He stared at me like he couldn’t quite figure me out, nodding slowly as if distracted, before he turned and disappeared around the corner into his office.
I hurried to make sure the coffee was hot, grabbing a pastry because sugar and carbs made everyone a little easier to deal with—especially busy doctors prone to crankiness.
Scott
Closing the office door behind me so I could fume in peace, I took several deep breaths after that frustrating encounter with that… that frustrating woman. Stevie, what the hell kind of name was that for a woman, anyway? Especially a professional woman—even though she hardly looked professional, in jeans that hugged her ass and thighs like a lover and a ring in her nose. No, Eddy had gone too far with her meddling this time. Interfering in my love life was one thing, but my business was where I drew the line.
I hung up the blazer I brought because it was ingrained into me to dress professionally, even though my patients all had four legs and didn’t give a damn what I wore. Dropping my beat-up brown leather bag on the floor beside my desk, I lowered myself into the chair and let out a sigh. It was too early for a headache, but already, I felt one coming on. So much for showing up early to get a jump start on the day.
But on top of my desk was Stevie’s resume. No, not Stevie—Stephanie. Stephanie Ann Mattis from Gary, Indiana. She was a long way from home, but she had an impressive work history that made me wonder why she’d taken this job in the middle of nowhere.
“Why?” It was the only question I had. If Stevie looked a little different, I might have thought it was Eddy’s attempt at matchmaking, but she wasn’t my type at all. She was too short, too curvy, and had way too much sass. If it wasn’t about romance, then Eddy must be worried about me—and that was the last thing I wanted. An assistant was the last thing I wanted.
A knock sounded on the door a second before it opened and Stevie strode in, her strides quick and capable. “Here’s your coffee.” She offered the oversized mug with a smile and earned extra points for not making a joke about the ‘Stay Pawsitive’ printed on the front of the mug. I watched as she rounded the desk and took the chair across from me. “Did you want to start with the filing system?”
She wasn’t in charge here. I was. “I had an assistant once, Stephanie.”
“The name is Stevie,” she corrected. It was the only thing she said but her gaze remained steady on mine, waiting for me to continue.
“Her name was Tori and I relied on her, as one grows to do, and she did a damn good job. One day, she came in to tell me her boyfriend had proposed and they were moving to Canada together so he could have a real shot at the rodeo. In Canada, when they were already in Texas.” Even thinking about it pissed me off all over again. “I went through a few temps who ran the gamut of just plain incompetent to husband-hunting. I gave up, and for the past eighteen months, I’ve been doing it all.”
She nodded like she understood and I wondered if this would be easier than I thought. “I get that, I really do. The problem is that you haven’t been doing it all that well.”
“Excuse me?” Didn’t she understand that I was the one in the position of authority here?
Stevie stood and set down her notebook so she was free to pace in front of my office. I didn’t like it, but it gave me time to observe her. She was a tiny little thing, and she looked younger than the twenty-six her resume suggested she was. Maybe it was her massive black ponytail or the almost indecent white t-shirt she wore that molded over a pair of breasts too large for her petite frame. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, which contributed to her youthful appearance, with smooth white skin marred only by one freckle beneath her right eye. The way she paced, the way her leg muscles bunched with every move, said Stevie wasn’t one to sit still. She probably spent a great deal of time outdoors.
Like me.
“Look, I get that you don’t like the way this went down and, honestly, I don’t either. I packed up my life and moved here because I had a job, so why don’t you tell me what I can do to help you accept this?” She finally stopped pacing and stopped right in front of my desk, violet eyes, eerie and bold, staring at me with barely restrained patience.
Instead of answering, I reached for the mug and took a long, fortifying sip. I didn’t want her as my assistant but I had no good reason to explain it, so I’d give her the week to show her true self before firing her. “Tuesdays and Thursdays I reserve for field work, going to the farms and ranches in the area. Even if I don’t have a standing appointment, preventative care is a priority.”
She nodded and scooped up her notebook, scribbling notes on the first page before those clear violet eyes turned back to me. “Do you have special equipment or tools you regularly take for those visits?”
I blinked. “Uh, it varies from week to week.” It was a good question. Unexpected, just like Stevie.
She jotted that down, keeping her gaze fixed on mine. “Next?”
I nodded and continued. “Some of the older patients with pets come in and I know they’re on a fixed menu so I take the treats they offer. Cooked goods only. No live animals and no huge sides of raw meat. Not anymore.”
Stevie’s face blossomed into a grin, which quickly transformed into a laugh. It wasn’t rusty, it was husky and well used, like she laughed a lot. “Learned that the hard way, huh?”
“Unfortunately.” My lips twitched but I controlled myself because it was best to start as you meant to go on—at least, according to Eddy. “I try not to turn anyone away who has an animal in need, but I always like to know beforehand if treatment will be costly.”
“So you can decide before you do anything expensive?”
There wasn’t any judgment in her eyes or her voice, but the question still rubbed me the wrong way. “No. There are grants and other services available that I can use if I know ahead of time.”
“Cool,” she said and scribbled more notes and then a few more, before turning earnest eyes back up to me. Stevie asked a few questions about insurance and new patient information but otherwise, she was quiet. Reserved, even.
