“Not that I’m in the habit of turning down a free, home-cooked meal, but why?”
She was a suspicious little thing, and that intrigued me further. Stevie was a woman full of secrets. For now, though, I was on a mission.
“For saving my life, just in case you haven’t heard.” Because I’d heard about it at least a thousand times since I’d made the foolish, rookie mistake of confiding in Eddy. One stupid little rant about Stevie going off half-cocked at the Carmichael Ranch and my fate had been sealed. My own frustration had gotten the better of me and now I, and Stevie, would have to pay the price.
“When will this end?” she groaned, banging her forehead against the wrist rest in front of her keyboard. After a few moments of self-abuse, she looked at me and sighed. “Tell your grandmother I’d love to come for dinner. I’ll even bring whiskey.”
“Make it Irish, and she won’t kick you out before dinner begins.” I smiled playfully at her so she knew I was joking.
“Good to know.” Her lips twitched in amusement, and I would have given anything to know what she was thinking. “How’s Hershey?”
Guess I’d find out later. “Good. He’s settling in at home and I’m hoping once he’s properly socialized, I can bring him to work with me.”
She smiled. “Like a therapy dog, but for other animals?”
“Something like that, yeah.” It sounded better than being too busy to take care of another living creature. “He eats like a horse, though, so I might have to rethink this whole having-a-pet thing.”
Stevie laughed, and the sound was rich and deep. “He’s adorable so you could do worse, as far as pets go.”
“He is pretty damn adorable, and he’s got so much energy.” I’d forgotten just how energetic puppies could be until a session of fetch dragged on into the second hour. “He’s been enjoying my morning run, though, so when I go home to feed him, he hasn’t destroyed my place.”
She laughed again, and the smile even made it to her eyes. “Did you manage to grab yourself something to eat while you were there?”
I felt the heat flame my cheeks as I shook my head, feeling embarrassed that instead of my assistant, she’d taken on the role of caretaker, as well. “No. I wasn’t even thinking about me.”
Her lips twitched. “Admirable in a doctor, but ridiculous in a grown man.” Stevie pushed a stray lock of hair from her face and flashed another of those amused grins. “There’s a burger on your desk and thirty minutes until the next appointment arrives.” She nodded back toward the office and waited for me to go.
“Trying to get rid of me?”
“No, but if you stand here any longer, someone will stop in to ask you a question and next thing you know, lunch will be over and you’ll be elbow-deep in a pregnant Dachshund.”
She was right about the first part, and I wasn’t even touching the second part of that statement. “Thanks, Stevie. You’re the best.” I made my way down the hall and headed towards the office, her laughter ringing behind me.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Doc!”
Her words stayed with me as I entered the quiet office and attacked the burger and fries that were waiting for me from Big Mama. Despite the tattoos and wild hair, and her distinctly unprofessional appearance, Stevie was the best damn assistant I ever had. And the most tempting, dammit. Hiring her was supposed to stop this desire, but if Eddy’s matchmaking and Stevie’s tattoos couldn’t stop it, could anything?
I wasn’t sure, but I was equally unsure if it mattered, in the end. Would all the strikes against her matter against the heat and chemistry between us?
Stevie
“So, honey, you got a boyfriend?” Eddy’s question wasn’t all that surprising, considering she’d been asking questions like that since I’d showed up for dinner an hour ago. It didn’t seem to matter that Scott and Ty were both seated at the table, or that Janey had shown up for some reason fifteen minutes ago. All that mattered was my love life. Past and present.
“No, Eddy, I don’t. And I’m not looking.” I figured it was best to cut her off before she got a good head of steam going, but the old woman was tough as hell.
“Well, why not?” She frowned, genuinely confused. “Are you interested in getting a girlfriend? Because if you are, I ain’t judging. I just have to… readjust my expectations.” Her sly smile reminded me that this woman was clever. Too clever for her own good, and mine.
