Page 4 of Redeeming Harmony

She drew back from the desk like it was a hissing cat. What was she doing? Who cared what she looked like? Who did she have to impress? Certainly not Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy Lips. She hated him.

Sure, okay, but it doesn’t mean you have to look terrible. I mean, he is super attractive. Nothing wrong with putting on a little mascara, for God’s sake.

Her inner voice wasn’t wrong about the attractive part, but it would be a cold day in hell before she banged the guy stealing her father’s practice.

Banged? I just suggested a little mascara. You went to thoughts of fucking him pretty damn quick, sweetheart.

Annoyed with herself, Harper left her room and stomped down the stairs. Rain still fell in a drizzle, and she grabbed a jacket from the coat closet, zipping it up and pulling the hood over her head before leaving the house.

Her childhood home was next door to the clinic, and despite the darkness, she walked confidently across the lawn and then down the worn dirt path toward the stream that flowed between the house and the clinic. The rain had made the stream rise, but it was still nowhere close to washing out the small wooden footbridge. That had only happened once, as far as Harper could recall, and it had been after days of constant rain.

She crossed the bridge and crunched her way across the gravel parking lot to the clinic.

“Stupid sexy lips,” she muttered as she passed Nathan’s truck.

She stepped inside the clinic and paused. She took a deep breath, the mix of antiseptic and animal smell making her smile a little. God, she had missed this place too. It hadn’t changed at all in the last year, and she was profoundly grateful for that. While her childhood bedroom being unchanged was depressing, the clinic being as she remembered, brought nothing but a sense of comfort.

The reception desk was on the left side of the foyer, with a doorway behind the desk leading to the staff break room. Sturdy black metal chairs lined up on the right for waiting clients, and two large metal shelves just beyond them held bags and cans of pet food, treats, and supplements. Two exam rooms with a weight scale sandwiched on the floor between them ran along the left wall with the bathroom next to the second exam room.

Trailing her hand along the reception desk, she headed toward the swinging door. She pushed it open and smiled at her dad, who stood at the long counter that held the lab equipment.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hey, Dad. How is he?”

“Better. X-rays are done, and the hip is back in place. We have him in one of the runs in the dog kennel. With the heated floor and blankets, he’ll warm up soon. Once he’s fully awake from the sedation, I’ll offer him a bit of food. Poor old guy hasn’t eaten in a while, I think.”

“Thank you for helping him.” She put her arm around her dad’s waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head. “Nathan was the one who put his hip back in.”

She made a non-committal sound, and after a beat of silence, her father said, “I like your hair.”

She laughed. “No, you don’t.”

Her father chuckled and kissed the top of her head again. She stared up at him. He looked tired, although considering it was close to one in the morning, she supposed that wasn’t surprising, and there were more fine lines around his eyes than there’d been even a year ago.

“How bad is the pain?” she asked when he rubbed at his neck in a familiar gesture.

Before her father could reply, Nathan joined them. Like her, he had changed into dry clothes. The navy Henley he wore clung to his chest and shoulders in a way that made her crotch tingle pleasantly.

Down, girl.

“He’s still pretty out of it,” Nathan said to her father, “and his heartbeat is a little irregular.”

Her father rubbed at the back of his neck again, grimacing slightly. “I noticed that on my initial exam. I’ll keep an eye on him until he’s fully awake.”

“I can stay,” Nathan said. “You go home and get some sleep. I know you have the cruciate surgery on Rocco Midson tomorrow morning.”

“You sure?” her father said. “You have a full appointment schedule tomorrow.”

“Positive,” Nathan said. “I was on my way to the clinic tonight anyway.”

“Why?” Harper said. “There aren’t any animals here.”

She sounded rude and aggressive even to herself, but Nathan smiled at her. “Couldn’t sleep, and I had some paperwork to clear up.”

“Right,” she said.

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