Courted By The Cowboy. Sasha Summers

of the dog, his hands gentle, yet probing. “How did you break them up?”

      “I found a big stick.” Her clear blue gaze held his, making it impossible not to look at her.

      “A stick?” he repeated, trying to keep his voice neutral.

      Her nod was tight. She was nervous, defiant...and so damn beautiful. He noticed her tension. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her this way. Why did she always seem ready to run? “It was a very big stick.”

      Abigail stopped writing then, looking at Kylee with the same mix of awe and surprise that he felt.

      He shook his head. “You could have been seriously injured.”

      Kylee’s face shuttered instantly. “All I had to do was yell and wave it at them, and they ran. He didn’t.”

      Fisher wanted to tell her she was lucky. To tell her not to do it again. To shake her a little for putting herself at risk like that. But something told him that would be a mistake. Instead he said, “Abigail, make sure X-ray is free, please.”

      Once Abigail left, he spoke. “Dogs, especially when they’re worked up like this, don’t always respond predictably. You could be the one in the hospital, Kylee.” His eyes swept over her too-big clothes and worn tennis shoes. Her black hair was pulled up in a ponytail that swung between her shoulders when she moved. She looked young and lost.

      If she was listening to him, she gave no sign. Instead, she stepped closer to the exam table, running her hand down the dog’s side. “Will he be okay?”

      “Not sure.” He watched her, moved by the tenderness on her face. She was tough. And fearless. And, apparently, she had no problem defending the underdog. A flash of her holding that beer bottle sprang to mind. She’d been ready to defend him, too. Was that how she saw him? Someone who needed protecting? He couldn’t stop his smile. “I’m sure he’d thank you if he could.”

      She glanced at him, a hint of a smile on her mouth. “I thought you were fluent in dog.”

      He laughed, surprised.

      The dog whimpered and Kylee looked at him. “I feel like I should do something.”

      “Talk to him,” Fisher encouraged. “It helps.”

      Kylee glanced at him, then bent forward to whisper something to the animal.

      “X-ray is ready for him,” Abigail said, poking her head into the exam room.

      Fisher nodded, watching Kylee. “I’ll take care of him,” he promised her.

      Kylee stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest again. “I can’t... I don’t have any money. He’s a stray.”

      “It’s a teaching hospital.” Fisher nodded. “We’ll take care of him. Cases like this are good learning opportunities.”

      She brightened. “Oh. Good.” She glanced down at the dog. “He deserves a second chance.”

      He didn’t miss the wistfulness in her voice or the flash of pain in her huge blue eyes. But, like the night before, she seemed to stop and pull into herself.

      Jarvis came in, followed by two vet students. He saw Kylee and smiled. “Beating up the doctor one day and saving the dog in distress the next,” he teased Kylee. “I imagine you make a mighty fine avenging angel.”

      She stared at Fisher, stunned. “I didn’t touch Dr. Boone,” she argued, glaring at him with such anger he wanted to throttle Jarvis. “But the dog...well, it wasn’t a fair fight.”

      He’d have to worry over Kylee later. Right now he had a patient to tend to. And a group of vet students waiting for his direction. The students carefully lifted the dog, laying him gently on the gurney. Fisher turned the dog’s head, assessing the injured eye. It didn’t look good. But the lacerations that covered the dog’s haunches and chest looked relatively superficial. He knew the students were watching, echoing his every motion, hanging on his every expression. It was part of the process, reading the animals, their owners, filling in the blanks when possible.

      He stepped back. “Where do we start?” Fisher asked the three students, already clicking into teaching mode.

      “Check his vitals,” Abigail sounded off.

      “Done,” Fisher countered.

      Jake, another student, was scanning the dog’s chart. “Oxygen?”

      Fisher waited, prompting them, “And?”

      “Fluids,” Abigail jumped in.

      “IV?” Cliff asked.

      Fisher nodded. “Good. And get him prepped for X-rays. Let’s get to it.” He held the door open, letting them lead the way.

      Jarvis piped up, “We’ll take him from here, Kylee. Don’t worry, I have a feeling Dr. Fisher will do everything he can to see this mutt pulls through.”

      Fisher shot Jarvis a look, but his friend just winked on his way out. Kylee followed, pointedly avoiding eye contact as she brushed past him into the hallway. Her heat, her scent, washed over him—knocking him completely off center. He stood, rooted to the spot, staring after her swinging ponytail. But her blue eyes were fixed on the dog as it disappeared into the X-ray room. He saw the slight tremor in her shoulders, the way her hands fisted at her sides, and knew this dog was somehow important to her. He had one option—save the dog. For Kylee.

      * * *

      “WHAT DID HE SAY?” Cutter asked, spinning his worn hat in his hands.

      “Is he gonna be okay, Kylee?” Shawn’s voice shook.

      She shrugged. “Dr. Boone said he’ll do what he can.”

      “Which one?” Cutter asked. “There are two Dr. Boones in Stonewall Crossing.”

      “Fisher,” she clarified. “Not much we can do now.”

      “Good. That’s good,” Cutter murmured, heading toward the admissions desk.

      She tried to act unaffected, like it was every day she charged at two massive dogs screaming her head off. She didn’t even know why she did it, exactly. That dog’s desperation, trying again and again to get away, tore at something deep inside of her. She knew how that dog felt.

      One glance at Shawn’s terrified face had forced her into action. For the first time, she could actually chase away his fear...and save the dog. Once the bigger dogs were on the run, the little pup stood on unsteady legs, looked at her, wagged his tail, and fell over. She’d picked him up and hurried back to Cutter’s place with Shawn running at her side.

      Shawn’s pleading had prompted Cutter to pack them into his beaten-up four-door Bronco and drive them to the veterinary hospital. He hadn’t said much, all grunts and head shakes. But it didn’t matter, they got there.

      It was only after she’d laid the poor dog on the table that she realized what she’d done. Those dogs could have turned on her. Or Shawn. Her actions had put Shawn in real danger—over a dog. Danger Fisher had reminded her of.

      She pulled her brother into a quick hug. Neither was all that comfortable with physical affection, but she needed comfort. If anything happened to her, where would that leave Shawn? She couldn’t think about what might have happened. They were all they had. “Sorry I freaked out like that.”

      Shawn smiled up at her. “It was awesome.” He laughed. “I was sorta scared of you for a minute.”

      She sighed. “I guess that was the point. Not to scare you, but the dogs.”

      “Come check these out.” Shawn waved her toward the massive aquarium in the wall. “There’s a puffer fish in here. And an eel, too.”

      Kylee stared, amazed by the vibrant colors of the agile creatures. She smiled as Shawn held a finger close to the glass and the fishes swam toward it. He moved