Finally A Bride

“Thanks, Mrs. Martin.” Haley moved toward the steel sink in the exam room to wash her hands.

“And I’ll be praying for you. I know you’re bound to be a little nervous handling things on your own around here with Doc Sheridan moving to Florida, but I can tell you’re going to do just fine.”

Mrs. Martin had no way of knowing how desperately Haley wanted to do “just fine.” She’d always dreamed of having her own veterinary practice, and she’d moved to this tiny Alabama town six years ago specifically because Doc Sheridan had assured her he was on the verge of retirement and ready to turn over his practice to “young blood.” But now that he was gone, she felt overwhelmed.

“And the fact that you’re starting that new program for the Willow’s Haven children to work with animals...well, I admire you greatly for that. Those kids need so much, don’t they?”

“Yes, they do.” Haley had been so busy getting ready for Doc Sheridan’s retirement and learning the details of running the place on her own that she hadn’t even visited the children’s home yet. But she planned to get the program started this week.

“It’s beautiful out there, isn’t it, at Willow’s Haven? At least the children have a nice place to live,” Mae continued.

Haley washed her hands, dried them and then grabbed three tissues out of the box on the counter. “I haven’t actually seen it yet. I’ve only talked to Brodie and Savvy Evans on the phone.” She kept her voice calm as she gathered her courage to face what could be a very bad first day as the only vet in town.

She’d only recently made the decision to help the orphaned and abandoned children cope with their losses by giving them animals to care for, but listening to the cries in her lobby made her wonder if it might not always be a positive experience.

“Oh, you’re in for a treat. Willow’s Haven is beautiful, and so peaceful. The church put an announcement about the upcoming program in our bulletin last week. By the way, we’ve missed you there, dear,” Mae called out, bringing up yet another uncomfortable topic while Haley strode down the hall toward the lobby.

“Thanks,” she answered, not making any promises about seeing her there any time soon. Instead she made a beeline toward the wailing boy.

“I found him—” his watery hazel eyes focused on Aaliyah, who was leaning down to look at the teeny ball of fur cradled in his arms “—in the woods behind our cabin. I think he’s scared. I thought he was hungry, but he wouldn’t eat my snack. And Mr. Gavin said I shouldn’t try to feed him anything else until he sees the doctor.”

Haley noted that the boy was wearing a puffy blue winter coat and red mittens, even though it was merely late October. A light dusting of dirt coated his face, barring the tear streaks striping both full cheeks. More dirt was missing beneath his nose, which dripped from crying. He looked around six or seven years old, best Haley could tell, but with worry lines as intense as her grandfather’s currently creasing his forehead.

She should have grabbed more tissues.

Wasting no time in crouching to his eye level, she performed a perfunctory scan of the quivering puppy in his arms. A mixed breed, brown and black, with quite a bit of Yorkie in him. Bones were visible beneath his thin coat but, at first glance, none appeared to be broken. Probably dropped off on the side of the road, poor thing.

“He wouldn’t eat my snack. I tried to feed him, but he wouldn’t eat it.”

Haley took one of the tissues and tenderly wiped beneath the boy’s left eye, then followed suit with the right. Doubling up the last two tissues, she asked, “Can you blow your nose for me?”

He nodded, placed his nose in the center and proceeded to make a sound like something she’d expect to hear from one of her animals instead of a darling little boy. Sniffing, he completed by rubbing his nose against the tissues before glancing at Haley. “Sorry. I blow loud.”

She smiled. “Yes, you do, but that’s okay.” She wiped the wadded tissues beneath his nose again, then tossed them in a small trash can in the lobby. “What’s your name?”

Another sniff. “Eli.”

“That’s a nice name.”

“It’s from the Bible.” His eyes blinked overtime to battle more tears.

Haley nodded, not wanting to stir the pot by acknowledging she knew the story about Eli and Samuel. Mrs. Martin would enter the lobby soon, and Haley didn’t want any additional reminders that she should be at church. Therefore, she changed her focus from the boy’s name to the quivering animal and held her palm in front of the puppy’s nose. He made no attempt to move toward her to get a better scent, which should have come from mere instinct. “And what is this little guy’s name?”

“Mr. Gavin called him Buddy when we found him in the woods.”

