What the Doctor Orders E-Book

Michelle Love

• Herausgeber: Michelle Love
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

A crash woke me—my kid’s gone, sprinting to her damn pet jungle next door.
I storm over, and there she is—gorgeous, sassy, a vet who’s got my pulse hammering.
I’m the rich doc, rough and ready, not chasing love, but she’s got me snarling for more. We’re solid—pizza, a mutt, Christmas plans—until my ex barges back, whining for us.
She ditched us; I’m done. This woman’s my fit, me and Eli’s rock.
She’s pulling back, spooked, but I don’t flinch.
Holiday’s here, and I’m not playing nice—I’ll haul her close and keep her, ex be damned.
No one’s stealing this win.

Keywords: Guaranteed HEA, no cliffhangers, happily ever after. billionaire, bad boy, office romance, steamy romance, contemporary romance, love books, love stories, new adult, alpha male, romance, action, adventure, steamy romance, small-town secrets, hot, alpha hero. free book, free novels, romantic novels, and sexually romantic books.

Leseprobe

WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERS

A SINGLE DADDY DOCTOR ROMANCE

MICHELLE LOVE

IVY WONDER

SAVED BY THE DOCTOR TWO

CONTENTS

Blurb

1. Harman

2. Rebel

3. Harman

4. Rebel

5. Harman

6. Rebel

7. Harman

8. Rebel

9. Harman

10. Rebel

11. Harman

12. Rebel

13. Harman

14. Rebel

15. Harman

16. Rebel

17. Harman

18. Rebel

19. Harman

20. Rebel

21. Harman

22. Rebel

23. Harman

24. Rebel

25. Harman

26. Rebel

27. Harman

28. Rebel

29. Harman

30. Rebel

The Doctor’s Nanny

Sneak Peek - Chapter One

Do you like FREEBIE Romance books?

Copyright © 2022 by Michelle Love & Ivy Wonder

All Rights Reserved

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights are reserved.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

BLURB

I'm the doctor they warned you about.

And I've got the cure to fulfill every desire your body craves!

Falling for my beautiful next-door neighbor wasn't part of my plan.

Dr. Rebel is a cute, single veterinarian who loves animals just like my son.

And He adores spending time with her.

She's the first woman I've dated since my ex left me for another man.

Her excuse for leaving was that she wasn't ready for a family.

She was 18, and I was 20 when she got accidentally pregnant.

When she left, I wished I never had to see her again, but my boy loves her.

And he needs her in his life.

After spending time with Rebel, we gave ourselves a chance at love.

And just when we hit it off, my ex decides to come back into our life again.

I only wanted to give my son a family again.

But I never thought I would need to end things with the woman I love.

1

HARMAN

“Morning, Skye. How’re you feeling?”

Seeing a sick or injured child’s eyes open after surgery always fills me with something that nothing else can. There are definitely some perks to being a pediatric surgeon.

His mother and father flanked me on either side as I checked in on their son after removing a bullet that had lodged near his spinal cord. Both doctors themselves, they knew how dangerous the surgery had been.

Doctor Dawson, the boy’s father, moved forward, running his hand over his look-alike son’s dark brow. “I know it hurts to talk. Nod if you’re feeling okay.”

The boy’s head moved a tiny bit—definitely better than nothing. “Good. You might not feel great right now, but you’ll feel better every day, Skye.” I turned to face his mother next. Having a son myself, I knew how hard this had to be for them. “He’s going to be okay, Doctor Storey. The operation wasn’t difficult. The hardest part now will be the recovery, both physical and emotional, after the horrible ordeal you’ve all been through.”

Doctor Storey’s auburn curls bounced around her shoulders as she nodded. “I’ve already got a therapist lined up. She’ll be seeing Skye as soon as he can talk. I don’t want this to damage him any deeper than it has to.”

As I placed my hand on her shoulder, I felt my cell buzzing in my pocket. “I’ll leave you guys alone. I’ll come back later to check on him.”

“Thanks, Doctor Hunter.” The poor child’s mother went to stand on the other side of her son, her face suffused with gratitude for his survival.

I had no idea what I’d do if I’d been in their position—if my son had been kidnapped and shot. All three of them had been wounded by gunshot, yet somehow, the mother and father had rallied enough strength from somewhere to stand there beside their little boy. In my line of work, I saw proof of how powerful mind over matter could be all the time. It never ever stopped short of amazing me.

I left the family behind and took my phone out as I walked out of the hospital room. “Tara? Damn. What does she want?” I mumbled to myself as I saw my ex-wife’s name. Swiping the screen, I answered the call, bracing myself for what I knew would most likely be an enraging call. “Tara, what’s up? You still picking up Eli around six tonight?”

“I can’t,” my ex said on the other end. I’d become used to hearing those words coming out of her mouth in the last two years since we’d divorced. “I’ve got plans that just came up.”

“And they are?” I walked toward my office, needing some time to myself to process what the woman would tell me, and to figure out a way to let our son down yet again.

“Well, not that it’s any of your business, but some of my girlfriends from the boutique want to take me out on the town tonight. To help get over the breakup.”

“Get over?” She’d been dating this one guy for a little over six months—the longest relationship she’d had since our divorce. “You and Dale broke up?”

“He just wasn’t meeting my needs.” Tara had more than a handful of needs. I doubted anyone could meet them all. “You know what I mean, right?”

“Sure.” No one knew better than I how much the woman needed. “But I think you should spend this weekend with your son, and not on a drunken binge with those two giraffes who work for you at the boutique.”

“I need this, Harman. You have no idea how swamped I’ve been with work this week.” I doubted she’d personally lifted a perfectly manicured, fake-nailed finger at the shop. I’d bought the store for her as part of our divorce settlement, in the hopes that she could make some money on her own for a change. I knew that being hands-on had never been her style. “I had a sale on everything leopard print. It’s time to let that look go to make room for the next hot thing, which is elephant prints, by the way.”

