“Settle down. You’re a doctor, remember? You know everything.”
His green eyes bore holes through my own as I started to feel the weight of his gaze. Then, something amazing happened. A slow smile crawled across his face and a loud, guffawing laugh erupted out of him. It was a man’s laugh, full bodied and deep. A little rusty, too. It went on for longer than I expected and I couldn’t look away, a little turned on but more envious at how he just let himself fall into the laugh. It was a sight to see. “Ah, thanks for that Stevie.”
“My pleasure, Doc.”
“Scott. Call me Scott.”
That didn’t seem like a good idea. “Not very professional.”
He shrugged. “Tulip is a small town and we don’t much stand on ceremony, so call me Scott. I insist.”
Well, if he insisted. “All right, Scott. I’m gonna go get some work done before we head out. Field work.” I tried to put a little fear in my eyes, but I’d settle for worry. If Scott needed to think he could run me off, the victory would be so much sweeter when he asked me to stay.
Scott
We were headed to our third ranch of the day and, still, Stevie hadn’t gone all girly on me. She hadn’t complained when Tally licked her and her brand-new calf in one fell swoop, or when she fell butt-first into the dirt thanks to Bill Crane’s overeager golden retrievers. She took every single one of them in stride. It was a relief compared to all my other assistants—especially Tori, who had been grossed about everything to do with animals. In general, women who chose to work in an office environment didn’t do well outside of it.
Except Stevie.
So far, anyway. The Cullen Farm was up next, and it was an unconventional operation. If she could survive the Cullen place, then she would survive the rest—I just hadn’t figured out whether I wanted her to or not, yet. “It’s a good thing you don’t dress for a conventional office.” Showing up in jeans and sneakers made bringing her along an easy decision.
Stevie snorted in response to my attempt at conversation. I’d give her that, unlike so many of the other women I knew, she didn’t talk nonstop. “If you have an office dress code, you should just say so.” She turned towards me and I swear, her violet eyes bore a hole into the side of my face.
"Like I said, it’s a good thing. Otherwise you would’ve been unbearable about being in the field today.”
She didn’t complain, which I appreciated more than I would ever share with her.
“You work with animals, yet my clothes are the problem?” Her gaze slid down my polo shirt, the only concession of my wardrobe to being out in the field, and then down to the beige khaki pants and my rubber-soled dressed shoes. “Right,” she said, drawing the word out into three syllables, just in case there was any confusion on what she thought of my clothes.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I looked professional and casual.
“Absolutely nothing. If you’re a pediatrician or one of those ENT guys. Don’t you think you’re a tad overdressed for sticking your arm up a cow’s backside?” I couldn’t tell if she was screwing with me or not—her ebony brows rested in a straight line just like her face, giving nothing away.
I looked down at my clothes and shook my head. “This is exactly how I should dress for field work.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”
“Okay? So suddenly you’re just fine with my outfit?”
Stevie gave a fake shudder and shook her head. “Oh no, I still think it screams magazine salesman…or worse. But it’s your choice and, if nothing else, I respect that.” She turned away from me, giving me a moment to watch her in profile. Her nose had a cute little upturn and her lips were thick and full, the top just a smidge fuller than the bottom. She turned back to me with a mischievous smile. “See how that worked right there? You explained yourself and even though I disagreed, I left it alone.”
Once again, she managed to surprise a laugh out of me. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a smartass?”
“Only every day of my life.”
She smiled and, dammit, she was beautiful.
I shouldn’t be thinking that way about an employee, and I definitely shouldn’t be thinking that way about a woman I planned to fire in a few days. Maybe. Hopefully. “Why are you so comfortable around animals?” That was a safer topic of conversation.
“Can’t I just be an animal lover?” she retorted quickly. I took my eyes off the road for a second to give her a look. “Okay, fine, I grew up on a farm. Nothing like the ones we’ve seen today, but there were enough animals that I’m comfortable around all types.” I had a feeling she wasn’t just talking about the four-legged creatures. “Disappointed I didn’t freak out?”
