5. EMMA
”So, what”s the verdict, Doc?” I ask, cradling the scruffy dog on my lap.
“Unfortunately, there”s no chip, and now that I’ve had a chance to look at his leg, I think some x-rays are in order.”
”Aww, poor thing. Is he going to be okay?”
”Yeah, should be,” Sterling says. ”We just need to see if it’s broken. Just hold him for me please while I get the machine ready.”
”Will do,” I reply.
He stands up and heads off down the hall. The puppy cowers in my lap, his little tail tucked between his legs. I’m sure being whisked away by strangers isn’t easy for him.
”Hey, little guy,” I whisper, scratching him under the chin. ”It”s all right, you”re safe now. Sterling is the best vet, you know. You”ll be better off here than wherever you were before.”
He doesn”t seem convinced, and his big brown eyes look around the room warily. He looks like he”s ready to bolt at any second, but then Sterling returns, and the puppy calms a bit.
”All right, let”s get to work,” he says.
I follow Sterling down the hall to the x-ray machine, holding tightly to the squirming puppy. The last thing we need is for him to fall out of my arms.
There’s no way this dog will stay still on its own, so I gently place him on the table and hold him there until Sterling connects some special straps to keep him still. I make sure he can see me to help him feel more comfortable.
”He”s a brave little fella, I”ll give him that,” Sterling says, and a smile spreads across his face. He goes behind the screen to take the pictures as the puppy whimpers softly.
As soon as Sterling gives me the all clear sign, I unwrap the straps and lift the dog off the table. We head into the hallway to wait for Sterling to check out the x-rays.
”There we go,” I tell him. ”All done.”
I set the puppy down and he immediately limps ahead of me, sniffing his way down the hall.
”You’re tough,” I say with a chuckle.
A few minutes later, Sterling meets us back in the exam room. “Good news, it’s not broken. He must have really strained it. I’ll get him some pain meds and we’ll just try to keep him off of it as much as we can.”
“Good luck with that,” I answer. “He never stops moving. He doesn’t seem to care if he has a limp. It’s like his doggy swagger.”
Sterling smiles, and his dimples call to me. Those dimples are the only thing that can take my eyes off this adorable puppy.
No. No. Better to focus on the puppy.
”Well, unfortunately I can”t bring him to the shelter, not until his leg is better,” Sterling remarks. “There”s no room there, anyway. They”re at capacity.”
”We can”t just leave him at the clinic, either. He”ll be lonely, Sterling,” I protest, sticking out my lower lip.
”Don”t do that,” he groans, shaking his head.
”What, this?” I stick out my lip even farther, while tilting my head and batting my eyelashes.
He puts his hands over his eyes. “I see nothing. Nope. You have absolutely no effect on me.”
“I don’t?” I say while gently peeling each finger away slowly. His eyes open and we’re face to face. “Pretty please?”
“Not fair, Emma.” He takes a step backward.
“I can”t take him to the hotel. They don”t allow pets. Come on, Sterling. You don”t have any animals at home. What kind of vet doesn”t have a dog of their own? You”ll be happy to have him around, I know it.”
”Well, that”s a bold statement,” he says with a smirk. ”Are you sure? You want to bet on it?”
I giggle and give him a playful shove. ”Oh, come on, Sterling. For me?”
He lets out a sigh. ”Okay, fine. But only until his leg is better. After that I”ll find him a home. Fair?”
”Perfect,” I say, my smile wide. ”Thank you so much. Have I mentioned you’re the best?”
”Yeah. Don”t make me regret this,” he warns, shaking a finger at me.
”You know, I didn”t realize there were so many strays in Cedar Creek. You said the shelter is already at capacity?” I lean against the exam table, and he nods. ”That”s too bad.”
”It”s a very small shelter,” he explains. ”They have a lot of animals, but not a lot of room. The lake really attracts strays. We started a program where we trap the feral cats. I fix them to limit the population as much as possible, and we release them back out into the wild.”
“There”s a stray dog population, too. I”m trying, but I can”t seem to make a dent in the issue. They”re always looking for more volunteers. Not a lot of people are interested in helping out. Plus, there”s just no where to put them.”
”That”s really admirable of you, Sterling. I”m impressed,” I say.
He shrugs. ”It”s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. It”s important to help the animals in town,” I argue. ”I can”t imagine how hard it must be to see all the cute puppies and kittens and not be able to bring them all home. I”d have a million little critters running around if I could, but my apartment complex has a no-pet policy, like the hotel. I”m always donating to the shelter back home in the city. I wish I had more time to help out, but I”ve got my hands pretty full with the thirty or so kids I”m responsible for.”
