Reunited on Dragonfly Lane - Includes a bonus novella Page 2

  * * *

  Sophie had never stepped foot into a veterinary clinic before. She’d never had a reason to until now.

  The first thing she noticed was that the building had a distinct odor. Like wet fur and bleach. It wasn’t necessarily bad but it wasn’t a place where she’d want to work day in and day out either.

  Sophie went up on her toes to see Chase and the limp black-and-white puppy better from where she was standing against the wall in the examining room.

  “You don’t have to stand way over there, you know.” Chase glanced over his shoulder. “You can come closer.”

  “No, that’s okay.” She pressed her shoulder blades into the wall behind her. Her dress had an open back so her bare skin met the cold surface. A shiver ran through her, as much from the temperature as from the situation she found herself in. “I’m fine right here.”

  Chase was using a stethoscope to listen to the dog’s chest and stomach as it lay on the table. Sophie guessed from her Grey’s Anatomy television education that he was checking for the sound of something foreboding.

  Please let the puppy be okay.

  She watched Chase inspect Comet’s leg next. The dog whined a little, and Sophie couldn’t bear to watch another moment. This was all her fault. How had she not seen him run in front of her car? What was he doing out there all alone? Where was Mrs. Dozier?

  Sophie turned and headed out of the examining room, needing air. Whatever she had to do to make things right with the little dog in the examining room, she’d do. She’d pay the vet bills and even go to Mrs. Dozier’s home if necessary to care for him. It was the least she could do.

  Sophie’s stomach clenched but she kept walking, unfamiliar with the building’s layout or where she was going. She just needed a moment and some room to move her restless muscles. She found a bathroom down the hall and stepped inside to wash her hands and wipe off the faded black trails of mascara from where she’d been crying. Then she stepped back into the hall and followed it a little farther down.

  Meow.

  The sound of a cat got her attention. Welcoming a distraction from her current state of panic, Sophie turned toward the sound and saw a room full of kennels, some empty and some with cats and dogs. Without thinking, she headed in that direction.

  She stopped to say hello to several animals before standing in front of a kennel with a handwritten sign that read MINNIE. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing tonight?”

  The black cat pressed its nose against the cage trying to sniff her hand as she held it out. It meowed softly again. “I bet Dr. Lewis took very good care of you, and you’re going to be just fine.”

  “I appreciate your faith in me. As a doctor, at least.”

  Sophie whirled to face Chase, who’d walked up behind her without her hearing him. He held Comet in his arms. “Oh. You’re done with the examination already? How is he?”

  “Well, he’s not bleeding internally. But he does have a broken leg. I’ve stabilized it for right now, and I’ll keep him here overnight.” Chase bent down to gently lay Comet in one of the empty cages. It was lined with a large navy blue pillow that looked comfortable at least.

  Sophie blew out a breath as she watched. Chase was definitely dressed for some kind of formal occasion. And he looked good. He was clean-shaven, and his honey-colored brown hair was combed neatly, curling slightly at the ends. She cleared her throat, focusing on the reason she was here. “Did you reach Mrs. Dozier?”

  Chase nodded as he stood and faced her. “I left a message and told her that Comet was fine and that she could call my cell phone. When she does, I’ll arrange for her to come see him tomorrow.”

  “On Sunday?” Sophie grimaced. “I’m guessing that’s usually your day off.”

  Chase folded his arms in front of him. “One thing I didn’t anticipate when I took over this clinic is that I’d rarely get a day off. Not without calling in one of the vets I know in Whispering Pines.”

  Whispering Pines was the next town over. The knowledge that Chase would be back here again in the morning because of her only compounded Sophie’s guilt. “Thank you so much for helping. I know Mrs. Dozier would be heartbroken if something had happened to Comet.”

  “No need to thank me. I was glad to help. That’s what I do.”

  Sophie realized that they were alone in this building, aside from all the animals watching them. The building was only half-lit and strangely quiet aside from the sound of claws tapping along the cage floors and scratching at fur. “I’ll pay for the bill. I was the one who hit Comet after all.”