That sounded hideous. “Do you know what kind of week I’ve had, Tara? Three tonsillectomies, two appendectomies, and I just had to remove a bullet from way too close to a little kid’s spine…”

She laughed as she added, “And a partridge in a pear tree. Come on, Harman, you’re used to doing those things. You actually love your work. I merely tolerate mine.”

She’d begged for that damn shop. “You should love it. You gave me little choice but to fork over all the money you needed to make it work. See, Tara, that’s one of your problems.” She had so many they needed counting, but I didn’t have the time for that. “You spend so much time focusing on the next thing you want, and then when you get it, you can’t seem to focus on how happy it’s made you. All you can do is find this thing and that thing wrong with it before you want to move onto something else.”

“I’m so glad you brought that up, Harman,” she sounded relieved for some reason. “I have such a great idea; I want to sell the boutique and buy a bar. Not just any bar, either. My bar will be like the hottest place in the city and everyone will totes want to go there.”

Tara had always been shallow. After hiring a couple of girls in their young twenties to help out at her shop, it had just gotten worse. Now she tried to be hip and trendy—and it annoyed me to no end. “Tara, try to act your age. You’re approaching thirty, you’re not twenty-one anymore like the girls you hang out with. And need I remind you that you’re also the mother of an eight-year-old boy? That boy looks up to you. Don’t you want to be a good role model for your son?”

“Me?” she scoffed. “Why do I need to do that when he has you, Harman. You’re a pediatric surgeon, his Little League coach, and a billionaire to boot. That’s enough to make you like a superhero or something to our son.” She’d always thought that my accomplishments made up for her own shortcomings. “Just let me have this weekend to get over my loss of Dale, and I’ll take one of your weekends when you have something you want to do. So like, ten years from now?” She laughed at her own lame joke as if the thought of me having plans was just too funny to think about.

Sure, I hadn’t gone out much since the divorce—I was hard pressed to think of even one time I’d gone out in the last two years when it came down to it. But frankly, I had serious doubts about bringing any other woman around my son. I wanted to make sure any woman involved in my son’s life was someone I could love and trust, and that was pretty difficult considering the fact that I’d never been in love before. Not even with the woman I’d married.

I’d met Tara at a nightclub nine years ago. With her long, shiny auburn hair, sleek legs, and tiny physique, she’d caught my eye. When I got close enough to really see her, I thought the light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose was cute. Foolishly, I thought her looks meant she was down to earth. I’d been wrong.

I’d also been wrong to assume the girl I’d asked to dance was over the age of twenty-one. We were at a nightclub for adults, after all. And I’d also been really wrong to have so much to drink. That lack in judgment had resulted in me being led by a girl I’d just met into the bathroom, where we’d proceeded to get it on—a thing that was totally out of character for me. I’d blamed the pink shots she’d kept making me buy for that poor decision.

Afterward, I could’ve just left her without so much as a goodbye, but I was a nice guy—for the most part. I’d given her my number and told her I’d had fun, and maybe we could do that again sometime.

Tara had taken the napkin I’d written my number on, folded it up neatly then tucked it under her drink while saying, “Thanks, I had fun, too. But you’re really not my type. You’re kind of…old.”

I’d only been twenty-five and had assumed she was about that age as well. “Old? Since when is twenty-five considered old?”

“Ew!” she’d whined. “That old? I thought you were maybe twenty-three at the oldest. Yuck!”

“Yuck? If you didn’t find me attractive, then why’d you go into that bathroom with me and do everything you’d done in there?” The girl had sucked me off before climbing onto my lap and riding me like a bucking bull.

“I mean, you’re cute.” She bit her bright-red lower lip. “And your body is like rock-hard, too.” Her hands floated through the air as she ran them in front of me. I was wearing dress pants and a nice button-up, as I’d come from an event at the hospital I was doing my internship. “But you’ve got, like workingman’s clothes on.”

“And that disgusts you?” I couldn’t figure her out at all.

Nodding, she went on, “Yeah. I want a college man. I’m not into some man-man, ya know?”

“Like a grown-ass man,” I said with a nod, then ran my hand through my hair, feeling a little embarrassed that I’d actually screwed the girl before I’d even had a real conversation with her. “I’ll get out of your way, so you can find yourself a little boy, then. I didn’t realize you weren’t into grown men.” Her immaturity had me asking, almost as an after-thought, “How old are you, anyway?”

“Nineteen.” She waved at a couple of girls who looked way older than she apparently was. “They got me into the club. They’re my older brother’s friends.”

“Great.” The regret didn’t seem to end. It only got worse.

Three months later, I was sitting at the same bar, a beer in my hand after a particularly hard day—I’d observed a surgery where the doctor I’d shadowed had lost a little nine-year-old girl. “Hit me with a shot of Jack, will ya, Harvey?” The beer wasn’t even coming close to cutting the pain down.

The front door opened and a bit of light streamed in. I held my hand over my eyes like a vampire who’d be burnt by the sun’s rays. “Thank God. I thought I’d never find you.” When I opened my eyes at those words, I found Tara standing in the doorway and looking my way—only I’d forgotten her name at that time.

“Great.” Talking to her had been the last thing I’d wanted to do. I took a long drink of my beer as the bartender placed the shot in front of me.

She pointed at the drink. “You should take that shot before you hear what I’ve got to tell you.”

I remember thinking that whatever she had to tell me couldn’t possibly make my day worse, but I followed her advice anyway. After pouring the searing hot liquor down my throat, I said, “Hit me.”

Lifting her shirt, she ran her hand over the slightest little paunch on her otherwise flat stomach. “You’re going to be a father. I lost your number and I’d forgotten your name.”

