Sweeter Than Candy by Shyla Colt

Author:Shyla Colt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shyla Colt

ASHER

Saving a life bonds two people together. We wait anxiously in the waiting room while the vets go to work, treating the malnourished kitten.

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Clara whispers. Perched on the edge of her seat, she is every inch the nervous pet parent.

“I hope so.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and bring her to my side. “Whatever the outcome, we did everything we could for Rook. All we can do now is wait and let them do their job.”

She nods her head. “Who would leave him like that?”

“He was probably the runt from a litter of strays. Maybe a homeless person tried to give him shelter?”

“Somehow that’s even sadder.”

“Let’s talk about what we’ll do if he survives.”

She sits up. “You want to keep him?”

“Don’t you?” Did I read her wrong?

“Yes, of course.”

“We found him together, that makes for joint custody at least.”

Her lips quirk upward. “Are you asking me to co-parent Rook with you?”

“A child can’t have too much love,” I say quietly. I think of the unborn baby who never got to live. We’d been so full of ourselves and the innocent life had suffered. I never should’ve agreed to try. The stillness of the office is unsettling. I move closer to Clara, fleeing the coldness of my past. We lean our heads together and speak low.

“Well that’s true.” She narrows her gaze. “How will this work?”

“I’ve had a lull in traveling for work, but it could pick up at any moment. I want to know Rook will be taken care of. This trip is on me.”

“No.” She shakes her head. A stern frown curves her full lips downward. “He’s mine, too, right?”

“Going forward we’ll split it all down the line, fifty-fifty.”

She scowls. The money is nothing to me. Yet, I know saying it aloud will set her off.

“Please. Let me do this.” Grabbing her hand, I squeeze gently. I run my hands over the knuckles of her hand, and marvel at the soft skin. Those hands hold babies, and comfort flustered mothers. My admiration grows. She nurtures life. I wonder what they’d feel like moving over me.

I shift in my chair, uncomfortable with the direction my thoughts are taking. I have to get this out of my system before it turns in to something it’s not. One taste, and my curiosity will be sated.

“Clara?” I lean in and pause a hairsbreadth from her lips. Her brown orbs bore into mine.

Footsteps send us back in our seats. My heart knocks against my rib cage. Did I dodge catastrophe or stall the inevitable?

“Rook is one lucky kitten. He’s weak, malnourished, and he has worms. He’ll need be to be dewormed, medicated, and receive all his shots.”

“Whatever it takes, Doc. Money isn’t an option. I want to give the little guy the best chance he has at thriving.”

He nods. “With time, I think he’ll become a happy, healthy kitten. It’ll be a few weeks before we can get him situated, and at a weight I feel comfortable with before you can take him home.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.