by Hayes, Somer
My heart twisted in an unfamiliar mixture of pride and jealousy. I was proud of the man my father was and for seeing past his grief to feel happiness for others, but jealous because I wished it was me feeling the glow and joy of being in love.
“You look like someone just kicked you in the nuts,” Gage observed.
I swallowed a mouthful of brisket. “Mind your business before I kick you in your nuts.”
He kicked me under the table.
I punched him in the arm.
Dad laughed from the other end of the table. “Some things never change.”
I looked at Gage and pretended to scratch my nose with my middle finger.
“Eat up, boys. We’ve still got plenty of work to do.”
We all finished our plates and took them to the kitchen to rinse and place in the dishwasher. I thanked Hannah for another wonderful meal, then went outside, so I didn’t have to watch Tripp kiss her.
Dad came out behind me, and I felt his big, rough palm land at the base of my neck and squeeze. “You okay, son?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
He shrugged, and his sky-blue eyes swept over the mountain range in the distance. “You seem off today.”
I brushed it off. “Just a bit of a hangover.”
He chuckled. “I’ve had my fair share of those lately. I think I’m getting tired of them.”
After Mom died, Dad had tried to drown his grief in whiskey. Tripp had mentioned he’d noticed Dad was drinking less and less. We were hopeful it was a sign he was on the mend.
“You and me both.”
He clapped me on the back. “Come on.”
I followed him to the horses, and once everyone was mounted, we made our way back to the stables. Two more babies had arrived while we were gone. I eyed the remaining cows and thought Tripp’s estimate might be high. I didn’t think they would all go today. I settled myself comfortably in my saddle and waited. Once I felt sure all the cows that were going to calf had done so, I yelled to Tripp.
“You good?”
“Yup. See ya.”
I waved goodbye to Dad and Gage, then took off toward the main house. I urged the horse to set her own pace, and soon we were galloping across the countryside breathing hard from exertion and excitement. Too soon, we arrived at the main stables. I dismounted, pulled the saddle, and gave her an apple while I brushed her down. Once she was comfortable in her stall, I went to my truck to head home. I turned on the radio and let my thoughts wander, content for the moment and enjoying the drive.
When I arrived at home and let myself in the back door, I found Chip exactly where I’d left him—lying in bed.
“We’re taking a walk, mister.”
He snuffled deep in his throat.
“Yeah. It’s happening. Prepare yourself.”
I ran upstairs and shucked my dirty clothes, took a quick shower, then put on a pair of athletic pants and a hoodie. By the time I got back downstairs, Chip had managed to sit up. He yawned and smacked loudly. I pulled his harness and leash from the cabinet, and though he didn’t fight me, he didn’t exactly help me get it around his rolls, either.
Before leading him outside, I pulled my phone from my pocket and found Grace’s name.
Beau: It’s Beau. You home?
Her reply came almost immediately.
Grace: Yes, why?
Beau: Because I’m coming over.
15
Grace
My mouth went dry when his reply came. Beau had just invited himself over to my house. Didn’t ask, didn’t care if I was busy. I couldn’t decide if it irritated or thrilled me. I looked around my little rental, and though it was clean and tidy, I couldn’t help but wonder what he would think of it. I could probably fit one hundred of these into his house.
I shook my head to stop that line of thinking. I was grateful for the comfortable space to call my temporary home. It didn’t matter if it would look like a cardboard shack in his eyes. Then I looked down at myself. Leggings and an oversized sweater. I’d pulled my hair into a knot on the top of my head and hadn’t bothered with makeup.
Back home, my weekends were filled with family, friends, and activity. It always seemed as though I had little downtime. Here, I’d wasted the entire day on the couch flipping through magazines while I watched movies and ate popcorn.
I had to admit, it had been kind of awesome, but now I wished I’d put a little thought into my appearance. Not that I would have ever dreamed Beau or anyone else would be showing up unannounced, but still, I always felt more confident when I felt like I looked put together.
I took my empty popcorn bowl to the kitchen, rinsed it, and put it in the dishwasher, then stacked my magazines on the end table. I lit the fall-scented candle I’d purchased and sat it on the counter. Then I poured myself a mug of coffee and stepped out onto the porch to wait for Beau’s arrival.
The day was turning to evening, and the air was cooling to the point of chilly. I wrapped my sweater tighter around myself and sipped my coffee. I’d added a splash of pumpkin spice creamer, and it made me smile into my mug. I loved fall.
After about ten minutes, I saw Beau’s tall form round the corner and move toward me down the sidewalk. It was the first time I’d seen him in anything besides jeans or scrubs, and my heart rate kicked up a notch when I saw the way his athletic pants hugged his narrow hips and strong thighs.
In his arms, he carried Chip who was panting happily. The combination of the two of them together was adorable, and I couldn’t help but smile as he walked up my driveway.
“Hello, you little thief.”
“Hello, you big lush.”
He joined me on the porch and sat Chip down, then straightened and smiled. His hair was mussed—it looked like he’d gotten some sun today—and his smile was carefree and playful.
“You’re looking better than the last time I saw you,” I told him.
“I’m feeling better, too.”
