Toss Up (The Toss Trilogy) (11 page)

Neither man answered.

“They must already be at Mark’s Spot,” Diana said. “There’s a Flyers game tonight—I’ll bet they can’t hear the phones. I’ll call the clinic answering service and have them get Dr. Smith. Can you help me lift Mugs’ crate into the Jeep?”

When they arrived at the clinic thirty minutes later,
Dr. Daniel Smith was waiting for them. “Which of you can assist me?” the new vet asked. “I may need an extra pair of hands for this.”

“I will,” said Sally. She didn’t welcome the responsibility, but
knew from experience that Diana, cool career woman that she was, didn’t deal well with blood.

“Fine. Come into the surgery and scrub. Watch me and do what I do. Diana, stay
with us and watch Mugs while we prep. Then once she’s asleep, you can wait in the recovery room.”

Sally watched and mimicked Daniel as he gowned and scrubbed. He tied the loose strings that fastened her disposable gown in the back and she tied his. They both masked and put on completely unattractive “shower caps” to cover their hair. After washing up to their elbows, they pulled on thin sterile gloves and Daniel anesthetized the dog. When Mugs was unconscious, Diana left the room and Sally, adrenalin zinging through her veins, watched
closely while Daniel cleansed the area where the incision would be made.

“Ninety-five percent of the births for this breed are done by C-section,” he told her. “I’ll be making a midline incision above the uterus, then removing each pup and placenta one at a time.” As he spoke, she watched him drape the dog with disposable sterile sheets made of a p
aper-like material, leaving the midline of the lower abdomen exposed. “I’ll discard the placenta and cut the umbilical cord. You clean and intubate each pup as I deliver it. Have you done that before?”

“I’ve cleaned up plenty of new p
ups and intubated a few, but I’ve never helped with a C-section before.”

“You’ll be fine.
Your part is really the same process you’d follow if the pups were being born naturally, except you can expect to intubate all of these to get them breathing. That pan with the towel in it should hold them all. And I’ll be working quickly, so you’ll have to work fast too. Can you do that?”

Sally nodded firmly. “I can do that.”

“All right then, here we go.” He lifted a scalpel and made the incision. Moments later, Sally was cleaning and intubating the first pup. Daniel focused on his work, saying little now that the procedure had actually begun.

Sally worked hard to keep up with him, but he
closed the incision then intubated the sixth and last pup as she finished with the fifth.

“Six pups.” He pulled off his gloves and smiled at her. “A good size li
tter for this breed. Take them in to Diana. Mom is coming out of the anesthetic nicely, and I’ll bring her in as soon as she wakes up a bit more. Oh, Sally,” he said as she moved toward the door carrying a pan full of pups. “You might want to take off the gloves and gown before you see Diana.”

There was blood on her gloves, and a little smeared on the front of the gown. “Yeah, I’d better do that.” She doffed the gloves and gown, disposing of them along with the mask and shower cap. After washing her hands and fluffing her flattened hair, she carried the pups to the r
ecovery room.

“Oh, they’re so sweet.” Diana gently touched the newborns and looked at Sally. “Thanks, Sally. I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been much help.”

“It was interesting.”

“How’s Mugs?”

“Daniel said she’s coming out of the anesthesia well. He’ll bring her in here in a few minutes.” As she spoke, the door opened and Daniel brought Mugs into the recovery room. Gently, he placed the dog in a raised enclosure and Diana pulled a chair next to it.

“She’s doing well, Diana. Hold the pups one at a time and let her get used to their scent. You won’t be able to leave the pups alone with her for a few days—she could easily accidentally smother one of them. They can be put with her to nurse every two hours, but either you or Logan will need to supervise. By Monday it will probably be safe to leave them with her on her own, but I’ll come by and watch them together before we try that, okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Sally, will you come back to the surgery with me and help clean up?”

“Sure thing.” She followed him back down the hall.

