by J. P. Comeau
Can’t you see he’s just screwing around with you because you’re convenient?
You deserve better.
You know the rumors around town. You know he does this to all of his female hires.
“It wasn’t real, was it?” I asked softly.
Dr. Morris came from around his desk. “I want you to listen to me, okay?”
I stepped away from him. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
“Trust me, I wasn’t going to try.”
I shook my head as I turned my back to him. “God, I’m such an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot, Willow. You’re one of the smartest women I’ve ever been with.”
Been with. Not dated. “You never had any plans to date me, did you?”
“What do you think all of those dinners were?”
I slowly turned to face him again. “You mean, the dinners in the backs of those restaurants? You mean, dinner we sometimes got to-go, so we wouldn’t be seen in public? You mean those dinners?”
“I thought you understood my predicament.”
My voice fell flat. “I understand now that a man will say anything to fuck a woman he wants.”
His voice grew hard. “Now listen, I won’t have someone on my team addressing me in this manner. Now, I’ve said my piece. I can’t let you race the horses anymore because of your weight gain. It’s nothing against you, it’s just business. And if you’re going to allow that to affect what we’ve got going here--what you’ve got going here--then that’s on you. Not me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did you just threaten my job over this?”
He shrugged. “At the end of the day, you’re still my employee. And we’re having this conversation on company time. Take that for what it’s worth.”
I’d had enough. “You know, I brought a lot of attention and notoriety to your side hustle of barrel racing.”
He nodded. “And I’ll always be indebted to you for it. Just remember the NDA you signed.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can’t talk about your trade secrets with the competition. I got it.”
“Or our relationship.”
I paused. “Come again?”
He opened one of his desk drawers. “In your contract, it states that you can’t talk about trade secrets. You can’t disclose the condition of my horses or how they’re trained, and you can’t talk about any intimate details of myself to the competition. That includes our relationship.”
I watched him pull out the contract before he handed it to me. But, I felt too blindsided to take it.
“You--wrote our relationship into that contract?” I asked breathlessly.
“Just intimate details. I didn’t know how intimate things would really get.”
“And yet you failed to disclose this to me?”
He tossed the contract onto his desk. “Didn’t you read it? It’s right there on the front page.”
“I can’t believe--!”
I closed my eyes and drew in a long breath as I tried to calm my quaking nerves. I felt so used. So abandoned. So--so angry. I’d never felt fury like this before, and it as rushed through my veins, I heard Sadie’s voice echoing off the corners of my mind.
One day, I hope you stick it to that asshole. And not in a sexy way, either.
So, with a renewed sense of vigor, I opened my eyes and forced a calm expression over my face.
“Dr. Morris?”
His head fell off to the side. “Yes, Miss Jackson?”
“You’re seeing someone else, aren’t you?”
He snickered. “You really think that’s what this is about?”
I shook my head slowly. “No. But, I do think your changed demeanor with me the past few weeks lends itself to having someone else on the side. Is it true?”
“What changed demeanor?”
“You know what I mean. Our nightly conversations stopped. Our playful demeanor in work stopped. And while you might be able to chalk the second one up to appearances, you can’t do that with the first one. What happened to those conversations of ours? Did you transfer them to someone else? Did you start seeing someone on the nights we weren’t together?”
He sat back down. “You can accuse me of all you want, Miss Jackson. But, the truth of the matter is that things between us have been suffering for a long time. You kept pressuring me into a public relationship I wasn’t ready for--.”
“You said at the beginning that’s what we were working for!”
He shot back up to his feet. “Calm your voice, or you’re fired.”
I slowly walked up to his desk and placed my hands against the edge. I forced my tits together, giving him one last look at the luscious pillows he’d never lean his head against again. I looked up at him from beneath my thick, curled eyelashes and really poked my ass out there. Then, I lowered my voice to that tone I knew shivered him from head to toe.
“No need to fire me, Dr. Morris.”
He swallowed hard. “You know what that voice does to me.”
I winked up at him. “Because I quit, sweet cheeks.”
His face fell. “What?”
I raised up slowly. “I. Quit.”
“Willow, you don’t have to leave your job. I just can’t have you--.”
“I quit, Brandon! I quit, I quit, I! Quit!”
I roared the words and listened to them echo off the walls. I took pleasure in how Brandon winced at the volume of my voice. I turned on the heels of my boots and marched my way out of his office, throwing the door wide open. And as other vet techs and the front desk girl poked their heads out into the hallway, I noticed something.
They’re all women.
“Have fun with him, girls! I’m outta here,” I said.
I marched down the hallway and forced my way into the lounge. I walked over to my locker and slid my things out, sliding my purse over my shoulder. Thunder rumbled off in the distance as lightning flashed through the windows, illuminating the cheese danishes someone had brought in for breakfast.
“Takes a lot of calories to keep up these curves,” I murmured.
So, instead of grabbing one, I grabbed two.
Suck on that, Doctor Douche.