My eyes were glued to that little bump and then they slowly crawled up her body, landing on her face. It was an okay face. Not the most gorgeous, but also not the ugliest I’d ever seen. Then I looked at the bartender, who’d become a statue as he looked at the girl with his mouth agape.

Chewing my lower lip, I weighed my options. Option one: give the chick a false name and leave Seattle for good. Option two: jump up and run like hell until I couldn’t run anymore. Or option three: do the right thing—the way I’d been taught to.

Somewhere along the line in the next ten minutes, I went with my gut. “My name’s Harman Hunter. And I’ve forgotten your name, too.”

“Tara Flannigan.” She finally put her shirt down. “My father would like to talk to you outside if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, shit,” Harvey hissed.

I tended to agree with the bartender. “Yep.” But I’d gotten up and faced the consequences of my actions like a real man. I’d married that girl and became the best husband and father I could be. And for six years, that’d been enough for Tara. Then when it wasn’t anymore, she’d left. And not just me, but she’d left our son behind, too.

Her question pulled me out of my reverie, “Harman, so is it a go?”

“What?” I didn’t fully understand her. “The bar, or the not-picking-up-Eli thing?”

“Well, for now, the not-picking-up-Eli thing,” she clarified.

What else could I say? If I made her take him, then I had no idea what she’d do with him when she went out. Because she would still go out. “I’ll come up with some excuse for you. Just try to think about being around more for your kid, okay?”

“Sure.” She waited a beat. “And the bar?”

“Leave me out of that, please.” I ended the call, wishing for the millionth time that I’d just worn a condom that fateful night. But then—as always—I took the wish back. I had no idea what I would do without my son. I loved that kid to the moon and back.

Though I’d made a lot of crappy decisions in my life, I could never think of my son as a mistake.

2

REBEL

That moment I stumbled upon the beautiful early twentieth-century carriage house for sale in the prestigious Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, I knew it was mine. I am so damn proud of myself. It had been a hard few years, working to save enough money to make a down payment on a home, but after seeing the three-bedroom, two-bath, 2,000-square foot home, I knew it’d been worth it.

My first home!

If anyone had asked me back in the day if I’d be buying my own home at the tender age of twenty-five, I would’ve laughed until I cried. But there I was, doing just that.

The carriage house belonged to an estate that had just been inherited by a young woman who wanted to update the accompanying nineteenth-century mansion completely. The carriage house didn’t fit into her scheme, so she sold it for a ridiculously low amount. Somehow, I’d been lucky enough to be one of the first to hear about it.

I’d been the vet on duty when a wounded pug came into the clinic after stepping on some glass during the demolition stage of the renovation. Beverly Song had inherited the place, and she and her three puppies were staying in the west wing while work began on the east side of the home. Poor little Pepper Pug had wandered over to the wrong side of the house and had gotten himself into trouble.

His unfortunate accident proved to be my great fortune as his owner told me all about the carriage house that just didn’t fit into her plans. She’d already had a stone wall built around the back portion of the house to separate it permanently from her view. And she was just about to put it on the market.

No one else even had the chance to look at the place, as I’d called dibs immediately after she’d revealed the low price. I moved in only two short months later.

I had my furniture delivered and set up and then I got straight to working on my backyard. As a veterinarian, I liked to have animals around me all the time and living in an apartment hadn’t allowed me to have any animals at all. Having my own home meant I could have anything I wanted—and I wanted to make sure I had things ready when I found my little pet guests.

Setting up some cages for various small animals, I also wanted to put up a kennel or two for any dogs I might find who needed help—or maybe even a new permanent home. But the kennel proved a bit hard to set up on my own, and I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.

“Hi, lady. You need some help?” I looked over my shoulder at the sound of a young boy’s voice and found a kid in my backyard.

Brushing my hands over my jeans to clean them, I offered the kid a handshake. “Hi, I’m Rebel Saxe. Doctor Rebel Saxe. I’m a veterinarian—an animal doctor. What’s your name?”

He shook my hand as he blew a chunk of thick auburn hair out of his dark-green eyes. “I’m Eli Hunter. My dad’s a doctor, too. But he operates on little kids. So, are you going to have animals back here, Miss Saxe?”

I didn’t much like having kids call me by my last name; it always made me feel old. “You can call me Rebel, Eli. And yes, I’m going to have all sorts of animals back here. Some will just be stopping by to recuperate here before going back into the wild, and some will be waiting for homes. Some will probably stay here forever with me, though.”

“Cool.” His eyes popped out of his head as he looked around the large yard. Then he wrinkled his little freckled nose. “How’re you gonna take care of them all?”

“I don’t know.” He’d hit a point I hadn’t taken a look at yet. I knew I had more cages and space set up than my free time would allow. “I suppose I’ll just have to make time for them, won’t I?”

“I could help ya.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans, grinning up at me. “I live right next door, and I’m not busy most of the time. I could help ya. I like animals—even though I don’t have none yet.”

The place next door was an enormous and gorgeous estate with a monstrous house. I expected the boy came from a rich family who might not want him working at all. “I’d love your help, but what will your parents think about that?”

“Dad wouldn’t care. He likes helping people; he always tells me I should, too.” He followed my gaze, looking toward his house. “We weren’t always this rich, you know.”

I didn’t think it was right to be getting into the family’s finances with this little boy. “Oh, you don’t have to explain anything to me.”

“No, I want to!” Eli brushed his hair back with all the impatience of a kid his age, as that pesky chunk had fallen back into his eyes. “Dad saved this little girl’s life a couple years ago, and her dad had lots of money. He gave my dad a bunch of it, and Dad made something he called ‘vestments,’ and now he’s got billions and billions. So he bought us a fancy house, and he’s got more cars than I can count.”

“How nice for your family.” I smiled at his enthusiasm as he told the story and at what I thought must’ve been a couple of exaggerations. It also floated across my mind how nice it would be to save a rich person’s pet and get the same type of gift. Though I was happy enough to have saved a rich person’s pet and gotten a great deal on a house.

