“Can I help you?” a short, slim guy with wire-rimmed glasses asked. He looked like a hipster who should have been working in a coffee shop rather than a vet office.
“Something’s wrong with Shoeshine,” Nando said. “We need to see the vet.”
There were two other people in the waiting area. One guy had a large dog on a leash. The dog sniffed the air and then began to bark. The owner shushed him, but the dog started whimpering instead.
A woman sat there with a cat carrier on the seat next to her. She stared curiously at them, her gaze falling on the goat.
“I need you to fill out these papers.” The receptionist handed Trey a clipboard. “Have a seat and Dr. Scott will see you when he has time.”
“Has time?” Nando asked.
“You’re a walk-in,” the guy said. “Appointments are seen first. Don’t worry. Shoeshine will be taken care of.”
Nando wanted to argue that the goat needed to be seen now, but he kept his mouth shut when the receptionist gave him a shy, friendly smile. It wasn’t the guy’s fault that they had to wait, and even though Nando was concerned, he wasn’t going to take his worry out on the man.
Once they were seated, Shoeshine tucked his head back into the crook of Nando’s arm. Nando felt like a protective mother as he bounced his leg, waiting for what felt like a century before the receptionist waved them to the back. They were escorted into one of the exam rooms and told to have a seat.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” Trey said when the door was closed. “I shouldn’t have bought him on an impulse. That was irresponsible of me, especially when I have no idea how to care for a goat.”
“I can’t stay mad,” Nando said. “I know how you feel. As soon as I saw him I fell in love with him.”
“Right!” Trey laughed, seeming relieved that Nando wasn’t still pissed at him. “As soon as I saw him on the website, I knew I had to have him. He’s just so dang adorable.”
“Hey!” Nando struggled to keep Shoeshine in his arms, but the goat wiggled so much that he ended up dropping him. Shoeshine hit the floor, bleated, and then ran right into the exam table.
“What the hell is wrong with him?” Trey asked as they raced around the room, trying to grab the little guy. Nando shouted when he and Trey bumped heads.
“What is all the ruckus?”
Nando swung around at the sound of a deep voice. He collided with the table, slipped on a loose shoestring, and face-planted on the floor.
“Crap,” Nando groaned as he lay there, his cheek against the cool tile. “I think I just got a concussion.”
Shoeshine hopped over to him and licked Nando’s face.
“Oh, now you want to behave,” Nando grumbled.
Trey grabbed Nando’s arm and pulled him to his feet. “Let me see.”
“Stop.” Nando waved away Trey’s hands when his friend started probing at his head.
“I don’t feel any bumps.” Trey turned. “Hey, Dr. Scott. We have a goat who is shaking. Can you tell me what’s wrong with him?”
Nando glared at Shoeshine before turning to the vet. His cheeks felt as though they were being touched by the sun. Nando’s face caught fire as he gaped at the sexiest man he’d ever laid eyes on.
The vet had dark blond hair that looked silky soft and blue eyes that were filled with humor as they studied Nando.
Nando’s breath caught, and his heart thundered as he struggled for something to say. He didn’t normally become flustered around gorgeous men, but Nando’s brain had shut down.
“Come here, fella.” Dr. Scott bent, and Shoeshine went to him with ease. The doctor set the goat on the chrome table and examined him.
“We just got him,” Trey explained. “Nando’s the one who noticed his shaking and thought something might be wrong with him.”
“You made the right call.”
Dr. Scott continued his examination as Nando tried his damnedest to reboot his brain. His tongue was tied in knots, and so was his stomach.
“So, can you tell us what’s wrong with him?” Trey asked.
The vet’s chuckle was as soft as a summer breeze. “Let me get some x-rays. You might have to leave him with me so I can figure out what’s wrong with the little guy.”
Nando opened his mouth to ask how much all of this would cost, but the only sound that came out was a weird croaking sound.
Trey frowned. “Are you okay, Nando?”
Dr. Scott winked. “I have that effect on some people. It’s my charming personality.”
The guy’s ego seemed to knock Nando out of whatever spell had been cast over him. He glared at the gorgeous jerk. “I’m just worried. My silence has nothing to do with you.”
Nando’s dad was the same way, so full of himself, thinking he was god’s gift to women. Nando hated men with large egos.
Even if the vet was as gorgeous as a god.
“Hey, he speaks.” Dr. Scott smiled.
Trey bumped arms with Nando and gave him a look that said to knock it off. Nando ignored him. “Yeah, I speak. Tell me what’s wrong with the goat.”
“Like I said, I want to get x-rays.” Dr. Scott petted Shoeshine’s head. “I’ll have my assistant take him into the other room.”
Nando crossed his arms as the doctor walked out.
“He’s a jerk.”
“He’s the nicest guy,” Trey argued. “Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”
Close. Nando’s dad had invaded his bedroom, shaking him awake and telling him the dishes needed to be done and the trash taken out. It had been six o’clock, and his dad was still drunk from the night before.
That had set the tone for Nando’s day.
“No.” Nando dropped into the chair by the counter. “Just tired.”
His dad had partied all night with two bimbos, keeping Nando awake until two in the morning. Something had to give. Nando needed his own place, but right now he couldn’t afford to move out on his own.
So he was stuck with an immature father who drank too much, screwed too many women, and treated Nando more like a servant than an adult.
“After we’re done here, why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” Trey said. “You look like you could use some sleep.”
That meant going home to his dad. “I’m good.”
Besides, Nando couldn’t afford to miss any hours on his paycheck. He’d never get his own apartment if he didn’t clock as many hours as he could.
The wire-rimmed-glasses guy came in and took Shoeshine from the room. Nando groaned as he rested his head on the counter. This was going to take forever.
“Hey.” Trey shook him.
Nando blinked open his eyes and wiped at his mouth. Had he fallen asleep? He must have, because Dr. Jerk was back in the room, and so was the goat.
“It looks like Shoeshine has arthritis.” Dr. Scott was holding up an x-ray film to the light. “It’s pretty mild, but his joints appear to be inflamed.”
“Arthritis?” Nando furrowed his brows. “Just how old is he?”
“He’s only two,” Trey said. “At least that’s what the website said.”
“Where exactly did you get him?” Nando stood, crossing his arms and actively avoiding the vet’s gaze. “Was it some black market website?”