Abby said, “I just bet you would.”

The man continued to flirt with her. Jade told Abby that Eddie was harmless and was a hopeless flirt.

Eddie lifted his glass to Jade. “I’m just trying to find the right woman for me since you broke my heart when you went through the mating ceremony with Marvin.”

Abby grinned at Eddie’s jokes and banter. She was flattered that Eddie found her so attractive, but she couldn’t help but wish that it was Sawyer sitting next to her, flirting, instead.

2

Sawyer

Sawyer went home tired but happy. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed Angel’s Creek and all the people in it. He was sure that his business would be very successful.

Of course, it helps that I’m the only clinic in town.Otherwise, folks would have to go to Raton or one of the bigger cities.

He ordered a pizza and took a beer out of the fridge and collapsed on the couch. He had longer days when he was working for Doctors Without Borders. There were so many people who had a lot of needs. He and the other medical personnel had done the best that they could do, considering the limited supplies and conditions of the areas they were in.

It had been very fulfilling, knowing that he had made a huge difference in the lives of so many people. He had worked with some of the most amazing doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals in the world.

Sawyer sighed as he stared off into space.

It was time to come home. I missed my friends and family, and it was time to fulfill my dreams of owning my own clinic.

Several larger, prestigious hospitals had offered him some very tempting positions when he announced that he was leaving the organization. They were very tempting. A couple of the offers had made him pause for a moment. He would finally be able to buy that 1964.5 Mustang he had always wanted. However, Angel’s Creek called him home.

Dr. Leonard had been a very popular doctor. In all honesty, he wanted to retire five years ago, but there wasn’t anyone who wanted to take over his practice. At first, Sawyer was afraid that people would be too loyal to him and wouldn’t like the change. Most people didn’t like change. However, he seemed to be doing okay.

His thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. Pizza had arrived.

A picture of Abby flashed into his mind as he ate. She was a very beautiful woman. She had the sexy girl next door look. At one point during the day, when she bent over to pick something off the floor, he imagined bending her over his desk and caressing her beautiful ass as he took her from behind. He felt himself harden and his cock pressed hard against his pants as he thought about how incredibly hot she was. In his mind, he saw himself pulling lightly on her blond ponytail as he pumped in and out of her hot, wet pussy. Judging by the way she had looked at him a few times, she likely felt the same about him.

He shook his head as if to shake the forbidden thoughts out of his mind.

She is my employee. That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less. Not only could I get into big trouble if we got into a relationship and things went south, but it would mess up the working relationship at the office,he told himself sternly.

Sawyer turned on the television and found a college basketball game. He purposely focused on his pizza and beer, pushing away any thoughts of Abby.

The next day was just as busy. It seemed that every person in town had a tummy ache, headache, or cough. He was positive that people were just coming in to check him out. Many of them knew him since he had grown up in Angel’s Creek, but they had known him as a child, not a grown man who was a doctor.

The morning flew by and finally, he and Abby had a chance to take a break, eat lunch, and simply breathe.

He smiled at her and patted her on the back. “I must say that I’m impressed, especially with the slight differences between caring for shifters and mundane humans.”

She blushed at the compliment. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure what to expect from shifters, since your bone structure and muscles allow for a complete physical change. I guess I expected to see extra joints on the bones or whatever.”

“I could see how you might think that.”

Abby tilted her head a little and asked, “How does it work? I mean, do your bones, muscles, and organs just magically rearrange themselves?”

“Pretty much. We focus on our desire to shift and then walla, we’re in our animal form.”

She trembled slightly. “Does it hurt? Do your bones crunch and make noise?”

He laughed. “You would think that, but no. It’s a smooth transition with no pain.”

“Wow. That sounds so amazing.”

“It is. I’ve often thought about the physical aspects of shifting. I had a lot of questions in anatomy class that I couldn’t ask because I was pretty sure that my professor was human.”