Chapter One
Laramie, Texas
âI need a favor.â
Sam Navarro looked at the dark-haired beauty standing in the doorway of the exam room and felt the familiar jolt to his system. It had been five years since he and Robin Taylor had broken up. Sheâd married someone else. Divorced. Three months ago she had moved onto the ranch next door to his, and had started a business refurbishing old whiskey barrels and wagon wheels. But he hadnât seen her since the moveâwas she avoiding him?
Heâd become a veterinarian, joined a practice in the town where theyâd both grown up, and been engagedâtwiceâto other women. And yet he was still carrying a torch for the slender thirty-two year old with the intense green-blue eyes. Go figure. Sam went back to examining the stray beagle-collie mix someone had brought to the clinic at closing. âIâm listening.â
Robin stepped all the way into the exam room, the fragrance of her lilac soap and shampoo overriding the smells of dog, disinfectant and antiseptic. She crossed her arms. âI understand you have a new litter of golden retriever puppies.â
Sam stopped to remove a tick, dropping it into a glass tube for later examination. âBorn four weeks ago.â
Finding the pup in otherwise good health, if a bit on the thin side, Sam led the thirty-five pound stray to the back for a bath and flea treatment.
Robin trailed after them. âIâd like to arrange a visit.â
Sam lifted the dog into the tub and secured his lead. âSorry.â He turned on the warm water and used the showerhead to wet down his patient. âThe pups from that litter are all spoken for.â
Robin leaned against the far wall, her eyes glued to the action. âOh, I didnât want to buy one. I just wanted to borrow one for a little bit.â
âBorrow?â Sam echoed, shampooing the mutt thoroughly.
Robin edged close enough he could feel her body heat and she smiled down at the shivering mutt. âYou may have heard I signed up to foster a little girl?â
âMolly Russell.â Age eight. âShe lost her mom a year and a half ago.â
âRight. And since then Mollyâs been in three different foster homes.â
Sam toweled off the dog, and then led him back to the kennels in the back, where full food and water bowls were already waiting. âA shame she wasnât adopted by any of them.â
He petted the stray encouragingly, then shut him in his run for the night
âThe families all wanted to take Molly in at first,â Robin explained.
Sam saw a flash of worry. âBut Molly would have none of it.â
A brief nod. âThe social worker thinks Molly might do better in a single-parent family, since previously she was raised by a single mom.â
Ahhh. âWhich is where you come in,â Sam guessed, not surprised to find that Robin had no more desire to marry than he did.
Robin raked her teeth across her soft lower lip. âAnd since kids whoâve encountered difficulties early in life sometimes connect better with animals than humans, I thought having a puppy around might help her adjust.â
Sam led the way back to the lobby, switching off lights as he went. âWhen does Molly move in with you?â
âSaturday afternoon. So what do you think?â she asked. âCan I borrow a puppy just for a little bit?â
Sam shook his head.
Robin looked surprisedâas she always did when things did not immediately go her way.
âIt would hurt the pup psychologically to be separated from her mother and the rest of the litter,â Sam stated soberly. âBut you and Molly can come over and visit them if you like. Although I canât say I would recommend that, either.â
Chapter Two
After all this time, Sam still had the ability to turn Robinâs heart inside out. Maybe because she had never gotten over him, never stopped wishing that sheâd had what it took to say yes to his proposal. But she hadnât. And like it or not, they both had to deal with that. Not afraid to square off with him, she stepped closer. âWhy donât you think I should bring Molly over to see the puppies?â
Sam locked the front door and strode back to his private office. âSheâll fall in love with them.â
Robin hurried to catch up, feeling as dwarfed by his tall, sturdy frame as ever. âYou donât know that.â
Sam stopped and shrugged out of his lab coat, looking very handsome in a rugged, all-male way. âObviously, youâve never spent time with golden retriever puppies,â he drawled.
Robin pushed aside her reaction to his overwhelmingly sexy presence. âItâs not my fault my younger brother was allergic to dogs. Iâve never had much exposure to them.â