I bent down and patted Chip’s head. “You guys want some water after your walk?”
“Sure, thanks.”
“Come on in.”
He and the dog followed me inside. I went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water for Beau, then found a bowl and filled it for Chip. I delivered both, and Beau’s eyes swept my cabin as he drank.
“Cute little place you got here.”
“The Foundation rented it for me sight unseen, so I was a little nervous, but I do like it.”
He pointed to the corner of the living room where my cello rested on its stand. “I didn’t realize you played.”
I nodded. “Since I was four. My dad and grandmother both play in the Manchester Symphony, so there was never any question I would learn to play some form of stringed instrument.”
“But you didn’t want to join the symphony?”
He’d hit an exposed nerve, but he couldn’t have known that. I’d wanted to join the symphony, desperately, my entire life. But I’d never quite been able to make the cut.
“I don’t have the talent they do.”
His eyes moved to mine, and he looked at me in that way of his that made me feel naked, exposed. “And so you joined them in a different way.”
“Turns out I have a knack for bossing people around. Talent management and resource development seemed an obvious choice.”
“Hmm,” he intoned but didn’t comment.
“So what brings you here?” I asked with a wink in hopes of changing the subject.
“You didn’t think I’d let you keep the Jeep, did you?”
“Small price to pay after what you made me put up with last night,” I replied.
“I wasn’t that bad.”
“I had to drive you home, put you in bed, and pour you a glass of water. It’s like you were a big, drunken baby.” I glanced down at Chip. “Plus, I had to feed your poor, starving dog.”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t let him fool you. He always thinks he’s starving. And now, thanks to your help, we’re going to hav
e to go on extra walks this week.”
“So what you’re trying to say is ‘thank you?’”
He looked at me again and with a shake of his head and a chuckle said, “I suppose I should thank you.”
“Then say it.”
An odd look came over his face, and his eyes bounced from my eyes to my mouth and back again. “Thank you, Grace.”
Had his voice gotten deeper? Something about the way he said my name made my stomach drop and my breathing become shallow. I swallowed. “You’re welcome, Beau.”
In a movement faster than I could track, he reached out and took my face in his hands, then kissed me. Hard.
I was so shocked that for a moment I couldn’t react. But then my body caught up with my mind, and my hands lifted to Beau’s ribs, grasping his shirt. He made a noise deep in the back of his throat and angled his head to kiss me deeper. His mouth pressed against mine, urging me to let him in. The moment I did, his tongue found mine, and it was my turn to moan. I took a step closer, pressing my body against his, returning his kiss with all the force with which he was delivering it.
I lost track of all my senses but touch, and even then, there was only one—Beau’s. His kiss, his big body, his warm breath were the only things I could process. For a moment, I lost myself.
He pulled back so that our lips hovered but didn’t quite touch, breathing each other in. His thumbs ran the length of my cheekbones.
“I have wanted to do that since the first moment I saw you,” he whispered.
My foggy mind tried to make sense of what was happening. I shook my head. “But… but you hate me.”
His eyes searched mine. “Is that really what you think?”
“We butted heads immediately. You have fought me at every turn. You froze your donations.”
He let out a tiny laugh, a burst of air against my mouth. “Beautiful girl, that’s just business. It’s not personal.”
I blinked, coming back into myself and pulled back. “It’s personal to me.”
He let me go. “I know you want to do a good job here. I can see and appreciate your drive, but I have to do my job, too.”
“And your job is what? To make mine as difficult as possible?”
He shook his head. “To act in the best interest of the board and Great Falls.”
“Then you should have listened to me in the first place because by fighting me, all you’ve done is add to my timeline.”
His hands went to his hips. “Your timeline. You mean your plan to get yourself out of Montana as expediently as possible regardless of how you get there.”
I didn’t reply because he wasn’t wrong.
“Unbelievable. I thought you were here because you wanted to keep the symphony alive, to re-establish the theater as a place of pride for your concerts, not because we were just another box on your to-do list.”
“Why do you care what my reason for being here is? I have a job to do, and I’m going to get it done with or without you,” I shot back.
“Just do us all a favor, Grace, and don’t lead us to believe you might actually care.”
Oh hell no.
“Then do me a favor and don’t show up at my house and kiss me the day after you were with someone else.”
His eyes narrowed. “How do you know I was with anyone else?”
I rolled my eyes. “Because you and your Jeep reeked of cheap perfume and because I’m not stupid.”
He took a step toward me. “What I do is none of your business.”
I held my ground. “And what I do is none of yours.”
He held my glare but didn’t reply.
“The keys are in the Jeep. I’ll see you at the next board meeting.” Then I spun on my heel and stormed up the stairs to the bedroom. Moments later, I heard the front door slam shut and the Jeep drive away.
I began pacing the length of the small loft. Why couldn’t I figure this guy out? One minute he seemed aloof, distant, and uncaring, but then he talked about Great Falls and his role on the board as though he cared what happened. Like he did those things for the right reasons and not as a way to build his resume like most other board members I’d worked with.
