Miss Stephanie, no more demonstrations. I’ll be good.” To convince her, he moved a few feet away from Seymour and the examining table.
She darted him a wary glance, then let out a long breath and stepped tentatively back to the dog. “Just be sure you stay where you are.”
Acton tried not to grin at her, but she looked so darn pretty, with a bright shade of pink splashed across her cheeks and her blue eyes flashing, that he couldn’t help himself.
“I won’t move a muscle,” he promised. “Even if a honeybee flew in here right this minute and landed on my nose, I wouldn’t even swat it away. But then, if a honeybee really did fly in here it wouldn’t land on me, anyway. It would go straight to you.”
A suggestive line like that would normally catch any woman’s attention. Apparently Stephanie Fortune wasn’t just any woman. Instead of glancing at Acton, she kept her focus firmly on Seymour.
“That’s a bunch of nonsense,” she said as she continued to part Seymour’s long hair and examine his skin.
“Makes plenty of sense to me. Bees go straight to honey and I can tell by the way Seymour takes to you that you’re sweet.”
She shot him a droll look. “I’m sorry, Mr. Donovan, but this flattery you’re throwing at me won’t do a thing to lighten your vet bill.”
He let out a good-natured groan. “And here I was trying my best to get a free visit this morning. Oh, well, Seymour’s worth it.”
She stroked the dog’s head, then turned to the cabinet, where Seymour’s medical file was lying open. As she started writing on one of the pages, she said, “That’s good to hear. A loved pet is always a healthier pet.”
Acton could’ve told her that the same went for a man, too. But he kept the comment to himself. She didn’t appear to appreciate his brand of flirting. Which might mean she had a husband or a steady boyfriend.
He’d noticed her left hand was empty of a wedding ring or anything resembling one. But given the nature of her work, she might not wear one while she was dealing with animals. He hoped his assumption was wrong. There was something about the pretty redhead that made it impossible to tear his gaze away from her. Even if she wasn’t noticing a thing about him.
While Acton was carefully studying the graceful curve of her waist and hips, she suddenly walked over to the door and partially stepped into the hallway. She must have signaled for Dayna to join her because after a brief moment, Stephanie reentered the room with the other woman right behind her.
“It looks as though Seymour is suffering from allergies,” Stephanie explained to Dayna. “And from Dr. Neil’s notes, he’s treated the dog before with shots.”
“So what now?” Acton asked. “Can you give him the medicine he needs or do I need to wait around until Dr. Neil gets here?”
Stephanie looked at him. “I can give him what he’s been prescribed before. Or you can wait until Dr. Neil comes.”
“And at this point, we don’t know when that might be,” Dayna interjected.
“I’ll take my chances with you, Miss Fortune.” He winked at her. “Seymour obviously trusts you.”
The serious expression on her face never wavering, she turned to Dayna and instructed her as to what sort of medications she needed for the dog.
“I’ll be right back with them,” Dayna said, then warned Stephanie, “But while I’m gone don’t listen to a word Acton says. He’s a wolf disguised in cowboy clothing.”
“Aww, Dayna, don’t be telling Miss Fortune scary stuff like that. I’ll never get her to like me.”
“Ha!” Dayna laughed and gave him a backward wave as she hurried out of the examining room.
With Dayna gone, Acton glanced at Stephanie, but her attention was riveted on Seymour. What did a man have to do to get a smile out of the woman? Stand on his head or walk on his hands? Maybe she just didn’t like cowboys. The thought bummed him out more than he cared to admit.
“Dayna is joking,” he said. “I’m not really a wolf. See? I don’t have fangs, at all.”
To his delight, she looked up at him and he gave her an extra wide smile to show his teeth.
“I’m quite certain you’re not a member of the Canis lupus family, Mr. Donovan,” she said primly.
He shook his head and wondered why he wanted Stephanie Fortune to notice him. Not as Seymour’s owner, but as a man. She wasn’t his type at all. He liked fun girls who naturally smiled and laughed. This woman was as serious as a judge.
“No one calls me Mr. Donovan. I’d be pleased if you’d just call me Acton. And if I knew what a Canis lupus was, then I might know what you’re really thinking about me, uh, being a wolf.”
To his surprise, the corners of her mouth lifted with something like amusement. “Canis lupus means dog wolf.”
“Oh. That’s good. Because I’m as gentle as a little pup.”
She looked as though she was about to reply to that when Dayna suddenly stepped back into the room carrying a needle, a syringe and a fat jar.
Before Seymour had a clue what was happening, Stephanie had already pulled up the skin on the back of his neck and injected him with the medicine.
“Amazing. Purely amazing,” he said with disbelief. “I’d have to chase Seymour all over the county to do that.” He looked at Dayna and winked. “Does she put spells on all the animals who come to the clinic?”
“Ninety percent of them,” Dayna agreed. “She has the touch.”
Stephanie opened the jar of ointment and began to swipe it on the worst of the raw spots on Seymour’s skin. “Do you think you can do this twice a day? It will help stop the itching and heal the skin.”
“We’ll probably end up in a wrestling match, but I’ll try.”
“Any amount you can manage to put on him will help.” She put the lid back on the jar and jumped the dog off the examining table. “Seymour is ready to go home. If he doesn’t seem to be improving in a couple of days, then we’ll need to see him again.”
She handed Seymour’s leash and the jar of ointment over to Acton, and with the dog walking alongside him, he followed the two women out of the examining room and back to the waiting area, where a payout counter was located next to the check-in desk.
“Don’t wait so long to come see us again, Acton,” Dayna said. “We can always use a smiling face around here.”
“I have a feeling I’ll be back soon.” He glanced around to see Stephanie squatted on her heels, giving Seymour a goodbye hug. Too bad he wasn’t a dog, Acton thought.
Leaving the dog, she stepped forward and handed an itemized bill to the young woman behind the counter, then turned and extended a hand to him.
He wrapped his hand around hers and was totally enchanted by the incredibly