“Any other questions?”
“Nope.” She shook her head, the mass of thick black curls nearly blinding her. “I’ll write them all done so you can answer them all at once. It’ll be a better use of our time that way.” She stood and held the notepad close, like a barrier between us. “Anything else, Dr. Henderson?”
“No, Stephanie. That will be all.”
Her gaze narrowed and her jaw clenched. “My name is Stevie. I only answer to Stevie.”
So, she did get riled up. Good to know. I gave a short nod and she turned on her heels and walked to the door. “Good luck, Stephanie.”
She stopped in the doorway and turned to me, slowly, with a mischievous smile on her face. “Thanks, Scotty. Lookin’ forward to it.” Her smile darkened deviously and then she shut the door, giving her the last word.
This time.
Only time would tell if Stevie was as capable as she seemed to think. If she was and had no interest in becoming the Mrs. to my Dr., then she might last more than a week. The other woman, however, would require a firmer approach and when I heard the smile in her voice on the other end of the line, I knew it would be impossible to stay mad at her. But I had to try. “What in the actual hell, Grandma?”
Any other grandmother would admonish me for my language, but not Eddy—she cackled for several long minutes before she got herself under control. “Is that any way to speak to your dear old grandmother?”
She was dear to me, but Eddy wasn’t anyone’s idea of a typical grandmother. She didn’t dress the part and certainly didn’t act it—she barely acted her age half the time. “It is when she starts to meddle in my business.” I shook my head at my own arrogance, thinking that just because the meddling old women in town hadn’t focused on me yet, that they’d forgotten about me. “Why, Grandma?”
“I still own that land, I’ll remind you.” She did, but only because she refused to admit she wasn’t as
young and quick as she used to be. Her laughter sounded at my silence, and I was glad she couldn’t see the smile forming on my face. “I did it because you’re working yourself too hard trying to do it all on your own. Your grandfather tried that, too, and got a heart attack for his efforts. What’s the problem, you don’t like Stevie?”
She really didn’t get it. Eddy was bossy as hell and she came from a different time, where her meddling was seen as her due. “I prefer to hire my own employees, Eddy.”
“But you don’t even have the time to place an ad, never mind to interview applicants. I did it all for you.”
I didn’t miss the hint of hurt in her voice, and I kicked myself.
“I know you’re just trying to help, but I don’t know anything about this woman. You gave her a key to my offices! What if she’s some kind of criminal?” People came in all the time in search of drugs, and several vet friends of mine had been robbed by tweakers in search of a good high.
A throat cleared behind me and I turned my chair away from the best view in all of Tulip and back to the blank eyes of my new—and temporary—assistant. “The sheriff called. There’s a cow giving birth on Old Frontage Road.”
I waited for her to say more, to glare at me, but she turned away without another word. I wasn’t foolish enough to think that was the end of it, but I was hopeful. “I gotta go, Grandma, there’s an emergency. And please, no more meddling.”
She laughed but she didn’t agree, so I stayed on the line as I gathered what I needed for my bag. “Just give Stevie a chance. She has excellent references and you could use her help.”
“Fine. I’ll talk to you later.” There wouldn’t be any harm in letting someone help me out this week, but I made no promises beyond that.
“Tomorrow for dinner. I’ll see you then, Scotty.” She ended the call on another laugh and I shook my head. Eddy was the most maddening woman alive. She meddled like nobody’s business, but she did it out of the goodness of her heart, which made it difficult to stay mad at her—which, of course, meant she never learned her lesson.
She cooked better than anyone in Tulip, though, and I’d happily show up for dinner and deal with inappropriate conversation and endless amounts of meddling. Her barbecue brisket was worth it. And so was her mac & cheese. Thinking of tomorrow’s feast, I strode out of my office and stopped in front of Stevie, whose brows were furrowed as she stared at the computer screen. “Reschedule my appointments if I’m not back in an hour.”
“Will do!” The excitement in her voice sounded genuine, but the fact that she refused to look up at me spoke volumes. Luckily, I didn’t have time to deal with it now. It was just another item postponed until later, that elusive time in the future that never quite arrived.
Stevie
It had been a long time since I’d lived in a small town, but getting up early reminded me of what I missed about it. The quiet of the dawn, when everyone who was awake wore a smile even though they were up before the sun. They all tossed out friendly waves and smiles, even to a complete stranger. I could stroll from my motel to the only public parking lot in the city in minutes and even the drive to the Henderson Vet Clinic on the other side of Tulip was quick.
I got up early enough to take a shower and grab some breakfast from the diner, arriving at the office to give myself at least ninety minutes of alone time to catch up on filing. Dr. Henderson filled up a room, either because of his size or the tension he regularly carried around with him. Whatever the reason, it was better for me to get in early and get the day started, if for no other reason than to prove to him that I wasn’t a criminal.
Jackass.
That was all right, because I wasn’t offended. Not at all. In fact, it was refreshing to know that there was nothing I could do to impress him. Either Dr. Henderson would appreciate my work ethic or he wouldn’t. All I could do was my job. For however long I had it.