When they reached the surgery, Daniel turned toward her. “Clean off that counter behind you and relax. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Sally moved a few implements to the sink and wiped the counter clean, then with no chair in sight, she sat on top, swinging one leg and chatting with Daniel as he policed the rest of the area, putting away unused supplies, and setting the instruments aside to be cleaned.

She studied the long-fingered hands that had been so swift and sure as he brought the pups one by one into the world. Impressed with his skill and speed, she felt she’d learned something as well.
Dr. Daniel Smith is more than just a pretty face… and a hunky body.

But the body was definitely hunky. Sally enjoyed the view as he faced away from her to wipe down the surgery table one last time
. His soft, worn jeans and white tee shirt fit close to his body in all the right places, and she was sorry when he finished the task and wadded up the paper towels to toss them away. Moving to the sink across the room, he washed his hands again. Then he walked to the counter where Sally sat, still idly swinging her leg.

“You were a great assistant tonight,” he said, his deep-set eyes glea
ming into hers. “Diana would have been too emotionally involved. I’m really glad you were here.” Smoothly he stepped past her swinging foot to lean on the counter between her legs and laid his hand on her jaw.

Startled, Sally squared her hips against the wall behind her. It moved her a bit away from him, but not much, and he turned to bring them face-to-face, interposing his muscular thighs between hers. Her back erect, and hormones on red alert, Sally looked into the green eyes set in her husband’s face. As Daniel slid his hand along her jawline, cupping the back of her head, Sally sat straighter, and tried to lean away from him, but there was nowhere to go. Her small retreat was ignored.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since the first moment I saw you,” he said, lowering his lips to hers.

Sally froze. Daniel’s lips were smooth and firm on hers. Persuasive. She felt herself starting to relax, her body responding to the gentle d
emand of his lips.

As he stood between her legs, the angle of her head as he kissed her felt eerily similar to being kissed by Trent. It was like stepping back in time. Drowning in sensations that resurrected past love, she wrapped her arms around his waist, drawing close to him. The hand that held her head shifted as he deepened the kiss, and she felt his other hand, warm on her hip, then sliding along her thigh.

A small part of her brain insisted she remember where she was—remember
when
she was. Surfacing from the ocean of remembrance, Sally grasped his wrist, stopping the caress as he began to run his hand back up to her hip. The office door opened.

“Is Mugs—” Jim stared at the two locked in their intimate embrace. He saw Sally holding Daniel’s hand on her thigh.

Daniel lifted his lips from Sally’s and turned his head to Donovan without releasing the woman in his arms. “Don’t you think you should knock?”

Jim’s voice was harsh with anger and embarrassment. “My mistake.” He spun away, closing the door.

Calmly, Daniel returned to kissing Sally, but her moment of frozen indecision had passed. “Back off, Dr. Smith,” she said, placing a hand on his chest to push him away.

He looked disconcerted, but stepped away.

Sally took a breath. “I’ve given you the wrong impression, and you deserve to know why… You see…” She paused, searching for a way to explain that wouldn’t insult him, but failing to find one. “Well, there’s no good way to say this. My husband died five years ago. And you look so much like him it’s scary—except for your eyes. His were dark. And he was taller than you—six-three. But with me sitting and you standing… and your face…” She was beginning to babble. Sally closed her mouth and bit the tip of her tongue—just hard enough to keep it still.  Blinking back tears of embarrassment and frustration, she looked away. “I let myself pretend you were him, for a minute. I’m sorry.” She looked at her hands, feeling small and miserable. He made a quiet, strangled sound and she raised her eyes.

He was grinning in self-deprecating way and shaking his head. When her eyes met his
, he chuckled. “So,” he said, “You had me momentarily confused with your dead husband. Wow. I can see that the uniqueness of my personality and abilities have made a real impression on you.”

She
stared, feeling uncertain and foolish, and knowing he had every right to be insulted.

