My hands fisted. “Hi. Everything has been really good, Dr…”
“Damien,” he reminded me.
“Right. Sorry, I’m meeting a lot of new people.”
He chuckled. “I bet. Even in a small town, there are endless introductions.” He turned to Aspen. “I think we should put Gertie on an antibiotic and a probiotic. That should help even things out. If she doesn’t improve in forty-eight hours, let me know, and I’ll come back.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Damien.” Aspen glanced at me. “Goat with an upset stomach.”
“Poor Gertie,” I mumbled. That did not sound fun for any of the parties involved.
Damien nodded, empathy filling his expression. “Usually, antibiotics help within twenty-four hours. Sometimes, even sooner. Hopefully, she’ll be right as rain tomorrow.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m going to check on Mabel and Phineas,” Damien said, heading for the pasture.
“I wanna watch!” Charlie yelled.
They were already moving before I could stop them. Damien was good with the kids, explaining what he was doing while Aspen held the animals steady, and I watched from the fence line. The Hartley boys needed a pet. That was clear as day. I just needed to figure out a way to make it happen.
Damien closed his medical bag after finishing his exam and headed back toward me and the fence.
“Thank you for showing Charlie what you were doing,” I said.
He waved me off. “It’s nothing. It’s nice to have helpers.”
“If you’re not careful, Charlie will start showing up at your office.”
Damien chuckled. “Might not be so bad if his nanny comes with him.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure what to say.
He studied me for a moment. “Would you like to grab coffee sometime? I could show you around Cedar Ridge.”
My stomach flipped and twisted. Damien was handsome with his dark hair and piercing green eyes, but I didn’t feel that pull. The only person I’d felt that pull with was my boss. Despite the fact that he didn’t want anything to do with me and was clearly still in love with his ex.
“It’s totally okay if you’d rather not,” Damien quickly assured me.
“I, um, can I think about it?” If I wanted normal, I needed to reach for it. That meant friends and dates and everything that went along with it.
He grinned at me. “Of course.” He pulled a card from his pocket. “This has my cell at the bottom.”
“Thanks.”
Damien gave me another smile and headed for his SUV.
“What was that about?” Aspen asked, sidling up to me as the kids brushed Mabel.
“He, uh, asked me to get coffee.”
A smile split Aspen’s face. “A date with Dr. Hottie?”
I laughed. “What a nickname. I told him I needed to think about it.”
Concern filled Aspen’s expression. “That’s fair. You want to talk it through?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t ready to explain my past, and I certainly didn’t want her to know I was hung up on a certain boss of mine.