“Kind of,” I admitted. Stevie seemed to have a good read on people, which meant there was no point BS-ing her. “It is helpful to have an extra pair of hands, and it’s better when you don’t freak out about broken nails and new clothes.”
“Then let’s just consider my wardrobe a good thing and drop it?”
I laughed at her. As Eddy would say, Stevie had moxie. I might not completely hate having her as an assistant. “Well, thanks for your help,” I told her as we pulled into the Cullen Farm.
“Just doing my job.”
I appreciated that for her, it was as simple as that. But I’d been burned before, and I wouldn’t make up my mind completely until I was sure. “Do you like horses?”
She shrugged. “They’re all right. Big and majestic and all that.”
I smiled to myself. Stevie was as tough as nails on top of everything else, which tap danced on my protective instinct for some reason. That was exactly why I didn’t want an assistant. Meddling grandmothers were a pain I didn’t have time to deal with right now, and I certainly didn’t want to be responsible for another person on top of that.
“Wow.” The word came out on an awe-filled sigh as she caught sight of the Four Horsemen, the name Brenda Cullen had given to the wild mustangs that roamed the property whenever they felt like it. “Now those are horses.”
“They’re just visitors. The Four Horsemen.” I laughed when she glared at me. “It’s the truth.”
“Just when I thought there were no more pockets of weird in Texas, the people of Tulip surprise me yet again.”
Before I could ask about that vague statement, Stevie was out of the truck and walking towards the fence, where even more animals came to greet the newcomer.
I gave her a moment with the animals while I got my bag together. It was a standard part of every visit, but I always had to prepare myself for the expectations that came with meeting people on their home turf. I let out a deep breath, almost ready to interact with more than the animals, when a voice startled me out of my thoughts.
“I thought you’d given up on assistants for a while?” I knew that husky twang anywhere. Brenda Cullen, all grown up but still five foot nothing of annoyance.
“Not my choice,” I ground out, because to engage meant the conversation would never end. Ever. “And I don’t want to talk about it.”
“About what?” Stevie appeared on the other side of Brenda, a mischievous smile on her face. “Need some help, boss?”
As if I’d let her carry this heavy bag. “I got it, Stephanie.”
Her violet stare would have stopped my heart, if such a thing was possible. She turned to Brenda. “Stevie Mattis. Dr. Henderson’s temporary assistant.”
“Temporary? That explains it. I was just askin’ how you came to be,” Brenda tossed in, throwing some twang on her deep Texas accent.
Stevie rolled her eyes. “How I came to be is a story for another time, but I was hired by his business partner. Eddy.”
As expected, Brenda laughed loud and long, pulling Stevie towards the barn.
“No!”
“Yep. You should have seen the way he growled at me when he found me behind the desk”—she gasped dramatically—“working.”
Another round of laughter went up and even my own lips twitched at the way sh
e told the story. “Did he do that scowly thing with the clenched jaws?” Brenda pressed.
“This one?” Stevie narrowed her gaze and pushed her lips out, brooding like some movie star on a poster. “Oh, yeah, I didn’t know what it was supposed to be, but I was hoping to keep the job.”
“Of course,” Brenda said, like they were old friends.
“I can hear you. Both of you.” It was the most ridiculous thing I could have said but they clearly needed an interruption.
“At least we know your ears work, even if your brain doesn’t.” Brenda shook her head, too much delight shining in her blue eyes. “He’s needed an assistant for the past twelve months, but the man is stubborn.”
“I’m not stubborn.”
“Yeah? Then how come the bill I received last night was the first one I’ve gotten in ten months?” She pulled an envelope from her back pocket and handed it to Stevie. “And doctors are supposed to be smart.”
“And ranchers are supposed to be nice. Welcoming, even.”
