and nearly pounded down the door, all Ethan Singh could do was sigh.
As June stared at the junior Dr. Singh awaiting a response, the skin between his brows bunched into a frown over eyes that were cool and impassable, despite what she’d just revealed, making it impossible to determine what he thought of her unannounced arrival on his doorstep. Or rather, their arrival.
She knew it was late, that it would be an inconvenience to stop in without even a phone call when the veterinary office had closed over an hour before, but she didn’t know what else to do with the two little bundles. She didn’t know this man—Ethan, he’d said—but she knew his father, a kind, attentive doctor whose smiles could soothe even the saddest of children when their pets were sick, and for now, that was enough to give her hope that maybe that man’s son wouldn’t turn her, or her little charges, away on such an awful night.
June hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until he reached out both hands to take the puppies from her. Letting the air slowly from her lungs, she watched as he tucked them under his arms the same way she had when she’d discovered them in the alley.
“We need to get them warmed up,” he said, getting right to business. Ethan turned from where they still stood near the door and lifted a shoulder to motion for her to follow as he headed toward the examination rooms.
June had been in this office many times when her beloved cat reached his twilight years. Being there again caused memories to resurface that she hadn’t prepared for when she’d made the impulsive decision to stop in, hoping someone would be there to save two little lives. Trailing behind the doctor, she focused instead on the waves of dark hair that just brushed the collar of his white coat and the broad span of his shoulders. Something about the look of him—the stormy but not unkind dark eyes, the beautiful shade of his skin, like black tea with a bit of milk stirred in, and his height, which had to be considerable to reach well over her own six feet—worked to unravel the tight ball that had formed in her belly.
Driving there in what now seemed to be a full-blast snowstorm was one of the scariest things June had ever done. It was lucky that she knew the roads as well as she did, having lived in Peach Leaf her whole life; otherwise, she wasn’t sure there would have been much of a chance of making it this far, not to mention the likelihood that she and the puppies would not have survived if they’d stayed in the car. And until the extreme weather passed, it was impossible to tell what had caused her old lemon to die. Terror had struck when the engine coughed and gave up, the snow coming down so hard as the wind blew fiercely that she could barely see a foot in front of her. She’d followed the road as best she could and somehow, thankfully, had made it to the office.
What was probably only half a mile or so had become a nearly impossible journey until the glass door of the clinic came into view. And now there she was. There hadn’t been time to mull over the next step—how she would get home with no working vehicle, especially with the weather throwing such a fit.
At least now she wasn’t alone. Even though he didn’t seem too happy to see the three of them—and really, who could blame him?—June knew somehow that he would do his best to help. Then they would just have to go from there.
Dr. Singh stopped in front of one of the exam rooms and lifted his chin toward the door, presumably asking June to open it, which she did quickly. When they were all in the room, he held the puppies out to her. “Okay, I need you to hold them for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
The apprehension she felt must have been poorly hidden because when he saw the look on her face Ethan’s stoicism seemed to evaporate briefly; his eyes softened and the thin, serious line of his lips was replaced by a curve at one corner of his mouth that could almost pass for a grin.
“It’s okay, Miss Leavy. I’ll be right back, I promise. I just need to get some supplies, and it would help if you’d keep the puppies warm for just a moment longer. Can you do that for me?”
June nodded. She’d gotten the babies that far, but the thought of being responsible for them any longer seemed more daunting now as the stress of the day compounded and the idea hit her suddenly that they might not make it. Even now, in the safety of the clinic, with a trained veterinarian to help, the chance remained that the little ones might not pull through.
“Good,” he responded, nodding. “You had a great idea earlier, keeping them close together in your pocket. That way, they had each other’s warmth, plus that coming from your body.”
A little flutter passed through her chest at the mention of her body coming from Dr. Singh’s mouth, but she just shook her head and took back the little bundles of fur, tucking them into her sweatshirt once more.
“All set?” he asked.
“Yes, I think so.”
At that, he left the room and June concentrated on snuggling the little pups close, willing her warmth to be enough to keep them alive. She couldn’t tell how they were doing, other than that the tiny heartbeats she’d felt for before were still thumping softly, and their sweet brown eyes were open. With any luck, that meant they were okay, but a part of her warned that there could be any number of things wrong on the inside.
She swallowed and closed her eyes, and a moment later Dr. Singh returned with what looked like a pile of fluffy towels. He placed the bundle on the exam table and moved to the bench where June sat, wrapping one around her shoulders and gently settling the warm terry cloth in place, a gesture that was completely logical considering that she still shivered from the cold, but also surprisingly intimate. She couldn’t recall the last time a man had done something so simple and caring for her, and before she could think about it, she found herself gazing up at him with a warm smile.
“Thank you,” she said. “That feels...wonderful.”
“You’re quite welcome. We’ve got a small washer and dryer in the staff room, so I warmed these up for a minute or two.”
As he spoke, though he didn’t exactly return her smile, soft crinkles formed at the outer corners of those deep brown eyes and it struck her just how exceptionally attractive this man was. She hadn’t even known that the older Dr. Singh had a son, but then, they’d only shared a doctor/patient-parent relationship, so it made sense that he wouldn’t have gone into detail about his family.
Strangely, now, June very much wished he had.
Ethan went back to the table and returned with another towel, kneeling to spread it on the floor at her feet. He sat cross-legged in front of it. “Here, let’s put the pups in this while I take a look at them. Safer than having them up on the table for now.”
June nodded and retrieved them from her pocket one at a time, cringing as they squeaked in protest at the brief separation. “Do you think...” She swallowed. “Will they be all right?”
“It’s hard to know until I can look them over,” he said, wrapping the towel around the puppies. “But I will say this.” He looked up at her. “You’ve done a great job here, keeping them warm and bringing them in. From what I can see so far, I think they have a good chance, all because of you.”
June’s insides melted a little at his compliments, but she wouldn’t feel better until she knew the puppies would be okay.
After a few moments, Dr. Singh pulled the towel to one side and very gently moved one puppy closer to him, stroking it softly behind the ears with one hand as he ran his fingers over each tiny limb, probably feeling for broken bones. He then felt the pup’s adorable pink tummy, almost grinning when the little guy—she could see plainly now that the term was accurate—closed his eyes.
June placed her nervous hands into the pouch of her hoodie, crossing her fingers.
“It’s a good sign that they don’t mind being held,” Ethan said, using a thumb to gently pry the animal’s mouth open, examining its tiny teeth before listening to its heart with the stethoscope that circled his neck. “Their friendliness toward humans