Page 97 of Redeeming Harmony

A small smile crossed his face. “He did. I thought you already knew that. I’m pretty sure it was you he was talking to on the phone during his lunch break today.”

“Was it me?” she said, trying to keep a confused look on her face. “I don’t…um…”

His grin widened, and feeling stupid as hell, she said, “Oh, yeah, right. No, now I remember. It was busy at the shop today, and I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, so my brain is a bit fried.”

She hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep because she and Nathan had taken turns waking each other up for more sex throughout the night. She’d left his place early this morning sated and satisfied, but now being this close to him and seeing the obvious tiredness on his face, she felt a surge of guilt.

Glancing around to make sure there was no one close, she lowered her voice and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t let you get much sleep last night.”

“I’m not.”

They smiled at each other for a few seconds before he said, “So, why are you here?”

“Oh, I, uh…” she cast about for a believable excuse. “Dog food.”

“Dog food,” he said.

“Yes. I’m thinking about switching dog food for Winston. He should probably be on a senior format.”

“Right, you’re here for dog food. For Winston,” he said with a knowing grin that made her blush.

“Anyway, I should go.” The words came out of her mouth, but her body didn’t move.

“If you can stick around for a bit, there was something I wanted to chat to you about. I just need to discharge my final client,” Nathan said.

“Sure,” Harper said, even though it would make her late for dinner.

“Great.” Nathan’s gaze dropped to her mouth, and for a moment, Harper was sure he was going to kiss her. It’d been almost twelve hours since she’d last kissed him, and that was way too long. Her pulse turned erratic, and her back got sweaty, and she didn’t care that people surrounded them.

Nathan cleared his throat and stepped away. “Okay, well, I’ll….”

“Keep that thing away from my Petey! They carry rabies!” Carrie’s voice echoed in the clinic.

Harper and Nathan turned, and Harper’s mouth dropped open. A man with a chest-length grey beard and a baseball cap jammed firmly on his head had walked into the clinic carrying a live trap. Inside the trap lounging on its back like it was Cleopatra being carried on a palanquin was the fattest raccoon Harper had ever seen.

The man set the trap down on the floor and took off his hat, nodding to Laila. “I’m here for the missing cat reward, ma’am.”

“Oh boy,” Harper said as Nathan made a sound of disbelief.

She followed Nathan to the reception desk. Carrie had gathered up Petey and his food and hurried for the door. The older couple still sat in their chairs, their faces full of amusement and bright interest.

“That’s not a cat,” Laila said.

The man just shrugged. “Could be a cat.”

“It’s a raccoon,” Laila said.

“Yeah, well, you ain’t a vet, are ya? Maybe we should let the doc take a look at it,” the man said.

Laila’s face flushed. “A person does not need to be a vet to know that’s a raccoon.”

The man stared impassively at her, and Laila said, “Sir, that is not a cat.”

“Hi. Dr. Nathan Henshaw.” Harper could barely hold in the laughter as Nathan stuck out his hand.

“Hey, Doc. Larry Mortin. I got your missing cat here. Is the five hundred bucks in cash, or will you be cutting me a cheque?” Larry shook Nathan’s hand.

With more diplomacy than Harper would ever have managed, Nathan said, “I appreciate you stopping by, but that’s not Lady Nakia.”

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