Brenda laughed. “They’re also supposed to be men, so I’m bucking tradition in a lot of ways.”
“No kidding,” Stevie added. “This is the strangest farm I’ve ever seen. No offense.”
“None taken. This is a sanctuary. We take farm animals that have been abused or neglected and let them live out their lives here on the land. Peaceful, except for the occasional petting zoo.”
“Incredible. If you ever need volunteers, let me know.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Brenda whipped out her phone and pressed it against Stevie’s. “Now you’ll know which number to avoid if you change your mind.”
“If I get a life before I leave town, I’ll just let you know that I’m not interested.”
I couldn’t tell if there was actual stress in her voice or if I was just hearing things, so I kept my focus on the pregnant goat I was here to check out. For now, I was happy to listen and learn more about Stevie.
“How long are you in Tulip for?”
“Until the end of the week, for sure. After that, I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“You came all the way down here for a temporary job?”
I held my breath and waited, eyes closed, for Stevie to lay it all out there. “I had to leave my old job, anyway, and a week of pay is better than a week without.”
“Was your boss one of those men who can’t keep his hands to himself?”
I froze, listening. She hadn’t said why she’d left her old job, and I hadn’t given her much of a reason to open up, either.
“No, he just couldn’t keep it in his pants. He slept with the nurse on staff, a pharmaceutical sales rep, and the janitor, and that was just in the office.” Her voice was amused, but she couldn’t hide the hurt deep in her voice.
“So you didn’t sleep with him?”
“Nope. He was a nice guy—a family guy, I thought. But when his wife found out, she made him clear his office of all female temptation just to make sure he stayed faithful. Apparently, he didn’t tell her the janitor was a dude, otherwise I can’t understand her logic.”
Yep, there was anger and hurt there, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. She’d lost her job through no fault of her own. And now it was about to happen again.
Her explanation had sent Brenda into another fit of giggles, giving me plenty of time to check out the other animals in peace. It wasn’t exactly what I’d pictured, but it kept Brenda from poking her noise in my business and that was an added bonus.
Stevie
Fifteen. That’s how old I was the last time I felt exhausted in the best way possible. I know everyone usually thinks of sex when they think of a good, satisfied kind of exhaustion, but for me it’s always been real physical labor. Even though I spent far too much time closed inside a too-small car with the giant known as Scott Henderson, it was a fun day. Holding animals against my chest, cooing to the young ones when necessary—it was a good damn day and even if I didn’t last longer than the week, today was worth the experience.
After leaving the Cullen Farm, we headed to two more properties where Scott did his thing, tending to a few horses before we made our way back to the office well after sundown.
As soon as I walked inside my hotel room, I locked the door and kicked off my shoes before making a beeline straight for the shower. It was hot as hell and the water pressure was mediocre at best, but it helped wash away the dirt and grime, the animal hair and the hay. All of it swirled down the drain as the small bathroom filled with steam and I stood there under the spray until I felt mostly human again.
Most of my belongings were still locked away in the moving truck I still couldn’t unload but still had to buy an extra parking space for, not to mention the cost of the truck itself. All, very likely, for nothing. I didn’t feel like blow drying my hair, so I let it air dry and slipped into a pair of flannel pole-dancing clown pants and a matching t-shirt, then fired up my laptop. I couldn’t wait for Scott to decide whether or not to get rid of me; I needed to be proactive. I looked for jobs all over the country, confident now that I could live a good and happy life outside the state of Texas that had become my de facto home over the past few years.
Scott was a rule follower, not a maverick. How effective and proficient I was at my job would never trump his discomfort at having me around looking the way I did, so I blasted my resume out for more than an hour before a knock at the door pulled me from my mission. With a frown, I stood and went to the door. I didn’t have any friends in town, which meant no impromptu visitors.
Through the peephole, I spotted Eddy and another woman with brown and silver hair, wearing a green and pink cowboy shirt. Eddy was a meddler, sure, but mostly harmless, so I opened the door. “Good evening, ladies. Can I help you with something?”