“Good morning.” His deep voice ripped away the peaceful silence and I snatched in a breath before turning my gaze up to the big man.
“Morning, Doc. Would you like your messages now, or do you want them with your coffee?” He was confused by my behavior but too polite or relieved to say so.
“Uh.” He raked a hand through his thick blond hair with a sigh. “We can do it with the coffee. Please.” It looked like there was more he wanted to say but he stopped himself, shaking his head before he turned and walked away.
And I absolutely did not take an extra long moment to stare at his ass, even though it was a mighty fine ass. It was my boss’ ass, I had to keep reminding myself. Just because I was new in town didn’t mean I had to turn my boss into the star of my sexual fantasies—there was a whole town full of men I didn’t have to see every day for that. I stood and made my way to the break room, since the best way to cure yourself of a crush was to serve a man. He was my boss. My off-limits, doctor boss who liked his coffee with cream and sugar. I fixed it and grabbed his messages on the way back to his office.
“Come in.”
I rolled my eyes at his need to keep his office door closed when it was just the two of us. But I reminded myself that distance was a good thing. If I’d maintained a bit more, I might have kept my last job. Yeah, right. Nothing would have changed the outcome, I knew that. Still, I’d started to like San Antonio. Oh, well, I thought bitterly and pushed inside the office. I was rewarded for my efforts by the scowl on his face, which I barely saw thanks to the fine display of corded muscles and blond hair dusting his forearms. “No cancellations so far on today’s runs,” I told him and handed off the messages before taking a step back.
Distance.
Dr. Henderson stared at me for a long minute, and I was half-tempted to run my tongue across my teeth just in case there was a piece of bacon stuck in there. Then I remembered that he thought I was a criminal. And I remembered what I was wearing. It wasn’t an outfit that screamed outlaw, but based on the way he stared at me, a gray t-shirt and black jeans was indeed a criminal uniform. “About what I said yesterday.”
My shoulders sank in defeat. I’d hoped to get out of having this conversation at all but I had higher hopes of hanging on to this job, so I nodded but I made sure to let my disinterest show. “What about it?”
I saw the precise moment the hope was extinguished from his green eyes. He’d been hoping I would make this easy on him, but I wasn’t that kind of girl. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I mean, nothing personal, you know?”
“So, you thinking that I’m a criminal wasn’t a personal slight on my character. Got it.” I did say I wasn’t that kind of girl, right?
“Stevie.” The way he said my name, like he already knew me and was exasperated by me, didn’t bode well for my chances of continued employment.
“Don’t worry about it, Dr. Henderson. You don’t know me and I don’t expect you to trust me.” Not yet, anyway. But like all the doctors before him, he’d see that I wasn’t what he thought.
“I don’t think you’re a criminal.” He almost barked the words at me, which made it hard to believe, but I didn’t say that to him. “I was trying to make a point to Eddy.”
Eddy. Again. Family dynamics had gotten in the way of my last job, costing me a good job in a town I was just starting to like. I wasn’t in the mood to start liking a place where I wouldn’t be sticking around for long. “Just tell me now if I should be looking for another job, Doc.” I didn’t care about any of this crap with him and his grandmother, only my ability to pay my rent from one month to the next.
“We said one week.”
“Yeah, we did. But you’ve already made up your mind, I just can’t tell which way you’re leaning.”
Surprise flashed on his face, but quickly on its heels came indecision and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was thinking about. If he was honest, he was worried I wouldn’t stay the rest of the week, because the stubborn man refused to admit that already I’d made his life easier. But he wanted to just leave me hanging to guarantee I stuck around
for the next few days. Like my grandpa used to tell me, being a good person is hard. And Dr. Henderson wanted to be a good person.
He nodded, acknowledging that he had made up his mind. “You seem capable enough. So far.”
Ah, the negotiation.
I folded my arms and stared right back at him. “I’m not taking a pay cut.”
His lips twitched and, once again, he pushed the smile back down. “I’m not asking you to.”
Okay. “Then what are you asking? Because I’m not spreading my legs to keep this job.”
He frowned. “Where have you worked?”
I arched a brow at him. “Seriously? It’s called the world, you should visit it sometime.”
The expression of anger mixed with disdain was a good look on him, it hardened his soft appearance. “I’m doing ranch runs today, which means we’re doing ranch runs today.”
I tried not to be offended at the hope and glee that transformed him from good looking to gorgeous at the thought that getting up close with the animals would send me running. I was used to people like him not wanting me around. It was too damn bad for Dr. Henderson that I wanted this job. Needed it, really. “Sounds good. What time do we leave?”
“You have the schedule, Stevie.”
Smart ass. “I do, but you know something I don’t: how long it will take us to get to all these places. That’s why I asked you if the schedule was doable when I emailed it to you.” I didn’t bother to say that I could see that he’d read it, even though he hadn’t responded. To any of my emails.
“Glad to know there’s something I know that you don’t.” This time, the smirk he let run free across his face was irresistible and bit the inside of my cheek, suddenly reconsidering my desire to keep this job. Or just my traitorous desire.
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 31
