Page 4 of Hero of Mine (Men in Uniform 2)

Which meant she didn’t go out with guys with easy smiles and killer blue eyes. Even if he was carrying an injured dog into a veterinary clinic and willing to pay for the charges, despite the fact that it wasn’t his.

So what? Other guys would do this. He’s a dog lover, that’s it. Don’t make a big deal out of it and start looking at him like he’s some kind of hero. You feel nothing, do you hear me?

Dani heard it, but it was hard to listen when he told the vet tech, “Just call me with your game plan, and use this card for what he needs. I want updates, though.”

A guy who offered carte blanche medical care for a stray dog? It was hard not to want to throw her arms around him and give him a massive hug. Or, at the very least, sigh dreamily.

Get ahold of yourself, or I swear I am going to haul off and slap you silly. Then everyone will think you are crazykins.

A vet tech by the name of Darius took Fugly from Tyler, assuring him he’d call when he knew something.

Tyler watched Fugly disappear through the doors, and Dani’s heart fluttered at the concern on his face.

“We should get back so I can evaluate the dogs before Dr. Horrible decides to exact his revenge on us,” he said, turning back to face her.

“Dr. Horrible?”

Tyler seemed embarrassed. “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. It’s a three-part web series by Joss Whedon.”

“So it’s a musical?” she asked. They had pushed open the front door of the vet’s office and were walking toward his van.

“No, I mean, yeah, it’s a musical, but it’s Whedon. Anything Whedon does is awesome.” He actually beat her to the passenger door and opened it for her. Dani couldn’t remember the last time a guy had put in the effort.

“What else has he done?” she asked.

He actually stood in the door opening as she climbed into the front seat, his jaw hanging open. “Are you serious?”

“I don’t watch a lot of TV, unless it’s on Netflix or something.” Why did it sound like she was apologizing for not knowing who some obscure web series creator was?

“He’s on Netflix! Firefly, Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer—”

“Whoa, you watch something called Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” She broke out into peals of laughter, and he slammed the door. She was still guffawing when he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Whedon also wrote and directed the Avengers movies and Agents of Shield.”

“Well, you should probably lead with that and not that other stuff,” she said smartly.

“Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should know who Whedon is and what Buffy is.”

“Oh, God, I can’t take you seriously when you say things like that.”

“What, just because of the name of the show? I’m trying to school you on one of the most ingenious writers and directors of a generation.”

“And I’m listening, but I’m sorry, it’s a little hard to imagine.”

“You should be apologizing to the great Joss Whedon, not me,” he said.

She glanced his way and caught the smile he’d been fighting. “As soon as I get home, I’ll write an extensive apology and post it to my mommy blog.”

“You have a mommy blog?”

“No, but it would be funny if I did. Mine would be ‘what not to do as a parent.’ ” Shit, why had she said that to him?

“I’m sure most women feel like that.”

Dani knew his comment was supposed to be comforting, but he didn’t know her or her situation. So far, she’d just been doing her best, but nothing ever felt like it was good enough, especially compared to other moms. Moms who had waited until they had a career, had picked the right guy and gotten married. The freaking Pinterest moms who put all their amazing cupcakes and DIY birthday party decorations up for everyone to ooh and ahh over.

She hated those moms. There wasn’t a crafty bone in her body, and staring at all of those perfectly creative ideas and handmade awesomeness left her feeling even more like a failure.