Page 13 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Bear

Bryon shook his head. “We didn’t. But that’s not the problem, Cal. We might’ve saved two of those animals if we had a vet on-site.” The wolf-shifter shot him a pointed look. “If you didn’t send Dr. Kinley away, we wouldn’t have so much blood on our hands.”

“I—”

“Regardless of your feelings, we need a vet, and we need one now. You’re an animal rescuer. How many more animals must die needlessly before you do what needs to be done?”

Chapter Six

An Unexpected Offer

Cal stood by the streetlamp near the end of the street and gazed across the road, watching the lone woman walking down the sidewalk with her dog.

He again looked at his watch and frowned. It was barely 7 in the morning. The streets of Sylva were still empty and quiet for the most part, and she’d been walking for about thirty minutes now. That came as no surprise. Melissa loved taking morning walks. He’d teased her about it for months when they’d first started dating.

It was the dog that struck him as odd. From where he stood, Cal couldn’t tell what breed it was, but it was quite huge, pulling Melissa as it tugged excitedly on its leash. The dog’s golden fur gleamed in the morning sun, its large tongue hung out of its mouth.

Cal’s brows furrowed slightly. For as long as he’d known Melissa, she’d never been much of a dog person. Then again, she hadn’t been a vet ten years ago either. So much had changed since then.

His attraction to her, however, had remained pretty much the same.

He licked his lips, eyeing her lithe figure as she walked down the sidewalk. Melissa had on a sports bra over pink shorts that clung to her body, giving him a tantalizing view of her figure. Her hips swayed with each step. She was in perfect shape; her legs toned from years of walking.

Looking at her, Cal felt his throat go dry. He clenched his jaw, feeling a stirring sensation in his pants. He came out this morning with a sole purpose: to ask for Melissa’s assistance. He figured he’d catch her during one of her walks and talk to her, but so far, all he could do was watch her from a distance.

And what a view, he couldn’t help thinking.

He’d always been attracted to Melissa. From the day he met her at that restaurant, his body had always reacted the same way to her—his pulse quickening, that same tightening sensation in his pants, his mind leaping from one lustful thought to the other. And right now, watching the jiggle of her butt in those pink shorts, he could think of several things he’d like to do with her, like prop her on his lap and claim that lovely mouth of hers with his as she ground against his erection.

Or slip his fingers between her legs, feeling the wetness of her arousal as she moaned and quivered against him. She’d always loved the feel of his fingers, of his mouth, of him against her. Cal couldn’t think of a time while they were dating that they’d ever been able to keep their hands off each other for longer than a few hours. He certainly wanted his hands on her body now.

And hers on his, those delicate fingers curling around his length, guiding him into her. The thought alone was intoxicating.

Was she thinking about that? He thought he smelled her arousal the other day at the sanctuary. Unless he was wrong, she was still as attracted to him as he was to her. In ten years, that fact hadn’t changed.

But she was no longer his. Not after what she did.

You shouldn’t be thinking about her like that, he told himself. She broke your heart, remember?

Across the street, Melissa paused and stooped to pick something off the concrete, affording him a fresh view of her legs and perfect butt. Cal’s erection throbbed almost painfully in his pants. He stifled a groan. His ex-fiancée was the last person he should be feeling this way about, but some things were simply out of his control.

Still and all...no matter how badly he would like to peel those clothes off her body, his relationship with Melissa was over. She was still the same woman who looked at him like he was some kind of monster, the woman who’d taken off from their wedding without an explanation.

She wasn’t just the one who got away. The thought filled Cal’s mind, almost mocking. She was the one who ran away from you.

As far as reality checks went, this one was pretty effective. She belonged to his past. Whatever they had was over now.

Besides, he wasn’t here to ogle her. He was here to ask for her help.

Cal pressed his lips together. He wished he didn’t have to, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. Just yesterday morning, Bryon and Henry had come up with five dead animals in Paradise Woods. The wolf shifter’s words were still fresh in Cal’s memory: How many more animals must die needlessly before you do what needs to be done?

Try though he had, he couldn’t pretend Bryon was wrong. Melissa just might be the only vet available in the whole of Downing. Agreeing to hire her might not stop the attacks in the woods, but at least there wouldn’t be so many dead animals lying around. Green Sanctuary needed all the help it could get.

And if he returned to the sanctuary without a vet, Bryon just might rip his head off his shoulders. A grim smile tugged at Cal’s lips at that thought.

Weeks—or even years—ago, he never would’ve imagined he’d end up working with Melissa. In fact, the thought that he might bump into his ex-fiancée was laughable. He moved far from Maine, far from anywhere he imagined he could possibly bump into her. And for years, he hadn’t seen or heard a word about her. She might as well have been gone forever.

Except now, she was right across the street from him.

Melissa had resumed walking, pushing her dark hair out of her face, the dog trotting ahead of her.