Let Me Show You
Becca Seymour
Let Me Show You © 2019 by Becca Seymour
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any written, electronic, recorded, or photocopied format without the express permission from the author or publisher as allowed under the terms and conditions with which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
Let Me Show You is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events and places found therein are either from the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to persons alive or dead, actual events, locations, or organizations is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
For information, contact the author: [email protected]
www.hottreepublishing.com
Editing: Hot Tree Editing
Cover Designer: Claire Smith
Formatting: Justine Littleton
Publisher: Rainbow Tree Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-925853-49-0
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Thanks
Also by Becca Seymour
Check out I’ve Got You by Becca Lee
Chapter 1 Excerpt
Acknowledgments
About Becca
Blurb
When a veterinarian and a construction worker connect, it takes mishaps, mistakes, and a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Rex to show them they’re made for each other.
Dr. Carter Falon is content living a quiet life in a small town caring for his animal patients. That doesn't mean he's not looking for a distraction. After finding himself precariously wedged… naked and at the mercy of a drop-dead gorgeous construction worker, Carter hires his savior to renovate his home.
When Tanner Grady’s best friend and new niece needed him, he uprooted and relocated without a second thought. His life has since been centered on work and spending time with his family, but when he comes to the rescue of a cute vet, Tanner finds he's a lot more interested in the homeowner than the house he’s renovating.
Surround yourselves with beautiful souls and the rest will fall in to place.
Liv, this one’s for you.
Chapter One
CARTER
I cracked my neck and the tension gave way. It had been a long day. Between an emergency surgery, back-to-back appointments, and barely time to inhale my caffeine hit let alone chew my sandwich, I was ready to head home.
I looked around my consultation room, ensuring everything was in place. While the cleaning staff would be by after the clinic closed, I still had a particular way of setting up my space. Lauren always laughed about me being anal-retentive, but I was far from it. Okay, admittedly not that far from it. I was just organized and liked everything in order.
I closed the door behind me as I entered the small hallway that led to the reception area just as the woman who liked to tease my ass stepped out of another room. “Hey, you heading home too?”
She pulled the door closed and smiled. “Yep. It’s been a long day.” She wasn’t wrong. We’d both come in for the emergency surgery at four that morning after receiving a call from a distraught dog owner. Her pet Labrador had eaten a sock, so she’d rushed him in. His intestine was unsurprisingly inflamed and close to rupturing, so I’d had to perform abdominal surgery to remove the blockage.
Having Lauren by my side giving me a helping hand made the morning go that much faster, and more importantly, as the best nurse on staff—not that I was biased or anything since she was my friend—it meant that the surgery went perfectly. It was a huge relief. It also meant that I was ready to pick up some food, as I was too bone-tired to cook, and then head home to eat before collapsing in bed.
We walked out together, waving and saying goodbye to a few more staff milling around. I yawned as I reached the car. “Geez, I feel like just crawling inside and sleeping in the car.”
Lauren snorted. “I get it, but get your cute ass to bed. If not, you’ll look like crap tomorrow.”
I grunted. It hardly mattered these days if I looked crappy or not. There was no one to look good for, no one to appreciate any effort I might make. Heck, even shaving seemed like a chore. Life outside work had been nothing but stale and admittedly nonexistent since moving to town six months earlier. I couldn’t see that changing anytime soon.
She threw me a wink when I rolled my eyes. “What?” she added.
I shook my head in answer.
She grinned, seeming to understand my silence when she wriggled her brows and she said, “You never know, there could be a sex god just waiting around the corner to sweep you off your feet.” She paused at my look of disbelief. It seemed she’d read my “as if that would ever happen” expression. “Stranger things have happened.”
I scoffed, a genuine smile chasing it. “Here, in this town?”
She pursed her lips as if considering her response. When she didn’t say anything, I answered for her. “Yeah, thought not. If you hadn’t noticed, there’s hardly a line of guys walking around the place waving the rainbow flag.”
It was Lauren’s turn to roll her eyes at me. “Well, with that attitude—”
I laughed. “Honestly, Lauren, it’s nothing about attitude. It’s the reality of the town.” I shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “And that’s okay. Most of the people are… nice.” And they were. The rumor mill had churned about my move and appointment to the local veterinary clinic, but I was relieved that my sexuality, while often spoken about in hushed whispers, hadn’t impacted on my work or standing in the community.
It sounded ridiculous even thinking that. I’d relocated from a city, and from a strong and large gay community. Acceptance had become my norm, even though that hadn’t always been the way. But my new reality was Kirkby. It was only a small town of about eight thousand. It was a place where people tended to know everyone else’s business. They damn well knew all about me, my late grandfather whose house I’d inherited, my sexuality, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they knew my exact height, weight, and social security number.
