Playing to Win (Summer Beach Vets 2) - sweet contemporary romance (2 page)

“Come on, Will.
Hurry
!” Ellie looked back as the boy ran behind her, pulling Milo along with him on a ragged nylon leash.

They turned the corner and started down Beach Road. Ellie hadn’t been down here very often—in spite of living just ten minutes’ walk from the beach, she hadn’t had much time to come and enjoy the seaside. Well, okay, she hadn’t
made
the time, Ellie admitted to herself. She had always been too busy with work. Even up at the resort—which was on a section of beach about thirty minutes’ drive out of town, farther up the coast—she hardly left her office and hadn’t sampled much of the resort’s waterfront facilities.

As she caught sight of the sparkling blue sea in the distance now, Ellie felt a pang of regret that she hadn’t come down more often. With its rolling expanse of soft, white sand, backed by the ocean of turquoise water stretching to the horizon, Summer Beach was a hidden gem along the Australian coastline.

At the moment, though, Ellie’s attention was focused on a large wooden bungalow set back from the road, just a few dozen metres before the entrance to the beach. She hurried past the sign for the “SUMMER BEACH VETERINARY HOSPITAL”, across the front yard which had been converted into a paved parking area, and paused outside the front door. She turned and waited impatiently for Will and Milo to catch up.

Inside the waiting room, Ellie scrunched her nose up at the slightly antiseptic smell as she approached the receptionist.

“I need to see a doctor… I mean a vet,” said Ellie, puffing slightly.

“What’s the problem?” asked the girl behind the counter.

“This dog…” Ellie swung around to point at Milo, who was pulling eagerly on his leash while Will struggled to hold him.

The Labrador strained towards a cat carrier on the lap of an old lady sitting in the waiting area. From the depths of the carrier came a warning yowl, which only seemed to make Milo even more excited. He barked and lunged forwards, pulling Will off his feet.

“Milo!”

“
YOWWWWWL!
”

“Grrrr…ruff! Ruff!”

“Mopsy! My baby!”

The waiting room erupted in total mayhem. The old woman shrieked and clutched the carrier to her breast as Milo bounced eagerly around her, barking and trying to shove his nose up to the cage. A hissing, spitting ball of orange fur exploded against the bars of the cat cage. Will shouted and tried to grab Milo’s collar while Ellie and the receptionist nearly collided with each other as they ran to help.

“Crikey—what’s going on here?” came a deep male voice behind them. Ellie whirled around to see a tall man in blue scrubs standing in the hallway next to the reception desk. He must have just come out from one of the consulting rooms and, judging by the stethoscope around his neck and his authoritative air, he was one of the vets at the practice.

He came forward rapidly and said in a commanding tone, “SIT.”

The effect was amazing. Milo stopped in mid-bounce and sat. The cat subsided. The old lady calmed down. Will stopped yelling and Ellie almost dropped down on her butt herself. She had worked with a lot of powerful, successful men in her time, but there was something else about this man. An air of easy-going, relaxed confidence that belied a strong, commanding presence. She eyed him with renewed interest.

He was massive, with the kind of toned, muscular body she had seen in professional athletes—powerful shoulders, broad chest, and taut biceps that were accentuated by the cut of the blue scrubs he wore. His hair was dark and close-cropped, highlighting his strong eyebrows and firm jawline. She couldn’t see the colour of his eyes from here, but his gaze was cool, with a twinkle of amusement. He was what her friends at college would have described as a “hot jock” back in the States.

And he was the vet? Whoa, were Australian vets all so sexy
? wondered Ellie. Then she stopped, horrified by her own thoughts. Where had that come from? She wasn’t the type of girl to drool over guys—even the hottest “jocks” back in college had never done a thing for her. Sure, she’d been on a few dates and they had been okay. But nothing to make her lose sleep over or float around in a dreamy daze, like the way she had seen her cousin, Sara, go through with her relationships. Anyway, in her quest to graduate
summa cum laude
and then climb the career ladder, Ellie had hardly had time for boyfriends. She often joked that she was in a very happy relationship with a guy whose first name was Microsoft and whose last name was PowerPoint.

Now she looked at this tall Australian vet and felt something she had never felt before. And it scared her. She took a step back from him as he came forwards.

“What’s going on here?” he asked again.

Will said quickly, “It’s not Milo’s fault—he just really loves cats.”

“My poor Mopsy is never going to recover from this!” the old woman cried.

Poor Mopsy let out a loud yowl which suggested that not only was he fully recovered, but that he was ready to make mincemeat of any canine who dared to even look in his direction.

The receptionist cleared her throat. “Dan, Mrs Drury is here for Mopsy’s annual check-up and this… uh… Milo and Will have come in with this lady.” She turned to Ellie. “This is Dr O’Brien, one of our vets.”

