LITMIR.BIZ

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you wouldn’t mind...”

      Mind? He blinked. It took him a second to refocus. Oh, right. She was talking about the cage.

      “What about me, Caroline? What can I do?”

      She smoothed Izzie’s hair. “I’ll need your dad’s help in loading the turtle into the kiddy pool in my car. But then it’s going to take a gazillion gallons of water to fill the pool enough to transport the turtle. And that’s where you come in.”

      Izzie quivered from her sand-encrusted toes to the top of her unruly red hair. “I can do that. I’m good at filling buckets. Will Turtle Mama be okay?”

      Caroline made eye contact with his daughter. “I’m going to have to do surgery to remove the hook and repair her flipper, but there are no guarantees, Izz.”

      “Like in life,” he interjected.

      Caroline’s lips thinned. “Exactly.”

      She moved her car as close as she could to the beach without damaging the fragile dune biosphere. With a great deal of effort—mostly his and Caroline’s—they managed to shift the turtle from the beach and into the SUV. Izzie darted ahead of them and returned, looping them as they shouldered the hundred-pound turtle over the dune.

      Teeth gritted, he muscled the primeval creature into the kiddy pool in the back of the vet’s vehicle. “You do this on a regular basis by yourself?” he grunted.

      “Usually the grad students help. Good thing Kemp’s ridleys are the smaller sized among sea turtles or we couldn’t have managed on our own.”

      After parking the SUV once again near the cottage, the lithe Caroline handed several empty plastic buckets to Izzie. “Would you be so kind as to fill these for me, Izz?”

      He folded his arms across his T-shirt. “And you’re welcome.”

      She tilted her head. “For what?”

      He propped his hip against the open tailgate and nudged his chin at the turtle in the pool.

      “Oh...” She shrugged. “I’m sure I would’ve somehow managed without you, but—”

      “Is that your idea of a thank you?” He grinned. “Not really a people person, are you?”

      She blushed a lovely shade of rose. “I’m better with animals. I spend most of my time with them. People are too...”

      “Complicated?”

      Her gaze shot to his. “More entangling than a fisherman’s net.”

      Message sent and received. Like a warning shot fired across the bow. This woman wasn’t looking for relationships.

      Good thing he wasn’t either. In his case, the burned child dreaded the fire. He found himself—against his better judgment—curious about what lay behind the beautiful vet’s aversion to relationships, though.

      Not any of my business.

      Izzie hurried from the house. One bucket clasped in both hands, she sloshed water over the rim and onto her bare toes.

      The turtle lady might not be his business, but Izzie was. He’d never seen Izzie attach herself to anyone like this female veterinarian. And frankly, the idea of Izzie forming an attachment to the prickly vet disturbed Weston.

      On a profound level, to a degree, Weston wasn’t sure he wanted to explore. He had Izzie’s well-being to consider. It was her fragile heart he was thinking about.

      Wasn’t it?

      Proud as if she’d single-handedly saved the free world, Izzie transferred the now half-empty bucket to the vet.

      She smiled at his daughter. “Thank you, Izzie. You’re such a big help.”

      Izzie took off at a run. “I’ll bring the other bucket, Caroline,” she called over her shoulder.

      He straightened. “Let me—”

      “I got it, Daddy. I’m not a baby.” His daughter never broke her stride.

      Caroline poured the contents over the turtle’s carapace and into the pool.

      “Will you take the turtle to the aquarium across the bay to Virginia Beach or up to Ocean City in Maryland?”

      “Neither.” Caroline gave the turtle’s shell a small pat. “Fortunately for this injured lady, we’re headed to the new aquatic rehab center I’m establishing in Wachapreague for the summer.”

      Izzie sloshed forward in time to hear Caroline’s last remarks. “Yay! You’ll be here the whole summer?” Bucket clutched at chest level, she bounced on her toes.

      He and Caroline stepped back. But not soon enough. Water doused the tailgate and puddled at his and Caroline’s feet.

      Weston seized the bucket before further damage ensued. “Izzie... Be careful.”

      Izzie’s lower lip quivered. “I’m sorry. I was trying to help.”

      “You are the best helper I’ve had in ages.” Caroline placed her palm on Izzie’s head for a millisecond before taking the bucket from him. “A little water never hurt anyone. Kind of refreshing in this early heat wave.”

      Izzie danced on the tips of her toes again. “So you’ll be here the whole summer?”

      Caroline concentrated on filling the kiddy pool. “Most of it.”

      Weston’s stomach did a curious, roiling dive. A sliver of stupid anticipation coupled with a whole lot of fear. Not his business, he reminded himself.

      “How’s Turtle Mama?” Izzie scrambled onto the bed of the truck. The truck rocked. Caroline wobbled.

      “Careful, Monkey Girl...” His hand cupped Caroline’s elbow to steady her.

      The lady vet’s eyes cut from his hand to his face. He reddened and let go of her.

      “I realize we haven’t been formally introduced, but did you just call me a monkey?” Her lips curved into a smile. “Or should I assume that term of endearment was directed at Izzie?”

      He decided the turtle lady had a nice smile. Nice sense of humor, too.

      Weston’s hand tingled from the touch of her skin on his. If this was his reaction to the less-than-sociable lady vet, he needed to get out more.

      Izzie laughed. “Silly Daddy calls me his monkey all the time.”

      His Adam’s apple bobbed. He nodded like an idiot. And flushed again.

      Maybe the church ladies were right. Way past time for some female companionship. Nothing wrong with a friend from the opposite gender.

      Izzie scooped a handful of water. “What’s going to happen to Turtle Mama?” She allowed it to trickle through her fingers onto the turtle.

      The turtle lady gave Izzie what he guessed to be a highly redacted version of the surgical procedure.

      “Can I watch?”

      “I’m afraid not.” Caroline’s brow puckered. “We try, like at the people hospital, to keep everything as sterile—I mean germ free—as possible. Have you ever visited a people hospital before?”

      His daughter squeezed Caroline’s fingers and hopped from the bed of the truck. “Last fall when Max’s baby was born. Babies are so sweet.” Izzie sighed.

      Weston tweaked the end of Izzie’s nose. “Babies are also smelly and loud and take your favorite toys.”

      “You know Max Scott?” Caroline’s mouth pulled downward. “Of course you know the Duers, if you know Sawyer Kole. Everybody knows everybody in good ol’ Kiptohanock.”

      Her lips twisted. “You can’t flush a toilet at one end without the other end knowing.”

      Izzie

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