  Chase shook his head. “I don’t need to be paid. I’ll count this as my good deed for the month.”

  Sophie’s hands fidgeted in front of her. “I want to make things right. What can I do to help?”

  Chase shrugged. “Right now, there’s nothing else to do. Comet is sedated, and he’ll stay here tonight and rest.”

  Sophie felt helpless as she nervously turned to look at Comet. “He’s a beautiful dog. A border collie, right?”

  “That’s correct. You know your breeds.”

  She turned to him. “You sound surprised.”

  “I’ve just never known you to be interested in animals.”

  She wanted to tell him he didn’t really know her anymore at all. Instead, she looked around the room, anywhere but at him, and said, “A neighbor of mine used to have a border collie. He was such a gorgeous and smart dog.”

  “It’s a good breed,” Chase agreed. “Comet is a mix. He probably has a little retriever in him too.”

  Sophie listened as she took a step backward, needing to put some space between them. “Well, I better get going. I’m sure you have things to do with your evening.”

  Chase gestured between them. “Based on how we’re dressed, I’m guessing we’re both going to the same place.”

  “You’re going to Jack and Emma’s wedding too?” She was hoping there was some other fancy event in town tonight.

  “Now you look surprised,” he teased. Then his grin fell, and he slapped a hand to his forehead. “Oh no.”

  “What?” Without thinking, Sophie stepped toward him. “What’s wrong?”

  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. “I was supposed to pick up my date for Jack and Emma’s wedding. I completely forgot.”

  The d word got Sophie’s attention. Why wouldn’t he bring a date though? She was supposed to be going with someone tonight too. “You had an animal emergency come up. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  “If she ever speaks to me again,” Chase muttered. “I’ve missed three calls from her already.” He blew out a breath. “I’ll call her back after I lock up here.”

  “I’m sorry.” But some part of Sophie wasn’t sorry at all. She watched Chase fill a food and water bowl for Comet. “So, who is she?” she asked. “Your date.”

  Chase paused in what he was doing, glancing over his shoulder to meet her gaze. “You probably wouldn’t know her.”

  Sophie folded her arms in front of her, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes. “If she’s from Sweetwater Springs, I’m guessing I would. You’re the one who’s been gone for so many years. Not me.”

  He paused for a long beat. “Amelia Dover.”

  Sophie straightened a notch. “Oh.” Amelia was younger than her by maybe five years. She was tall and curvy in all the places that a woman wanted to be. And she was undeniably gorgeous. She was also one of those genuinely nice people who you couldn’t speak poorly of even if you tried.

  “Well, she is someone who would definitely understand missing your date because of needing to rescue an animal.”

  Chase led the way down the hallway toward the front reception area. “You’re probably right. I should have at least texted or called to let her know I wouldn’t make it. I got distracted.”

  He turned to face Sophie in midstep, causing her to bump into him accidentally. His hands braced her arms, and her face reflexively tipped back to look at him.
It’d been years but this position felt entirely too familiar. She didn’t breathe for a moment. She just stared into his brown eyes, getting lost in the best kind of way.

  “Sorry,” he finally said, voice low. But his hands were still on her arms, and he didn’t step back. Neither did she.

  Her heart knocked hard against her ribs. “My fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” For the second time tonight.

  “I turned on you too soon,” he said.

  “Because you had something to say. What was it?” At this close range, she could see the scar on his cheek from the time he’d fallen off his mountain bike on a ride with her. It’d been a nasty fall, and he’d gotten nine stitches that afternoon at the ER. She’d been there with him the whole time.

  He held her gaze captive. She could barely blink as she waited, her heart thumping erratically. This was why she’d been avoiding Chase Lewis since he’d returned to town. She couldn’t do this again. Wouldn’t. They had nothing in common anymore. The only thing between them now was baggage.

  “I can’t seem to remember,” he said.

  She felt her lips pull into a slight smile. “Distracted again? I never pegged you as the inattentive type.”