“Yeah, it is pretty nice being rich. I ‘member I used to have to wait for my birthday or Christmas to get ‘spensive things. Now, I just tell Dad what I want, and most of the time he gets it for me. But sometimes he don’t. Sometimes he says I should wait for a special occasion. Like, I been askin’ for a dog for a while now, and he keeps saying, ‘let’s wait on that, Little Buddy.’ He calls me his little buddy on account of I am his buddy. We do lots of things together. I think I might be his best friend.”

I thought that sounded sweet. His energetic rambling was infectious. “And is he your best friend, Eli?”

Shaking his head, he said, “Nah. I like playing with Jason from my class. I’m in the second grade this year, and we sit next to each other. He’s funny and makes me laugh a lot, so that makes him my best friend.”

“I’m sure your father doesn’t mind sharing you with him.” I looked back at my half-made kennel and thought the boy might be of some help. “I could sure use another set of hands if you’re not too busy to help me out for a minute.”

The smile that broke out over his face told me that was just what he’d been hoping to hear. “Sure, Rebel! I can help.”

“If you can hold this metal piece right here, then I can pull the wire straight and attach it to the other one I’ve managed to get set up.” I pulled on my end while he held fast to his and in no time we’d put the kennel up.

Standing back, we both had smiles on our faces. “We did it, Rebel!”

The kid deserved something for his hard work. “I think this calls for a celebration. I’ve got cookies and milk inside. You want me to grab us some?” I nodded toward the small outdoor table and chairs. “If you’ll have a seat, I’ll bring them out. I doubt your parents would approve of you going into a stranger’s house.”

“I bet you’re right.” He said as he walked over to the table and sat down. “My dad might get upset with me.”

I noticed he’d only spoken about his father. “And what about your mother?” I felt bad about prying, but figured I was hardly the first person in the world who wanted to get to know her neighbors.

“She wouldn’t find out, not with her being all the way over at her house.” Sliding into the chair, I noticed a frown on his face. “She was supposed to get me for this weekend, but she called Dad and said she can’t make it. She’s working at her shop.”

The disappointment in his face tore at my heart. “Well, I’m sure she’s very busy, or else she would’ve picked you up.”

“She mostly doesn’t,” he said as he looked at the table, running his finger over the floral design. “I haven’t seen her in lots of days. I talk to her every day on my cell phone, though.” He pulled it out of his pocket. “Dad gave me this when Mom left. He told me I could talk to her as much as I wanted to with this phone.”

“He sounds like a great dad.” Though I knew nothing else about the man, it was clear he did the best he could with his son.

“Yeah, he’s pretty good.” He looked at the French doors that led into the back of my new house. “Can I have water ‘stead of milk? I’m lactose intolerant, and milk gives me the squirty poops.”

A laugh burst out of me. “Sorry, that’s rude of me. Sure, I’ll get you water instead. I’ll be right back.”

As I grabbed the box of cookies and a couple bottles of water, I wondered about the kid’s life. Sure, they had a great place to live, and it sounded like his dad had a great job, but what kind of family life did the boy have?

When I went back outside, I put some napkins down, then handed him a bottle of water. “Here you go, Eli.” I took a seat, then opened the box of cookies. “I sure feel lucky to have met you.”

“I feel lucky, too.” He took a bite of the cookie. “Yum. Did you make these homemade, Rebel?”

“No. A girl at work gave them to me this afternoon before I left the clinic. She thought I should have something to munch on while I moved into my home.” I looked around my backyard and my heart swelled full of emotion. “This is the very first house I’ve bought on my own.” Looking back at him, I tousled his hair. “Sure am glad to have a great neighbor like you, Eli. I think we’ll be great friends.”

“I think so, too.” He smiled at me, showing off his missing front tooth before he looked down and tried to get the lid off the water.

Reaching over, I unscrewed it for him. “There ya go.”

“Thanks.” He took a drink. “Maybe, since we live next to an animal doctor now, my dad will let me get a dog.”

“Well, even if he doesn’t, you can always come over here and play with the animals I’ll have here—especially if you’re going to help me out some.” I thought I should make him a definite deal. “How about I pay you twenty dollars a week to come over here every evening when I get home from work? You can help me feed the animals—it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes—and then you could play with them if you’d like.”

“I’ve gotta ask my dad, but my answer is yes!” His bright green eyes shone as he grinned. “He’ll probably want to come over to meet you.”

Pushing my hand through my hair, I hoped I didn’t look too much a mess after the work I’d done, and I wondered about the boy’s father. “Well, if he’s busy, we can meet another time.” If he were busy, I’d get a chance to clean myself up before meeting the man.

“Nah, he’s not busy at all. He was working out in the gym at our house. He does that a lot.” He took out his cell and made the call.

I sat there picturing what a man who worked out a lot in his home gym must look like. Then I ran my hand through my hair again. “I’m just gonna pop into my house for a sec. You wait here, okay?”

He nodded as I headed inside to freshen up a little. Meeting anyone new while wearing a sweaty t-shirt and cut-off shorts was not ideal, and it definitely wasn’t the way I wanted to introduce myself to any of my new neighbors. You only get one chance at a first impression, after all.

3

HARMAN

The ringing of my cell signaled the end of my workout. Wiping the sweat off my face, I walked over to check the caller and found it was my son, Eli. Last I’d seen, he’d been in the foyer, watching something out the front window. “Hey, Eli. What’s up?”

“Dad, I’m over at the new neighbor’s house. The little one in front of the big one that weird lady is making into a big mess—you know the one, right?” he asked.

Alarm bells immediately started clanging in my head. My son was way too trusting. “First, why did you leave our place without telling me? Second, what are you doing, going to stranger’s houses? Third, why are you calling me when you know you should be getting your backside home?”