Haley glanced toward the opposite side of the lobby, where a man had his back turned to her and talked quietly on his phone. Mr. Gavin, she presumed. He didn’t seem overly concerned with the little boy’s dilemma, which didn’t earn him any brownie points in Haley’s book. Was he the boy’s stepdad? A teacher? Mom’s apathetic boyfriend?

It bothered her tremendously to see adults neglecting a child. Her own parents had been amazing at supporting her growing up, attending every activity and encouraging her through every step of her veterinary dreams.

A shame that, after being the model husband to her mother and perfect dad to Haley, her father had turned his back on them completely.

She winced, not wanting to go there again.

The truth was, in spite of her dad eventually letting her down, she’d wanted to be the kind of parent and have the kind of family she’d had growing up. She’d wanted children desperately and had planned to have at least one by the time she was thirty.

That milestone birthday had passed last month and since she’d now decided against all dating and relationships, children certainly weren’t in the picture. But she could still be around them and show them that someone cared. That’d been her main reason for wanting to start the new Adopt-an-Animal program for Willow’s Haven.

Mr. Gavin continued talking on his phone and Haley all but snarled toward his back.

She returned her attention to the one who needed it. “Buddy—that’s a great name.” She scanned the puppy. His fur was dull and brittle, eyes opened marginally then closed again, as if he didn’t have the energy to look at who held him. Running a finger along his back, she easily felt his spine, which would have been visible had it not been for a thin layer of scruffy, dry hair.

“He wouldn’t eat my fruit snacks,” Eli said, anxious to provide insight as to what was wrong with his new friend. He’d made this statement a couple of times already, obviously wanting her to know he’d done his best to assist the little pup.

Haley nodded. “He hasn’t eaten a lot of food in a while, so he’ll have to take his time learning to eat normally again. But it was very thoughtful of you to try to feed him.”

Eli’s top teeth tugged his lower lip, his eyes blinking as he soaked up every word.

“Think about when you’re sick. When you aren’t feeling well, do you eat a lot?”

“Just soup. And maybe Sprite.” He was absolutely adorable, with his dirty little face and pleading eyes, and so concerned for the puppy in his arms.

“Right. Well, he will need to work up to eating again, too, like you do after you’ve been sick.” She’d continued probing and performing a preexam on the tiny dog while talking to the boy, and she was now fairly certain that no bones were broken. The pup didn’t show signs of distemper, and though his breathing was shallow, he wasn’t struggling for breath. Even so, he wasn’t out of the woods yet. She would need to keep him for treatment, and she hoped the boy would understand.

“He doesn’t eat soup, does he?” Eli asked. “’Cause I could get him some if that’ll make him better.”

“No, he doesn’t, but I can try some other things that his tummy should be okay with, until he can work his way up to eating normal food again.” She placed a finger under Eli’s chin. “Would that be okay, for me to take care of him here for a little while? To help him feel better?” Haley knew the puppy wouldn’t have made it very long in the woods on his own. This little boy, whether he realized it or not, had potentially saved him.

“Do I have to leave him here?” The panic in his voice pierced her heart and his grip on the puppy increased, so that the little animal let out a squeaky yelp.

Haley barely noticed the man on the other side of the lobby turn to face them, because she was too intent on capturing the boy’s attention. “Eli, calm down, honey. I am going to do my best to get him well. I promise.”

He stared at the puppy, still whimpering. “Did I hurt him?”

“You just don’t need to squeeze him so much,” she said. “But I can tell that you aren’t trying to hurt him, and he knows that, too.”

“He does?” Eli looked imploringly to Haley. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Of course. Puppies can tell when someone cares about them, just like people can tell when someone cares about them.” She fought the impulse to glare at the man who had shifted his stance and was now undoubtedly watching their interaction.

“I want to keep him.” Eli took a small step away from Haley. “He doesn’t have anyone to love him, and he’s scared.”

A muffled clearing of a throat caused Haley to finally glance up at Mr. Gavin and, for a moment, her breath caught in her chest. Not what she’d expected. She’d anticipated an older, grumpy, stern-faced gentleman who wouldn’t show concern for the brokenhearted boy. But this man was young, around Haley’s age, she’d guess, with one of the most strikingly masculine faces she’d ever seen.

Haley swallowed, forcing herself to get a grip on the awareness flooding through her. She wouldn’t be swayed by his gorgeous good looks and rugged presence.

The bottom line was that he didn’t seem to care about this little boy’s pain.

And that was reason enough for Haley to dislike the man.