It was obvious to Harlow that Miles was sticking up for his dog so he wouldn’t get in any trouble. It was sweet and endearing. Miles frowned at her, giving Harlow the impression that he was blaming her for the incident.
“So, what brings you to town? Did you relocate here?” Nick asked, his voice tinged with curiosity. “I don’t recall seeing you around Mistletoe.”
“The day you saved my bacon I was heading to Mistletoe for the first time. I just started a job at Paws Veterinary Clinic. I’m a veterinarian,” she explained. Harlow couldn’t help feeling a burst of pride every time she uttered thevword. Despite her past, she’d managed to make something of herself. She hadn’t given up. She had persevered.
Nick chuckled. The sound of his laughter was nice and light. “Believe it or not, I was just about to make an appointment there for Zeus. We need to get him up to date on his vaccinations. Welcome to Mistletoe, by the way. I hope you’ll like it here.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, feeling all tingly inside. Whatever magic Nick possessed, if he bottled it up and sold it he could make a fortune. Harlow couldn’t recall the last time a man had made her weak in the knees.
If Nick Keegan was Mistletoe’s welcome wagon, women would flock to this town in droves. Maine eye candy alert!
“I’m going to make an appointment for Zeus,” Nick said. “Is it all right if we ask for you?”
She was flattered. It would be nice to build up a client base while she was in Mistletoe. Establishing a solid reputation in her profession was crucial to long-term success. “Sure thing. I’d love to check you out.” Harlow sputtered. “I’d love to check him out. Meaning your dog. Not you.” She wanted to slap her palm to her forehead. Talk about a slip of the tongue! Duh!
Nick shook his head and let out a throaty laugh. “I knew what you meant.”
She was glad at least one of them did. Yep, it was high time she slunk away before she made a total fool of herself. As it was, Nick probably already thought she was flakier than a croissant.
“Okay, I’ve got to head back to work. It was nice officially meeting you, Nick.” She turned toward Miles, who was playing with Zeus. “And you also, Miles. See you soon, Zeus.”
Miles lifted his hand to wave at her before turning back to his dog. It didn’t take a genius to see that he was over the moon about his new pet. There was nothing sweeter than a child and their dog. When she was Miles’s age, Rambo had been everything to her.
As she got behind the wheel and began to make her way back to Paws, her mind took her straight back to Nick. Something about this man tugged at her. She hadn’t felt this way in years. Not since he who should not be named under any circumstances. Harlow bit her lip.
Wait.She had totally fangirled over Nick Keegan without pausing to check his ring finger. Was tall, dark, and chocolate already spoken for? Hmm. The clues were all there. He had a son. He was scrumptious. Super charming. But she’d detected a slight flirtatiousness in his manner toward her. Or had she imagined it? Perhaps it had simply been part of his welcome-to-Mistletoe shtick. She was far from an expert on men. What Harlow knew about relationships wouldn’t even fill up a postage stamp.
Maybe it was time to get back in the game. Being single was getting old. A man like Nick Keegan might be fun to go out with—if he wasn’t already taken. If he was, Harlow would just drool from afar. The last thing she wanted to do was catch feelings for a man who already had a woman.
***
By the time dinner rolled around, Miles had fed Zeus, taken him on his nightly walk, and played with him in their fenced-in backyard. Even though he’d grudgingly made Zeus a part of their family, Nick had to admit that his son was doing an amazing job taking care of his new pet. Nick didn’t think he, at nine years old, would have had the discipline. But it was clear that Miles adored Zeus. He’d even allowed the dog to sleep at the foot of his bed. Nick must be getting soft, because he didn’t have the heart to banish Zeus to the playroom.
“Are you still mad at Zeus?” Miles looked over at Nick with a crestfallen expression etched on his face. Since the day he was born, Nick hadn’t been able to resist his son’s soft brown eyes. His son really knew how to work all of his assets.
“I wouldn’t say mad exactly,” Nick hedged. He had been treading lightly on the subject of Zeus, unwilling to let his son see how annoyed he was at their new family member for tackling Harlow at the park. Getting acclimated to the boisterous pup wasn’t easy.
“Pissed off?” Miles asked with a smirk.
“Miles,” Nick said in a warning tone. “We talked about not saying thepword.”
“Sorry. It slipped out.” Miles put a forkful of mac ’n’ cheese in his mouth and closed his eyes. He let out a sound of satisfaction. “Dad, I gotta hand it to you. This mac ’n’ cheese is slammin’.” He gave Nick a thumbs-up. “I’ll definitely be having seconds.”
“Well, thanks. High praise indeed coming from a mac ’n’ cheese connoisseur like yourself,” Nick said as he dug into his own meal. Yum. It was pretty tasty, he decided. It had taken him a long time to get the mac ’n’ cheese right. Miles had gotten so used to Kara’s recipe that nothing Nick ever whipped up could compare. Finally, after many months of trial and error, he’d come up with a winning recipe that Miles devoured. If he was being honest with himself, Miles’s reaction made him feel like a rock star, which wasn’t always the case these days. Miles was at that age when he was beginning to question his dad’s cool quotient. Knowing he had scored a home run with dinner was gratifying.
After doling out seconds of mac ’n’ cheese for Miles, Nick began collecting the dirty plates and placing them in the dishwasher.
“I have to head out soon to work, which means Aunt Stella is coming over to stay with you.”
Miles loved hanging out with Aunt Stella, who had been his second-grade teacher a year ago. Long before she’d married Luke, Stella had held a special place in Miles’s heart. Even though he adored Stella, Nick knew from past experiences that Miles hated when he had to be away from him overnight.
“I wish you could tuck me in,” Miles said, sounding wistful. “Will you be here when I wake up in the morning?”
At moments like this, Nick felt completely torn. He needed to work so he could keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, but he hated being away from his son, especially overnight. Nick wanted to be there if the nightmares came back, the ones that had tortured Miles in the weeks and months after Kara’s death. “Bud, I’d love nothing more than to stick close to you twenty-four/seven, but I’ve got to put my cape on and protect the people in Metropolis from danger.”
Miles began to giggle. “Dad, you’re not Superman.”
Nick widened his eyes. “I’m not?” He pulled open his shirt in an exaggerated fashion, pretending to look for his uniform. “I don’t know what happened to my uniform. Maybe it’s in the wash.”
