SBC Fighter: Tails Of Love Part 18

The contrast between the big ex-jock and the tiny dog was amusing, but Claire's thoughts strayed to the time when Adam had held her with the same care. She'd always felt cherished and protected in his arms. That's why it had been so devastating when he'd crushed her heart.

No. She wouldn't dwel on that argument and the awful months afterward. What mattered now was helping Adam bond with Buddy. Claire cleared her throat. "So far I haven't found any reports of a missing crestie. But I'l keep checking."

"He's about as big as a footbal and not much heavier."

Adam stroked his fingers along the dog's hairless side. "He looks like he has freckles."

"His pink skin has some liver spots." She petted the dog's back, not jerking away today when she brushed against Adam's warm hand. "Cresties can be high maintenance. You need to protect their skin with sunscreen and dress them in sweaters in the winter. They can also develop certain medical problems, but Buddy's as strong as, wel , a tiny ox."

Lucia, her a.s.sistant, poked her head into the canine area. "m.u.f.fin's in second-stage labor. I have her in Room Three."

Claire stood. "I'l be right there." Her a.s.sistant left, and she glanced at Adam, amazed at her reluctance to leave him. "Duty cal s. But you can visit with Buddy as long as you like."

"Can I come with you?" he asked, his blue eyes searching hers. "Would it bother the dog if I was there for the birth?"

She considered him, the man she'd unconsciously compared to every date she'd had since col ege. Given their past, she should be avoiding him like rabies. But, G.o.d help her, she stil wanted to spend time with him. "Sure, but it'l be a little messy."

"After some of the footbal injuries I've seen and experienced, I can handle messy." Adam careful y set Buddy in his pen and promised the dog he'd be back.

Then, with a grimace of pain, he stood up and fol owed her out.

CHAPTER FIVE.

As they entered Room Three, the whine of a distressed animal tore at Adam's heart. Could he handle seeing it suffer? On a stainless-steel table against the back wal , a dog s.h.i.+fted restlessly on a padded bed. Its soft brown eyes tracked them.

Claire nodded to her coworker, a Hispanic woman who was petting the dog. "Lucia, meet Adam." Claire walked to the room's sink and turned on the water. She continued as she aggressively scrubbed her hands. "He's the one who rescued the crestie."

Rescued? Adam started to protest. Al he'd done was drive Buddy a few blocks to the shelter.

"Hi." Lucia held up her latex-gloved hands. "Sorry, but I can't shake hands right now."

"Lucia's a vet a.s.sistant and a G.o.dsend here." Claire toweled dry, then powdered her hands before pul ing on latex gloves. Each action was confident and economical.

Then, she gestured Adam to a nearby chair. "You can sit there, and I'l explain what we're doing . . . that is, if you're interested."

The last was said hesitantly. Adam frowned. Did she think he'd be bored because he'd been so indifferent toward her career choice during col ege? "I'm very interested," he a.s.sured her, as he sat on the uncomfortable chair. "I like watching you work."

Pleasure lit her face, but Claire turned away as if embarra.s.sed by her reaction. Instead of replying, she joined her a.s.sistant at the table and stroked the dog's brown-and-white fur. "Hi, m.u.f.fin. I hear you're ready to be a momma."

The long-haired dog shuddered, then licked Claire's hand.

"m.u.f.fin's a springer spaniel." Claire spoke quietly as she examined the dog. "And the suspected boyfriend is a black lab. Her diplomat-owners were rea.s.signed and had to leave her behind. They trust me to find a good home for her and her pups."

The dog whined louder, and Claire commiserated. "I know, sweetie. Having babies is no fun." She touched her stethoscope to m.u.f.fin's abdomen, and Lucia picked up the commentary.

"This padded bed"-the a.s.sistant touched its raised sides-"is a disposable whelping box. It gives the dog a soft nest for birthing. We put a heating pad underneath to warm it."

"I think the first mini-m.u.f.fin is about to make an appearance," Claire announced in a hushed voice.

Fascinated, Adam watched the dog pant and strain, wis.h.i.+ng there was something he could do to help. But this was Claire's domain. She and Lucia stood nearby, ready to step in if m.u.f.fin required it. After a long ten minutes, the dog expel ed a smal sack that looked more like a water bal oon than a puppy.

"She should help her baby by breaking the membrane and licking the pup clean," Claire explained. "But she's a first-time mom, so we're here in case she needs our help.

We don't want the puppy to suffocate."

His stomach clenched, as they waited. m.u.f.fin final y nuzzled the puppy and-instinct kicking in-did what was necessary. Claire and Lucia exchanged delighted smiles as the wet puppy wriggled and mewed under its mother's tongue.

