Page 10 of Never Kiss Your Brother's Best Friend

Why am I suddenly jealous of our new furry friend?

Chapter five

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.

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