hard to get her well and put weight on her. By the time I realized she was pregnant, I didn't have the heart to spay her at such a late stage. Those babies deserved a chance too. The vet didn't think they would make it due to the rough time Hope had while she carried them, but they proved him wrong." A smile full of pride appeared, making her face glow with affection.
"What are you going to do with the kittens?" Tiger reached over to tenderly run a finger over the soft coat of first one then the other.
"Why, keep them, of course." Lily glanced up, her voice full of conviction. "Faith and Charity will never be hungry or cold or suffer. Neither will Hope, ever again."
He braced himself, shaking off the softness and emotion the sad story evoked. More than one man had fallen for a pretty face and a tragic tale, only to be duped, taken for all they were worth, and left behind in the dust. It happened to him once and he vowed never again would he or anyone he loves suffer for his miscalculations over a woman.
With one more touch to the babies, he headed toward the bedroom. "I'm going to take that shower. Make sure nothing happens to Dillon or there will be Hell to pay."
* * * *
"Ignore him. He's old and has forgotten what little manners he ever learned."
Lily turned toward the tired voice coming from her bed. Deep brown eyes contrasted with the blonde hair standing straight up from his buzz cut. A friendly grin beckoned her.
"I fear a mere sneeze out of you and he will rush back in, declare me a witch and to heck with finding a stake. He would simply shoot me on the spot and toss my body out the back door for the coyotes to nibble on." She moved to the edge of the bed.
"He wouldn't dare harm a hair on your head." Dillon tried to reassure her.
She nodded. "He's a bear, you say. Somehow I had already guessed that."
Dillon smiled widely at her teasing. "Definitely a bear most days."
"As surly as a bear with a toothache, that is. Pretty to look at from a distance, but deadly if you get too close."
"A nurse with a sense of humor. I never knew such existed." He tossed out, shifting his sore leg carefully.
Tugging the covers to lay neatly over her patient, Lily joined in his fun. "A man with humility and a brain. How rare."
Warm chuckles carried across the room before Dillon's amusement turned serious once more. "Really, there is no need to be afraid of him. He's gruff, but he can be kind."
"Me? Afraid of him?" Lily clutched her chest while mock horror covered her face. "No. Don't tell me. He's addicted to that big purple dinosaur. Oh, dear me, say it isn't so. My sanity won't survive hours and hours of those videos. And those songs. Yikes."
Dillon burst out laughing at her dramatics. "You are funny."
"Why, thank you. I do try. Patients need more than just medical care, you see. Entertainment is at the top of their list." She smiled warmly down at him, feeling at ease, and glad she accepted the task of looking over him until he healed enough to be on his way once more. If only his brother could smile and tease and act like a normal human being. If only pigs flew, too.
* * * *
Several minutes later, Tiger emerged from the shower, towel-drying his cropped hair while wearing a pair of sweats. His eyes roamed over her and Dillon as she sat on the edge of the bed, talking and laughing with him.
"Flirting will get you nowhere with him. He has a girlfriend, a good woman, waiting for him at home."
Lily's good mood vanished like a water puddle in the mid-summer heat under the harsh lash of Tiger's tongue. "I know. Her name is Della and they are hoping to marry next spring."
If he was stunned by her knowledge, he didn't show it. A slight flicker of light across those blue eyes revealed nothing with his tightly controlled reactions. He watched her pat Dillon's hand, then stand. "And quit pining for the doctor. He's already taken. Or does that even matter to you?"
A gasp escaped at his accusations.
"Cale!" Dillon sat up,