Adam grinned, too, as the black puppy suckled its mother's milk. "I didn't know they nursed so soon after birth."

"The perritos, uh, puppies," Lucia translated, "need their madre's warmth, as much as the milk."

The next hour-and-a-half proved a real eye-opener for Adam as three more puppies were born. Each was a tiny miracle, and he was impressed, then humbled by Claire's skil and knowledge.

He learned about placentas and afterbirth, the messy business she'd warned about. He discovered puppies could enter the world safely head-first or tail-first. And he got an education in genetics, as Lucia explained why three of the four puppies were black and one was brown-and- white like its mom. And through it al , he admired Claire, moved by her compa.s.sion.

What would she be doing today if she'd given in to his col ege ultimatum? Would she have gone to veterinarian school in San Francisco or given up her dream?

His reverie was interrupted when Claire announced, "Here comes the last puppy."

Lucia stroked the dog's heaving side, as the spaniel whimpered. Fifteen minutes pa.s.sed, then twenty. m.u.f.fin shuddered and strained, but nothing happened. The women exchanged worried glances, and Adam could tel something was different this time. Despite the room's comfortable temperature, he broke out in a sweat. At last, another puppy sack appeared, but it didn't slide free of the dog's body as the others had.

"It's lodged in the birth ca.n.a.l." Claire stepped closer, murmuring softly to the spaniel. The concern in her voice as much as her words had Adam anxiously leaning forward.

He clenched his jaw to keep from asking questions, while Claire and her a.s.sistant fought to save the puppy's life.

Lucia slipped into Spanish, Adam understanding many of her words as she calmed m.u.f.fin. Claire, her eyes determined and her movements gentle, final y freed the black puppy. And with m.u.f.fin's help, it was soon nursing with its siblings.

Claire met Adam's gaze, and a rush of joy and relief seemed to arc between them. There was triumph in her expression and pride, and he knew he'd never forget this afternoon. How many animals had she helped over the years? How many had she saved, while he'd been throwing a bal around a footbal field?

"That was amazing," he managed to say, wis.h.i.+ng he had the right to hug her close. You're amazing.

"Thanks." Claire grinned. "Given the size of those puppies, the black lab daddy must be a bruiser. And he didn't even bother to drop by for their births," she joked.

Adam laughed with the women, and the tension in the room lightened. It'd been an eye-opening and sometimes heart-stopping afternoon. But mother and babies were healthy, thanks to Claire and Lucia. If he'd had a bottle of champagne handy, he'd have toasted m.u.f.fin and her human helpers.

Heck, if he thought Claire would agree, he'd treat her to dinner to celebrate. And then he'd do his d.a.m.nedest to convince her to give him a second chance. He wanted her back in his life.

She gestured to the whelping bed. "We have some cleanup and paperwork to complete before we're real y done here. You can head back to the runs, if you want, to visit with Buddy."

"Okay. I'l do that." Adam glanced at his watch so she wouldn't read his thoughts. For al he knew, she was dating someone seriously . . . planning a future with another man.

No. His gut twisted, and he shoved the disturbing images away.

Adam walked to the door, then faced the woman he knew now he'd never stopped loving. She deserved to hear what had been on his mind al afternoon.

"Claire . . ." Adam wil ed her to understand how bone- deep sorry he was for everything he'd said and done. "You made the right decision ten years ago."

CHAPTER SIX.

You made the right decision ten years ago.

It was Friday, a week and a half since Adam had said those words, and the memory of that moment stil haunted Claire. The look in his eyes and the regret in his voice had destroyed most of the anger she'd h.o.a.rded over his long- ago ultimatum. That simple sentence had been both a vindication of her choice and an apology for the pain he'd caused her.

Claire forced her gaze from the shelter's front door to her clipboard. Adam visited Buddy about this time every afternoon, always stopping by her office to exchange a few words. Like some lovesick girl, she'd let it become the highlight of her day.

Instead of standing in her waiting room watching for Adam, Claire needed to finish her Wish List update for Rescue Me's website. Donations often came from animal- lovers who went on-line to check the shelter's required items. Her volunteer Webmistress needed the update by this evening. Of course, with Adam arriving daily with donations, the Wish List was pretty short this month.

As if her intern had read her mind, Patty asked, "What do you think he'l bring you today?"

Claire shrugged. "It'd be hard to top the trunkload of kitty litter he delivered yesterday."

Patty grinned. "You know, he's total y crus.h.i.+ng on you."

A blush warmed her cheeks, even as Claire denied the idea. "We're just old friends from col ege."

"You don't see how he watches you when you're not looking."

Claire fought a swel of hope. She'd be a fool to fal back into a relations.h.i.+p with Adam. Wouldn't she?