Ellie realised that everyone was looking at her. She saw the tall vet’s eyes rake over her and caught a glimmer of appreciation in his gaze. She flushed under his scrutiny. Then she was angry with herself. What was wrong with her? She was acting like some silly school girl!

“Uh… yeah.” She stepped forwards. “My name’s Ellie Monroe. I need your help. Milo has swallowed my USB flash drive. I’ve got to get it back—I need it for an important meeting this morning and—”

“I’m afraid there’s not much I can do,” said Dan. He gave a wry smile. “Milo almost has his own loyalty card here. He’s been swallowing things since he was a puppy. So far, he’s always expelled them at the other end. Since it’s a small object, your best bet is to wait for it to pass through naturally.”

“What?” Ellie stared at him, aghast. “You want me to wait for the dog to poop it out?”

He inclined his head. “It’ll probably be less than twelve hours.”

“I can’t wait twelve hours—I can’t wait twelve
minutes
!” Ellie wailed. “Why can’t you open him up and fish it out?”

“You can’t cut Milo open!” cried Will, throwing his arms around the Labrador protectively.

Dan put a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder, then turned to face Ellie. “It’s not fair to put the dog through a high-risk surgery just to retrieve something that will pass naturally out of his system in a short period of time.”

“Well, what about a laxative or something?” asked Ellie desperately.

Dan shook his head. “I don’t use laxatives if there is any chance that the dog might have swallowed something else—which is highly likely with Milo—in case that causes an obstruction. In any case, it would have to be a very strong laxative—something that would completely empty his bowels. You wouldn’t be speeding things up that much and all you would do is give Milo bad diarrhoea and put him through some distress. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that.”

“I—” Ellie looked uncertainly at the dog, then back at him. He was right. Much as she needed that flash drive, she didn’t want the Labrador to suffer.

She sighed and thought of her meeting again. What was she going to do? As if in response to her thoughts, her phone rang suddenly. Ellie retrieved it from her handbag and looked at the screen. She winced. It was the resort. She answered and her heart sank as she heard her assistant’s voice. She braced herself, but a moment later a smile broke out over her face.

“That’s great, Fiona. No, Monday is fine—and we might even have the latest figures to show them by then. Thanks so much for rescheduling that. You’re a star. Yes, I’ll be in as soon as I can.”

She hung up with a huge sigh of relief and slipped the phone back into her bag.

“Everything all right?”

Ellie turned around to find herself facing Dr Dan O’Brien. She had to really tilt her head up to meet his eyes. She was a tall woman herself, with a full figure that was more Amazonian warrior than catwalk giraffe, but she felt almost petite next to him. He had amazing eyes, she thought. Cool grey, with flecks of hazel, and crinkles at the corners, as if he laughed often.

Ellie realised that she had just been standing there, staring at Dan, and she flushed. She was glad that Mrs Drury had gone into one of the consult rooms with another vet and there was nobody else in the waiting room—other than Will and Milo—to see her embarrassing reaction.

She cleared her throat. “Ah, yeah… my assistant managed to postpone the meeting. I still have the problem of getting in to work, though. My car died this morning.”

He raised an eyebrow.

She explained what had happened and how she had met Will and Milo. “They said the mechanic could be a while. I can’t wait anymore—I think I’m just going to call a taxi to take me to the resort.”

“What about your car?”

“I’ve left the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition for the mechanic to find. I don’t care—if somebody wants to steal that old piece of junk and can start it up, good luck to them.” She made a face.

He grinned. “Why don’t I give you a lift? I’m heading that way myself—got to stop in to see a farmer about some chooks. I can drop you off at the resort, no dramas.”

Ellie hesitated. She was surprised to find her pulse speeding up at the thought of riding alone in a car with the handsome vet. What was wrong with her? She had never been so physically affected, so aware of a man before.

Oh, for God’s sake
, she chided herself.
Are you scared?
Raising her chin, she gave him a small smile and said, “Thank you. That would be great.”

They left Will and Milo happily engaged in “helping” Megan the receptionist behind the counter and went out to where a couple of cars were parked around the side of the animal hospital. Ellie watched doubtfully as Dan approached a huge, mud-splattered monstrosity that seemed to be all black bullbars and rugged tyres. On closer inspection, the vehicle looked like the love-child of a race car and a pick-up truck, with a sleek, two-door front cabin that morphed into a streamlined open cargo tray at the back.

“What kind of car is that?” asked Ellie suspiciously.

Dan chuckled. “It’s a Holden ute.”

“A Holden what?”

