Ann Roth - Montana Vet

And his loose jeans outlined his muscular thighs as he donned protective gloves and hunkered down in front of the cage.

Everything about him was big, including his hands, and yet Emily knew he performed surgery. Strong, yet precise, firm, yet tender … There was no telling what those capable hands would feel like on her bare skin. A shiver of desire passed through her.

She gave herself a mental eye roll and bawled herself out. Now? She was lusting over Seth when the German shepherd was suffering from who knew what? The animals here depended on her to keep them healthy and safe, and find them new homes. They came first. Always.

Seth Pettit was a gorgeous man. He’d also given up his night’s rest to help this dog. She’d best get her mind on the matters at hand.

Montana Vet

Ann Roth

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

To animal lovers everywhere

ANN ROTHlives in the greater Seattle area with her husband. After earning an MBA she worked as a banker and corporate trainer. She gave up the corporate life to write, and if they awarded PhDs in writing happily-ever-after stories, she’d surely have one.

Ann loves to hear from readers. You can write her at PO Box 25003, Seattle, WA 98165-1903, USA, or e-mail her at ann@annroth.net.

Recipe

Because dogs are an important part of this book, this recipe is for them.

Homemade Dog Treats

Ingredients

2½ cups rolled oats

Scant 1 tsp. salt (or less)

1 egg

1 tsp. beef or chicken bouillon granules dissolved in ½ cup hot water

Shredded cheese to your dog’s taste

Bacon bits (optional)

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 Mix bouillon/broth with remaining ingredients

3 Knead dough until it forms a ball (approximately 3 minutes)

4 Roll dough to ½ inch thick

5 Cut into slices or bone shapes

6 Place dough pieces on lightly greased cookie sheet

7 Cook for 30 minutes

Contents

Cover

Introduction His broad shoulders strained the limits of his flannel shirt. And his loose jeans outlined his muscular thighs as he donned protective gloves and hunkered down in front of the cage. Everything about him was big, including his hands, and yet Emily knew he performed surgery. Strong, yet precise, firm, yet tender … There was no telling what those capable hands would feel like on her bare skin. A shiver of desire passed through her. She gave herself a mental eye roll and bawled herself out. Now? She was lusting over Seth when the German shepherd was suffering from who knew what? The animals here depended on her to keep them healthy and safe, and find them new homes. They came first. Always. Seth Pettit was a gorgeous man. He’d also given up his night’s rest to help this dog. She’d best get her mind on the matters at hand.

Title Page Montana Vet Ann Roth www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication To animal lovers everywhere

About the Author ANN ROTH lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband. After earning an MBA she worked as a banker and corporate trainer. She gave up the corporate life to write, and if they awarded PhDs in writing happily-ever-after stories, she’d surely have one. Ann loves to hear from readers. You can write her at PO Box 25003, Seattle, WA 98165-1903, USA, or e-mail her at ann@annroth.net .

Recipe Recipe Because dogs are an important part of this book, this recipe is for them. Homemade Dog Treats Ingredients 2½ cups rolled oats Scant 1 tsp. salt (or less) 1 egg 1 tsp. beef or chicken bouillon granules dissolved in ½ cup hot water Shredded cheese to your dog’s taste Bacon bits (optional) Directions 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2 Mix bouillon/broth with remaining ingredients 3 Knead dough until it forms a ball (approximately 3 minutes) 4 Roll dough to ½ inch thick 5 Cut into slices or bone shapes 6 Place dough pieces on lightly greased cookie sheet 7 Cook for 30 minutes

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

So far, this had been a day of surprises—and not the good kind. Sitting at the front office desk, Emily Miles massaged her temples and thought back to eight o’clock, on what she’d assumed would be a normal Tuesday. She’d assumed wrong.

First Rich Addison, the seventy-something veterinarian who had volunteered at The Wagging Tail since Emily had opened the shelter four years ago, had shared the unwelcome news that he was retiring.

Retiring! The poor man’s wife had given him an ultimatum—either leave his career behind and start traveling with her, or live out the rest of his days as a divorced man. His last day was Friday. Emily had no idea where she’d find his replacement, and Rich hadn’t come up with any names, either.

On this warm, sunny day in the second week of September—normal weather for Prosperity, Montana—she’d opened all the windows. She easily heard the collective howls and barks coming from the dog runs in the backyard, where the six abandoned and/or abused animals she was sheltering until she found them good homes were enjoying the day as best as they could. At least they had been. The unhappy sounds made her wonder if they somehow understood this dire news and what it meant.

Because without an on-call veterinarian to come in when necessary, she would have no way of knowing if the animals she took in suffered from a contagious disease, or how to treat those in need of medical attention. She would be forced to close down.

Then where would these abandoned, innocent creatures go? To the pound, where they would probably be euthanized. Emily couldn’t bear the thought.

An annual fund-raiser brought in enough to keep The Wagging Tail afloat, and Emily counted every penny. As yet, the only two people on the payroll were herself, and she took only enough to cover the rent and supplies, and Mrs. Oakes, the part-time office manager.

As busy as Emily was with the shelter, she also ran a website design and management business from home. The work took up considerable time, but was interesting and covered her personal bills, and sometimes subsidized shortages that fund-raising didn’t cover.

But neither her earnings nor the shelter’s budget was enough to pay a veterinarian. Someday. For now, she needed a volunteer, preferably long-term. The trouble was, most of the animal doctors in town worked full-time and then some, devoting any spare time to other, larger facilities. Finding someone willing to come to her little shelter without compensation was difficult.

If that wasn’t enough, Emily needed him or her by the end of the week—just three days from now.