The man who'd crowded her thoughts for days walked through the door, carrying two large bags. "Just some chew toys and things," Adam explained. He handed them to Patty, who shot Claire an "I'm right; go for it" look as she left with the bags.

Claire's hands clenched on the clipboard. Was Adam playing Santa because he enjoyed spending time with her?

Or was he just here for the crestie? Wel , she was about to find out.

"Buddy's strong and healthy," she began, "and since there's no reports of missing cresties, he can be adopted."

Dismay, then determination firmed Adam's expression. "I want Buddy. I can take him, right?"

want Buddy. I can take him, right?"

Claire nodded, her throat closing on a surge of emotions.

The dog would live the life of Reil y with Adam, but would she ever see them again? Setting down her clipboard, she managed a few words. "We'l loan you a carrier to get Buddy home."

"Okay." Adam stepped closer, his familiar scent muddling her brain. "But I haven't had a dog since I was a kid. I could probably use some pointers on his care and feeding."

Was he looking for an excuse to get together? She cleared her throat. "We, uh, send printed directions along with pets."

"Oh." He rocked back on his heels, looked at the floor, then met her gaze. "Have dinner with me."

Claire's heart cheered, but her super-developed self- preservation instinct reared its unwelcome head. "Wel . . ."

Adam took her hand, his touch tripping her pulse. "You've never been to my restaurant, and I'd like to show it to you.

And . . ." He seemed to be mental y searching for a good argument. "And I've been thinking I could hold a fund-raiser at Nuclear Fusion for your shelter." He smiled, but there was a surprising vulnerability in his eyes. "We can plan it over dinner."

d.a.m.n his s.e.xy hide for knowing the way to her heart.

Before she could answer, Adam continued, "I'l pick you up at six on Sunday, okay?"

Sunday. Was she crazy? What was she getting into?

And what would she wear? Claire nodded, antic.i.p.ation defeating caution.

At five til six, Adam parked his vintage Mustang in front of a grand old brick house several residential blocks away from the shelter. The place had been subdivided into condos, Claire had explained, and hers was on the second floor.

He turned off the ignition and pocketed the keys before wiping his damp palms on his black slacks. Geez, he hadn't been this nervous since his last Super Bowl. But tonight could be his only shot at a second chance with Claire.

Adam unfolded himself from the seat, stood next to the Mustang, and spotted Claire on the home's stone porch. In some dim recess of his brain, he registered that she was talking with a woman holding a canine furbal . But his focus was on Claire.

The sun glinted off her chestnut hair, softly haloing her face. Appropriate. Adam smiled. She was an angel to her four-legged patients. His gaze drifted lower, over her coppery, clingy dress, and he forgot to breathe. Two weeks of fantasizing about the body under her boxy scrubs hadn't prepared him for the mouth-watering reality and her long, lean legs. . . .

Claire turned and waved to him, before hurrying down the steps. He circled the car and opened the pa.s.senger door for her.

She looked inside. "Adam, is this your old Mustang?"

The delight on her face calmed his jitters. "I restored it.

There were too many good memories in this car to sel it."

Memories of you. And he'd love to make new ones, but he kept that thought to himself as she got into the car. He just hoped everything was ready at the restaurant. It had to be perfect.

Claire congratulated herself on making smal talk the fifteen minutes it took to drive to Nuclear Fusion. Quite an accomplishment when her brain was fil ed with hot flashbacks of making love with Adam in this car. She clutched her purse in her lap to keep from reaching for his hand like the good old days.

He pul ed to the curb in front of the restaurant, tossing his keys to a kid at a valet stand. Then Adam opened the door to Nuclear Fusion, and she entered a world of cool hues and sweeping lines. The wal s were curved panels of light, pulsing from blue to turquoise to green. Waves of chrome reflected the living colors and divided the room into cozy booths. Everything, including the sumptuous upholstery and carpet, contributed to the il usion of a futuristic undersea kingdom.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "A s.p.a.ce-age Atlantis."

Adam let out a breath. "I hoped you'd like it." Smiling, he rested a hand on her back-the simple gesture giving Claire gooseflesh-and guided her through the empty dining room. "I reserved my favorite spot for us." He stopped by an oval table backed by a curved, intimate booth for two. Nestled in a private alcove, it was s.h.i.+elded from other tables by a huge aquarium fil ed with a rainbow of darting fish.

She slid onto the booth's soft cus.h.i.+ons. When he joined her in the snug s.p.a.ce, his leg brushed hers and his scent, so tempting and familiar, fil ed her senses. Claire scrambled for something to say. "Uh, it looks like we're the first customers."