“She’s nice, Dad,” he told me. “She’s a vet—you know, an animal doctor. And she wants to give me a job.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Eli.” He was just a little boy, who would want to put him to work? And what kind of job could he do for anyone? “Come on home, son.”

“Dad, just come meet her, and then you’ll see it’s going to be great for me,” he sounded enthusiastic. “Come on. Please, Dad.”

That little pleading voice always got to me. And I’d been meaning to introduce myself to the new neighbor anyway. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

The woman who’d inherited the house next to ours had been doing all kinds of renovations and downright demolishing other structures on the property. The rock wall behind the carriage house had gone up not too long ago, for what I now realized must have been to separate the two houses and properties. It sounded like some retired veterinarian—maybe an old widow—had moved into the place. Perhaps she wanted Eli to help feed her cats or something. I supposed it wouldn’t hurt anything for him to help out the elderly a bit.

Jogging out the door, I figured I’d do a little cool-down from my workout while heading over to the place. I didn’t bother changing out of my workout clothes, thinking this would be a short visit. I’d say hello, tell her it was nice to meet her. Let her know, sure, Eli could feed her cats, and then it’d be goodbye. No need to change clothes for that.

I saw Eli standing in the front yard when I got out onto the street. He waved his arms real big, as if there was any chance I couldn’t see him standing there. “Over here, Dad.”

“I see you.” I chuckled as I jogged up to him. “So, where is she?”

“Come on, she’s around back. Or she will be.” He led me around the side of the house. “She went inside for a minute. She’ll be right back.”

I saw a few cages and a kennel in the backyard. “Looks like she’s going to have quite a few animals back here. Are you sure you can handle being responsible for her pets, Eli?”

“She’s gonna be ‘sponsible for them, too, Dad.” He pointed at the double French doors at the back of the house. “There she is.”

Looking up, I caught sight of a very lovely brunette coming our way. Faded blue jeans hugged her legs, showing off some pretty great assets. Her tight t-shirt clung to what I figured were D cups, at least. And that smile she wore—that smile alone could light up the dark quite easily.

“Hi.” She extended her hand. “I’m Doctor Rebel Saxe.”

Shaking her hand, I nearly forgot my own name, “I…um, I’m—”

“This is my dad,” Eli saved the day. “His name’s Harman.”

Moving her hand out of mine, she gestured to a small outdoor table. “Care for some cookies, Harman?”

My tongue felt like it weighed a ton, and my brain didn’t seem to be working at all. But it did manage to make my feet work, walking me over to the table and chairs she’d pointed to. We all sat down, and Eli took over. “So, Dad, Rebel wants me to help her out, and she’s gonna pay me twenty bucks a week!”

That jarred me back to reality and had me shaking my head. I didn’t think she needed to pay him. “No. That’s okay.”

Rebel’s pretty blue eyes—eyes the color of a bluebird’s wings—went to Eli. “I’m sorry, sport. But if your dad doesn’t want you to do this, then that’s that.”

That wasn’t that at all. “No. I mean you don’t have to pay him. It’s the neighborly thing to do, right?”

Now she shook her head. “I can’t let him work for free.” She looked at me with a smile. “Your son told me you’re a doctor. He said you work with kids.”

“Yeah, I’m a pediatric surgeon at Saint Christopher’s General Hospital.” Finally, my brain was thawing out. “And he said you’re a vet. Where is it you work?”

“I work over at A Place for Paws Clinic.” She looked at Eli. “Your son’s been telling me how much he’s been wanting a dog of his own. I figure he’ll enjoy helping me with the animals I bring home.”

“I see.” I looked at my son and wondered when he got to be such a chatterbox. “Well, you can’t have a dog of your own. Not yet. But if you prove to me that you can be responsible for animals, that’ll be a big feather in your cap.”

Eli jumped up and clapped his hands, and I found myself smiling. I hadn’t seen him that happy in a very long time. “Thanks, Dad!” He pointed at the kennel. “I helped Rebel put that up already. I can be a big help to her.”

Looking back at the young woman, I couldn’t help but wonder why my son had been the one to help her out. “Did you move into this place all on your own?”

Nodding, she leaned back in her chair then picked up a bottle of water off the table. “This is my first home.”

“Seems you’re quite accomplished. A vet and a home owner, and you can’t be more than what? Twenty-four?” It seemed she was a driven young woman. “That’s something to be proud of.”

Her cheeks went pink with a blush. It didn’t look like she wore any makeup at all, and yet she still looked radiant. “I’m twenty-five, actually, and I’m a little bit of an overachiever. My mother started homeschooling me because I got bored in regular classes. They went too slow for me. I graduated high school when I was only fifteen. Then I went to college. And college courses, I liked. Not long into that, I found a calling in the veterinarian world, and now I’m here—a real vet with my own home. Feels like all my dreams have come true.”

“Impressive.” I wasn’t just blowing smoke either—the woman really had impressed me. “I think Eli working with you is a great idea. It seems like you’d be a great role model for him.”

She looked at Eli with affection in her eyes—clearly she didn’t only have a soft spot for animals, but for nosy eight-year-olds, too. “He’s a great kid, from what I can see so far. It would be my pleasure to get to spend time with him.” Reaching over, she tousled his hair. “I’ll teach you all kinds of things about animals, Eli. It’ll be fun.”

“I think so, too!” Eli looked at me. “I’m glad Mom didn’t come get me this weekend. Rebel might’ve given the job to another kid, and I would’ve missed out.”

I looked down, not really wanting to discuss my mess of an ex in front of our new neighbor. A woman like her, one who looked like she had it all going on, would never have time for something as messy as my life.

Rebel waded into the depths of my complicated relationship anyway. “Eli, I don’t want you turning down spending time with your mother just to help me.” She darted a quick glance my way, as if to gauge my reaction. “It’s important to make time for the people you love.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Eli looked at me. We both knew that his mother was the one who wasn’t making the time for him, not the other way around, as Rebel implied. “Maybe you should tell Mom what Rebel said. Maybe then she’ll see how important I am.”