I shoved one into my mouth as my purse fell to the floor. I slid into my raincoat before picking my purse up, then wrapped the second cheese danish in some napkins. I set it gingerly in my purse before finishing my massive bite of the other danish, and I felt all eyes on me as I turned toward the door.
A few of the girls stood in the entryway, watching me as I scarfed down that danish.
And I did it in style, licking up every ounce of sugar left behind on my lips and my fingertips.
“Mm, mm, mm! That’s good stuff, right there,” I said.
Dr. Morris’ voice piped up from behind the girls. “If you want to get back to barrel racing, maybe you should try carrots instead.”
I shot back without even thinking. “And if you want to keep dating women in your office, I suggest you stop pissing off the ones you’ve already slept with.”
The girls gasped as I pushed through them in the doorway. I knocked my shoulder against Brandon’s as I headed for the front doors, ready to blow this popsicle stand. I didn’t care if he slapped me with a lawsuit. If he really tried to come after me for breaking some bullshit NDA. He could do whatever he wanted, but I’d never let that sorry excuse for a man touch me again. Literally, or metaphorically.
“You shouldn't have done that, Miss Jackson!”
His voice ricocheted down the hallway after me as I paused. For a brief second, I thought he was threatening me. Then, I decided I didn’t care. I peered over my shoulder with a smoldering look in my eye, hellbent on making his life a living nightmare.
“If you take me to court, Dr. Morris, then nothing is stopping me from telling an entire courtroom full of people that you suck your thumb while I’m sucking your--.”
His face grew red. “Enough!”
I smiled. “Oh, Brandon. You can kiss every single dimple that l
ines my ass crack.”
I shoved my way out the front door, and I could’ve sworn I heard someone clapping their hands behind me. Almost as if they were cheering me on. I held my head high as I rushed down the ramp, trying to evade the pouring rain as much as possible. But, as soon as my feet touched the asphalt of the parking lot, I ran into something sturdy.
Something large.
Something unwavering, as I felt myself falling to the ground.
“Shit!” I exclaimed.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on there.”
A strong hand wrapped itself around my waist and pulled me back to my feet as if I weighed nothing. I felt myself grow breathless as rain battered down against my face. With my wet hair dripping down my cheeks and my coat completely soaked, I gazed into the face of my small-time hero.
And found a familiar pair of baby blues staring back at me.
“Bryce?”
His arm dropped from my waist. “Willow? You okay?”
I peered behind him. “Bringing in Sky again?”
He looked over his shoulder. “Yeah. Still got that thing with her hip. Can’t figure it out for the life of me.”
“Poor thing. I hope you get it worked out.”
His eyes found mine again, and their stoic nature robbed me of my breath again. “You good?”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.”
“Kinda came out of there like a bat outta hell.”
I giggled bitterly. “Yeah, well. Consider it my last stand.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Last stand?”
Thunder cracked again, causing me to jump. “I need to get out of this rain. Good luck with your appointment.”
He nodded. “Thank ya, ma’am. Hope things get better for you today.”
Yeah. Me, too.
3
Bryce
Despite the fact that our conversation had died down, she didn’t move. I figured she’d try to walk around me, or even run to get out of this rain. But, Willow just kept standing there, looking up at me as if she were waiting for something. And while I was soaked to the bone, my mama raised me to never leave a woman in a state of duress.
It didn't matter what shit had gone on in my marriage.
She’d be disappointed if you did it to two women in one day.
“You sure nothing’s wrong?” I asked.
Willow blinked rapidly as if I’d pulled her from a trance. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good.”
“Wanna give that one more go?”
She shrugged. “I mean, all men are pricks. But other than that, I’m good.”
“All men are… pricks?”
“Yep.”
“All of them?”
Her eyes met mine. “Every single one of them.”
I nodded slowly. “Well, I hope you find someone who knows how to treat you better.”
She snickered. “Find me a good Texas boy who’s single and ready to mingle, and I’ll show you a woman ready to give it one more try.”
“Then, you need a good Texas man, Willow. Not a boy.”
Her eyes danced between mine. “Maybe you’re right.”
I wanted to keep questioning her. I wanted to dig out the real reason she was upset. I mean, she couldn't be upset at me, right? That statement wasn’t directed at me, surely. Because if we really wanted to talk semantics, she was the one that wasn’t looking and ran into me. So, technically, all girls are pricks.
Nah, something else is going on.
Water was dripping off the brim of my Stetson as I stood outside with Willow, but I didn’t care. She’d always been such a calming presence in Dr. Morris’ office and seemed to have this special touch with animals. She was a gifted vet tech, and I was hoping she’d be present for Sky’s appointment. But, by the look of her coat and her soaked-through purse, I figured she was going home.
Wait, she didn’t get fired, did she?
“Well, anyway. I have to go. Got a danish in my purse that’s probably soggy from the rain at this point.”
I blinked. “You have a what?”
She pushed past me. “Have a good appointment, Mr. Remington.”
I whipped around, looking after her. “Since when are we on a last name basis again?”
She turned around, walking backward. “Since you’re married and it’s not professional.”