“I’m not interested in dating right now, Eddy. I have a lot of other things on my mind.” Particularly, how long I would be employed by Scott. After that kiss, I wasn’t sure how long he’d be willing to keep me on, so I was keeping my head down and doing my job to the best of my ability. If he fired me, the reasons would be strictly personal.
“Such as?” Eddy arched a brow and leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand.
“Such as my job, which I just got and there’s no guarantee will be there tomorrow or the next day.” I sent an apologetic look at Scott, who looked back at me like a deer caught in headlights. “Sorry, but it’s true. He doesn’t want or need an assistant, and I refuse to start anything with the future being so uncertain.” There. That sounded well thought-out and mature, surely Eddy could respect that.
“Oh, that’s bull, and you and I both know it. Life is filled with uncertainty—you might as well enjoy every moment while you can.” She flashed a smile, so proud of her argument which, I could admit, was a winning one.
“Maybe so, but if my stay here is temporary, then I don’t want to get attached.”
“Some people come to Tulip for a visit and end up staying for love,” Janey put in with a mischievous smile.
“Yeah?” My question was smug, because this sounded like one of those things people said to win an argument but when pressed, couldn’t come up with one example. “Who?”
Ty and Scott both groaned at the question, the first sign of my misstep. A satisfied grin split Janey’s face in half. “Tulip. She came here to see about starting over and fell in love with a farmer. Together, they built a flower empire and this awesome little town.”
It was a nice story, one I’d read about online before coming here and had heard at least half a dozen times since I arrived. But it still didn’t change the facts of my life. “Sounds like you might have more luck hooking Janey up with some stranger passing through town, Eddy.” Everyone laughed and the tension that had been ratcheting up in the room disappeared.
Janey sucked in a breath and narrowed her gaze at me. “Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.” To stop any more questions or answers, I shoved a slice of juicy lamb in my mouth with a smile and focused on my plate. The food was delicious, lamb and roasted vegetables with the most delicious garlic mashed potatoes I had ever eaten. “This food is amazing, Eddy. Almost worth the interrogation.”
“Only almost?” She huffed her disbelief at my words. “Guess I’ll have to have you around again to remove that almost.”
I laughed around a comically large mouthful of potatoes. “I’m willing to try if you are.”
Eddy glared for a long moment and then erupted in a loud, raucous laugh. “I like you, Stevie.”
“Thanks, Eddy. You’re a little crazy, but I like you, too. And your roast lamb.”
Her grin lit up. “You sure you don’t want a boyfriend? My grandsons are two of the handsomest bachelors in town.” Eddy did her best game show hostess impersonation as she waved her hands in the direction of Ty, then Scott, just in case they weren’t sufficiently on display. “Aren’t they, Janey?”
Her cheeks turned pink, and I thought maybe she did have a crush on one of the Henderson brothers. “Uh, sure. They’re all right, I mean. You know.”
Very interesting. “They are very handsome, Eddy, but I’m sure you know it takes more than that to have a relationship. Unless you’re trying to pimp these hotties out?” Both men erupted in simultaneous fits of coughing, with Ty taking time to shoot a glare in my direction while he choked. “Not
a bad side hustle for the calendar, Janey.”
Eddy was howling with laughter as she stood. “On that note, dessert is optional.”
I stood, shoving the last carrot in my mouth and following behind Eddy. “I’ll help with the dishes and take my dessert to go, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, honey. It’ll be nice to have someone to chat with while I clean up.”
I grabbed the plate from her hand. “I’ll wash and you can dry. Since you did all the cooking.”
Eddy wanted to argue, I could see in her eyes and the tense set of her shoulders, but she surprised me and gave in easily. “Fine. Thank you, Stevie.”
I smiled. “Thanks for dinner.” I couldn’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.
“Anytime. Usually, I invite more people, but I didn’t want to embarrass you by questioning you in front of other folks.”