Putting my hand on his shoulder, I looked him in the eyes. “You are important to her, Eli. Don’t let it get into your head that you’re not. She’s just very busy with her business.” Sure, it was a lie, but someone had to safeguard the poor kid from his mother’s neglect.

Rebel gently put her hand on his other shoulder. “See, I told you she must be very, very busy to have missed out on spending time with you.”

Seemed my kid had told the woman a hell of a lot personal information. “Yes, Tara’s a very busy woman,” I tried to make it sound legitimate. “She owns a boutique, and she’s only had it for about a year. It takes a lot of time to get something like that going strong. She’s only getting alimony for eight more years, so she has to find some way to support herself before that time runs out.”

Rebel nodded. “Well, I hope she has good luck with that. I’m sure running a business isn’t easy. It’s not something I’d like to do. Not yet, anyway.”

Eli’s expression told me he didn’t think his mother was working all that hard. “Well, maybe she works harder when I’m not around. Whenever I go to the store, she just talks on the phone the whole time.”

Rebel looked at me briefly before her eyes returned to Eli. “You know, with a job like hers, she probably has to be on the phone a lot. She has to order things for her shop and everything. We have to do that at the clinic sometimes, and we hardly sell any products at all.”

I had to hand it to the woman, she was certainly trying her best to make Tara sound good. I knew that was not the case, but I appreciated that she was looking out for my son’s feelings.

Wanting nothing more than to get off the subject of my son’s mother, I asked, “So do you specialize in any specific field of veterinary medicine, Rebel?”

“I do.” Her face glowed, and I could tell she had a passion for her work. “I’ve got a thing for miniature animals. Not that I agree with the breeding practices that make them, but I do believe that people need to have a better understanding of these breeds than they currently do. There are so many problems with miniatures—from digestion, to breathing, and even eyesight and hearing. I’m working to develop ways to help these tiny creatures live better lives.”

Eli seemed pumped about that. “So, a lot of the animals you’ll be bringing home are gonna be tiny?”

“Most will be, yes.” She beamed at him. “Do you like little animals?”

“Who doesn’t?” Eli got up and went to one of the small cages. “So, what kind of animal can fit into this cage?”

“All kinds. We could have some baby skunks or possums that have been left alone after something happens to their mothers, or maybe some piglets. Those things are all the rage right now.”

Looking at the kennel, I had to ask as curiosity bid me. “You could fit one of those mini ponies in that thing, couldn’t you?”

“I could.” She nodded. “But I don’t like to keep animals of that sort in such small enclosures. I don’t think I’ve got enough room here to take in any of those types of animals anyway.”

“Yeah,” I said as I looked around at the posh neighborhood. “Barnyard animals might not be welcomed around here.”

“Most likely not.” Rebel looked at the rock wall at the back of her yard. “I don’t think Beverly Song would like that, either. She’s got some definite opinions of what she wants to see and doesn’t want to see, and I’m not trying to make her mad. I never in a million years thought I’d be living in the Queen Anne neighborhood. I don’t want to be run out of here for having a bunch of noisy, smelly animals.”

I’d only lived in the place a little under two years, so I understood what she meant. “Wait until your first HOA meeting. They really know how to throw a party around here. Caviar and champagne are staples at those things.”

Eli put his finger in his mouth, mock-gagging. “Yuck.”

“I’m with you. I hate both those nasty things,” Rebel agreed.

“So, no champagne for you then, Rebel?” I figured her for a fancy cocktail drinker.

“No, thank you. When I do drink, I prefer Jack and Coke.”

Now that’s my kind of girl.

4

REBEL

The man sitting across the table didn’t look anything like his son. Harman had sandy blonde hair and green eyes, but his weren’t anywhere near the dark shade of Eli’s. Harman’s were more like a sea-green—kind of dreamy—sexy, even.

He’d come over wearing loose-fitting black shorts and a t-shirt with the arms cut out. Even if Eli hadn’t already clued me in, it would’ve been obvious that Harman had just come from his workout—his tanned skin still glowed from the sweat he’d worked up.

Every visible muscle was toned and perfectly formed. From his shoulders to his ankles, it was clear that the man took care of his body.

I wasn’t the kind to work out in a gym. I got the majority of my exercise at work, lifting heavy animals and chasing after runaway pets whenever necessary.

“Speaking of the neighborhood, there’s a sweet place to run a few blocks over.” Harman jerked his head in the direction he meant. “I could show you sometime if you’d like. It’s well-lit and perfect for early morning runs.”

“Do you usually run in the mornings?” I barely made it out of bed and to the shower before going to work.

“Every day that it’s not raining—which, in Seattle, isn’t often. That’s why I have the home gym.” He looked in the direction of his place. “You’re welcome to work out in it any time you want. I’ll leave your name with the maid, and she’ll let you in whenever you want.”

“That’s very nice of you.” It seemed I was getting off on the right foot with my neighbor, but I wasn’t sure if I we were quite on those terms yet. “I wouldn’t want to go into your home when you’re not there, though. And to be honest, I don’t exercise much, other than what I do at work. Which is a lot.”

“Well, the morning run then?” he asked, seeming hopeful.

“The only running I do in the morning is to the coffee maker before running to get into a hot shower.” I knew I sounded lazy, but it was the truth.

Still trying to get me on the exercise train, he put in another offer. “Well, Eli and I have a little nightly routine you might enjoy.”

Eli clapped and hopped up and down. “Oh, yeah! Me and Dad swim in the indoor pool every night at eight o’clock on the dot. We have races and do laps around the big pool. You could come!”

