Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (128 page)

Bran Sullivan had
been ready to retire for three years since he turned sixty-two. But he was the only vet within a fifty mile radius and he not only loved animals, but he also enjoyed working with his receptionist, Joy, who also happened to be his wife of thirty-six years. It was no hardship for him to continue taking care of the town’s animals while working out of his house, and closing the doors to go fishing every now and again when the mood struck him.

J
o
y
,
a
plum
p
,
green
-
e
y
ed
woman
w
ith
red,
gr
a
y
i
n
g
hair wh
o
s
e
d
i
sp
o
sition
refle
c
t
ed
her
name,
sat
behind
an
old beat-up
d
e
s
k
,
holdi
n
g
a ti
n
y
k
it
t
en.
S
he
e
y
ed the
bundle
of puppy
in
N
ic
k
’
s
a
r
ms
and
gree
t
ed
the
couple
w
ith
an
over
zealo
us
inna
t
e
s
t
yl
e
.
“
N
e
w
clien
t
,
r
i
ght
?
I
ca
n
al
w
a
ys
t
ell
a newcome
r
.
F
ill
out
this
fo
r
m
and
h
a
ve
a
s
eat.
A
s
I
t
old
y
ou over
the
phone
B
ra
n
’
s
a
little
bu
s
y
this
mo
r
ni
n
g
but
w
e
’ll work
y
ou
in
.
”

A little bu
s
y?
J
or
d
an looked around the room at the
v
a
r
i
o
us
pe
t
o
w
ne
r
s
si
t
t
i
n
g
s
queeze
d
in
t
o
th
e
s
ma
ll
t
e
n
b
y
t
welve
w
ai
t
i
n
g
are
a
wher
e
e
ve
r
y
chai
r
w
as
t
ake
n.
Th
er
e
wer
e
s
e
ve
r
al
cats,
a
few
dogs,
a
pot-bellied
pig
and
a
sic
k
-loo
k
i
n
g
hams
t
er still penned in its c
a
g
e
.

W
ith
J
or
d
an
holdi
n
g
H
u
t
t
on,
N
ick
s
et
the
puppy
on
the floor
at
h
i
s
feet
while
he
f
i
lled
out
the
fo
r
m.
B
ut
when
he
g
o
t
t
o
the
line
that
asked
for
the
pet
’
s
name,
he
leaned
over
t
o
J
or
d
an
and
wh
i
spered
in
her
ea
r
,
“
I
think
w
e
’
re
g
o
i
n
g
t
o
need
t
o
come
up
w
ith
a
real
name
other
than
Do
g
.
I
do
n
’t
feel
r
ight
put
ti
n
g
tha
t
do
wn.
H
u
t
t
o
n
ca
n
s
till
ca
ll
hi
m
Do
g
,
bu
t
th
e
little
g
u
y
nee
ds a
rea
l
name
,
do
n
’
t
y
o
u
think?”

The
w
i
st
f
ul
look
on
his
face
did
n
’t
e
s
cape
J
or
d
an.
S
he t
r
ied
t
o
be help
f
ul.
“
H
ow
a
bout
S
am or
Ollie?”

“
Ollie?”

“
I
onc
e
ha
d
a
ca
t
w
it
h
tha
t
nam
e
whe
n
I
w
as
f
i
v
e
.
”

“T
h
a
t
’
s
fine
for
a
ca
t
,
but
a
dog
needs
a
good
stro
n
g
nam
e
…
H
o
w
a
b
ou
t
Qu
ake?”

“
W
h
y
Quake?”
S
he
looked
baff
l
ed,
but
could
t
ell
h
e
’
d
g
iven
this
s
ome
thought.

“
H
e
s
o
r
t
of
quakes
whenever
he
pees
and
gets
in
trouble for
it
.
”

J
or
d
an
looked
at
the
ma
n
’
s
fac
e
.
T
h
at
look
of
lo
n
g
in
g held
s
t
ead
y
.
H
e
’
d
never
had
a
dog
before
and
this
w
as
h
i
s oppo
r
t
uni
t
y
t
o
n
ame
on
e
.
“
Qu
a
ke
it
i
s
then
.
”

H
e
f
i
n
i
shed
f
i
l
l
ing
out
the
fo
r
m
,
handed
it
back
to
J
o
y
.
“
D
o
you
think
we
could
go
r
un
a
fe
w
e
r
ra
n
d
s
and
come
back
lat
er?”

