Read Online I'll Never Let You Go (Morgans of Nashville) by Mary Burton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mary Burton
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out.”
“Great.” She moved to the back room, where they held the boarded animals in large, spacious enclosures. Tracker lay on a blue blanket brought from home. When she peeked in, he looked at her, yawned, and went back to sleep.
“We’ve got six cats today,” Dr. Nelson said.
She pulled off her coat as she moved through the reception area into the back. “Male or female?”
“Half and half.”
She slid on a white lab coat and met the doctor in the surgery. He stood over a large, hissing orange male tabby. The feline had a bent ear and an open wound on his right side. Dr. Nelson lifted the tabby by the scruff of the neck. The cat hissed and spit, but with practiced ease, the doctor lifted a syringe.
“That guy looks like he got into a fight.” Leah grabbed a handful of flesh behind the cat’s neck and watched as the doctor injected the sedative. Within seconds, the cat turned to dead weight.
“Judging by the scars, he’s had a rough go of it.”
She scratched the cat between the ears and smiled as his eyes closed. “We’ll get you patched right up.”
She washed her hands, donned rubber gloves, and laid out instrument trays she’d prepped the day before. The procedures promised to be quick, and if all went according to plan, they’d be done in a few hours.
The cat would be out for two hours, plenty of time to clean and stitch the wound on his side and complete his neutering.
Without thinking, she pushed up her sleeves.
Dr. Nelson adjusted the exam light above the table so he had a better view of the wound. “How’d you get that scar on your arm, Leah?”
She glanced down at the thin white scar expertly stitched by the plastic surgeon. Quickly, she lowered her sleeve and summoned the smile she always used when questions arose. During the winter, turtlenecks and long sleeves kept the questions at bay, but summer shorts and sleeveless blouses meant lots of questions and plenty of opportunities to perfect her story. “Car accident. Happened when I was in college.”
“Must have been bad.”
“Swerved to miss a dog that had gotten off his leash. Hit a tree.” The lie came tripping easily over her lips. For simplicity’s sake, she always stuck to the same story.
He glanced at her over his half glasses as she handed him a threaded suture needle. “An animal lover to the bone.”
“I suppose so.” Some of the twenty-three scars were short and small, barely scratches, while others had been deep and gaping. The one in her belly had been the most damaging. He’d plunged the knife into her gut, lacerating her intestines.
“Gail tells me you had a date last night.”
Leah glanced up, a bit surprised that they’d been talking about her. “Funny thing about the date. I got a text from the hospital telling me there was an emergency. But when I got here, the place was dark. I started to think maybe the text was stuck in the airways.”
Dr. Nelson shook his head as he sewed. “I didn’t send it. Frankly, I’m not sure if I’d know how. Could Gail have sent it?”
“I called, but she hasn’t gotten back to me yet.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. A quirk. Either way, Gail will know.”
“Maybe.” She hadn’t questioned the text too closely at first because it had rescued her from the date and her growing panic attack. But now, she wondered.
The front bell of the clinic rang. Dr. Nelson glanced up at the clock. “Tracker’s uncle. Never misses a visit.”
Alex.
“It’s Sunday.”
“I don’t think the day of the week matters to him. Would you mind getting it while I finish up our little friend here?”
Her nerves tightened. “Sure.”
Leah moved through the hallway toward the main door, and when she pushed open the door to reception saw Alex standing on the other side of the glass door. He wore a dark suit, a white shirt, and a red tie, leaving her to wonder if the man owned any other type of clothing.
She turned the dead bolt and pushed open the
“Great.” She moved to the back room, where they held the boarded animals in large, spacious enclosures. Tracker lay on a blue blanket brought from home. When she peeked in, he looked at her, yawned, and went back to sleep.
“We’ve got six cats today,” Dr. Nelson said.
She pulled off her coat as she moved through the reception area into the back. “Male or female?”
“Half and half.”
She slid on a white lab coat and met the doctor in the surgery. He stood over a large, hissing orange male tabby. The feline had a bent ear and an open wound on his right side. Dr. Nelson lifted the tabby by the scruff of the neck. The cat hissed and spit, but with practiced ease, the doctor lifted a syringe.
“That guy looks like he got into a fight.” Leah grabbed a handful of flesh behind the cat’s neck and watched as the doctor injected the sedative. Within seconds, the cat turned to dead weight.
“Judging by the scars, he’s had a rough go of it.”
She scratched the cat between the ears and smiled as his eyes closed. “We’ll get you patched right up.”
She washed her hands, donned rubber gloves, and laid out instrument trays she’d prepped the day before. The procedures promised to be quick, and if all went according to plan, they’d be done in a few hours.
The cat would be out for two hours, plenty of time to clean and stitch the wound on his side and complete his neutering.
Without thinking, she pushed up her sleeves.
Dr. Nelson adjusted the exam light above the table so he had a better view of the wound. “How’d you get that scar on your arm, Leah?”
She glanced down at the thin white scar expertly stitched by the plastic surgeon. Quickly, she lowered her sleeve and summoned the smile she always used when questions arose. During the winter, turtlenecks and long sleeves kept the questions at bay, but summer shorts and sleeveless blouses meant lots of questions and plenty of opportunities to perfect her story. “Car accident. Happened when I was in college.”
“Must have been bad.”
“Swerved to miss a dog that had gotten off his leash. Hit a tree.” The lie came tripping easily over her lips. For simplicity’s sake, she always stuck to the same story.
He glanced at her over his half glasses as she handed him a threaded suture needle. “An animal lover to the bone.”
“I suppose so.” Some of the twenty-three scars were short and small, barely scratches, while others had been deep and gaping. The one in her belly had been the most damaging. He’d plunged the knife into her gut, lacerating her intestines.
“Gail tells me you had a date last night.”
Leah glanced up, a bit surprised that they’d been talking about her. “Funny thing about the date. I got a text from the hospital telling me there was an emergency. But when I got here, the place was dark. I started to think maybe the text was stuck in the airways.”
Dr. Nelson shook his head as he sewed. “I didn’t send it. Frankly, I’m not sure if I’d know how. Could Gail have sent it?”
“I called, but she hasn’t gotten back to me yet.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. A quirk. Either way, Gail will know.”
“Maybe.” She hadn’t questioned the text too closely at first because it had rescued her from the date and her growing panic attack. But now, she wondered.
The front bell of the clinic rang. Dr. Nelson glanced up at the clock. “Tracker’s uncle. Never misses a visit.”
Alex.
“It’s Sunday.”
“I don’t think the day of the week matters to him. Would you mind getting it while I finish up our little friend here?”
Her nerves tightened. “Sure.”
Leah moved through the hallway toward the main door, and when she pushed open the door to reception saw Alex standing on the other side of the glass door. He wore a dark suit, a white shirt, and a red tie, leaving her to wonder if the man owned any other type of clothing.
She turned the dead bolt and pushed open the
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