Harman added, “It does wonders for a good night’s rest.” His smile—and the image of him in a bathing suit—did things to me that were dangerous. “I could leave the golf cart at the gate for you if you don’t want to walk all that way.”

“How generous of you both.” I didn’t know what to say. It felt rude to turn down everything they offered. “I suppose I’d like to give that a try. It sounds like it would be a great way to wind down after a long day. How long do you guys swim for, anyway?”

“An hour,” Harman told me.

My mouth dropped open. “You swim—nonstop—for an entire hour?”

He nodded as Eli shouted, “Sure we do! And then we get out, take a quick shower and get into bed, and I fall right to sleep almost ‘mediately too.”

“You both sound like pros.” I knew I could never keep up with either of them. It surprised me that little Eli could even keep up with his dad. “Do you always exercise with your dad?”

“Nah. He won’t let me lift weights and stuff yet. He says it’ll stunt my growth. But I run with him sometimes on the weekends. He gets up too early for me to go with him on school days.” Eli walked around to pat his dad on the back. “Plus, his legs are longer, so he runs faster than me. I slow him down when I go with him.”

“I don’t mind, Little Buddy.” Harman ran his hand through his son’s thick auburn hair. “We need to stop and see the barber Monday on our way home from school. I hadn’t realized how shaggy you’ve gotten.”

“I could give him a trim.” I’d taken some cosmetology classes in college before setting my sights on veterinary school, but then remembered that I hadn’t finished unpacking yet. “After I unpack tomorrow, that is. I keep forgetting about all the work I need to do inside.”

“And we’re getting in your way of that,” Harman said a little sheepishly. “I’m sorry. We’ll get out of your hair, Rebel.”

“Actually, I needed to take a break anyway.” I’d worked hard for several hours, and if Eli hadn’t come by, I would’ve worked right through dinner without even eating. “There’s no rush to leave. I won’t be getting back to work until after dinner anyway. I keep trying to remind myself that I’ve got the entire weekend to get everything put away. No reason to hurry and wear myself out completely.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t swim tonight then,” Eli said, thoughtfully. “That might be too much for you, Rebel.”

I laughed as I looked at Harman. “He’s such a sweet kid. You’ve raised him well.”

“Thanks.” Harman looked at his son out of the corner of his eyes, and I could see it written all over his handsome face. He felt sad about something.

My bets were on the absent mother and how she’d let down their son. “Would you like a bottle of water, Harman?”

He turned his head and smiled at me. “I’d actually love one. I should’ve grabbed one before leaving the house but didn’t count on hanging out here so long.”

Eli was standing beside his dad and quickly offered to get that sorted. “I’ll get him one. Can I go inside your house, Rebel?”

“Yep. The kitchen is right there, and the water is in the fridge. Ignore the cluttered countertops, please.” I’d yet to put the kitchen stuff away.

“Sure.” He took off, and I found Harman looking at him as he went.

“So, wanna tell me about your ex?” I wasn’t usually so nosy, but it felt like the elephant in the room at that point. I figured I might as well open that door, knowing that he likely wouldn’t, even though a certain amount of sadness radiated off him.

“Is it that obvious?” he chuckled. “Am I that guy now? The one who everyone can tell is having a hard time with his life?”

“You most likely don’t radiate it as much as you are right now, around your son.” I hoped that softened the blow. “You’re hurting for that boy, I can tell.”

“His mother wasn’t ever the greatest, but she did try to be motherly and do things for him while we were together.” He leaned back in the chair, then looked up. “She was young when we married. Nineteen, to be exact. And pregnant. And we weren’t in love at all.”

“A shotgun wedding?” I had to ask. “People still do that sort of thing?”

“In my family we did. I was brought up to know what it means to take care of the people in my life.” He looked at me. “You know…do what’s right?”

“So, she got pregnant, and you did what was right.” It was respectable, even if it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. “And how old were you?”

“Twenty-five.” He smiled. “Your age now. I’m thirty-three now, just so you know.”

I nodded. “I figured you were around that age.” Realizing how that sounded, I got a little flustered. “Not that I was looking that hard at you.”

“I’m sure you weren’t.” He flexed one bicep, and my eyes went straight to it.

We both started laughing. “Okay, maybe I was looking a little. But you’ve got to admit that you’ve built a pretty impressive body there, Doctor Hunter.”

“And he even told you our last name?” he groaned as he shook his head. “I swear I don’t know what’s gotten into that kid. He’s never been so chatty in his life.”

I didn’t know why the boy felt like he could talk to me, but I liked it. “Maybe he’s missing an older female to talk to. How long’s it been since he’s seen his mother? He told me he can’t count all the days it’s been.”

“Shit.” Harman’s head dropped. “I try not to count the days myself. I think it’s been about three weeks.”

“That’s a long time to a little kid,” I remembered the first time I went away to spend a week at my grandparents’ house. “When I was ten, I went away from home for a week. I swear, I thought the whole summer had passed by while I was away. It seemed like forever. I can’t imagine how he feels.”

I saw his shoulders droop at that, and it made me feel awful for what I’d said. The man clearly already felt awful about the situation; he didn’t need me to rub it in.

“I can’t, either,” he confided. “I don’t miss his mother at all. Mostly because our marriage had been over for a long time before she left. Funny how she decided she wanted to end things only after I started making a tidy sum of money.”

“Ah, alimony.” I nodded, understanding how those things could happen. “So, do you look at that like a good side effect of getting that generous gift from your patient’s father or a bad one?”

He lifted his head and our eyes met. “He told you about our financials, too?”

I nodded and had to laugh at his bewildered expression. “Yep. I guess he trusts me for some reason.”

“Wow.” He blinked a few times. “Well, first off, let me say that the money wasn’t an outright gift, and it didn’t happen because of my work. It’s not entirely ethical for physicians to take huge amounts of money from their patients’ families just for doing our jobs, and I wouldn’t have taken it if I could’ve avoided it. But this money was all tied up in investments and stock shares, and I couldn’t exactly refuse it, so I figured I’d make the most of it.

