Page 13 of Doctor Wolf's Human Nurse

She shook her head. “Nope. I was seeing a guy named Colby. I thought he was really great – until I caught him having sex with one of our professors on her desk in her office at the school.”

“Oh, ouch. That had to hurt.”

“It was a shock, to say the least. I broke up with him on the spot, and then Xyla took me to the club. I had a lot to drink. He came in and tried to apologize, but I humiliated him in front of everyone, and he left with his tail between his legs.”

She smiled at the memory. Abby wasn’t always great about standing up for herself. However, between her pain, the liquor, and Xyla, she had dug deep inside herself and found the courage to say exactly what had been on her mind.

Sawyer quietly clapped for her. “Good for you. Did you report them to the ethics committee or the school board?”

“No. I figured that karma would eventually come around and bite them in the butt. They hadn’t been careful enough, or I wouldn’t have discovered them.”

“True enough.

“What about you?”

Sawyer sighed. “I thought that I had fallen in love with another one of the doctors. She was smart, funny, and had all the qualities I had hoped to find in a partner. I asked her to marry me, but she told me that she wasn’t interested in that particular institution. She enjoyed her freedom as a single woman and working with Doctors Without Borders. Then, a week later, she transferred out.”

“I’m sorry. That was kind of a slap in the face.”

He shrugged. “It’s all good. She obviously wasn’t the right woman for me.”

Do I have any of the qualities you look for in a partner?

Abby blushed and purposely thought about the food, trying to remember that shifters could read minds.

They talked about the changes that Angel’s Creek had gone through since Sawyer had left home.

“It seemed as though it was exactly the same as it was when I left, but there are some new companies and shops in town. Most of the people I grew up with are still around, although I guess a few of them left to go do their own thing out in the world.”

“It’s easier to stay where you know everything and everyone. It’s comfortable and safe.”

“You left home,” he said.

“I did. It wasn’t all that comfortable there. My folks are something else,” she said. Then, because she didn’t want to talk about the situation, she changed the subject. “Beth said that Angel’s Creek has its own international celebrity.”

“Yeah, Dakota Higgins. He left Angel’s Creek when he was eighteen and started traveling around the world. He’s photographed and written books about many different animal species, including a lot of endangered animals. Dakota has also starred in a lot of documentaries that have been shown on the science channels.” Sawyer smiled. “He came back to Angel’s Creek and fell in love with Sadie, the high school’smedia coordinator. From what I understand her parents didn’t approve, because Dakota graduated in the same class as Sadie’s father.”

“The heart wants what the heart wants.” Abby cringed as she said the old cliché.

“Yes, it does. You can’t tell it otherwise.”

After he paid the check, he drove her back home and walked her to the door.

“Would you like to come in?”

He hesitated for a minute and then nodded.

She brought him a glass of wine and they sat on the couch, talking about New Mexico and all the fun places they enjoyed visiting. There were a few places they both wanted to see, and Abby almost suggested that they make plans to go to them together. She stopped herself right as the words were going to come out of her mouth.

Not appropriate, Abigail. He’s your boss, not your boyfriend.

At one point their hands touched and electricity exploded inside of her. Her entire body trembled as they stared into each other’s eyes. Abby was sure that she could see the wanting in his eyes that matched her own.

He started to lean over, as though he was going to kiss her, but then his phone buzzed.

Pulling it out of his pocket, he laughed. “Mom wants me to come for dinner this weekend.”

He looked at her intently, as though he was trying to look into her soul. “I need to go.”

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