“She did great. Trisha will stay the night with her and then when she’s all healed up, we can take her to the shelter.”
Beau’s body froze as if he’d been dumped into the Arctic Ocean. “Shelter?”
“Yes. That’s standard practice for strays. We don’t have any records of missing pets in the area, but the shelter may have some from the local counties.”
“No.”
“No?” she replied, staring at him incredulously. Her eyebrows tilted downward and her eyes narrowed as if she had never had someone question her before.
“No,” he repeated, taking a step closer to her. Beau noticed that her entire body stiffened as he approached. “The dog found me and I want to take care of her.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not how it works.”
“Well, how can I make it work?” he asked as he reached his hand out and tucked a loose piece of her hair behind her ear. Beau wasn’t sure what possessed him to act in such a forward manner toward the doctor, but he couldn’t help himself. He was drawn to this woman and there was little he could do to stop it.
“Um. . .well. . .,” the blushing doctor stuttered.
“You just need to call the shelter and ask if they have any lost pet reports that match the little lady’s description, Beau. Though when I volunteered there the other day, I don’t recall seeing any. After that, you can fill out some registration paperwork here at the office and we can relinquish her to you. Dr. Monroe, I assure you that Beau is a great candidate for a pet owner. I’ve known him since he was a pre-teen.”
“Thanks. Ms. Trisha.”
“Yes, but. . .” Dr. Monroe began but then immediately stopped herself. “I guess Trisha would know best. I’m going to go clean up. Trisha can help see you out.”
With that, the beautiful doctor twisted her body to move past Beau, making sure not a single morsel of her body touched his as she left. He and Trisha watched her stalk down the hall until she was completely out of sight. The locks for the secure door giving entrance to the attached home echoed in the hall where Beau stood.
She had just left the office building to go home, but to Beau, it was as if she had left the universe and his soul was left searching for its other half.