Page 67 of Redeeming Harmony

Harper loved Gracie, she did, but she could have cheerfully strangled her right now. She took a step back, keeping her gaze away from Nathan’s crotch and hoping like hell that the tent he was pitching wasn’t that noticeable.

“Sure.” Nathan’s voice sounded a little tight but otherwise normal. “I think Laila has the clinic credit card with her. You could ask her to go with you to pay for the extra coffee.”

“I can do that,” Grace said. She studied them both, and Harper had no doubt she could see the tension between them.

“Four minutes!” Rayna hollered from across the gym. “Nathan, we need you at the dog station!”

“Okay, that’s my cue,” Nathan said. “Thank you again, Harper, and you too, Grace, for helping today.”

“You’re welcome,” Grace said.

She waited until Nathan was out of earshot before turning to Harper. “Are you two having sex?”

“What? No, of course not,” Harper said. “We’re friends, Gracie, that’s it.”

“There’s a realI wanna fuck your brains outvibe between the two of you,” Grace said.

“There isn’t,” Harper said.

“Isn’t there?” Gracie said.

“Fine. I’m attracted to him.”

“Have you kissed yet?”

Harper looked everywhere but at Grace.

“Confess, Harper.”

“I kissed him the night Kira, Addie, and I went to the Hitching Post to find me a fuck buddy.”

“Holy shit!” Gracie crowed. “Kira owes me fifty bucks.”

Harper laughed. “Seriously?”

“Look, it’s not my fault you kissed him within the agreed upon time limit of my bet with Kira. But I will think of you when I’m using that fifty bucks to buy myself something pretty.” She grinned at Harper before walking off in the direction of Laila and Wren.

“Two minutes!” Rayna hollered.

Harper took one final look around the gym. Everything was in place for the free clinic, and although nerves were starting to make her stomach queasy, she tried to think positively. This would show the town that Nathan was a fantastic vet who cared about animals. It had to.

* * *

“Thank you so much,Dr. Henshaw. We love our Tinkerbell to bits, but we’re both on pensions, and money is tight. It makes us feel so much better to know she’s vaccinated.”

Nathan smiled at the older couple standing across the table from him. Their cat, a large and fat tabby with a pink nose and a friendly disposition, rubbed up against him and then against Jade, purring loudly.

“You’re very welcome,” Nathan glanced at the sheet on the table in front of him, “Mrs. Murrell. I’m glad we could help today.”

He petted Tinkerbell again, and the cat’s purring immediately increased in volume. While Jade held the large tabby, he pinched a fold of skin above the cat’s hip and injected her with the vaccine before tossing the used needle into the sharps container on the table behind him. “There we go. All finished.”

Jade put Tinkerbell into her crate as Nathan stuck the label from the vaccine onto the form with Tinkerbell’s name and information before signing his name on the bottom. He handed the paper to Mr. Murrell and then shook the man’s hand when he held it out to him.

“Thanks again, Doc,” Mr. Murrell said. “We sure appreciate this.”

“Our daughter has a ranch over in Fairfield County,” Mrs. Murrell said. “We’ll make sure to tell her how good you are with animals. She’s been looking for a new vet for her horses.”

“Thank you,” Nathan said. “That’s very kind.”

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