The Vixen and the Vet by Katy Regnery Read Free Book Online Page B

smiled at her observation. “The meaning. Asher means happiness.”
    She shouldn’t have done it. She shouldn’t have turned to face his mostly handso me half face while the sun was low and warm, making the moment magical all over again. But it had been so damn long since Savannah had felt happiness. And that’s exactly what she felt when she looked over at him, and smiled.
    ***
    By some stroke of luck, it had just happened again. Savannah Carmichael had looked over at his ugly mug and smiled. His heart somersaulted like crazy, and he held his breath as he watched her, praying that the moment would last for more than a few seconds. But damn it if Miss Potts didn’t burst into the room with her cheerful greeting, offering melt-in-your-mouth cookies and hot coffee. Really he needed to have a word with her. He appreciated her thoughtfulness, but he wanted every possible minute with Savannah to himself.
    It’s not like he knew her very well. They’d spoken a handful of words on the phone and spent a little over an hour together on Monday afternoon. But she’d totally commanded his every thought since he watched her drive away forty-eight hours ago. Tuesday and most of Wednesday had crawled by in agonizing slowness until she returned, and he couldn’t contain his disappointment when she’d been all-business upon arrival. The only bright spot had been that when she greeted him, she’d looked at his whole face, and, surprisingly, he hadn’t detected any of the expected revulsion or sympathy. She’d looked him over quickly, then walked to her chair, as though conversing with a mutant was an everyday occurrence in her world. He hated like hell that it gave him hope.
    And then, just about when he’d talked himself out of hope , she asked him about his name and offered him the gift of her blindingly beautiful smile. It made him want to weep. It made him want to write poetry. It made him grateful that Miss Potts had encouraged him to rejoin the human race. Whatever happened with Savannah, he’d be forever grateful that she coaxed him back into this small, safe corner of the world.
    “Chocolate chip macadamia nut?” he exclaimed with a full mouth. “Oh my God, Savannah!”
    “Can this girl cook or what?” asked Miss Potts, winking at Savannah.
    “This girl can cook,” said Savannah weakly, adjusting her light -pink cardigan over a matching tank top. He’d checked it out the moment she’d arrived. The way it hugged her breasts was criminal, and yes, he was actively trying to look down it every time she bent over her notebook. Contrary to appearances, he was only human, after all.
    “What are we talking about today?” asked Miss Potts.
    “Mr. Lee’s—er, Asher’s formative years and high school days,” Savannah answered efficiently, putting her half-finished cookie back on her plate.
    “Well, my goodness, I’m sure I have his dental records somewhere around here too,” Miss Potts teased, but Asher noticed Savannah’s cheeks coloring. Her shoulders slumped, and she leaned back in her chair, sighing.
    “I’m being rude ,” she said.
    “Not in the least, dear,” assured Miss Potts, patting her shoulder before turning to leave. “You’re here to do a job. I admire you for doing it.”
    Savannah turned back to Asher as the door closed behind Miss Potts . “I’m sorry, Asher. I stormed in here like I was working a beat. I keep forgetting this is a human interest piece. I guess it would help if I acted a little more human.”
    Asher’s words from Sunday night echoed in his head: I barely look human. I’m not fit to rejoin the human race , followed swiftly by Miss Potts’s summary of his and Savannah’s similarities: You got your hand blown off; she got fired from the most prestigious newspaper in the country. You both came home to lick your wounds.
    He looked at the way her pretty lips tilted down, the way the hand closest to him gripped the arm of the chair. She was trying like hell to recover from