Gabe headed down the hall and pressed open the swinging door that separated the staff-only section of the office from the two patient rooms, the front desk, and the waiting room. While it had been bustling all day, the front room was now empty aside from one gorgeous redhead who was seated on the wooden bench at the side, a dog magazine on her lap and a smile lighting her face that made his heart swell.

She was in jeans, a pair of heels that were low but just sexy enough to send a rush of heat to his groin, and a silky purple blouse that dipped in a vee and called his attention to her cleavage like a beacon.

“Ah… Wow, you look great.” He dragged his fingers over his chin. “It’s good to see you. Really good. And I feel like a schmuck making you wait. But there was this Yorkie who had a bladder stone that was too big to pass. It was obstructing his urine, so there was no putting the surgery off.”

“Believe me, that’s definitely more important than being on time for dinner.” Olivia bit her lip as her smile dropped to that just-a-little-bit-shy demeanor of hers. “So this is you just coming out of surgery.”

Gabe glanced down at the dark-blue scrubs he was wearing today. He’d taken off the surgical gown, but the paper breathing mask was still hanging around his neck. And there was a cap still on his head. “Uh, yeah, I may have checked my phone right away.”

Olivia laughed, shaking her head. “You look great. I don’t know why, but it didn’t fully hit me till just now that you’re a vet. I’m glad you were in jeans and a T-shirt when we met, or I’m sure I wouldn’t have had the nerve to talk to you, much less…” Her voice trailed off and color rushed to her cheeks. “Are we the only ones here now?”

Gabe tugged the cap off and dragged his fingers through his hair, probably making a bigger mess of it than it already was. “Ahhh, no. Janice assisted me. She’s in back with the Yorkie, getting him set up in a post-op kennel for the night. I bet you’re starving, but would you like a quick tour before we head out?”

He smiled over how she returned the magazine to the pile stacked on the table, rather than just dropping it anywhere. “I’m a little hungry, but I’d love to see where you do your magic.”