I was
thrilled in December 2009 to be considered a “runner up” in the Hearts Crossing
contest, and even more so when the acquiring editor said she’d like a story
about the second brother, Pike, a large animal veterinarian, and bad-girl Daisy.
(both have small roles in the first book.) To be honest, I have no real knowledge of
large animal vets, so I stuck with what I did know: losing a black Labrador to
inoperable cancer. Yup. Eight months after my own hero’s battle...and thus, Redeeming
Daisy, the second book in the series, was born.
Pike nodded into Daisy’s dark imploring gaze
as she knelt on the floor to grapple the black Labrador close. Her childish
gesture and panicked eyes stoked emotions he’d just buried.
While he waited for her to get to her feet,
Pike grabbed hold of every professional mannerism he could. Somewhat stiffly Mrs.
Densmore reached out to comfort her daughter, but Daisy shoved away the
embrace.
Pike took a
deep breath. Well, he had offered to
tell Daisy himself. “Daisy, between his kidneys, Elway’s got an inoperable
malignant tumor. It’s called hemangiosarcoma.”
Wild-eyed,
she grabbed Pike’s hand, and the touch scorched him. “What?”
He repeated
the unhappy news.
“Inoperable?
Why can’t you operate?”
The question
stunned him. Did she really think he had some other choice? “It’s positioned
too dangerously between the kidneys. And worse.” He sighed. “Worse, it’s metastasized.
Spread. Trust me on this.
”
She
bristled. “You think he’s going to die?”
Pike knew
the odds and told Daisy what he hadn’t been able to tell her mother.
“I’m sorry.
Yes.”
Her squeal
of pain sliced into his brain like an earache. And he understood. The last
innocent, uncomplicated part of her life would be gone too soon. He didn’t
think he wanted it, but when she flung herself toward him, he gathered her in
his arms, close enough to feel her pounding heart and smell her garden of long
black hair.
****
Elway. Her
Elway. The only living creature left who loved her unconditionally. Who never
pointed fingers.
Who never
yammered What have you done now?
Almost past
control, Daisy sobbed against Pike Martin’s strong sculpted shoulders, drinking
in his warm, manly aura. Ever the rancher, he wore the outdoors like a second
skin even here in the sterile confines of the animal hospital, clad in white
lab coat over Wranglers. It rang in her ears again, his soft, nonjudgmental
voice last week when he helped her escape from herself.
That was
something. Something he hadn’t had to do. But what did he know? He didn’t know Elway
was all she had left.
No way could she bear losing this precious creature.
She’d already lost her self-respect, her job, her faith. Her half-baked
marriage. Oh, she’d married for love, but in such haste she’d regretted it
every day since. But divorce was cruel, too. And everybody in Mountain Cove
knew everything because she had no place else to go.
She wasn’t
about to lose her best friend.
Before her
mom could nag her yet again, Daisy pushed herself from Pike’s embrace. She’d
liked it, but she didn’t want to, didn’t need it, didn’t need him or any man. Not
after Tony. All she needed now was an experienced vet.
Still, part
of her wanted to stay in Pike’s arms, and s
he didn’t like her reaction at all. It
was a dangerous place to be.
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