gushed about—classically tall, dark and handsome.

      Madison remembered what Heather had told her about this particular cop. He and Sniff patrolled the most hazardous part of the border between San Diego and Tijuana to thwart the cartel-related drug trafficking that occurred there. Heather had gone on at some length about Enrique’s looks and charm when she’d handed her the file, until finally Madison had laughingly told her to stop. Heather had claimed he was the best looking in the unit, which she considered unlikely after having met Zeke’s handler, Rick. In any case, Enrique would have to be more pleasant and better mannered than Rick had been, she thought as she rounded the corner to the reception area.

      And she came to an abrupt halt.

      Enrique Vasquez might have had his back to her, talking to one of the techs, but from what she could see, Heather had not been exaggerating about his looks. He was tall, with broad shoulders that narrowed to a lean waist and a trim backside. Realizing where her gaze—and her thoughts—had drifted, she pulled both away. He wore a baseball cap and must’ve been off duty, as he was wearing street clothes. He rested one hand comfortably on his dog’s head, which showed a caring that appealed to her soft heart. When the cop raised his other hand to push back his ball cap, impressive biceps bunched under his short-sleeved shirt. “Wow,” she breathed before she could catch herself. When he did it again, she focused on the way he moved rather than his physique. There was something familiar about him.

      She felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder and heard a soft voice next to her ear. “I told you!”

      It was just Madison’s luck that she’d let her guard down when Heather was coming out of the back storage area.

      “Yeah, well, I’m late and I’d better get going.”

      Heather placed a hand on her arm. “I’ll let him know you’ll be with him in a minute. Come join us when you’re ready.”

      Madison was about to protest, but recognized that a minute or two to get herself in a more professional frame of mind wouldn’t make much of a difference, time-wise. She was already worried about her first impression on a new client because of being late. A little later wouldn’t matter, but if she was tongue-tied and scatterbrained when she met him, she’d embarrass herself. So she let Heather precede her.

      * * *

      “HEY, ENRIQUE,” HEATHER greeted Rick in a pleasant singsong voice.

      He waved goodbye to the tech, who’d been grilling him about his chances of becoming a police officer, and turned his attention to the receptionist. He generally didn’t like to be called by his full given name—it reminded him too much of his childhood in Mexico—but Heather preferred it, and he’d stopped trying to dissuade her.

      “I’m sorry we’ve kept you waiting. Madison had a bit of a...an incident with a patient and had to clean up. She’ll see you and Sniff any minute now.” Her face sobered. “I’m so very sorry to hear about Jeff. Please give his family our condolences.”

      “Yeah. Thanks.” It hadn’t gotten easier to deal with Jeff’s death, despite the passage of several days.

      “What have you got there?” She gestured to the duffel he’d rested on the floor beside his feet.

      Rick felt the heat rise to his face. “Just stuff,” he mumbled. “So I understand Madison’s taking over from Jane for our dogs.”

      “Uh-huh,” Heather responded. She walked around the reception desk to return to her station.

      Rick leaned on the counter. He wasn’t at all perturbed about Madison’s being late. It gave him СКАЧАТЬ