He removes his hat and bows his head. His short, dirty-blond hair a mess from being kept under a hat all day. “I’m Tyler Stern. I’m the ranch hand around here.” He offers a sweet smile, revealing his perfect teeth. His dark eyes seem to linger as he drinks me in. “I’m glad you could make it on such short notice.”
I wave my hand through the air as my face heats up from his stare, dismissing the thought. “It wasn’t a problem.” I return his smile and bite my lower lip, hoping my embarrassment isn’t staining my cheeks. His white t-shirt is clinging to his bulging biceps as he places his hat back on his head and crosses his arms.
“So…” I pull my eyes away from him and readjust the bag on my shoulder. “You have a sick horse?” I place my hand above my eyes, shielding them from the setting sun.
“No, she’s not sick.” He turns around and motions with his hand for me to follow him into the barn. “I think she may be pregnant.”
“Oh. When was she bred?” I ask, following him into the barn.
He leads me to the horse stall before he turns around to face me. “She wasn’t exactly bred. One of our stallions made its way into her pasture. We don’t usually breed until summer.” He places his elbow on the top of the gate, leaning against it in a cocky sort of way.
“And why do you believe she’s in foal? Did you catch them in the act?” I giggle at my silly joke.
He smiles at my words but doesn’t laugh. “Not exactly. I did have to catch him and take him back to his own pasture though. And Lucy here usually has her estrous cycle every three weeks like clockwork.”
“How long has it been since you caught the stallion?”
“Just over three weeks.” He nods once and presses his lips tightly together.
I nod and turn around to place my bag on a nearby stool. Opening it up, I pull out my arm length gloves. “I’ll check her over, really quick.” I point at the horse and pull on my glove.
“Right.” He suddenly realizes what I have to do. “I’ll just be waiting outside.” He bows his head and makes a break for the door.
After checking over the horse, I take off my glove and thoroughly wash my hands and arms in the industrial sink at the corner. I grab my bag and pull it up over my shoulder, then push open the barn door and step out. Tyler is there waiting patiently, sitting on an old wooden bench beside the barn.
“Well?” he asks anxiously, standing and staggering from one foot to the other.
I nod. “She’s pregnant.”
“Shit!” he breathes out, grabbing his hat off his head and kicking at the rocks. “Boss man isn’t going to be happy about this. We breed in the summer so that we don’t have to worry about winter births.” He runs his hand through his dirty-blond hair, causing it to stand up even worse.
“I completely understand. A winter birth can be hard on a new foal. But it looks like you have a pretty nice set up here.” I look over my shoulder at the big, red barn. “You should have plenty of room to keep them indoors and warm.”
He smiles, causing his dark eyes to light up. “You don’t happen to have a due date, do you?”
I let out a soft chuckle. “Since you breed horses, I’m sure you know a mare’s average gestation period is eleven months. If she was impregnated three weeks ago, I’d say around the first or second week of next March.”
He nods and takes a deep breath as he leans against the side of the barn. “I don’t usually breed the horses. I just take care of them and the land.” He places his hat back on his head and flexes his jaw with worry. “We’re currently between vets at the moment. Would it be possible for you to come and check on her until we get someone new? We’re more than willing to pay you for your time, traveling expenses, and after hour visits, of course.”
I quickly think it over. I could never turn down an animal in need, and good healthcare early on in the pregnancy is vital for a healthy foal. “I can fill in when needed until you find someone to hire full time.”
He gives me a wide smile, causing his dark eyes to light up and grow wide. “Thank you, Ms. Lawrence.” He holds out his hand to shake.
“Please, just call me Vesper…or Ves for short.” I place my hand in his.
“Will do, Ves.”
I look up at him and see his cute grin starts to form, as he slowly licks his lips. I feel my face flush from the way he’s looking at me, but I’m not the type to fall for the cute boy-next-door type.
I clear my throat and point toward my car from over my shoulder. “I should get going. It’s going to get dark soon.”
“Oh, right.” He holds up his finger, telling me to wait a moment. He rushes into the barn, leaving me standing on the gravel alone. Within seconds, he’s back and holding out a piece of paper. “Here’s a check for your time. I really appreciate your help.”
I take the check and tuck it into my back pocket without looking at it. “No worries.” I turn to leave but suddenly stop and spin around to face him. “I’ll be back in a few days. I’d like to run some tests just to make sure her diet is balanced, make sure she’s getting all the vitamins and minerals she needs for a healthy pregnancy.”
He crosses his arms over his chest again, his biceps bulging so much I think they may rip his shirt. “Thank you, Ves. I’ll see you in a couple days.” He shoots me a wink, and it only makes my face flush.
I smile shyly and climb behind the wheel.
