Healed by the Single Dad Doc
‘Two and a half weeks will be fine.’ Ethan nodded towards Sam, who had gone back to stroking the puppy. ‘That’s a very long time when you’re five.’
‘And when you’re a bit older than five?’ Kate didn’t want to push Ethan.
‘It’s quite long enough to deal with a five-year-old who can’t wait.’ Ethan turned to Sam, catching his attention again. ‘Is that the one, Sam?’
Sam turned his shining face up to him and nodded.
‘You’re sure?’
‘Yes, Dad.’
Ethan chuckled. ‘Good choice. We’d like to take that one, please, Kate.’
Suddenly her cottage became a home again. One where she might just think about opening the windows and allowing the perfumed breeze in, instead of locking it up like a fortress.
‘He’s yours.’
‘Thank you. How much...?’ Ethan reached into his jacket for his wallet.
‘It’ll cost you a good home and a lot of love. Nothing more.’
He nodded. ‘Fair enough. Pick a charity, then.’
Kate thought about telling him no, but he obviously wanted to give something. ‘The local mountain rescue? I’m a member. I help with the dog training exercises and give them their health checks. They’re based over in Highbridge’
‘I know it. That would be a pleasure.’
‘Thank you.’ Kate rose from her chair, trying to shake off the feeling that she wanted to reach across the table and touch Ethan’s hand. When she picked up the puppy, Sam jumped to his feet, following her back to his father’s side.
She caught a brief hint of Ethan’s scent as she bent to deliver the puppy into his arms. Not enough to savour properly, but more than enough to want more. Kate straightened, turning to Sam.
‘I’ll let you and your Dad hold him for a while. So he can get to know you.’
‘Yessss!’ Sam looked as if he was about to burst from excitement, responding to Ethan’s, ‘What do you say?’ with a hurried ‘Thank you.’
Kate left them to it. Ethan’s gentle hands and smouldering eyes. A little boy and his first puppy. Watching all that was more than she could bear, when there was no chance that she could have any of it. And she’d noticed a few weeds amongst the flowers which suddenly needed her urgent attention.
CHAPTER SIX
ETHAN STARED AT his phone. His head told him that there was nothing wrong with the text. But his gut told him that everything was wrong with it.
Car broken down, on way back from Hallowes Common. Waiting for pick-up. Will be about half an hour late tonight, but will call when I am on my way. Sorry.
It all seemed perfectly straightforward. Kate was going to examine all the puppies at the surgery this evening, and she’d told Ethan that he could bring Sam over if he wanted. She was going to be half an hour late, that was all.
But he knew Kate better than that. Talking allowed more give and take than texting, and it conveyed more warmth. If Kate’s first instinct was to text, then he’d be willing to bet that there was something wrong. He could feel a prickling sensation crawling along the back of his neck.
He was making something out of nothing. He was about to leave work, and it would take twenty minutes to get from the hospital to his parents’ house, to pick up Sam. He’d stay there, until Kate phoned to say that she was ready.
Or... Hallowes Common was twenty minutes in the other direction.
* * *
Kate was breathing so fast that her head was swimming. The hollow feeling in her chest felt as if it was about to swallow her. She put the paper bag over her mouth again, watching it inflate and deflate.
This wasn’t happening. Okay, so it was happening, but she could deal with it. Her car had broken down, that was all. People’s cars broke down all the time.
Squinting through her tears, she could see a car coming, appearing and disappearing as it negotiated the curves in the road ahead. Perhaps she should hide her keys. The chasm in her chest suddenly opened further and she let out a little cry of frustration at her own inability to cope.