”Oh, that”s right, you”re a teacher,” he says.
I nod. ”Yep. Third grade. My classroom is the size of this room, and I”m surrounded by a pack of wild, rambunctious children. I love it, though. Those kids are the best.”
”I don”t doubt it. You were always great with kids.”
”Yeah, but they aren”t nearly as cute as this one,” I whisper, patting the little dog”s head as he limps back into the room. ”Hey, buddy, feeling any better?” Sterling gave him some meds after the x-ray and they seem to have kicked in.
He yips and wags his tail.
”Good, then,” Sterling says, giving the dog a scratch. As he does so, he catches a glimpse of his watch and jumps. ”Oh, crap. It”s getting late. I”m supposed to have dinner with my parents. I completely forgot. It”s my dad’s birthday.”
”Oh, that”s right. Tell him, ‘Happy Birthday’ for me.”
”Sure thing. I”d better get going.” He places a new collar around the dog”s neck, and as he”s hooking the leash, he looks up at me. ”You wouldn”t want to join me, would you? My parents would love to see you. It”s been a long time. I”m sure they”re dying to catch up with you.”
”Heck yeah! I”d love to,” I exclaim, bouncing up and down.
”Come on, little doggy. You, too.”
”You can”t keep calling him ‘Doggy,’ Sterling. He deserves a proper name now,” I point out.
Sterling laughs. ”What should I call him?”
”Hmmm. Well, let”s see... How about Buddy?”
”Buddy? Really?”
”Yeah, I think he”ll like it. Don”t you, Buddy?”
The little dog yips again in response, and Sterling chuckles. ”Pretty generic, but fine. Buddy it is. Come on, Buddy, let”s go.”
We head back to the reception room, where I scoop up my purse from the desk before we get back into Sterling”s truck. He turns the engine, and Buddy settles into my lap again as we veer onto the road.
I look out the window, taking in all the changes in my sleepy little hometown. The streets are a bit busier now that it”s summer, and I notice the shopping choices have expanded. They have a few new stores.
That”s not surprising, though. Small towns are always trying to get bigger. It”s just the way things are. My favorite part of our town has to be the live oaks on each side of the street. The canopies they form are like giant hands reaching for each other to protect people from the blazing sun above.
”It”s funny, a lot has changed around here, but it still feels the same,” I comment. ”I miss this place, Sterling. It”s good to be back.”
He gives me a side-eyed glance. ”That old water tower we climbed when we were kids has been taken down.”
I laugh. ”Of course, it has. That thing was a death trap. What about the abandoned factory behind the town center? Has anyone bought it?”
”Nope,” he replies. ”Still abandoned. Nobody wants to mess with it.”
”But,” he adds, and then hesitates, “I”ve actually been considering buying it myself. The price is really reasonable. I could move my clinic over there. There”s enough room that I could add a new animal shelter wing.”
”Sterling, that”s an amazing idea. Do you think you can afford it?”
”I can afford the building and get started on the renovations, but I won’t have enough for the shelter wing quite yet. Don”t get me wrong, my business has been doing well,” he replies. ”But I want to do things right, and I’m just not there at this point.”
”That”s a shame,” I say, pursing my lips. ”I think you should go for it.”
”I was thinking that I could maybe get a few more vets from surrounding areas to help out once it”s opened. With the animal shelter, we could offer more services and help more animals.”
”It sounds amazing, Sterling,” I say. ”I know I”ve been away for a while, but I”d love to help as much as I can while I”m here, to help make your vision a reality.”
He gives me a smile. ”Thanks, Emma. I’m grateful.”
”Anything for the cause,” I say with a grin. ”Let”s get this thing started.”
”Don”t get too excited. I still have no idea how I”m going to get it off the ground. That”s going to be the hard part.”
”We”ll figure it out,” I reply. I reach out and place my hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze. ”I believe in you.”
He glances at me, and the look he gives me makes me feel all warm and tingly. There”s something in his eyes that I can”t quite decipher. Something about him is different than when we were younger, and I”m not sure what it is.
To me, he’s always been the same Sterling—I’ve had the privilege of seeing his true character. Deep down, he’s a compassionate soul who loves animals and wants to help them. It’s unfortunate that others perceive him as grump, because he’s anything but.
He was always my friend but by way of my brother Peter. Now, I’m feeling a connection that’s just ours, that my brother has nothing to do with.
There’s no doubt he’s gone from being adorable as a teenager to striking as a man. But it’s more than that. Being around him lifts my spirit; I feel drawn to him.
And that might become a problem.