“Now, as for my ex—for me personally, her leaving was good. But for our son, it wasn’t. It’s like she washed her hands of Eli when she washed her hands of me, and he doesn’t deserve that. I did—I didn’t love her. That’s why I haven’t fought her on much of anything since the divorce. She could have Eli any time she wants, but she won’t even take him when the custody papers say she can. I gave him a cell phone, so they could talk as much as they wanted, but she only answers his calls once a day. And those always end with her telling him she’s got work to do and can’t talk to him for longer.”

It sounded like the woman had many faults, but I couldn’t help but empathize with her—it couldn’t have been easy to have a baby so young. Before I could stop myself, I was voicing my opinion. “I’m sure she just doesn’t realize the impact she’s having on your son. Having a baby that young might make a woman feel like she’s missed out on a lot of things. Have you brought her attention to it?”

“I have.” He looked at me with those sad eyes. “She’s not working this weekend. She’s getting drunk with her friends to get over the latest guy she just dumped. I did tell her how important it is to spend time with her son, but she was hell-bent on going. And when that woman sets her mind on something she wants, there’s really no stopping her.”

“Oh, that sounds…rough.” I’d clearly butted in where I didn’t belong. I’d never dealt with family troubles before, and though I wished I could help Eli—that enthusiastic boy deserved to be happy—I was out of my depth. I’d been there for families who had lost a pet or were losing one, but humans losing humans wasn’t my forte. “Perhaps a counselor would help her?” That seemed like some solid advice.

“She won’t go to one.” He smiled weakly. “As a doctor, that was my go-to suggestion. I took Eli to one for a little while when we first separated, but Tara turned any family or individual counseling down flat. I’m not sure who or what could get through to her at this point. I just wish my son could have his mother back. That’s all I really want.”

“If she decided she wanted to come back, would you let her?” It wasn’t my business at all, but I felt the man was getting desperate.

“I might. I might let her come back if it meant she started being there for our son again.” He looked up as Eli came out with the water. “But I don’t want her back for me. I’m over our marriage completely.”

At least he wasn’t pining away for the woman, and I couldn’t say I blamed him for moving on so easily. The man had that—and a whole lot else—going for him.

5

HARMAN

I hadn’t felt so at ease with a woman in a very long time. There was a genuineness to Rebel that just radiated from her. There didn’t seem to be even one fake thing about her. And that seemed to be only one great quality among many about the woman. And it didn’t hurt that she was absolutely gorgeous.

“Dad, here’s your water.” Eli put the bottle in front of me, then took a seat at the table, turning his attention to Rebel after barely glancing my way. “You sure got lots to do in there.”

Nodding, she said, “I do. But I’ve got all weekend to do it. I’m going to go grab something for dinner and eat before I get back to work.” Her eyes moved to mine. “Where’s the best place to get a veggie burger around here?”

And there it was—her one flaw. “You’re a vegetarian?”

“Lord, no.” She laughed, and the way her eyes sparkled made my crotch ache. “It’s just that I’ve found if a place can make something like that taste good, then they usually make one hell of a great burger.”

Relief washed over me. “Well, that’s good to hear. For a second there, I thought we couldn’t be friends.”

Her laughter made me smile, and I felt a little flip in my chest, in an area suspiciously close to my heart. “Vegetarians are off limits, huh?”

Romantically speaking, no one was really off limits unless they didn’t get along with my son. And I had no idea why I was thinking romantically about this woman I’d barely met. I needed to get off the subject.

“There isn’t a good burger place around here. As you can imagine, the people who live around here tend to like things that are a bit more upscale. There are a lot of fancy bistros and cafes, but burgers aren’t really their thing. But I happen to have a chef who can make some pretty good ones. Why don’t you come over and eat dinner with us?”

“Yeah!” Eli shouted, his fist pumping into the air. “Come on, Rebel. I want to show you around our mansion.”

I’d told him not to call our home that. If it’d been up to me, we would be living in something much smaller. But Tara had insisted on the sprawling home, and Eli loved the place so much I couldn’t bring myself to make him move now that Tara’s opinion didn’t matter.

“Eli, it’s just our home. I don’t like you putting on airs like that.” Looking at Rebel, I apologized, “Sorry about that. He’s just a kid who hasn’t always lived this sort of life. It shows on him sometimes.”

“I understand, and I don’t see anything wrong with what he said.” She reached over and patted him on the shoulder. “If I lived in a mansion, I’d be pretty happy about it, too.”

Eli nodded. “We went from a tiny apartment to something that’s bigger than the museum I went to once on a field trip in kindergarten. I think it’s cool. We got a room with a pool table and one with a piano. We don’t know how to play it, but it’s there.”

“The previous owner left a few things behind,” I told her. “So, will you come for dinner?”

“I shouldn’t impose on you like that—not when we’ve just met.” She looked down at her hands in her lap, seeming shy for the first time.

“I don’t know what that means,” Eli said, “but you should come. Please.”

She smiled at the pleading tone of his voice that got to me so easily. “Okay. …if you’re sure. I’d love to join you guys for dinner tonight. And once I get all settled, you two will have to join me for dinner one night and let me cook you my famous lasagna.”

“Deal,” I said quickly, and then pulled out my cell. “Let me text Rene about the burgers, and then we’ll head over.”

Rebel looked toward my place. “Should I take my car? I don’t want to walk home in the dark.”

I thought about how nice it would be to walk her home, to get a little more time with her without Eli tagging along. “I’ll make sure I get you back here safe and sound. There are tons of lights in this neighborhood—you’ll have a hard time finding many shadows around here. I’ll walk you home afterward.”

“How nice of you.” Rebel got up as I stood. “Looks like I’ve found myself a couple of gentlemen. Let me just lock up.”