“Ute… short for utility vehicle. Hallmark of a true-blue Aussie bloke.” He patted the hood affectionately. “It’s actually quite a looker under all this mud.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” said Ellie as she climbed cautiously into the front seat next to him. She was surprised to find a lavish interior of black leather and chrome, with a Bluetooth entertainment system, touchscreen navigation, and a host of other gadgets on the dashboard that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a spaceship.

There was certainly a lot more to this “ute”—this strange pick-up-truck/luxury-sports-car hybrid—than its exterior suggested.
Kind of like its master
, thought Ellie, watching Dan start the car and expertly manoeuvre it out of the narrow lane. He handled it with a fluid ease that was almost mesmerising to watch.

Unnerved by her awareness of this man, Ellie turned to look out of the window, trying to settle back in her seat and relax. She wriggled a bit and realised why she couldn’t get comfortable. Something hard was wedged under her right buttock. It must have been on the seat when she climbed in and she hadn’t noticed. She reached behind her and pulled the object out. It was a plastic chew bone, one end mangled with deep tooth marks. She held it gingerly between a thumb and forefinger as she realised that it was covered with dried dog drool.
Eeeuuww
.

“Oh yeah, sorry,” said Dan with a grin. “That seat is more used to carrying canine passengers.”

Ellie carefully put the plastic bone down in the foot well. She saw that there were other items down there already—an old tennis ball, a nylon leash, a couple of dog biscuits, a carpet of dog hair… In fact, she realised with horror that the seat she was sitting on was covered in biscuit crumbs and dog hair too. She raised her right hip slightly and twisted her head to look down. Her butt was covered with beige and white hairs, which clung like cactus spikes to the smart, black fabric of her pencil skirt.

“Shit! I can’t walk into work looking like this!” cried Ellie, frantically trying to brush the hairs off.

“Relax. Don’t get your knickers in a twist—it’s just a bit of dog hair,” Dan said. “It’ll come off with some tape.”

“Maybe
you
’re used to going into work looking like a slob, but I have my standards,” Ellie snapped.

Dan raised an eyebrow and, for a moment, Ellie wondered if he was going to say something sharp back. She would have deserved it. She felt ashamed now of her aggressive retort. But even as she opened her mouth to apologise, she was surprised to see him looking more amused than angry. Did nothing ever faze this man?

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that,” said Ellie. “My temper’s a bit frayed this morning.”

“No worries. I probably should’ve warned you about the state of the car. I’m used to it, but I suppose it’s a bit of a shock to a non-dog-lover.”

“Oh, I do like dogs. I think they’re kinda cute—but… well, they’re just so messy!” Ellie shook her head. “My parents hated animals. I was never allowed any pets. They always said that dogs and cats are full of germs and disease, and leave hair and dirt everywhere, and create a lot additional work… I guess I grew up with those ideas fixed in my head.”

“Well, your parents are sort of right,” admitted Dan. “Pets
do
come with a lot of extra mess and hassle. But they also come with a lot of rewards.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me—that unconditional love thing.”

Dan grinned. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. But I wasn’t going to say that. I was just going to say they bring a lot of joy and laughter into your life which more than make up for the trouble. I see that at the clinic all the time.”

“I don’t know,” said Ellie doubtfully. “Seems like a lot of work and commitment—and then they get sick or die and you have your heart broken. Why bring all that extra uncertainty and stress into your life if you don’t need to?”

“Life isn’t just about getting perfectly balanced spreadsheets,” said Dan. “Sometimes you choose to do things even if it means that life gets a bit messy… it’s still worth it.”

He flicked his gaze from the road and met her eyes. Ellie felt her pulse jump erratically. She hurriedly turned her gaze out the window again. They drove in silence for a while, then Dan glanced at her sideways.

“You’re Sara’s cousin, aren’t you?”

Ellie looked at him in surprise, then realised that he would have had plenty of opportunity to run into Sara and speak to her. Her cousin practically lived at the animal hospital these days—ever since she had gotten together with Dr Craig Murray, the head vet at the practice.

Sara had come out from L.A. two months ago for a visit, and what had seemed like a vacation romance with Craig had turned into something special. So special, in fact, that at the end of her stay, Sara had decided to leave everything familiar in California and moved across the Pacific to start a new life in Summer Beach. She’d gone back to L.A. only long enough to pack up and organise the move—and had returned to Summer Beach a couple of weeks ago. Ellie wouldn’t have thought that a vacation romance could ever work, but Sara seemed to be proof that fairy tales do sometimes come true.

In fact, Ellie half expected her cousin to get a proposal soon that would see her moving out of Ellie’s rented cottage and in permanently with Craig. He had taken her away this weekend for a surprise trip to the vineyards of the Hunter Valley and, as quick as it was, it wouldn’t have surprised Ellie if Sara came back with a diamond ring on her finger. Ellie smiled to herself. Well, they had a whirlwind romance… why not a whirlwind proposal? After everything Sara had been through, her cousin deserved a little peace and happiness.

