A Valentine For The Veterinarian. Katie Meyer

the little guy. If you and Emma are willing to give him a good home, well, I can’t imagine a better place for him.” He paused. “Do you need to run this by your husband before bringing a new pet home? I don’t want to cause any problems.”

      She fumbled with the stethoscope around her neck. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

      “It’s just Mommy and me at home,” Emma piped up. “We’re a team.”

      Cassie was used to looks of pity when people found out she was a single mom, but Alex’s eyes showed only admiration.

      Turning back to Emma, he crouched down so he could look her in the eye. “Well, then. Do I have your word that you’re going to take good care of him? Feed him and clean up after him and whatever else your mama says?”

      Her eyes wide, she nodded solemnly. Then, without warning, she ambushed him with a hug, nearly knocking him, the kitten and herself to the floor. “Thank you for finding Trouble, and for giving him to me! He’s the best present ever!”

      No one could resist Emma when she turned on the cute, not even a hardened lawman like Alex. He hugged the girl right back. Then, once she released him, he stood and called Rex to his side. “Rex here is the one who found your kitty.”

      Awed by the massive dog, she asked quietly, “Does he like little girls?”

      “Of course he does. Little girls are his favorite kind of people.”

      That was all the encouragement Emma needed. She wrapped her arms around the giant dog’s neck, burying her face in the thick fur. Cassie started forward, visions of police dogs and bite suits flashing through her mind.

      Alex stopped her with a touch. “They’re fine.”

      He was right. Rex had his tongue lolling out of his mouth, panting in the way of happy dogs everywhere.

      “I’m sorry. I normally wouldn’t worry, but I haven’t had much experience with police dogs. I wouldn’t want—”

      “No need to explain, I get it. Honestly, I wouldn’t suggest she try that with most K-9s, but Rex really likes kids. I’ve even done some demonstrations at the school. He was chosen for our department partly because he’s so social. He’s the first dog here, and if he gets a bad reputation, that would be the end of the Palmetto County K-9 unit.”

      As she watched the dog, her instincts agreed with Alex’s words. Rex did seem as comfortable with Emma as any family pet.

      “You take Rex to schools?” Emma had lifted her head to speak, but kept her arms around the dog.

      “Sometimes.” He winked, then stage-whispered, “I think he likes to show off.”

      Oh, my. The combination of the wink and the dimples, not to mention the low gravel of his voice, had Cassie clutching the edge of the exam table. This man was so potent he needed a warning label.

      “Could you bring him to my school for show-and-tell? That would be even cooler than John Baker’s silly snake.”

      “Well—”

      “Emma, Deputy Santiago is a busy man. He and Rex have a very important job to do.”

      “That’s right, we do.”

      Emma’s face fell.

      “But show-and-tell sounds pretty important, too. And Rex sure would love to see you again.”

      Sexy, confident, good with dogs and kids. If she hadn’t had a hang-up about the Palmetto Sheriff’s department, she would have said he was perfect.

      Why couldn’t he have been a doctor or a lawyer, or even a mechanic? No, he had to be part of the good old boy network that passed for law enforcement in this area. Yeah, she was cynical. But for good reason, darn it.

      Pasting a smile on her face, she remembered this wasn’t about her. It was about her daughter. “Thank you, Deputy Santiago. I know the kids will love having you come. I’ll have her teacher contact you about the details, if that’s okay.”

      “Sure, no problem at all.” Patting Emma’s strawberry-blond curls, he extended a hand to Cassie. “Thank you again for taking the kitten. Let me know if it doesn’t work out, and I’ll figure something else out.”

      His hand was warm on hers, firm but gentle. Letting go abruptly, she stuck her tingling hand in her pocket. “We’ll be just fine, Deputy. Thank you.”

      As Alex passed by the receptionist’s desk, Cassie caught Mollie checking out his rear end, and who could blame her? The deputy said he didn’t want to cause trouble, but from where she stood, he was exactly that.