Lauren considered me a moment, not quite convinced I was being honest with her or myself. Admittedly, I wasn’t quite convinced either. Maybe me being at peace with my place in town, my bachelor status that I didn’t envision changing anytime soon, was a more accurate explanation of how I felt. “Hmm… well, I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll also head out for a drink soon.” She blew me a kiss and then headed toward her car. “Bye.” She waved her hand above her head.
I watched her go and called out, “Good night.” When she was behind her steering wheel, door closed and engine running, I got in my car and made my way to the pizza place. Another night with pizza for one. I sighed. At least it would give me leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Chapter Two
TANNER
It hadn’t been an easy move, though it was one of necessity. Work was slowly picking up, which was a huge relief, but it didn’t quite extinguish the flicker of anxiety that would light in my chest whenever I thought of t
he added responsibilities on my shoulders. I had to make this move a success.
It was easy over the years to be a selfish prick. Having only myself to look out for meant I could go anywhere I wanted, be anyone I wanted, and happily do anyone I wanted. It meant the last three months had been a huge fucking shock to my system.
I was still at that difficult impasse of having guilt gnawing my stomach whenever I wished I was anywhere but here, yet never regretting for one moment my decision to head to Kirkby.
I looked around at the white picket fences and the tree-lined street I was pulling out of. I begrudgingly understood why Davis had chosen to relocate and stay in such a town. It was quaint and full of the sort of charm that evolved naturally over generations of families looking after the place and having a community that stood together.
It was one thing I’d noticed since making the decision to relocate permanently, after I’d realized just how much Davis was struggling. The whole community had rallied around him, offering what I was sure was genuine support and honest murmurs of regret. But I’d known that Davis needed family, and it just so happened that I was it. While we weren’t technically brothers, Davis had been my best friend since we were four and we were as close as brothers could be. We’d been through everything together, so with this new twist in his life, there was no way I would abandon him. We were the only family we had left, along with the recent addition of my niece.
So I’d packed up my business, put my house on the market, and headed out to offer what support I could. I wasn’t quite convinced about what help I was actually giving, as what the fuck did I know about babies, other than they screamed, slept, and shit? Literally the three s’s. But still, I tried and had since taken the additional responsibility of being Davis’s only support system.
I stopped at the crossroad and eyed the bar at the corner, but thought better of it. Davis would be crapping bricks if I didn’t get back. Libby was teething, so I knew she was having difficulty sleeping and was keeping them both up at night. Snorting, I shook my head as I pulled out safely and continued to Davis’s. At some point over the past three months we’d created this whole new domestic routine. It involved a huge amount of tag-teaming, not only for helping out whenever I could with Libby, but for making sure I gave him a break after I’d finished work. That and being his shoulder when he thought he’d lose his mind. It worked. Now.
When I’d first moved, I’d made the mistake of living with him and Libby. As much as I loved them both, it was far too fucking much like domestic bliss, without the added benefit of banging someone I loved or having a partner who was a tidy fucker. It had been years since Davis and I had shared space. We’d lived together after school and had made it work. Things had seriously changed since then. Back in the day, we’d been out virtually all the time, usually partying and fucking. We hadn’t cared if the place was tidy, or if the laundry or dishes were done. Our new situation was so different, and since we’d quickly discovered that, I’d taken on a rental just a block away so I was able to step in as a good brother and favorite uncle rather than something that had been too close to husband for my liking.
After pulling up on Davis’s drive, I switched off the engine and hopped out. I pushed the front door open, knowing it would be unlocked. Not only was it that sort of neighborhood where the neighbors would stop by with baked goods, but it was a really safe town. I didn’t call out as I checked the time on my watch, trying to figure out if Libby would already be in the bath or not. A gurgle followed by a small laugh drifted to me from the kitchen/dining room. I smiled at the sound. Libby was a fucking angel—well, until she was armed with a spoon and her mushed-up food.
“Libby, come on, baby girl, open wide for Daddy.” A clank and curse followed. “You did not just do that.”
A grin stretched my mouth as I headed toward the sound. “What’s for dinner?” I stepped into the space and found Libby looking thoroughly happy with herself as she banged a spoon on her high chair, orange baby food flying everywhere. Her big brown eyes landed on me and she gurgled in delight. Damn straight, she loved her some Uncle Tanner. Understandable. My eyes then landed on Davis and loud laughter burst from my mouth. There was orange goo on the top of his head, smeared across his cheek, and a glob hanging from his nose.