J
oy
’
s
smile
grew
w
ide
r
.
“
N
o
w
,
ther
e
’
s
a
good
idea.
I
n
fa
c
t
g
ive
him
a
good
t
wo
hou
r
s
and
the
crowd
should
be
cleared out
by
then
.
”

N
ick
nodded.
H
e
went
back
t
o
where
J
or
d
an
s
t
ood
w
ith
H
ut
t
on
in
her
arms
and
l
aughed
out
loud
when
he
s
a
w
her t
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
corral
the
dog
w
ith
her
feet
and
le
g
s
much
like
y
ou
would
a
s
occer
ball,
but
w
ithout
the
k
ic
k
i
n
g
.
W
hen she
s
a
w
him
l
augh,
she
leaned
over
t
o
exp
l
ain
s
o
no
one e
ls
e
would
hea
r
.
“
I
did
n
’t
w
ant
him
getti
n
g
t
oo
cl
o
s
e
t
o
the other
animals,
espec
i
ally that
sic
k
-loo
k
i
n
g
t
er
r
ier just
in
ca
s
e they’ve
got
pa
r
v
o
.
”

“
G
ood
idea
,
”
h
e
wh
i
spere
d
bac
k
.
A
lthoug
h
h
e
did
n
’t thin
k
there
w
a
s
muc
h
d
a
n
ge
r
to
the
do
g
,
N
ic
k
p
icke
d
up
Q
uak
e
j
u
s
t
i
n
tim
e
to
pr
e
ven
t
hi
m
f
ro
m
w
a
nde
r
i
ng
t
o
o
cl
o
s
e
to
the
over
f
r
ien
d
l
y
,
but
muc
h
l
arge
r
choco
late
la
b
.

H
e
thre
w
a
thumb
bac
k
ove
r
h
i
s
shoulde
r
at
J
o
y
.
“
S
h
e
s
a
y
s
it
’
s
o
k
a
y
i
f
w
e
com
e
bac
k
lat
e
r
.
”

“
G
rea
t.
Ther
e
’
s
no
room
t
o
sit
down
a
n
y
w
a
y
.
”
Once
they got
out
s
ide,
J
or
d
an
t
ook
hold
of
N
ic
k
’
s
arm
and
poin
t
ed
him
t
o
w
ard
the
ca
r
.
“
Let
’
s
get
H
ut
t
o
n
’
s
stroller
out
of
the
bac
k
.
W
e can le
a
ve the car here and
w
a
lk over
t
o
F
e
r
g
u
s
o
n
’
s
.
”

I
t
did
n
’
t
es
cap
e
N
ic
k
’
s
n
o
tic
e
that
sh
e
’
d
g
r
ab
be
d
h
i
s
a
r
m
,
a
g
e
s
ture
that
sai
d
to
he
l
l
w
ith
wha
t
the
t
o
w
n
thought
a
b
out
the
m
.

F
rom
the
w
indow
of
the
S
nip
’
N
C
url,
S
i
s
s
y
and
her hairdres
s
e
r
,
J
anie
P
oin
t
er
w
a
t
ched
as
N
ick
and
J
or
d
an
t
ook their
t
i
me
w
a
l
k
i
n
g
alo
n
g
M
ain
S
treet—li
k
e
a
coupl
e
.
“
T
h
ey make
a
nice
little
famil
y
,
”
J
anie
poin
t
ed
ou
t
,
as
she
t
r
ied
t
o coax
S
is
s
y
back
in
t
o
the
chair
a
w
a
y
from
the
w
indow
s
o
she could
finish
the
monthly
bleach
job
on
S
i
s
s
y
’
s
hai
r
.
B
ut
S
is
s
y did
n
’t
budg
e
.
S
he
s
t
ared
at
the
couple,
for
s
ome
reason,
e
n
v
ious.
A
s
she
w
a
t
ched
J
or
d
an
push
the
stroller
past
the
beau
t
y shop
and
N
ick
w
a
lk
beside
her
w
ith
the
puppy
on
a
leash,
she asked
J
anie,
“
W
h
y
i
s
that
good-loo
k
i
n
g
s
t
ud
of
a
g
uy
in
t
eres
t
ed
in
the
s
t
uf
f
y
hou
s
e
frau?”