Healing Hearts Read Free Page A

dog squirmed out of his hiding place and grabbed the treat from her hand. The doorbell rang just as she’d managed to grab hold of Rocky’s slick hair. Surprised, her grip relaxed just enough for her dog to wiggle his way out of her grasp and bound back out of reach.
    “Darn it, this’d better be good, Lorraine.” She flung open the bathroom door, stalked across her living area floor, unlocked the deadbolt and muttered, “What is it now?”
    But the person taking up space in her hallway wasn’t Lorraine.
    “Dr. Morrison?” All six-foot hunk of him. A smile tilted the corners of his mouth, and he’d raised his hand, as if ready to push the doorbell again. Sarah swallowed a groan.
    Bathed in dim light from the hallway of her apartment, he looked good. No, better than good. Fantastic. How had she missed his lip-sided grin and incredible dimples, or the way his dark, way hair and twinkling eyes softened his chiseled features?
    Great! Sarah straightened her shoulders as her heartbeat accelerated. It was amazing what a lab coat could cover. She blushed. A Greek Adonis, clothed in snug jeans and a cream-colored polo shirt filled in her doorway while she stood covered in water and wet dog hair.
    Not that it would matter anyway. Someone with Dr. Morrison’s standards wouldn’t even give a girl from the wrong side of town a second look. Even if she was trying to change that, she knew better than to expect too much from him, or anyone. She could rely only on herself.
    “Hi, Ms. Churchill,” Grant greeted her lightly, not sure how Sarah would feel about him dropping in like this.
    The woman seemed to get control of her surprise but her soft, blue eyes clouded with suspicion. Not that he could blame her since, with the exception of the time in the clinic, they were practically strangers. And strangers didn’t usually appear unannounced on your doorstep.
    He thought quickly. “I was in the neighborhood delivering some medication to a client and wanted to stop by and see if you needed any help with your new friend. I hope you don’t mind?”
    There was no delivery service and he’d gone several miles out of his way—only to check on her progress with the dog, he told himself. Not only was he feeling a bit guilty about pawning the dog off on her this afternoon, but for some unexplained reason, he wanted to see her again and couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
    His words seemed to satisfy her. Her guarded expression dissolved into a neutral one. “No. Not at all, Dr. Morrison. As you can see, we’re getting alone fine.”
    The sarcasm was not lost on him. Grant wondered if he’d made a mistake by sending the dog home with her, but then remembered the look on her face as she hugged the puppy and decided the answer was no.
    “C’mon in.” She backed away from the entrance, holding the door for him. “You didn’t bring any drugs, did you?”
    “Please, call me Grant. Drugs?” So captivated by her face earlier, Grant finally took a good look at Sarah and realized that her purple T-shirt didn’t naturally cling to her, it was wet, outlining the lacy details of her bra underneath. Upon closer inspection, he saw huge water spots on her jeans and drops of water still clung to her curly hair that had been casually pulled back in a ponytail.
    Obviously, she’d been struggling to give Buster a bath and Buster was winning. He could only imagine the clash between them that had resulted in her appearance. Grant couldn’t help himself. He laughed.
    “What’s so funny? She questioned tartly, staring up at him. Her nostrils flared and her lips thinned. She folded her arms under her chest, which only accentuated the fullness of her breasts. Apparently, she wasn’t as waifish as he’d first thought. Not even close. Her oversized outfit this afternoon had hidden some pretty tantalizing curves. His laughter died.
    He rubbed his day’s growth of beard with the back of his hand, trying to think of a plausible explanation. Nothing