The Billionaire's Matchmaker(46)

“I only found one underwire attached to a piece of lace.”

“Ooh. That’s not good. The wire could perforate his intestines or cause a blockage. Either scenario would be serious.” Gid palpated the dog’s distended stomach. Charlie moaned.

“But he’s going to be okay. I mean, you can fix him, right?”

Mia looked up at Gid with such hope shimmering in her eyes. With such…was it trust? He wanted to tell her that he could. He wanted to tell her that he would move heaven and earth for her.

But what he said was, “I’ll do everything within my power to help him, but I won’t make any promises that I’m not sure I can keep.”

He wasn’t only talking about the dog. Did she understand that? Her brow furrowed a moment before she nodded.

Gideon scooped up the dog. “Let’s get some X-rays so we can see exactly what’s we’re dealing with.”






Chapter Four



It was a very long night.

Mia passed most of it sitting on the floor beside the little bed Gid had made up for Charlie out of towels. The tiles were cold thanks to the air conditioning. Even though she hadn’t asked for one, Gid gave her a blanket, settling it around her shoulders with the same sort of tenderness and caring he’d exhibited with his four-legged patient.

Thankfully, the X-rays revealed nothing ominous. If Charlie had swallowed the underwire, he’d chewed it up into pieces small enough to pass through his intestinal tract.

Before finally settling down and falling asleep, the dog vomited twice more, emptying his beleaguered belly of an interesting assortment of inedible objects. Both times, Gid had sifted patiently through the mess, unfazed.

“I liked that bra,” she thought she heard him mutter as he’d pushed a scrap of soggy black lace to the side with the tip of a pen.

Mia fell asleep not long after Charlie did. When she woke, she was no longer alone on the floor with the dog. Gid was seated next to her, his long legs stretched out. Her head was pillowed on his right shoulder. His temple rested against her crown. The warmth she felt wasn’t from the blanket, although he’d apparently tucked it under her chin. The man radiated warmth, inside and out.

She allowed herself to luxuriate in it and breathed deep to take in his scent. She couldn’t smell aftershave or even a hint of the soap he’d scrubbed with after tending to the dog. But she recognized his smell. Indeed, everything about this moment was familiar, comforting, compelling. It terrified her how deeply she wished they could stay like that, caught halfway between the dreaminess of waking and the stark reality of day. But that was impossible. Even before Charlie stirred and roused Gid, Mia knew time was up.

“Woof!”

Charlie was already on his feet as Gid lifted his head. The little dog stretched. The man yawned. Mia held her breath.

“Looks like someone’s feeling better this morning,” Gid said.

The hand he pushed through his hair left it a sexy, rumpled mess. She couldn’t resist reaching over to smooth it down, just as she had done dozens of times in the past.

Gid’s expression grew serious at her touch. He reached for her hand as she drew it away, captured it and held on tight.

“I always liked waking up to you,” he said quietly.

Her heart squeezed, the sensation at once painful and pleasing. She’d always liked waking up to Gid, too. These past several months, she’d been so lonely. She missed seeing his face at first light, his jaw rough with stubble, his mouth soft and welcoming. She was leaning toward him when Charlie barked again.

“Woof!” The dog padded to the door and continued yipping.

“I think he wants out,” Mia said wryly.

“His timing stinks,” Gid muttered as he rose. He was still holding her hand, which he used to help her to her feet. “Come on.”

Together, the three of them went outside. Even though it was barely past dawn, the temperature was already in the seventies. It was going to be a hot day. Humid, too, at least until the sun was at full strength and the mist burned off. Before opening the door, Gid had slipped on Charlie’s leash as a precaution. He needn’t have bothered. The dog wasn’t moving as fast as he usually did. His steps were slower, more tentative, but as his wagging tail clearly attested, he was on the mend.

Charlie lifted his leg and did his business on the shrub closest to the door.

“Let’s try something,” Gid murmured before saying, “Hey, boy, want a treat?”

The offer didn’t turn Charlie into the whirling dervish of old, but the dog’s triangular ears perked up and Mia swore he grinned.

“I think he’s ready for a meal. I’d recommend giving him something plain to start and not too much.” He handed her the leash.

“Are you hungry?” she asked Gid, her gaze still on the dog.

“That depends.”

She chanced a look at him. “On?”

“Are you asking me to breakfast?”

She moistened her lips. “If I say yes?”

He regarded her for what seemed like ages. “Then I’m starving.”

…

Gid had to close up the clinic before he could get in his Jeep and head to Mia’s house. He almost hoped he would change his mind. He was asking for trouble, spending time with her when she’d already made it clear they had no future together. But he couldn’t stay away. She was like a magnet that way, always drawing him in. When he arrived at her house fifteen minutes later, he knocked rather than just going in as he would have in the past. He heard Charlie barking a moment before Mia opened the door.