Instead, he laughed outright. “There goes my ego, down the drain. You owe me for that, you know.” He fixed Sally with an assessing look. “I think you owe it to me to get to know me. At least well enough that if I kiss you again, you’ll be sure who I am.” He took her hand to politely assist as she slid off the counter,
then stood holding it in his. “Don’t you think that’s only fair? How about dinner tomorrow night? Agreed?”

She gave him a small smile and nodded her head, neatly trapped. “Agreed.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up at your place around six. Now let’s see how Diana’s doing with Momma Mugs and the pups,” and still holding her hand, he led the way from the room.

chapter ten

Sunlight streamed into the farmhouse kitchen, and the air was rich with the scent of fresh-ground coffee and Diana’s special blueberry yogurt pancakes. Sally, comfortable in an oversized flannel shirt and Nordic-patterned mukluks, took a last bite of pancake, smiling in satisfaction as the delicate flavor teased her taste buds.

Setting her own coffee cup down, Diana tightened the sash of her classic silk robe, and crossed her slim legs, dangling a blue leather slipper from the toes of her left foot. “So. You’ve rested, I’ve fed you, and you have a full cup of coffee in front of you. Now tell me what was going on last night with you and Daniel Smith.”

Sally made a face. “I was hoping you hadn’t noticed.”

Diana gave a snort of laughter.

Sally opened her eyes wide in a parody of innocence. “What?”

Diana grinned at her across the scarred oak table, which, like the humble farmhouse that had spawned her spacious home, had once b
elonged to Logan’s Uncle Ned. “Didn’t notice? Jim’s truck pulls up. I hear him in the hall, and moments later the front door slams and his truck zooms away. Then Smith comes in looking smug and
leading you by the hand
. And you look as guilty as if you’d been sneaking around behind the bleachers at high school. Get real. How could I not notice?”

“Well, it’s complicated.”

“We’ve got time, just start talking.”

“Okay. The short version.” Sally paused to gather her thoughts. “The really short version. Jim and I had sex yesterday afternoon and then last night he walked in on Daniel kissing me.” She was shooting for an i
ncredulous response from Diana, trying to keep things outrageous and light—funny somehow.

Diana sidestepped the obvious and simply looked at Sally, brown eyes warm with approval. “You finally made love with Jim.”

“I didn’t say that.” Sally looked into her coffee. “I said we had sex.” She paused, but Diana said nothing, so she went on. “I felt so awful after writing everything down for the police—all about the notes and all. It seemed so horrible—so dirty and frightening. Jim was sitting beside me at the table while I did it. When I finished, he looked at me and hugged me and…I needed comfort and safety so badly… It just happened.”

“Are you trying to say it could have been anyone?”

No.
“Yes. It could have been anyone.”
But it was Jim.
“Look, I’m not like you. Trent wasn’t my first.”

“No, but he was your last, until now. How did that suddenly change?”

Jim kissed me.
“I don’t know! Lately it’s like my body’s on simmer all the time. It hardly takes anything to get me going. I can’t be around Jim at all without wanting him. I dream about him at night, but the day he brought Daniel to the shelter—just seeing Daniel felt like being struck by lightning, and I watched his butt all the way down the hall. I’m out of control.”

“I doubt that. The boy’s buns are worth watching, and how could you not be shocked? He’s a dead ringer for Trent.”

Sally nodded. “Except for the eyes.”

“So what really happened between the two of you last night?”

Sally propped both elbows on the table and rested her chin on folded fingers. She lifted her head to face Diana. “I’m not entirely sure. He took me by surprise. I was sitting on the counter, he was standing up, and for a moment it was like kissing Trent. Then Jim walked in.”

Sally heart hurt, remembering.
I shouldn’t feel guilty. I’m not Jim’s property.
“The problem isn’t Daniel. When I explained I’d gotten him mixed up with Trent, he laughed it off and asked me out. He said I need to get to know him better so I don’t get mixed up again.

“
I can handle Daniel. But Jim thinks he’s in love with me, and I don’t know what to do about that.”

