Page 10 of Fierce Protector

He met her stare.

“Please.”

There were so many things he wanted to ask her. But he wordlessly did her bidding. She disinfected her hands and then slipped on the surgical gloves.

He’d witnessed procedures after battle. Even been patched up a few times himself. But he’d never seen surgery performed on an animal, let alone one of this size.

With each move she made to stop the bleeding and repair the severed tendon, his respect for her grew.

“Demi—”

The barn door opened, and Colton entered with Meadow. Demi gave Ledger another cautioning look.

Meadow cried out and rushed forward to soothe her horse.

The next few minutes as Demi wrapped up the surgery, Meadow plied her with questions. Demi answered every one of them with knowledge and sympathy for the owner evident in her voice.

After it was all done, she gave Meadow instructions to administer medication and stay with the horse in shifts for the next six hours. By then, they’d know whether or not more action would be needed.

Demi reached for her bag.

“I got it.” Ledger closed his fingers on the handle. “I’ll walk you out.”

She shot him a look but said nothing.

As soon as he spotted her SUV, memories came at him, thick and arousing.

She spun to him. “What are you doing here?”

“I work here.”

She issued a noise and shoved a loose strand of hair off her face. “I asked if you were from around here. You said no.”

“I’m a military base brat. I’m from everywhere.”

She set a hand on her hip. “Well, this is going to complicate things.”

He stared down at her. God, her eyes were so pretty. And that bottom lip…

“Why is that?”

She held his stare when she dropped the nuke on him. “I’m pregnant.”

* * * * *

Demi didn’t mean to blurt that out.

Now she had to deal with the fallout.

She would have been one-hundred-percent truthful with Ledger about the pregnancy—right after she figured out what to say to him.

Now, she had no choice but to wing the whole conversation.

Unless I can dodge him.

Fat chance when he worked on the Gracey.

Ledger started to speak, but she cut across him.

---