Reluctant Romance by Leighann Dobbs

had nothing to do with the alcohol--the kiss had snapped her sober faster than a pot of black coffee.
    With alarm she realized she hadn’t wanted him to stop.   Should she have invited him in?   No, probably best that she didn’t. They had to work together on the acquisition, and it could get awkward if they were romantically involved.   Still, she couldn’t deny the way he had made her feel.  
    She pushed those feelings aside. Connor was used to dating gorgeous women; what could he possibly want with her?  
    Starting down the hall she looked at her reflection in the mirror.   Bushy, uncontrollable hair, plain-colored eyes, freckles, and a stain on her shirt.   She certainly couldn’t compete with models and rich heiresses. So then why did he kiss her?
    With a sigh, she bent down to pet Bailey, who had appeared at her feet.   She didn’t know what Connor was playing at, but she figured it would be smart to stay away. He’d be leaving town once the evaluation of Healthy-Pet was done anyway, and the last thing she needed was to get involved with someone who just saw her as a one-night-stand.  
    Better to clear her mind of any romantic thoughts involving Mr. Dunn and focus on making sure the clinic survived the Healthy-Pet buy out intact.

Chapter Eleven

    Risa had changed her outfit at least ten times, which was silly since she’d be wearing her white vet coat over it anyway. Besides, what did she care how she looked?
    She’d felt awkward when Connor had arrived. She sensed he had too. But now she was halfway through her spiel of showing him the inner workings of the clinic, and all thoughts of anything else had long fled her mind. She was in her element. Talking about the different rooms and functions of the clinic animated and invigorated her.
    She had been explaining how they did operations on a case-by-case basis, when Connor cut in with a question.
    “How do you figure out what to charge people?”  
    “Well, we do have some customers who pay the full rate, same as you would at any other clinic, but for those who can’t we mostly go on the honor system. People tell us what they can pay and that’s what we charge.” She saw him make a face at her answer.
    “But then you have no way of being able to predict income?”
    “Yes, that’s the thing. The clinic is sort of a loss leader for us. Sometimes it breaks even, sometimes it makes a little money, but mostly it costs us money.”
    Connor nodded, his hand on his chin. She figured he was weighing the benefits against the cost of running the clinic, so she decided to cut into his thoughts with a positive spin.
    “Sometimes we do get big donations from people and we use that to pay the costs, of course. But we feel the extra business we get for our pet foods because of word of mouth and loyal customers more than pays for the operations of the clinic.”
    Risa’s tour brought them back out to the lobby, and she smiled, noticing that all the customers she had called in were waiting.
    She turned her attention to a tiny dachshund that was wagging its whole body at her. Bending down, she stroked the little dog’s head.
    “Hi, Winston.” She pulled a treat from her pocket and fed it to the dog.  
    Standing, she focused her attention on the dog’s owner. Short and rotund, Mona Alvarez had become one of their most loyal customers when Risa had saved Winston’s life about a year ago with a necessary but costly operation.  
    “Hi, Mona, how are you?”
    “Oh, wonderful Dr. Kennedy. And Winston is doing great too!”
    “Mona, I’d like you to meet Connor Dunn. As you know, my father is looking to sell Healthy-Pet, and Dunn International is interested in buying it." Risa turned to Connor. “Maybe you could fill him in on how the clinic has affected your life and how you help us spread the word.”
    Risa stood back and watched Mona work her magic on Connor. Her bright eyes and enthusiasm for the company were hard to ignore. She could see Connor getting