Barefoot Bay: Shelter Me (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Elana Johnson

Author:Elana Johnson [Johnson, Elana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Published: 2017-12-05T16:00:00+00:00

7

An hour later, they stood side-by-side in the animal clinic. The sound of barking dogs and mewing cats could be heard even through the closed door in front of them. The air held the unique smell of a hospital combined with a farm, and Noah reached over and took Abby’s hand in his.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Yeah, sure.” She gave him a quick smile. The flush in her cheeks hadn’t gone out yet, and Noah ducked his head as their brief sexual prelude in the villa replayed through his mind. With effort, he switched his focus from the beautiful woman beside him to the clinic. The reception area was clean and decorated, with a wall of windows that let in plenty of light.

The right side was reserved for cats, with the left for dogs. No one had been waiting, which made sense considering their meeting was now closer to five o’clock. A twinge of guilt stole through Noah as he realized he’d probably kept the veterinarian from going home. His fingers tightened around Abby’s. But kissing and touching Abby had been worth being late, and Noah could only hope for the complete package that evening.

“Doctor Hanks is ready for you,” the receptionist said, gesturing them down a short hall where another door sat.

“This is nice,” Abby whispered as they stepped into an office the size of a bedroom. Which made sense, Noah supposed, as the clinic had been made out of what used to be a house in a perfect location near the center of town.

Dr. Hanks had decorated the office with pictures of dogs and cats, all professionally taken by the looks of the photos. They’d been printed in various sizes and hung on the wall without frames, like an art gallery.

Noah smiled, a sense of peace overcoming him. Albert obviously loved animals, loved this life on the island, as Noah caught hints of the mimosa flower and the tropical island life mingled with the four-legged creatures.

He wandered to a watercolor of a bright purple mimosa flower, lifting one hand to trace his fingertips along the edge of the paper.

“My niece did that.”

Noah spun from the painting to find a tall, silver-haired man wearing a fond smile as he gazed at the watercolor.

“Of course, she’s nearly forty now and hasn’t set foot on the island in over a decade.” He exhaled. “So.” He turned toward Noah, the smile staying but switching to friendly instead of familial. “You must be Noah Benson.”

Noah shook his hand and indicated Abby. “This is my…girlfriend, Abby Thames.”

A hiss sounded from Abby, but she silenced it quickly when Albert looked at her, his smile broadening. “Abby Thames? Macey Anderson’s niece?”

“That’s right.” Abby grinned at him and shook his hand too. “Sorry we’re late. We were putting the final touches on our proposal for you.”

Noah almost choked but managed to turn it into a cough. There’d been nothing final about the touching they’d been doing, and nothing they’d done had contributed anything to the business side of their partnership.

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