Diana held up a hand. “Wait a minute. Back up to Smith. You’re g
oing out with Smith?”

“Yes. Tonight. I like him.” Sally leaned forward. “And he’s more m
ature than you’d think.”

Diana pulled her head back. “Take it easy. I don’t care how old he isn’t. You want to date a younger guy, go for it. It’s why you want to date him when you could have Jim that I don’t get.”

“It’s hard to explain. After we had sex, Jim told me he loved me. I tried to tell him that I’m not in the market for love. ”
Why do I feel ashamed?

Diana was frowning. “Why on earth not?”

“I won’t risk falling in love again, ever. I can’t. Besides, Jim is my friend. I love him like a friend. And it’s not fair to be with him
that way
when I can’t return his feelings.”

Diana looked blank.

“That would be using him,” Sally explained. “I already hurt him once. I don’t want to hurt him again.” She walked away from the table into the living room. Curling up in one corner of the soft leather couch she pulled the cashmere throw off the back and covered her lap.

“And?”
Diana sat on the other end of the couch and waited.

“
Look, Tyler loves Jim. I’d hate for us to lose Jim’s friendship, but I can’t pretend there’s hope for us when there isn’t.”

“But why
isn’t there, Sally?”

Under the soft throw, Sally pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She took several steadying breaths. Then she
raised her chin and faced Diana. “Love hurts. I’ve had all the hurt I can deal with for one lifetime. I can’t love someone again like I loved Trent. What if I lose him? You can’t possibly understand, but I’d die if I had to go through that again.”

“So you want things with Jim to go back to the way they were? You want to pretend you didn’t make love…that he never told you he loved you?”

“I wish! But I don’t see how that can happen. He kissed me a week ago, for no good reason except to win an argument. But that woke up all sorts of stuff inside me. Wants, and needs, and fantasies. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him ever since, and then yesterday...well, you know.”

“Didn’t it help?”

“It was wonderful, until he said he loved me. If we did anything again now, I’d feel like I was taking advantage of him. But I still have raging hormones, and I won’t be able to concentrate on anything if I don’t do something about them.”

“And you won’t consider Jim because he’s in love with you.” Diana stared at Sally and frowned. “I think you’re nuts, but there are other ways—”

“I don’t just need an orgasm, I need a person—a man. Someone safe, and not looking for more than a bit of fun.” Sally moved her gaze to the braided rug on the floor. “I’m thinking Daniel may be what I need. He’s made it clear he’s interested, and I don’t think love is on his agenda any more than it’s on mine.”

“Sally!” Diana put her fingertips to her temples and rocked her head back and forth. “You are off base on so many levels I can’t even
think where to begin.” She looked up. “What about Jim? You think that won’t hurt him?”

Sally sat up straighter. “At this point, I don’t see any way to avoid hurting Jim. If he does love me, it’s inevitable that he’ll get hurt. And the sooner he stops loving me, the better off he’ll be. That alone is enough reason to sleep with Daniel.”

“And what about you, Sal?” Diana stood up. She marched back and forth, emphasizing her words by tossing her arms wide. “Do you really think a fling with Smith is what you need? Will it last long enough to take care of all the
stuff
you mentioned? And if not, then what? Who’ll be next? Phil Cavalo? Sam Mitchell? Mark Hunter? Because you’re right about one thing. I don’t think love is on Daniel Smith’s agenda either.”

Sally pushed aside the throw and stood to glare down at her friend. “You can get down off your high horse anytime, Ms. Perfect. I seem to remember someone skipping out in the middle of an outing with my son and me to go fall into bed with a man she fancied.”

Diana’s arms fell to her sides, but she looked Sally square in the eye. “That’s true, I did. But I wasn’t falling in bed with one man to avoid the fact that I was falling in love with another.”

Diana was her best friend, but this was going too far. Sally spat out each word. “I am not and will not be in love with anyone. And I will sleep with whoever I want to, with or without your approval.” She picked up the cashmere throw and began folding it vigorously. “I have an Economics paper to write and a child to pick up. I can’t waste any more time on this.” And tossing the folded throw back over the couch, she stormed from the room.