I snorted a laugh. “But you thought it would be fine in front of my boss? You really are a crazy ol’ lady, Eddy. You know that?”
She put one finger to her lips. “You’ve figured me out, but don’t go spreading that around.”
I didn’t think it was as much of a secret as Eddy thought, but I locked my lips and tossed away the key just to ease her mind. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Perfect. Now tell me what you really think of my—” She held up a finger as a phone rang in the distance, with a classical song that played. And played. “That’s me. Be right back.” Eddy took off at a pace far too fast for her age and I shook my head with a smile, hoping I’d have as much energy when I was her age.
Dinner had gone well, at least as far as I was concerned. It was a little strange to be invited to the boss’s family home for dinner, but I was learning very quickly that Tulip was unlike any other place I’d ever lived. My thoughts went in a variety of directions while I cleaned the dishes, steadfastly avoiding all six-foot-tall, green-eyed distractions.
“Need some help?” I knew that voice well. Better than anyone else’s in town, and I froze at his question.
“I’ve got it, thanks.” My gaze remained on the soapy water until Scott was gone. Or until I thought he was.
“You can’t do all the dishes by yourself.”
“Why not? I’m the one who offered.”
Scott took the plate from my hand and picked up the towel. “And now, I’m offering to replace my grandma.”
“Whether I want you to or not?” I tried to take a step back but there was no place to go, unless I wanted to jump into the oversized roasting pan to hide. Which I kind of did.
“Didn’t realize my help was such a burden,” he said, a smile curling his lips despite the fake outrage in his tone.
“Did I say that? Because I’m pretty sure I said, ‘I’ve got it,’ as in I don’t need any help. I’m not a doctor, but I have done dishes before. Have you?”
One blonde brow arched in surprise. “Does Eddy seem like the kind of woman who’d let me reach this age without doing dishes?”
“Maybe not, but that was ages ago, when you were a kid.” Why was this so much fun and why on earth was my heart racing like I was doing CrossFit? I was exhilarated, I realized. Verbally sparring with Scott was fun and exciting. Thrilling, even. Which spelled trouble.
He plucked another plate from my hand. “Like riding a bike. See?” Scott made a big show out of drying the plate and putting it away. “Hit me with another.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I grumbled and looked up at him, which was a big mistake because his deep green gaze ensnared my own and I was transfixed. Unable to move, because his gaze held me so steadily. The moment was charged, as electricity arced back and forth between us. This was one of those moments people always talked about, but that I had dismissed because I’d never experienced them before. But this was a whole new beast that I didn’t understand, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.
“You wouldn’t dare.” His grin teased and I felt it all the way down to my knees, leaning against the sink to keep myself upright.
“I might,” I told him with a cheeky grin that slowly faded as the look in his eyes darkened with heat that could have been desire. He looked like he wanted to kiss me, which was bad news because in that moment I was pretty sure I would let him. Then, the sound of a camera drew my attention.
Scott groaned. “Janey, what the hell?”
“What?” The question came out far too innocent, and I’d only known Janey for a few days. “You’re a Hometown Hero and I don’t have nearly enough pictures of you.”
“Janey,” he growled.
“Ugh, fine.” She rolled her eyes at Scott, treating him more like an annoying sibling than a man she was crushing on, which was even more interesting than his growl. “Damn, that’s a good shot, though. Really hot, too.” She looked up and winked at me before she waved and left us alone. Again.
“What was that about?”
He shook his head. “You don’t want to know. Believe me.”
“Now I feel like I need to know, and since we have all the pots and pans to wash, get to talking, Scotty.”
He glared at my use of his dreaded nickname, but when I handed him another dish, he dried it. And got to talking, the almost-kiss nothing but a memory.
Scott
I wasn’t normally much of a drinker. Sure, I enjoyed a few beers during trivia night at Black Thumb or just hanging out with the guys, but I wasn’t one to sit around and drink by myself. Until today, apparently. After a dinner that felt far too long for my liking, I made my way home and realized I had nothing to do.
