Page 11 of Jack Raider

Nate laughed. “Now you see why I don’t have long conversations with my sisters. They all get weepy and emotional.”

“Very funny,” I said, rolling my eyes.

I wheeled Wolf into the surgery room and got to work. Even though he was out cold, I murmured soft reassurances as I shaved the fur around his injured leg. The sight of the deep wounds made my stomach twist. Jack stood next to me in case I needed help.

“Whoever set that damn bear trap should be in jail,” I muttered.

“You’re really good with animals,” Jack said.

Startled, I jumped, forgetting he was still in the room. My shaving tool slipped from my hands, and as I bent to grab it, Jack did the same.

Our heads collided with a solidthunk.

“Ow.” I rubbed my forehead.

“Sorry,” Jack said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Stop apologizing,” I muttered.

“Would you two quit flirting?” Nate called from the doorway. “Fix the wolf so we can leave.”

I frowned. “Why are you in such a hurry? I was hoping you’d stay a couple of days. Are you going to visit Mom and Dad? They’ll want to see you.”

“We didn’t bring anything with us. Nothing. All we cared about was getting Wolf to you,” Nate said. “I’ll come back next month and stay for a long weekend.”

I nodded. “Alright. I won’t tell Mom and Dad you were here. Let me finish up with Wolf, and then you guys can head out.”

Turning around, I caught sight of Jack whispering something to Wolf before pressing a gentle kiss to the wolf’s head.

I fell in love on the spot. The feeling was so strong I thought I would cry.Damn it, Eloise do not cry.

Jack lifted his head, and our gazes locked. For a moment, neither of us moved.

I smiled, my heart doing something ridiculous in my chest. “Wolf is lucky…” What is wrong with me? “I mean, he’s lucky he has you.”

Jack’s lips quirked into a soft smile, but he didn’t say anything.

I sucked in a deep breath and forced myself to focus. Fixing Wolf’s leg took an hour, but when I was finally done, I walked Jack through how to open the cast and apply the ointment daily. I didn’t want to sew up the punctures because I wanted to be sure that if he got any infection, it could ooze out.

“Thank you, Eloise. How much do I owe you?”

“It’s free.”

Jack frowned.“No, it’s not.”He pulled out some cash and set it on the counter before scooping Wolf up into his arms.

I handed him a bottle of pills. “These will keep him calm. These will keep his fever down,” I said, handing him another bottle of pills. If he starts chewing on the cast, get one of those protective collars.”

Jack nodded.

As he turned to leave, I followed him out, grabbing a card off the counter. “Here. My number. Call me if you need anything.” I pressed it into his hand, my fingers lingering for a second longer than necessary.“Goodbye.”

“I’ll be back,” he said.

Why did that make my chest ache? Jeez, what was wrong with me? Maybe I was just overtired.

Nate pulled me into a hug. “I’ll see you next month. Get some sleep. And stop staring at Jack—it’s so obvious.”

I blinked.“What?”

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