Be Mine

By N. J. Young

After a bad breakup, Dylan Price is ready to give up on love. That is, until Carly Peters walks through the door of his veterinary clinic on a stormy night. Even though she’s drenched and holding an angry, pregnant cat, Dylan can’t stop the thrill of excitement he feels when Carly looks at him. Could she be the one? Or is she just after Dylan for his money?

When Carly Peters comes back to Oakville to help her mom run the local animal shelter, the last thing on her mind is falling in love, especially with the town vet. But no one told her Dr. Dylan Price was a gorgeous ball of sexy. And she certainly wasn’t expecting him to tug on her heart. Can she convince Dylan to take a chance on her? And will she be able to truly fall for a man who doesn’t trust her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Mar 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781772337488

Book preview

Published by Evernight Publishing ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2016 N.J. Young

ISBN: 978-1-77233-748-8

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

For all of my Wellington friends. Your support means the world to me!

BE MINE

Love With a Price, 3

N.J. Young

Copyright © 2016

Chapter One

Dylan Price pulled his Range Rover into the parking lot of the twenty-four-hour MedVet. The rain poured down around him, so he doubted the place would be busy. After a string of late-night emergency calls, he and his partner Brian Turner had thought a twenty-four-hour service would be beneficial to the community. The addition of two new vets, Rob and Jennifer, to their clinic had helped them staff the overnight shift, but Dylan still groaned when it was his turn. He wasn’t much of a night person.

He ran the short distance to the front door and rushed in to avoid getting any wetter than he had to.

His partner was waiting for him, keys in hand. You don’t know how much I appreciate this, man. I’m so sorry to call you in like this. Jen just came off three days of overnights, and Rob is out of town, so I couldn’t call them.

No problem. Dylan hung his coat on the hook by the door, exchanging it for a white lab coat. He took a stethoscope from the pocket and draped it over his neck. How’s Lucy?

Brian practically vibrated with nervous energy. She just called. Doctor said she’s dilated to a three.

Dylan grinned. Not that he had much experience with human babies, but from his limited knowledge, he’d guess Brian was in for a long night. Well, what are you waiting for? He reached out to shake his friend’s hand. Go have a baby.

His partner’s face tinged with green. Oh God, I’m going to have a baby. The look he gave Dylan was a cross between excitement, nausea, and complete terror. Brian looked rooted to the floor, so Dylan smacked his arm and gave him a little push.

Go! Lucy needs you!

Snapping back to attention, Brian repeated, Lucy needs me. He headed for the door. I’ll keep you posted, man, he said as he ran out.

Good luck! Dylan called after him. He chuckled to himself. Brian had better get a grip. Dylan had three older brothers and one younger sister. He remembered vividly how they’d terrified a couple of babysitters when they were younger. Yep, kids could smell fear.

He walked over to the front desk and tossed his keys on it before running his fingers through his black hair. So many of his friends were married and having kids. On one hand, it seemed so bizarre, but on the other, he couldn’t help but feel jealous. He’d always wanted a big family. At twenty-eight years old, he’d planned to be started on it by now. Unfortunately, building a family required finding the right woman, and on that front, he’d had zero luck.

He really thought he’d found a woman he could have a future with, but it didn’t take long before he’d discovered Julie was way more interested in his family’s money than she was in him.

Rambo, the orange tabby who served as the clinic’s in-house cat, jumped up to nuzzle his hand, dragging him out of his thoughts.

Hey, Rambo, looks like it’s just you and me tonight. He looked at the clock on the desk. Two AM. Right then, an extra loud clap of thunder caused the lights to flicker. Rambo stiffened for a moment then nuzzled closer to Dylan. It’s okay, buddy. He picked the cat up and held him close, immediately eliciting a purr. Rambo snuggled closer, burrowing his head under Dylan’s chin. Aww, you don’t like storms, do you, little guy?

Rambo’s tail flicked in response. The warm softness of his fur and his rhythmic purring were better than any comfort food.

Dylan stifled a yawn. Wanna help me make some coffee? Maybe that will help keep me awake. He’d only taken a few steps toward the back where the kitchenette was located behind two exam rooms when the bell jingled over the front door, followed by a woman’s frantic voice. Hello! Hello! Is anyone here? We need help!

Rambo startled and jumped from his arms. Dylan was already responding before he turned around, pulling the stethoscope from around his neck. What is it? What’s wrong?

When he turned, he saw a woman with a mass of dark, wet hair plastered to her forehead. The rest of her face was buried in the wet gray fur of a giant cat, one he’d guess was very fluffy when it didn’t look like an oversized drowned rat. Not only were they both dripping wet, but the cat looked very annoyed … and very pregnant.

Dylan put the stethoscope in his ears and pressed the bell against the cat’s chest and tummy, ignoring the low growly noise it made.

It’s okay, Batman. The doctor’s going to help my sweet baby. Yes, he is. The woman kissed the top of the cat’s head.

Batman responded with a hiss.

Dylan draped the stethoscope back over his neck and probed gently at the cat’s swollen belly.

I don’t know what’s wrong with him. The woman spoke against the cat’s fur. He’s usually so active and playful. But he’s put on so much weight recently, and tonight, I can’t get him to move. He won’t even stand up. Her voice wobbled. Please help him.

Well, the problem is… Dylan voice left him as he looked into the woman’s face. Watery blue eyes stared back at him. Those eyes were so full of emotion and so lovely that his breath caught.

For the first time, he really looked at the woman standing in front of him. Her hair had looked black when he’d glanced at her, but now that he was closer, he could see it was more of a chestnut color, appearing darker