Thanks to Stevie, there was no longer after-hours work required. There were no invoices to send off, no files to catch up on, and no bills to pay, because she took care of it. All of it. Having Stevie in the office made my job and my life easier, which I appreciated. But her words from dinner kept playing in my head. He doesn’t want or need an assistant. Did she still really believe that?
I guess I hadn’t done much to make her feel welcome after officially hiring her. Except kissing the hell out of her on the side of the road and almost kissing her in my grandma’s kitchen. I especially couldn’t stop thinking about that moment in Eddy’s kitchen. That almost moment, where I’d been thinking about kissing her and she was seriously considering letting me. Stevie was too tough, too independent to ever admit it, but those violet eyes didn’t lie. Even now, I regretted that I hadn’t leaned in and brushed my lips against hers to see if they were as soft and plump as I remembered.
But I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t want to, because every passing day made me want to kiss her more and more, but it was all wrong. The timing was wrong. The woman was wrong. Everything was just… wrong. If I started anything with Stevie, she and Eddy might get the wrong idea, and I was in no place to enter into a romantic relationship right now. Something casual and fun? Absolutely. But my clinic was still fairly new, and I needed to build up my business and my reputation with the farmers and ranchers in the area who hadn’t known me since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. The mortgage on the office and the property, which I hoped to turn into a rescue or sanctuary in the future, was in its infancy, and all of that was my priority at the moment, not a woman. Not even Stevie.
And even if I was in the market for a relationship, it couldn’t be with an employee. No matter how enticing she was. No matter how well she filled out a pair of jeans.
Thankfully, Hershey chose that moment to scratch at the back door, our agreed-upon signal when he needed a visit to the tree out back. “I’m comin’, boy.” He was just the distraction I needed before my thoughts and my drinking grew out of control. Instead, I focused on the unusually warm night, the clear midnight-blue sky, and the warm air that rustled the trees. It was a beautiful night and I was drinking.
Alone.
“Hershey boy, come on!” I let out a low whistle and looked around at his favorite spots, starting with the big oak behind the house. “Where are you, Hershey?” I whistled again and there was nothing, no sounds of his
puppy panting or whining, no overturned flowerpots or any other indication of a boisterous puppy. About halfway between my house and the guest cottage, I heard feminine giggling. “Hershey?”
The dog was in an enviable position on Stevie’s lap with his belly exposed as a soft hand gave him all the rubs he could handle. The puppy was in heaven and I couldn’t say I blamed him one bit. “You’re just a little slut for the belly rubs, aren’t you, boy?”
“Pretty sure you can’t call a puppy a slut. Can you?”
The sound of my voice startled Stevie, but only for a moment. She recovered quickly and sent a shy smile my way. “He doesn’t care what I call him, as long as the rubs don’t stop. Isn’t that right, Hersh?”
The pup barked and turned so he could put his front paws on her shoulders, almost like he was giving her a hug. And then he did exactly what I’d wanted to do earlier—kiss the hell out of her lush pink mouth. “I guess you made an impression.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around Hershey’s little body that appeared much bigger beside her before she stood and wiped away the dirt and grass stuck to her. “The way to a man’s heart is apparently belly rubs.”
I barely registered her words—the sight of Stevie in sexy, lightweight cotton shorts that showed off her smooth legs, and another tattoo, was about all my brain had the capacity to focus on. The lavender shorts and tank looked like pajamas, which only made me want to peek even closer, to see if the dark outline of her nipples was pink or brown. The tank top was just short enough to reveal an inch-wide swath of pale skin and belly button at her waist, and everything fitted so perfectly I could see every dip and curve of her body. And, just like that, all my good intentions flew out the window.
I wanted Stevie. Bad.
“This has been scintillating conversation, Scott. Really.” She patted my shoulder and moved to walk around me, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her flush against me. “Uh, what are you doing?”
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 37
