A Valentine For The Veterinarian. Katie Meyer

meal with some bottled water and nosed the vehicle south on Lighthouse Avenue. A few quick blocks later and he was pulling into the small parking lot.

      Rex woofed hopefully.

      “All right, you can come in.” He got out and then let Rex out, snapping on his leash. The dog trotted at his side, nose working the breeze. The K-9 was probably picking up a full buffet of smells from all of the pets that had been through there recently.

      Once inside, Rex honed in on the treat container in the reception area, sitting prettily directly in front of it.

      “Hi, handsome!” The pretty brunette behind the counter, Mollie, according to her name tag, smiled at the panting dog, then turned to Alex. “You must be the man that rescued the kitten this morning, right?”

      “Guilty as charged. Although really Rex was the one who found him. He deserves all the credit.”

      “I’m not sure credit is the word.” She made a wry face. “Maybe blame would be more accurate. That little guy has been driving everyone nuts all day. They had to move him into Cassie’s office because he was getting the other patients all worked up with his yowling.”

      Alex winced. “Sorry. I probably should have taken him with me, but I wasn’t exactly prepared for a surprise kitten at six this morning.”

      “Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault he’s so rambunctious. And Dr. Marshall’s daughter is in love with him. She’s back there playing with him now.”

      “Emma’s here? Surely her mother doesn’t bring her to work every day?”

      The receptionist tipped her head, studying him. “I didn’t realize you’d met Emma already. Her grandparents dropped her off a little bit ago. They watch her in the afternoons.”

      He nodded. “Emma and I met at the Share the Love meeting the other day—she asked if I was going to take anyone to jail. She’s quite the character.”

      Mollie laughed. “That she is. Not a shy bone in her body, that’s for sure. Have a seat. I’ll let them know you’re here.”

      Alex chose the seat farthest from the door, across from an older man snuggling a Persian cat. Rex ignored the cat, preferring to keep an eye on the treat jar.

      Only a few minutes later, he was called into an examination room. He was surprised to recognize one of the owners of the Sandpiper, Jillian, waiting for him, dressed in scrubs.

      “Deputy Santiago, good to see you again.” She offered a wide smile, then crouched down to pet Rex. “And nice to meet you, Rex. I hear you’re quite the hero.”

      “He’s going to get a swollen head from all the compliments the women in this place give him. And call me Alex.”

      “Okay, Alex. Well, Dr. Marshall should be with you in just a minute. She was checking on the kitten’s lab results, but he seems plenty healthy.”

      “Yeah, I heard he’s been a handful. Sorry about that.”

      “Please. If we can’t handle a two-pound kitten for a few hours, we’re in trouble.”

      “Well, thank you anyway. I have to admit, I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you ran the Sandpiper?”

      “Oh, no, I’m one of the owners, but my husband’s the one who really runs it. Nic grew up in the hotel business, so he handles all the day-to-day stuff. I’ve been working here in the clinic since I was in high school. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

      He nodded in understanding. He could respect that; it was how he felt about being a cop.

      The door opposite the one they came in from opened and Cassie entered, her daughter behind her. In Emma’s arms was the kitten.

      “He looks better,” Alex commented. “Jillian said he’s doing okay now.”

      “He’s doing more than okay,” Cassie told him. “He’s got a belly full of food and has been given more attention today than he’s probably ever had in his life.”

      As if to prove her statement, the kitten began purring, his throaty rumbling surprisingly loud given his small size.

      “That’s good, because he’s going to be on his own tonight. I did stop and get him some food. And I can make him a bed up, with towels or something.”

      “Good. What kind of litter did you get?”

      Uh-oh. “Um, well...”

      Cassie watched his face, then burst into laughter. Her shoulders shook as she spoke. “You’ve never had a cat before, have you, Deputy?”

      Her laughter was almost worth the embarrassment. Almost. He had a college degree and had solved numerous criminal cases, yet he couldn’t figure out how to take care of a simple cat? She must think he was an idiot.

      Still chuckling, she put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry I laughed. I should have given you a list this morning or at least told you what to get.”

      Her hand on his arm was warm, the casual touch sending a jolt of heat through his body. Pulling away, he cleared his suddenly dry throat. “You did more than enough. This was my fault.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I don’t suppose you sell that stuff here? I’ve got to be on patrol in a bit, and, well—”

      “Why don’t we take Trouble home with us, Mommy?”

      Alex looked from the bright-eyed girl to her mother. “I don’t think—”

      “Please, Mommy? You said we would get a pet. And this one needs a home. And he loves me so much, I know he’d miss me. And,” she said, pointing at Alex triumphantly, “he doesn’t know how to take care of a cat. He doesn’t even have a litter box.”

      Put in his place by a child. So much for making a good impression. He’d be offended, except she was right. He had no idea what to do with a cat. He’d grown up with dogs, but cats were a new experience. Still, he didn’t want to put Cassie out more than he already had.

      “I’m sure I can figure something out for tonight, and I’ll pick up a book at the library tomorrow. It can’t be that hard, right?”

      Cassie nodded slowly, but her eyes were on her daughter. Remembering her earlier conversation with Emma, she gave Alex a half-hearted smile. “I’m sure you could figure it out, but Emma’s right. I did promise her a pet.” And since she couldn’t give her a dad, she might as well give her a cat. Because that made sense. Not.

      “Really, Mommy? Really-really?”

      “Really-really. But you’ll have to take care of him yourself. He’ll need to be fed and his litter box scooped. It won’t just be about playtime and snuggles.” Her lecture was lost on the girl, who was already whispering into the kitten’s ear. No doubt they were planning all sorts of adventures.

      “You didn’t have to do this. I would have managed.”

      Alex looked uncomfortable with the change in plans. The poor guy probably wasn’t used to being overruled by a four-year-old.

      “I’m sure you could have handled it, but Emma’s right. I did promise her a pet. I’ve been saying it for a while now, and since we aren’t fostering any pets right now, it’s a good time to do it. And a kitten’s better than a snake.”

      “A snake?” He arched an eyebrow.

      “It’s a long story.” A thought struck her. “You didn’t want to keep him yourself, did you? I really should have asked before basically catnapping him from you.”

      He grinned at her pun, one side of his mouth tipping up higher than the other. The crooked smile made him look boyish and devious all at once. A potent combination that had her pulse tripping faster. “No, I wasn’t planning to keep