Daniel Smith slammed the clinic door and stomped down the hallway after Jim, outrage apparent in every line of his body.

Jim spoke without looking back. “You want to discuss it, come in my office and shut the door behind you.”

“Hell, yes, I want to discuss it.” The door shut firmly. “Dammit, Donovan, why do you want to give me a hard time about this? The man was flat out questioning my authority!”

Jim sat on his desk facing Smith, braced by one long lean leg while the other was hitched far enough up onto the desktop that the foot swung free. He maintained the appearance of a man at ease. Actually, he was a man under control—tight control. He looked calmly at the young vet. “Your
authority
? It was his horse.”

“All right, my ability, then. What does he know about systemic
blastomycosis?”

“More than you seem to think. Hector Sanderson has been raising horses since before you were born. There’s precious little that he hasn’t seen and less that he hasn’t read up on. Maybe you need to stop being so high-and-mighty and learn a bit about dealing with people.”

Smith shook his head, raising his arms as if appealing to the gods, then letting them drop. “Now you want me to go to charm school?”

Jim narrowed his eyes and stared Smith down. When the kid looked away and dropped into a chair, Jim went on. “Look, this trial period isn’t only for making sure you and I can work together. If you can’t get along with the people here, you’ll be a liability to this practice instead of an asset.
School’s over. Nobody cares that you were top in your class. They want to work with someone who shows them respect, not a know-it-all, dictatorial kid, which is how you came off yesterday, whatever you may think.”

Smith opened his mouth to protest, but Jim held up a restraining hand. “You haven’t done anything to get to know folks since you came here. The only contact you have with anyone, as far as I can see, is when
they have a problem with an animal. What do you do with the rest of your time, Smith—hide in your apartment like some kind of hermit?”

An angry flush reddened Smith’s neck and crept over his jawline. His hands clenched. “It’s none of your business what I do with my time. I don’t have to win the town popularity contest to be a good vet. I know
what I’m doing. You can’t deny that my skills are top of the line. That’s what makes me an asset here—not that I chat people up. Your precious clinic isn’t what brought me here anyway. It’s only a place to earn a living.”

Jim ignored the immature pot shot at his clinic, but took advantage of the opening it gave him. “Yeah? Well what did bring you here? I’ve often wondered why you came to York.”

“None of your damn business. I have work to do.” He shot up and spun toward the door.

“Hold on a minute, Smith.”

The command in Jim’s voice halted Smith at the door.

“Besides saying you were arrogant, disrespectful and argumentative—which our discussion makes it pretty clear you were—Hector also said he tried to call you at nine, but couldn’t reach you. You didn’t get to his place until after noon. Why?”

“My cell was on the fritz. I had to get it fixed.”

“I’m sure he tried the land line here also. If your cell phone wasn’t working, why weren’t you here in the clinic where people could reach you?”

Smith stood with his hand on the door, dull red still staining his neck and jaw. “It was a mistake, all right? Happy now? It won’t happen again. Anyway, I put the time back in, saving that bulldog litter last night when you couldn’t be reached.”

Jim stayed where he was—in control, barely. “I saw how you were putting in time last night—making time is more like it. It was uncalled for and unprofessional.”

“Unprofessional, maybe, but definitely not uncalled for. Is that what this is all about this morning? Are you pissed that I’m enjoying getting to know Sally Johnston? Hell, man, I asked you about her the day I met her, so don’t go making any claims now.”

“I’m not making any claims, and that’s not what this morning is about. But she is a friend of mine, so you watch your step.” Jim tried to
make his concern sound impersonal, but when he saw Smith’s eyes narrow, he knew he had failed.

“Don’t worry, big brother. I never step farther than the ladies want me to. And tonight, when I take Sally to dinner, I’ll see how far that is.” With a cocky grin, Smith left the room, his good humor restored.