  His hands fell away from her arms but he didn’t budge otherwise. “Not when it comes to something I’m interested in.”

  Sophie pulled more air into her lungs as the room seemed to shrink, pulling her and Chase into their own tiny world. It was just the two of them—no one else. The way it used to be when they were inseparable and in love.

  Then someone knocked on the glass entry door.

  She and Chase both turned to look. It took a moment for Sophie to process the tall, curvaceous, gorgeous woman on the other side.

  Amelia Dover.

  Chase quickly stepped away. Sophie could imagine how this looked to an outsider looking in. And for a moment, she wondered if the way it looked was deceiving—or if it was all too real.

  Chapter Two

  Chase quickly walked to the door, not knowing what he’d say to Amelia when he opened it. He’d been mere inches from Sophie. There weren’t a lot of good excuses for standing so close, and he wasn’t one to lie. Except he didn’t know what the truth was. Were he and Sophie about to kiss?

  Either way, he shouldn’t feel like he was cheating because he’d never even been on a date with Amelia. She was just supposed to accompany him to tonight’s wedding. When he’d run into her at the park and had lamented about going alone, she’d offered to be his date. She was doing him a favor, and this was how he repaid her.

  “Amelia,” he said as he opened the vet clinic’s door, “I need to explain.”

  Amelia’s eyes were wide, like she was the one who’d been caught doing something wrong. She shook her head quickly, looking between him and Sophie. “No, you don’t. I just…Well, when you didn’t pick me up, I tried to call but you didn’t answer. And it occurred to me that you might have had an emergency come up at the clinic so I thought I’d meet you here. That way we weren’t late to the wedding.” Chase noticed Amelia’s satiny dress. She looked nice, and he felt like a big jerk.

  “I did have an emergency. Sophie hit a dog this evening on the way to the wedding. I stopped to help her.” He gestured back at Sophie, wondering again what would have happened if they’d had one more second alone together.

  Amelia’s hands flew over her mouth. “Oh no. Is the dog okay?” she asked, worry wrinkling her brow. Chase knew she was a huge animal lover. On paper, he and Amelia should have been a perfect match.

  “Comet is going to be fine. He has a broken leg.”

  Amelia’s eyes were suspiciously shiny, no doubt on the account of the dog and not him, but Chase felt guilty anyway.

  Sophie stepped up beside him. “Amelia, I’m so sorry for holding Chase up. This is all my fault.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Amelia said. “I completely understand.”

  “We’ve probably missed the wedding by now,” Chase told her. “And I’m afraid after working on a dog, it probably wouldn’t be advisable to dance with me.”

  Amelia offered a slight smile. She hesitated, which confirmed that she’d seen him standing too close to Sophie just now. She shook her head. “I’m not in the mood for dancing anyway. We can get together another time,” she said nicely.

  Chase appreciated that she wasn’t making a huge deal out of this, even though he deserved her anger. “Thank you. Again, I’m sorry.”

  “Well, the dog needed you. And Sophie did too.” Amelia took a retreating step. “I’ll talk to you later. Nice to see you, Sophie.”

  Chase released a breath once Amelia was gone. Then he turned back to Sophie. “Was that as bad as it felt?”

  Sophie grimaced. “You did stand her up. But it was for a good reason.”

  “And she caught me with you,” he pointed out.

  Sophie appeared startled by the comment. “We weren’t doing anything.” She narrowed her green eyes. “Were we?”

  “Not exactly.” Not yet.

  “So you’re fine. You can reschedule your date for another time. I’m sure she’ll agree.”

  “Right. The thing is I wasn’t looking forward to our date tonight anyway.” Chase shrugged. “Amelia is nice but there aren’t any…”

  “Sparks?” Sophie asked.

  “Yeah.” And he felt a whole lot of sparks standing near Sophie.

  “I can relate.” She folded her arms in front of her, as if guarding her heart. Did she still blame him after all this time?