“No, but we can help you,” Eddy said, shoving me aside as she entered without an invitation. “Betty here has a few leads on rentals in town. Apartment or house, whatever you need. Her new daughter works for the mayor, you know.”
I’d heard at least half a dozen times—each of them from Eddy. “I’m not ready to start looking at rental units yet,” I told her honestly. I wouldn’t break Scott’s confidence, but I wouldn’t hold on to his secrets unnecessarily, either. “And I don’t think I asked for this?”
“You didn’t, but Tulip is a special little town—our own little slice of heaven—and we pride ourselves on welcoming newcomers and helping our neighbors out. With the hours you’re keeping over at Scotty’s place, I figured you haven’t had time to nail down a place yet.”
She was right. Sort of. Mostly. I would be looking already if my status as a resident of Tulip was more concrete, but it wasn’t. “I haven’t had time, but I’m not going to look until I’m sure I’m staying.”
The two women shared a look I couldn’t decipher, and I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to. Then Eddy turned to me with a frown. “You already took the job.” She sounded offended, like she had been betrayed.
I nodded, because even though Tulip wasn’t my hometown and I wasn’t a proper Texas girl, I was raised to respect my elders. “And Dr. Henderson has instituted a probationary period for both of us.” That was offering enough information without giving away all of it, right?
Betty folded her arms and dropped down on the bed—my bed—with a harrumph. “Sounds like a bunch of damn nonsense to me.” She was a plainspoken woman with clear green eyes and a mind as sharp as a blade. “What’s the truth, did your piercings scare him off?”
Absolutely. “I have no idea, he didn’t say.”
“Or the tattoos. My boy always did have an aversion to body art,” Eddy added with a shake of her head, tracing the visible tip of the angel’s wings that wrapped around the top of my shoulder.
“I said I have no idea, ladies, and I don’t. I haven’t asked and I won’t. If my ability to do the job well doesn’t land me this position for as long as I want it, nothing will. I’m fine with that. You should be, too.” This was, by far, the strangest vi
sit I’d ever had in my entire life. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
“You’re leaving?” Betty sounded hurt, which was strange since I’d only met her about three minutes ago. Maybe five, I didn’t know—to me, it felt like a lifetime. “She’s looking for a new job, Eddy. Look right here!” She pointed at my screen and Eddy dropped down beside her with the energy of a woman half her age.
“Why?”
Oh, she was good. She’d fooled me once and I could see, now, why she caused so much trouble for her strait-laced grandson. “I might not have a choice, Eddy. Especially since someone got me to pack up my life and move here under false pretenses.” Eddy blushed but she looked directly at me, defiance burning in her eyes like she was an innocent woman.
“I gave you the shot you needed, don’t blame me if you’re determined to screw it all up.”
I had to smile at her spirit. “I like you, Eddy. You’re crazy as hell and I dig that, but I need you to stop meddling. This is my life and my livelihood, and I need this job.”
She scoffed and shook a hand in the air. “If that’s the problem, I’ll talk to Scotty—”
“No. Absolutely not. Please do not talk to Scott about me for any reason. Please,” I added, just in case it might actually work.
After a long pause, she nodded. “Okay. Fine. I won’t try to influence Scotty where your job is concerned. I promise.” She crossed a finger over her heart and did her best to look like a woman with a lot less mischief in there.
It seemed too easy, but I was too tired to fight and I had a feeling these old ladies rarely lost. “Thank you.”
They both shuffled out the door as easily as they’d pushed their way in, sighing as they turned to me. “There’s a potluck dinner at the community center tomorrow. It’s for charity,” Betty added to entice me further.
Food and charity. There were worst ways to spend a night. “Do I have to dress up?”
Eddy looked me up and down. “It wouldn’t kill you to wear something nice, but it’s not required.” They both gave me a long, assessing look before walking away.
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 32