Ellie realised that Dan was still waiting for her to answer. “Sorry—my mind wandered. Yes, I’m Sara’s cousin. In fact, I was just thinking of her… and Craig.”

“Yeah, far out, eh?” Dan shook his head, smiling. “Never seen Craig so happy. Was talking to him yesterday. He’s helping Sara sort out the pet import papers and quarantine procedure for bringing her Beagle over.”

“Yes, Sara is missing Coco desperately. I don’t understand why it’s taking so long, though!”

“It’s the timeframe needed to check the rabies vaccine effectiveness. You can’t bring a dog into Australia until at least six months after an acceptable rabies neutralising antibody titre,” explained Dan. “It’s a pain, but that’s the rule for countries like the U.S. where rabies is still a risk. You don’t have to go through this blood test if you’re bringing a dog in from a rabies-free country, such as the U.K.”

“Oh… right.” Ellie was only half listening as she watched him drive. There was something about the way he handled the steering wheel that was fascinating to watch. She looked up and realised that he had caught her staring at him. Embarrassed, she groped around for something to say. “So… um… when do you think Milo will do his business?”

“Oh, probably this arvo. I’ve asked Megan to keep him at the clinic until he does, so that your precious flash drive doesn’t get lost in some side street.”

“This arvo—? Oh, this afternoon.” Ellie shook her head and said with an exasperated laugh, “Can’t you Australians speak normal English? I’ve been here five months now and I’m still struggling to understand people sometimes.”

“You mean you don’t speak Strine yet?” asked Dan with a grin. 

“Strine?”

“It’s the name for Aussie slang. It’s taken from the way a proper Australian would pronounce ‘Australian’—‘Aus-strine’, see?”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “Why do you guys have to shorten everything?”

“Ah, there’s a historical reason for that,” said Dan solemnly. “Insects were so bad in the outback that early Australian settlers learnt to speak really briefly, so they could open their mouths as little as possible and there was less chance for flies to get in.”

Ellie burst out laughing. “That’s garbage!”

“God’s honest truth,” said Dan, with a twinkle in his grey eyes.

Ellie was still laughing as they pulled into the sweeping circular driveway of the resort and Dan stopped the ute outside the main entrance. She was surprised to feel a pang of regret that the drive was over. She hadn’t laughed like this or enjoyed herself so much in ages.
Maybe I should go out and socialise more
, thought Ellie, ignoring the little voice in her head that whispered it was Dan she really wanted to socialise more with.

“Thank you for the ride,” she said, a bit primly.

“Pleasure,” said Dan.

He leaned towards her and, for a heart-stopping moment, Ellie thought that he was going to kiss her. Then she realised that he was plucking some dog hair from her sleeve. She blushed, both at her wayward thoughts and at his proximity. Then she was even more horrified at herself. She didn’t do “blushing”. That was for silly, teenage girls and sappy heroines in romance novels. She had to get away from Dr Dan O’Brien—he was a complication that she definitely didn’t need in her life!

Fumbling with the door handle, Ellie opened the door and jumped out. Forcing herself not to look back, she walked into the resort with her head high. She was very aware, though, of a pair of amused grey eyes following her into the building.

Dan swung the ute around and headed back towards the main road. His movements were automatic, though, as his mind was still back at the resort. With Ellie Monroe.

He shook his head, smiling. Ellie certainly wasn’t like her cousin. With her sweet nature and outgoing manner, Sara Monroe had quickly made friends at the animal hospital and around town ever since she moved back to Summer Beach to settle. Everyone liked the warm, pretty American.

Ellie, on the other hand, was quick-tempered, uptight, fussy, work-obsessed… and absolutely fascinating. The way those dark eyes of hers flashed when she lost her temper or that wide mouth curved when she laughed or even the unconscious sensuality with which she moved… She wasn’t conventionally beautiful, perhaps, but there was glowing vitality to her looks that trumped model-perfect beauty. Dan wondered what she looked like with her hair loosened from its tight bun or how that lush figure of hers would look if it wasn’t buttoned up in a tight, corporate suit. Somehow, he felt that underneath that brisk, efficient armour was a warm, vulnerable woman waiting to be discovered if she could just be coaxed into letting go a bit.

He caught his own thoughts and laughed ruefully. What was he thinking? Yes, he was always the vet they called when there was a particularly difficult animal that had to be dealt with. With his calm, easy manner and patient humour, he had a way of soothing any hostile creature. But Ellie wasn’t some feisty furball or cranky critter to be tamed, he reminded himself. In fact, she looked like trouble with a capital T.

Still, Dan thought with a smile—as he had told Ellie—sometimes, some things in life are worth all the trouble.