She hadn’t seen her dear friend Nick for more than a year, since she’d moved to Hope Wells. They’d gone to UC Davis together, Nick receiving his DVM two years before she’d graduated. But she and Nick had stayed in touch while he’d worked as an intern in Fresno, California. He’d made quite a name for himself in the field of veterinary medicine, having saved the life of a K-9 from the Faithful Partner program. That particular police dog had taken a bullet for his human partner and Nick had worked relentlessly to save the dog’s life. He’d become something of a local hero then, but that hadn’t slowed him down. Nick went on to join an international symposium on bioterrorism among other worthy animal-related endeavors. In short, Nick was brilliant and Maddie considered herself lucky to be his good friend. Maddie smiled when he opened the door. “Hi, Nick.” Nick grinned that winning handsome smile of his and took her into his arms in a warm embrace. “Maddie.” Maddie pulled away to look into his sky-blue eyes.
