“Yeah. Wide receiver.”
Now she knew why she recognized his name. He’d been some kind of football star. She remembered reading about him in the newspaper. He’d been good. But they hadn’t known each other back then.
“So this is your clinic now?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
She grabbed the film and slid it in.
“Luke.”
She looked up. “Excuse me?”
“Call me Luke. Not officer, and definitely not sir. Too formal.”
He’d cracked a smile. He had a quirky, kind of off-kilter smile, and greenish-blue eyes that went really well with his dark hair. He had a rugged face, a square jaw, and, again, that really sexy mouth.
Not that she was looking at him in that way, because she didn’t do that anymore. She and men were definitely off-limits. She’d learned her lesson the hard way.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t be nice to her clients. “Okay, then, Luke. Let’s get this X-ray going. I need you to position his leg here for me, then if possible, ask him not to move.”
“No problem. Boomer—stay.”
Boomer lay perfectly still as they went behind the screen so she could take the shot.
“Good boy.” Luke said to Boomer after the X-ray was taken. He swept his hand over the dog’s back and neck, showing care and affection.
She liked seeing that in a dog’s owner.
“Just one more film and that should do it. I need to turn him this way.”
Luke helped her, and she couldn’t help noticing his hands. Strong. Big. Masculine, with a fine sprinkling of dark hair on his forearms. He hadn’t worn a coat inside, and he had some serious upper arm muscles peeking out from the sleeve of his uniform shirt.
But she wasn’t looking, and she definitely wasn’t interested, despite the pinging in her nerve endings that conveyed otherwise.
Chemistry couldn’t be denied. But that was biology. She had a choice, and she already knew what her choices were these days regarding men.
She took Luke behind the screen and captured the second X-ray.
But he did smell really good, though it wasn’t cologne. Shampoo, maybe? Or soap? Did they make scented soap for men? She had no idea.
But she wasn’t interested, so it didn’t matter what kind of soap he used.
“Are we done?”
She looked at him. “Yes. Yes, we are.” She turned one way and he went the other, so they bumped into each other. He reached out for her arms to steady her, and she found herself staring up into those amazing eyes of his.
“Sorry,” he said with a deep laugh that Emma felt all the way down to her stomach. And maybe even a little lower.
“No. It’s my fault.” He took a step back and she moved around him.
He had her acting like a teenager all filled with raging hormones. Ugh.
“Just wait here a second with Boomer so I can make sure we don’t need to retake any shots.”
She hurried out of the room and took a deep breath when she got into the reading room.
What was wrong with her? She’d had male customers all day long. Some had been really good-looking, too, yet none of them had affected her like Luke was doing now.
Likely because she hadn’t been alone with any one man all day. That had to be it. She never put herself in a position to be alone with a guy. And though Luke was a police officer, owned a dog, and seemed all nice and trustworthy, she knew better than to trust any man.
She’d been naïve and trusting once, and it had cost her dearly. She was never going to be that stupid again, no matter how gorgeous a man was, or how nice he seemed.
Or how good he smelled.
Besides, this was the year of her career and nothing else. And so far, day one had been spectacular.
Chapter 2
LUKE HAD BEEN a cop long enough to know two things were certain. One, when things were at their worst, more bad shit tended to pile on, and two, never judge a book by its cover.
The first came true tonight when he’d been chasing the crackhead he’d pulled over for a speeding ticket, only to have the moron bail and run on him. He and Boomer had taken off on foot in pursuit, and Boomer had ended up wrenching his leg in a hole in someone’s front yard. Good thing he’d called in for backup—the suspect had been located hiding in someone’s shed. Asshole.
The book with the pretty cover was currently taking an X-ray of Boomer’s leg. Dr. Emma Burnett was beautiful, but not in that fashion-model, take-your-breath kind of way. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, though some of it had escaped and framed her face. Her eyes were chocolate brown, framed by thick, dark lashes, and she had those full kind of lips that a man would want to spend hours kissing. She also had a body he’d be more than eager to pat down. Nice curves in all the right places, for sure, if a guy was in the market for a woman, which he wasn’t.
He had plenty of women popping in and out of his life these days, which was just the way he liked it. In one day, out the next. The out part was the best part.
Though right now the only thing that mattered to him was his dog. Dogs were the only creatures that were truly faithful. Women? Fun to play with. Definitely not fun to spend the rest of your life with. He’d tried that once.
Epic fail.
“The X-rays took just fine,” Emma said when she returned to the room. “I just need a few minutes to review them. I’ll be right back.”
“Sure.”
She led Luke and Boomer back to the exam room.
He watched her walk out, disappointed the lab coat hid her backside. Based on the front of her, he’d wager she had a great ass, though he didn’t see someone like Emma Burnett as a one-night-stand type. Too bad.
Hell, he hadn’t seen her in town at all before today, hadn’t even realized the clinic had opened up again. Good timing.
She came through the door a few minutes later. “I have good news. Nothing’s broken.”
He finally relaxed. “That’s great.”
“Boomer does have a sprain, though. I’m going to give him an anti-inflammatory injection and suggest you keep him calm. Which means no heroic police-dog activity for at least a week.”
Luke looked down at Boomer and scratched his ears. “He’s not going to like being off duty that long.”
Emma squatted and ran her fingers through Boomer’s fur. “I’m sure he won’t, but it’s a short period of time for recovery, compared to what could happen if he hurts himself while he’s still trying to heal.”
“Understood, Doc. I’ll make sure to take good care of him.”
“I’m going to wrap his leg, which will offer him some stability and ward off swelling. You can take it off after twenty-four hours. I’m also going to give you some anti-inflammatory meds. Give those to him once a day. They’ll help ease any discomfort he might feel.”
He watched her work. She was competent, and Boomer lay there like he was at a spa, his tail thumping while Emma talked to him in that soft, sweet way that females spoke to dogs. Boomer was eating it up, especially when Emma gave him a treat.
“He’s going to want to come here every day now,” Luke said.
Emma laughed, and Luke felt the twist of that sweet laugh all the way down to his balls.
“Yeah, I’m very popular with the canine crowd.”
“I imagine you’re very popular with every male, human and canine.”
She lifted her lashes, and he saw the blush creep on her cheeks. Surely she was used to being complimented, but she looked away just as quickly and got down to business.
Interesting. He didn’t see a wedding ring, but maybe there was a boyfriend and she thought he was hitting on her. Who knew? He was the last person to understand women.
After the shot and bandaging, Emma walked him to the front desk.