Snowbound Summer (The Logan Series Book 3) by Sally Clements Page B

the difference in him
now compared to when I found him. He growled every time I came near, he wouldn’t
even let me touch him, but when Nick tried...”
    “Aw, we don’t call him the pet
whisperer for nothing,” Sean said.
    “Fella ran off after a rabbit
yesterday,” Summer continued.
    Oh no, she wasn’t going to tell
this story was she? “Summer…”
    She glanced his direction. One
eyebrow rose.
    “I don’t think everyone needs to
know that story.” His behavior had been reckless. He’d be teased about that
escapade forever…would never hear the end of it...
    “What story?” Evie’s eyes
rounded. “Tell!”
    *****
    Most people at her end of the table had stopped talking when
Evie spoke, but she wouldn’t continue without Nick’s agreement, so Summer
waited.
    Eventually, he shrugged and
nodded.
    “I’ve never seen an injured
animal move so fast,” she said. “But the moment a rabbit popped out of a hole,
he was right on it. I ran back inside and…”
    “Woke me up,” Nick added, with a
frown that made everyone laugh.
    “Anyway, Nick took off after
Fella, blowing a dog whistle.”
    “I knew that whistle would come in
handy!” Alison leaned over the table to Summer. “He always carries it,” she
said in a stage whisper.
    “I ran after them. The whistle
caught Fella’s attention when he was at the riverbank. He turned, then he lost
his footing and slid on the frosty bank, and slipped into the water.”
    There was silence as everyone
pictured the scene.
    “The current was flowing really
fast, and of course, the water was icy…then Nick stripped off his coat, pulled
off his boots, and dived in after him.”
    “Jeez, that’s crazy,” Evie breathed.
    “That’s what I said.”
    “Huh, I don’t remember you saying
anything,” Nick pulled a face. “You screamed and shouted to wake the dead
though.”
    “I couldn’t believe it, that’s
why.” Summer shook her head, remembering. “I thought for a moment that was the
end of both of you. I must admit I was wondering how on earth I’d explain
having lost both the patient and the vet.”
    A ripple of laughter.
    “I mean, can you imagine?”
    “There would have been one hell
of a call-out charge involved if you’d had to make that call,” Sean said.
    “So, what happened next?” Evie
was sitting on the edge of her seat.
    “She wrapped her leg around a
tree stump and pulled both of us out.” Nick held up his glass of wine. “To my
savior. To Summer, everyone.”
    Everyone lifted their glasses. “To
Summer!”
    “You must have been freezing,”
Evie said. “I bet it was straight home to a hot bath—no, hang on, there was no
power…” A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “How did you warm up?”
    Oh crap! She should have
seen that one coming. Summer felt her face heat, and knew she must be as red as
the marinara sauce on her pasta.
    “I had to strip in the kitchen
and Summer shoved me under a quilt on the sofa.” Nick smoothed over the next
events with admirable aplomb. “Then it was hot tea, hot soup, hot water
bottles…” Hot loving.
    “Well, thank God you pulled him
out,” Sean said. “Life would be very boring without Nick Logan in the world.”
    “And you,” Evie reached around
behind Summer to swat Nick on the shoulder. “We all know you’ve got an
overdeveloped protective instinct when it comes to creatures in trouble,” to
Summer, she confided, “he can’t resist helping animals that need him, never
could.” Then she directed her attention to Nick again. “You need to put
yourself first, boss. You matter too.”
    “Damn right.” Sean thumped Nick
on the back. “Now I understand why you’re adopting Fella, you’ve got a lot
invested in that dog.”
    Once the story was told, everyone
started to talk amongst themselves. Summer sneaked a peek at Nick. “That wasn’t
so bad, was it?”
    “Thanks to my quick thinking,” he
said in a whisper. “I thought I better rescue you when Evie asked how I