  Chase stepped away from the door. “Well, I won’t keep you any longer. I just need to lock up and then I’ll be on my way out too.”

  “We missed the wedding but, if we hurry, we can still make it to the reception,” Sophie said.

  Chase narrowed his eyes. “We?”

  Her mouth fell open. “Not together, of course. That’s not what I meant. I just meant we’re both friends of the bride and groom, and there’s time to wish them well.”

  “Right. I guess I could freshen up here. Do you need to do the same?”

  Sophie shook her head. “I already washed my hands when you were examining Comet. I don’t plan on dancing with anyone anyway.”

  “Doubtful you’ll succeed with those plans. All the single guys in the room would be crazy not to line up for a dance with you.” Him included, except he suspected she’d turn him down.

  Sophie looked down at her feet. She was wearing a pair of shiny flats in a pink color that complemented her dress. Back when they’d dated, she’d never been one to dress up. She’d been more of a tomboy—the prettiest one he’d ever seen. “I’ll see you at the reception,” she said.

  Chase nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Thank you for everything, Chase. Really. I don’t know what I would have done had you not driven up.”

  “I’m glad I could help.” Chase released a breath as he watched her step out onto the sidewalk and head toward his side parking lot. He turned and headed down the hall to wash up in the bathroom. When he was finished, he locked up the clinic and drove to the wedding reception.

  Better late than never, Chase stepped inside the large, open room full of music, friends, and family. Or actually, he was only supposed to have two family members here tonight. He didn’t see Trisha or Petey but knowing his young nephew, who was a lot like his father at that age, Petey would make himself seen within a few minutes. If Chase had anything to say about it, Petey would be a far cry from what his father was like these days though.

  Pete Senior was serving a lengthy sentence in a state prison two hours away. That was why Chase had moved back to Sweetwater Springs to begin with. He had grown up without a father or any real male influence but his young nephew didn’t have to. Chase wanted to be close by to take Petey fishing, camping, and every other activity that boys enjoyed.

  “Uncle Chase!”

  Chase saw flashes of Petey as the boy weaved between the crowd and came barreling into his legs. Reflexively, Chase laughed at
the boy’s excitement. Then he looked up and saw Trisha watching them. She waved from the other side of the room, an easy smile sweeping across her face. Sophie was already sitting next to her at a round table with a floral centerpiece.

  While Trisha had fallen for Chase’s brother in high school, Chase had fallen for Sophie. The four of them had been inseparable for a time. Neither couple had found their happily ever after though. He guessed Trisha and Pete had for the last few years. But ultimately, they’d all been left with battered and bruised hearts—victims of bad choices and bad luck.

  Petey tugged on Chase’s arm, leading him to the table where his mom and Sophie were sitting.

  “I was worried you weren’t going to make it,” Trisha said, standing from the table to give Chase a hug. Trisha was beautiful, smart, and one of the nicest people he knew. Chase had always felt like her real brother instead of only a brother-in-law. “Sounds like you and Sophie had quite the adventure tonight. She’s been telling me all about it.”

  “I’d hardly call hitting and nursing a dog an adventure,” Sophie said, sharing a look with him. Their idea of an adventure had once taken them to the highest peaks in the Carolinas. They’d chased one adventure after another together, getting as high from their thrill seeking as they had from their love.

  “I’m happy to say that Mrs. Dozier’s dog is resting comfortably,” Chase reported, “and I got here just in time for the fun. I’m assuming Emma wasn’t a runaway bride.”

  Trisha laughed as she sat back down at the table, placing her hands on the white lacy tablecloth. “No way. She and Jack are two people in love if I ever saw it.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Chase shifted back and forth on his feet, trying to decide if he should stay or find another place to sit.

  “We saved you a seat.” Trisha gestured at an empty chair.

  “Thanks.” Chase started to head toward it but Petey was still holding on to his arm.

  “I’m going to dance with my mom. You dance with Sophie,” the boy ordered. It wasn’t a question. Petey was a born leader just like his father.