Page 5 of Fool Me (Timberline Peak #1)
CHAPTER
FOUR
HARLOWE
Turns out, the new vet is sweet and cute. His scrubs are way too big, but I’m too spent and too hungry to care as I pull the drawstring on these borrowed, navy joggers as tight as they’ll go.
“Thanks again for these. It feels good to get out of my grimy clothes.” I smooth a hand over the cotton fabric, but it’s too bunched up to matter.
His brown eyes follow me as I sit down, but I can’t quite read them. I open my mouth, intent on getting to know him, when a knock comes from the lobby. I turn toward the sound, but he’s already moving.
“I’ll grab it.”
The clinic is quiet, save for the hushed tone of the conversation between Atlas and the delivery person. They’re speaking in hushed tones, but I can hear him ask, “And it was prepared separately? No mushrooms?”
He carries the box back in, setting it on the counter by the sink and opening it up. Facing me again, he leans against the counter, his brow furrowed. “Your mushroom allergy? How severe is it?”
“I’ve only had mild reactions—hives, itchy and swollen lips—but I carry an EpiPen, just in case,” I explain.
“And you’ve got it with you.”
I nod toward my discarded belt bag just as my stomach growls loudly. “In there.”
Atlas grabs a few paper towels, handing them to me when I join him at the counter. “Sorry, no plates.”
“I’m hardly going to complain about the lack of dinnerware when I’m the one invading your space.”
He lifts his shoulder. “Having company isn’t so bad.”
“Such a ringing endorsement,” I say with a laugh as I take two slices and head back to my seat.
“How long have you lived in Timberline Peak?” he asks as I lift the slice to my mouth for a bite.
My palm comes up to cover my mouth.
“Sorry, take your time. I know you’re hungry,” Atlas says, waving me off.
I swallow. “Yeah, it was a long day. Our hike was twelve miles and I haven’t eaten since before I got the call. Normally I do, but I didn’t want to slow my pace to eat.” My eyes drift to where Echo is resting.
“He’s going to be okay.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true, and you look like you need reassurance.”
When I don’t deny it, he moves on. “Do you have a favorite trail to hike when you’re not working?”
“That’s like asking a mother to pick a favorite child.”
He laughs and it makes me relax into the cot more.
“So, you have one?”
“I have several. It depends on the mood. The one we were on today, Caribou Basin, is a good one when I want to get away. But I like the hike up to Cascade Falls. It’s a hard hike, and you can’t think about much else while you climb it.”
“I’ll have to remember those,” he says.
I take a bite of the pizza and a moan slips out. I try to cover it with my hand but Atlas’s eyes flash to me.
“It’s good pizza.”
“You’re just being nice.” And he is. The conversation, letting me stay, the scrubs and food, it’s well above and beyond what’s required.
Hell, I couldn’t have even been mad if he’d set me packing after letting me see Echo—it’s well within his rights.
Yet, this guy, who doesn’t know me at all, is putting in the effort of someone who’s known me long enough to care.
I finish my last bite of pizza as I study the treatment room. Everything is as it was when Dr. McMullins owned the practice. I know the transition was quick, but he hasn’t changed a thing about the space. My eyes come back to the new vet, wondering what his deal is, when a yawn slips out.
It’s the big, stretching kind that makes my eyes water. Dr. Atlas notices, pushing off the counter he’s still leaning against and taking my garbage from me. “I’ll let you get some sleep. I’ll try to be quiet when I come in and out to check on him, but if you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”
“Thanks, Atlas. I know you didn’t have to let me stay, but appreciate it.”
“Something tells me you wouldn’t have gone quietly.” There’s teasing in his tone as he crouches down next to Echo’s crate and opens the door. When he’s done, he stands up, nodding toward his office door. “I’m right there if you or him need anything,” he reminds me.
I nod and get as comfortable as I can on the cot. Even though the fabric is stiff and hard, I already know I’ll sleep more here than I would have at home.
“Night, Doc.”
“Night, Harlowe.”