He didn’t deny he was with a woman the previous night, but then he’d kissed me. He’d kissed me in a way I didn’t know was possible, that robbed me of my senses and ability to hold coherent thoughts. Was he just that good because he sleeps around so much? Or had it just been another kiss to him? Maybe I hadn’t elicited the same reaction in him that he had in me.
I stopped pacing and shook my head. It didn’t matter because it wouldn’t be happening again. I would be damned if I would allow Beau Maverick to affect any more of my life, neither personal nor professional.
I would stick to my original plan, get my job done, then get the hell out of Montana and away from Beau Maverick.
16
Beau
Why did she have to be so… maddening? So beautiful? So irresistible? So stubborn? When I was with her, I was constantly torn between wanting to know every thought in her head and wanting to kiss her just to make her shut up.
Tonight, I’d kissed her.
The moment my lips touched hers, I was changed. Her mouth was wine, and it was poison. I’d been ruined for any kiss but hers. I wanted to drink her in even knowing that she would be the end of me.
Maybe I was a man cursed. Maybe a strong, steady love with someone I was compatible with wasn’t in the cards for me which left me with two equally bleak options. I could settle, or I could be alone.
But I would be damned before I let myself get involved with Grace Sutherland.
The pager setting on my phone went off, and my gut clenched. That was never good news.
“Dr. Maverick,” I answered.
“Doctor, we’ve got an emergency. Three-year-old Great Pyrenees hit by a car. Damage to his hind end.”
“I’m on my way. Set up x-rays and the surgical room just in case.”
“Yes, sir,” the voice on the other end of the phone replied and then hung up. I increased the pressure on the gas pedal and began praying as I headed to the clinic.
Give me a clear mind and steady hands. Comfort the dog and his family. Spare us all from heartbreak tonight.
It was a mantra I’d adopted in vet school. I’d found the anxiety and adrenaline never waned in emergency situations, but I tried to use it and focus on it to keep everyone’s pain to a minimum. Heart in my throat, I pulled into the lot at the clinic.
I entered through the front doors rather than the back, so I could meet the family. A graying man and his wife stood in the middle of the waiting room, the wife’s face streaked with tears.
My weakness.
“I’m Dr. Maverick,” I said and shook the husband’s hand. The wife was blowing her nose into a tissue, so I didn’t force the nicety.
“We let him out like we always do, but for some reason, he felt like he needed to chase the delivery guy tonight,” he told me.
“We can’t always guess what they’re thinking, can we?” I said.
“I’m so sorry,” the wife whispered.
This was the part I hated the most. The guilt. I took her hand in mine. “It’s clear how much you love him. No one blames you.” I forced her to look at me, so she would hear and believe my words.
“Please make him better?” she asked.
This was the shit part of my job. “I will do my best,” I promised.
I left them to their fear and worry and went to the exam room. “How’s he looking?”
The tech pulled his lips back to expose his gums. “He’s shocky, but stable. We’re pumping him full of pain meds, so he’s not reacting much.”
“Good. Let’s take him to x-ray to see what we’re dealing with.”
While they wheeled him back, I pulled my white coat on. I loved and hated this thing. It instilled confidence in my patients, but as my employees knew, it also bleached well. I went to the x-ray room and examined the images. Damage to the right hip, but a
ll internal organs were intact. I couldn’t detect any internal bleeding.
I breathed a grateful sigh of relief. I could fix this.
“Janelle? Go tell them he’ll be okay. I need to place a pin in his femur and set it. He’ll have some recovery time, but their boy will be all right.”
She smiled, and I knew I’d just given her the opportunity to perform her favorite part of the job. I scrubbed in while my overnight tech prepared the room and the dog. A mere two hours later, he was in recovery with his family loving on him. I soaked in the moment, knowing these instances don’t always turn out as well as this one had tonight.
I went to my office to grab my laptop and Chip, then I loaded him into the Jeep, and we went home. My axis had shifted when I kissed Grace, and I still wasn’t feeling myself. I was ready to close my eyes and be done with the day. I kept Chip in bed with me tonight, needing the comfort and reassurance of his snoring. I hoped I would wake up feeling better than I did just then.
17
Grace
A week after Beau Maverick kissed me and jacked up my head space, I walked into the theater to prepare for our board meeting. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since that evening, but I’d struggled to think of anything else.
My body was at odds with my mind. I was still furious with him after our latest fight, but his kiss had devastated me. I’d never felt desire like that—so intense, so swift, so consuming. I had replayed it a thousand times in my mind and every time, my body awakened in a way that made me ache for more of his touch.
I’d never been so desperate to get a job done so that I could go back home. I’d spent the week working furiously and had a lot to go over with the board tonight. I hoped we’d have good attendance so that we could move on some items. I couldn’t decide if I wanted Beau to show or not. The thought of seeing him again made me anxious. Trying to present in front of him made me want to throw up.
I’d allowed myself plenty of time to prepare, so I dropped my computer and bag in the office then went to the boardroom. At each chair, I placed packets with an updated plan which included several of their suggestions and events, as well as three renderings for options for the renovation of the theater. Then I set up three easels with blown-up versions of the renderings. I’d also gotten some great leads on possible funding and in-kind sponsorships, and I included that list, so hopefully, we could add to it at the meeting.