She had a point. “Well, if you need anything--.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Remington!”
Her words had a harsh tone to them, so I didn’t snap back. I simply watched as she got into her truck and drove off. I mean, my clothes were already drenched. My jeans felt twenty pounds heavier, and my boots were filled with water. What were another few minutes if it made sure Willow didn’t crash into something as she peeled out of the parking lot? Whatever had her worked up, though, she wasn’t happy at all.
And I wondered if Dr. Morris had pissed her off in some way.
Sky’s whinnying from the trailer pulled me from my trance, and I quickly made my way inside. The rain finally seemed to be letting up, but the thunder was louder than ever. As far as my eye could see, there was nothing but dark clouds. Dark clouds that loomed over the whole of Conroe, as if threatening to swallow us all whole for our sins. I felt a shiver work its way up my spine. Something was in the air that I didn’t like. Something big, though I couldn’t suss out what it might be.
Then, the door behind me opened up.
“Mr. Remington!? Aren’t you going to come inside?” Dr. Morris asked.
I turned to face him. “Yeah. Sorry.”
He held the door open for me. “Brenda!”
The front desk woman stood. “Yes, sir?”
Dr. Morris looked me up and down. “Get this man a few towels to dry off with. And something warm to drink.”
Brenda disappeared. “Right away, sir.”
I shook my head. “That isn’t necessary.”
Dr. Morris looked me over. “Sky still in the trailer?”
I took the towels Brenda brought for me. “Thanks. And yes, she is.”
“All right. I’ll go out and get her around back. The hip still acting up?”
I looked over at him as I dried off. “Yeah, we were doing our morning workout at the ranch. I noticed it was worse after about five minutes.”
Brenda’s voice rose up beside me. “Hot tea, or hot apple cider?”
I looked over at her. “I’m fine, really. Bad day to forget my rain slicker.”
Dr. Morris talked over me. “Hot cider, for both of us. Come with me, Mr. Remington. We’ll get Sky set up, and you can watch.”
Something felt off about his interactions. Sure, a lot of people rolled out the red carpet for the Remington boys. But, that’s because we inherited our parent’s massive petroleum company when Dad retired a few years back. People always made sure to go above and beyond in order to get in our favor, and while one of my brothers, Will, loved it, I wasn’t a fan. That’s why I came to Dr. Morris’ vet clinic because he treated me like just another client.
…Until now.
Is there a full moon comin’ along or something?
During the entire vet appointment, though--as I soothed Sky so the doctor could work--I kept thinking about Willow. Not in that way, though she was a very pretty girl. But, her absence was prevalent. She always brought such a nice tone to the conversation at our appointments, even if I didn’t talk back much. She made this place feel more like home instead of like a cold hospital for pets and stock animals.
Not only that, but she went above and beyond for patients. She had been so trusted here that some of the house calls Dr. Morris made on a regular basis, he assigned to her. Like one time, last spring, when Willow came to Rocking R Ranch for an emergency birth. One of my mares had gone into labor early and was clearly struggling. I called Dr. Morris in a panic, and fifteen minutes later, Willow showed up at the metallic gate of my ranch. I watched as she coaxed that mare into relaxing. I watched as she
inserted her arms all the way up to her elbows in order to assist with the delivery. And I watched as she saved both the life of my mare and the life of that beautiful foal.
She was a talented young woman.
Not only that, though, but she was a talented barrel racer. She was my fiercest competition in the mixed events out there on the circuit during the weekends, and her technique was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. It was no wonder she was a champion at her craft, and her knowledge of horses showed that.
I didn’t like that she wasn’t at this appointment.
“Dr. Morris?”
He grunted as he crouched down to peek underneath Sky.
“I need to go make a phone call. I’ll catch up with you in a second.”
He nodded mindlessly. “We’ll be here, Bryce.”
I walked to the other end of the outdoor facility Dr. Morris had for his larger animal patients and pulled out my cell phone. I had to shake the water off the waterproof case, then I quickly dialed my brother Will’s number. I needed to shake myself from this trance. I needed to talk with him about some things. But, most of all, I needed to know that someone else was having a weird day today because of this damn storm.
“Hello, hello, hello! To what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call from my big brother?”
I chuckled. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”
“You say such wonderful things to me.”
I rolled my eyes. “So, what’s the morning report? I haven’t heard from you yet, and it’s making me nervous.”
“Morning report? The morning report is that it’s storming like a hurricane outside right now. You know there’s no drilling on stormy days like this. Too much risk of a lightning strike.”
“Right. So, where are we with financials?”
He paused. “You mean, has there been a difference between yesterday afternoon when we had this conversation and now?”
I sighed. “Will, give me something.”
“The vet appointment isn’t going well, is it?”
I looked over at Sky and noticed she winced the second Dr. Morris put pressure on the outside of her hip.
“Not really,” I murmured.
“Dude, I’m really sorry. I know how much you love Sky. But, you might have to face the fact that she isn’t a racing horse. Not with that bum hip. It was dislocated during birth. You don’t recover from something like that.”
