Besides, he didn’t leave all that behind in Kansas only to play the sequel in Montana.

  Fresh starts required discipline.

  And yet, he wanted to know more about the brunette with the shy smile.

  Dr. Mallory interrupted his thoughts with her decision. “I think Noble is fine, but we should do an X-ray to be sure.” She jotted down her notes with quick efficiency. “The department has set up an account for Noble, so we can get started if you’re available.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, dragging his attention back to the moment. “I thought maybe he bruised his pad or something, but I didn’t want to take any chances.”

  “Better to be safe than sorry,” Dr. Mallory agreed with a nod, moving to click a temporary leash onto Noble’s collar. “It’ll be a few minutes. You can wait in the lobby if you want.”

  “Yep,” he said, eager to talk to Kenna again, but he saw Kenna was gone as he exited the room. His enthusiasm dimmed, but the strawberry blonde smiled his way as if knowing immediately that Kenna had caught his eye and she was eager to share information.

  “She’s checking on another patient,” the woman said with a quick grin, “but she should be back in a few minutes. I’m Isabel Donahue. So, you’re the new K-9 officer. What do you think of Cottonwood so far?”

  “Beautiful town,” he answered, trying not to appear preoccupied with Kenna returning. “And the people are friendly.” Isabel gave off a real friendly vibe, but even though she was cute as a button, no fireworks went off in his head as they had with Kenna.

  “Some are,” she acknowledged with a wink, “but then, it’s not hard being sweet to someone as cute as you.”

  He felt the heat crawl up his cheeks at the bold compliment. “I don’t know about that, but I’m happy to be here. The department has been real accommodating.” He paused a minute, wondering if he ought to leave well enough alone, but he couldn’t quite help himself and asked anyway. “So, uh, your coworker, Kenna—is she, um, single?”

  “Good gravy, there’s not a hint of shyness in you, is there? Most guys beat around the bush before getting to the real point of their interest. Kinda refreshing to meet someone who knows what they want.”

  “I’m just curious, is all. Nothing serious.”

  “Nothing wrong with being a little curious,” Isabel said. “But one thing you should know right off the bat with Kenna is she’s a single mom, so she’s not really looking for anything new, from what I can tell. But to be honest, Kenna is kinda private, so it’s hard to really know. I only just met her a few weeks ago when she started here at the office. I guess she grew up here in Cottonwood, though.”

  Single mom—definitely on his red flag checklist—but applied to Kenna, he wasn’t as put off as he thought he would be. He acknowledged that information with a short nod. “Copy that.”

  “I, however, am single as a Pringle and definitely no one’s mom,” Isabel supplied with a flirty grin. “I’d be happy to show you around town, introduce you to a few people, if you want.”

  Not gonna touch that with a ten-foot pole. Isabel looked like a fun time, but fun times turned into nightmares when things didn’t go their way, and drama was the last thing he wanted to court in his new town.

  “I appreciate the offer,” he said, not wanting to hurt Isabel’s feelings. Meaningless hookups weren’t his style, and he wasn’t about to start now, but there was more to his plan to stay single than just an aversion to hookups. His last emotional ride had been enough to turn a man celibate, and he was determined to shake off the residue of that life. Hell, he didn’t know how or when he’d be ready to trust another human being with his heart after Becca, so no sense in dragging someone along for a ride that ended up nowhere. Better to keep to himself than hurt feelings because his head was all messed up, but he wouldn’t be rude, either. He smiled, adding, “When I get settled, maybe I’ll do that.”

  “I hope you do.” She grabbed a business card and scribbled her number on the back. “That’s my cell. If you find yourself all alone, bored and ready to have some fun, call me.”

  He pocketed the card, even though he knew he wouldn’t call. “You got it.”

  Before Isabel could say more, Dr. Mallory returned with good news, unsnapping Noble’s leash. “Noble is just fine. Picture of health. I think you were right on the money—he’s got a little bit of a bruised paw, but a few days of rest and he should be right as rain.”

  Noble dutifully returned to Lucas’s side, looking at him with that alert gaze, ready for his following command. Relieved, Lucas said, “Thank you, Dr. Mallory. Good to hear.” He resisted the urge to linger, hoping that Kenna might reappear. “I appreciate you squeezing us in today.”

  “Of course. We’re happy to accommodate our newest Cottonwood officer,” Dr. Mallory said with a wink and indulgent smile directed at Noble before leaving to see her next patient.

  Still no Kenna. Where’d she go? The moon?

  No, this was a good thing—a reminder that the last thing he needed was to get involved with a single mom who was skittish as hell.

  Usually, they had their reasons.

  And their reasons were all sorts of trouble he didn’t need.

  Copyright © 2023 by Kimberly Sheetz

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  ISBN-13: 9780369728357

  Cold Case Sheriff

  Copyright © 2023 by TTQ Books LLC

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  Tara Taylor Quinn, Cold Case Sheriff

 

 

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