The whole drive home, all I think about is Tyler. The way his eyes seemed to darken when they landed on me. His sweet smile. Those massive biceps. But I push it all away from my mind. I’m not looking for a relationship right now. All I need to focus on, is getting my new animal hospital off the ground. We only opened a few months ago, and there is still a lot to do. I’d like to bring in more veterinarians, more techs, and clients. Maybe even expand to different areas of the state. But right now, it’s just me, my assistant, and my one, lonely animal hospital. Big dreams for a small-town girl. But I won’t let anything get in my way. I want to make a name for myself. I want to help as many animals as I can.
As I’m pulling back into town, I glance down at the time glowing on the dash—7:05. I’m late for dinner with my family, but I assume they are used to me working overtime by now. Within minutes, I’m pulling into the drive of the white, two-story house I grew up in. The windows are brightly lit up from the inside, giving the house a warm feeling, and the porch light is on, waiting to welcome me. There is always a season themed wreath hanging on the front door. This time, it’s covered in artificial flowers and butterflies.
I shut off the car and grab my purse before running into the house.
“Mom, Dad, guess what?” I shout as I rush into the kitchen, to find them taking dinner to the dining room.
Both of them turn in my direction. “What?” Mom asks, nervousness showing on her rounded face, causing the wrinkles around her emerald-green eyes to deepen.
“I just accepted a fill-in position at The O’Connor Ranch.” I shout, excitedly. “That’s the biggest ranch in the state. Can you imagine the clientele I’ll get if they put in a good word for me? Ranchers across the state could know my name.” I can’t hold back my enthusiasm now that I’m with my family, who’s always encouraged me to chase my dreams.
“That’s wonderful, Ves,” Dad says, placing the bowl of mashed potatoes on the island and closing the distance between us, pulling me against him for a hug. Dad is a big man, at least 6’5 and two-hundred pounds. He nearly squeezes the air from my lungs, but it feels good. I know how proud he is of me.
“That is good news, Vesper,” Mom agrees, her green eyes that resemble mine, sparkle as her lips turn up into a proud smile.
Dad pulls away, but keeps me at arms-length, leveling his brown eyes on me. “Are you sure you’re going to have the time that this new job requires, given the hours you’re already putting in at the new clinic?”
I shrug one shoulder as I pick up the bowl he set down. “It’s only one horse, and I’ll make the drive after hours. In fact-” I pull
out the check and unfold it with my fingers, looking down to see many more zeros that I anticipated. My brows pull together as I study the number, confused.
“What is it?” Dad steps closer and looks at the check in my hands. “Whoa! They paid you in advance?”
My shoulders fall in relief. That must be it. This check isn’t for this one visit. It’s for monitoring the entire pregnancy of the horse.
“I guess so. I thought it was for one visit, but no way could they pay this much for a one-time thing.”
Mom leans over to view the number. “Oh my! That’s more than what our first house costs!” She looks at Dad with her wide eyes.
A giggle escapes my lips as I slip the check back into my pocket. Now that I know how much it’s made out for, it feels as if it’s burning a hole in my pocket. People get murdered for less than this, and I’m carrying it around in my back pocket like a five-dollar bill.
I try to push the thought away from my mind as we sit around the table eating the delicious dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and fresh steamed vegetables.
“How’s Aria?” I ask my mom. “I haven’t talked to her in a while. She never calls me back.”
She rolls her eyes. “You know your sister. Always too busy with work, school, parties and boys.”
I nod, not really wanting to bring up the conversations because I see how annoyed Daddy gets when we talk about it. Aria is the wild child, very free willed and strong spirited. She makes the most out of life and doesn’t care if that interferes with her school work or grades. Dad throws a fit because he feels like his money is paying for her to party instead of getting a degree. I understand both sides of it. She wants to live. There’s more to life than school and grades, as she says.
“Oh, Dad,” I mumble through a mouth full of potatoes, wanting to change the conversation. “I saw Mrs. Stevens today. She said she was making her famous pineapple upside-down cake.”
His eyes lift from his plate of food and lock on mine. “Did she happen to say when?”
A loud laugh escapes my lips. “Why don’t you just have Mama make you one?” I motion toward her with my thumb.
She wipes the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “Nobody’s pineapple upside-down cake is as good as Mrs. Stevens,” she mocks. “According to your father anyway.” She takes a sip of her sweet tea, ice chips clinking off the glass. “I should just thank my lucky stars that he married me before he found out about her cakes. Otherwise,” she looks directly at me. “You may never have been born,” she jokes.
About the Author
Alexis Winter is a contemporary romance author who loves to share her steamy stories with the world. She specializes in billionaires, alpha males and the women they love.
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If you love to curl up with a good romance book you will certainly enjoy her work. Whether it's a story about an innocent young woman learning about the world or a sassy and fierce heroin who knows what she wants you,'re sure to enjoy the happily ever afters she provides.
When Alexis isn't writing away furiously, you can find her exploring the Rocky Mountains, traveling, enjoying a glass of wine or petting a cat.
You can find her books on Amazon.
Baby Mistake: An Accidental Pregnancy Romance Page 15