“Perfect timing,” Davis grumbled. He stood, placed a kiss on his daughter’s head, and headed toward me. Before I knew it, I was armed with a spoon and a bowl of Libby’s ammunition, and watching Davis hightail it out of the room. “Off to grab a shower. Good luck!” he shouted over his shoulder.
“Right.” With my brows lifted in amusement, I scrunched my nose at Libby and poked out my tongue. She giggled, banging her spoon some more. “You getting at your daddy again, huh, sweetheart? Just you wait till you’re a bit older. I’ll give you so many ideas about how you can really wind him up.” Settling down in front of her, I continued to pull faces. She opened her mouth with glee, so I took the opportunity and shoveled in a mouthful of food. Yeah, I was definitely her favorite. She slapped her gummy mouth happily and made little noises of contentment before opening for another.
Okay, I was pretty good at this uncle shit after all.
I cracked open two beers and settled down in the chair, waiting for Davis to return from putting Libby to bed. After feeding her and having some playtime while I gave Davis some time out, I’d offered to put her to bed, but I’d known Davis would take over. He’d admitted to me already it was one of his favorite times of the day with her.
At the time I’d laughed and asked if it was because she would be asleep and he’d have the night to unwind. He’d actually looked offended, and it hadn’t taken long in the one month I’d stayed under his roof to see the attraction of bedtime snuggles with Libby. There was something surprisingly calming about her soft coos and gentle yawns that followed her fun bath time.
I heard the creak of the staircase as Davis made his way down. Taking a pull of my beer, I looked at the open door and gave him a chin lift when he entered. “All good?”
With a smile, Davis nodded. “Yeah, out like a light.”
I bobbed my head. “She seems to be settled again. That’s good.” For a week now, Libby had attended a childcare place a few blocks away so Davis could return to work. He’d stayed at home looking after her since the day she was born, and while the two of us had made the process of finding a childcare facility or nanny a nightmare since we’d run it like a military operation, six months at home being a stay-at-home dad had finally taken its toll. Davis loved Libby something fierce… we both did, but Davis had been going stir-crazy not working.
Finally, after a week of settling into a new routine, it seemed both Libby and Davis had chilled the fuck out. Christ, I’d been the calm, levelheaded one over the past week as I’d caught Davis twice scoping out the childcare place during the day when he should have been working. I’d even caught him looking at the website to purchase one of those nanny cam things. I’d had to talk him down and be all responsible and shit. And that was a fucking feat in itself. I wasn’t really known for keeping my temper in check.
He picked up his beer with a thanks, took a gulp, and asked, “How’s work?”
“Good. Same old stuff. Though I’m off to price a job tomorrow. Looks promising and a big job. It would be nice to secure something that took longer than a few days or a week, you know?”
He nodded as he sat opposite me on the sofa. “Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over his face and yawned. “I get it.”
Davis owned a coffee shop in town. He was actually a trained chef and had worked at a couple of high-starred restaurants in the city. His world had spun and changed so much though when a one-night stand had turned into a pregnancy, the result being Libby.
Mags, Libby’s mom, was something of a free spirit and had been born and raised in Kirkby. It was how Davis had ended up here. He’d bought a small café that now did great coffee, and he’d turned his years of cooking into the job of pastry chef. He’d given the town plenty to
gossip about as well as celebrate. He was a fucking good baker. It meant that the café was always busy, locals and tourists desperate for decent coffee and kickass cakes and pastries.
The gossip came in the form of Mags up and leaving the day after she’d given birth to Libby. While the town had been left speculating and filled with horror, Davis hadn’t. I’d known he and Mags had discussed her leaving when she’d been pregnant, and Davis had happily agreed that he’d raise Libby. After their one night together, they’d never actually been together again, nor were they ever a couple. The whole thing was freakin’ weird, but then, to each their own.
To be honest, I was kind of relieved. Mags was a bit of a space cadet, and I hadn’t been convinced she and Davis would have balanced the shared-parenting gig well. Hell, I definitely never imagined him dating her. While Davis had dated a few times over the years, and had once had a steady girlfriend, he tended to be with guys more often than not. I could definitely relate to the need for a hard body rather than squishy breasts, but Davis was a lover of all forms and packages. It was clear, though, a few weeks into being a new single dad that Davis was struggling, and yeah, the rest was history.
“Is the job in town?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “Just the other side of town.” I was looking forward to checking it out. Over the years my trade had grown from that of carpenter, to builder, plasterer, and even plumber on occasion. It meant I’d been able to pick up work quite quickly trading under my own name, but I was over fitting wardrobes and new doors, plastering a wall or two. I was eager for a project I could sink my teeth into. “I’ll head by after securing the new garage door over on East Street.” I drained my beer and looked at the time. “You need anything before I get going?”
Let Me Show You Page 1
