Holiday Heat: The Men of Starlight Bend

by Ashley Jennifer

  “And where is your dad, if you don’t mind me asking?” She unraveled her scarf and dropped it and her gloves onto a sturdy wooden desk in the corner up front.

  “In a meeting. I got bored waiting for him and thought I’d come visit. I saw the sign for your clinic and ranch when we drove into town.”

  “You walked all this way from Starlight Bend?”

  “Yes. Is it okay for me to be here?”

  He stared up at her with wide, light-brown eyes. They had golden flecks in them and held a hint of pleading.

  Anna wondered what wrench she’d inadvertently thrown into the works of late to deserve today’s sudden tugging on her heartstrings.

  But the kid was much too adorable to disappoint. So she told him, “I always like company. My techs are in the medical building and my stable hands are at lunch, so this is great timing on your part. Although… Maybe we should call your parents and let them know you’re safe.”

  “I’m not supposed to interrupt my father when he’s working. It’s just the two of us. I don’t have a mother anymore.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” Another unsettling happenstance.

  “Thank you, but I didn’t really know her.” Nor did he miss a beat. Must be he was accustomed to the condolences. That made her cringe inwardly, on his behalf. But Jake didn’t falter. “Is there anything I can do to help around here?”

  “You like animals?”

  He nodded enthusiastically. “I don’t have any pets, though. Not a dog or a cat or even a fish. We travel too much for that.”

  “Then you’re in luck. Because not only do I have a half-dozen horses waiting for their afternoon snack, but I also have a couple of dogs. Even…puppies.” She wagged her brows, fighting off her disconcertion. “Where shall we start?”

  “The horses.”

  “All right. Any allergies I should know about?”

  “Penicillin. I break out in hives and can’t breathe.”

  “Terrifying stuff,” Anna said.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, we should be just fine since we’re not doing anything dangerous.”

  She showed Jake around the stables, with a large office and separate break room, six stalls on either side of a long aisle that led to more doors and an outside corral beyond. She demonstrated how to feed the horses and while Jake moved gradually down the walkway and held his palm out for them to nibble at the carrots, she pulled her cell phone from the back pocket of her jeans and discreetly texted Sheriff Jesse Tomlin.

  Anyone report a missing boy?

  How’d you know?

  He’s at my ranch. Can you let his father or whomever called in know that he’s okay?

  I’ll take care of it. Keep him there.

  Of course.

  She returned the cell to her pocket. Then took Jake to the last stall and opened the door.

  “This is Nikita,” she said of the fluffy white American Eskimo currently lounging on a plump pillow. “She belongs to my colleague, Dr. Winston. We usually let her roam at will, but she’s expecting so we keep her in here when we’re all on errands.”

  “She’s beautiful.” Jake knelt before the bed and reached a hand out to pet the dog, but then pulled back. Gazing up at Anna, he tentatively asked, “Will she bite me?”

  “Never.”

  He gingerly ran a hand over the thick fur.

  “Dr. Winston found Nikita on Thanksgiving Day and no one has claimed her. No chip or collar to identify her or her owner. So we gave her a name and, for now, she’s hanging out with us.”

  “She’s lucky.”

  Anna didn’t miss the forlorn tinge to his voice. It kept her pinioned to that distant memory that had been stirred up earlier.

  To distract herself from her own desolate feelings, she said, “Dogs have, on average, a sixty-three-day gestation period—pregnancy. I estimate her to be about forty days in. She’s warm and safe here. And looking after the puppies, which aren’t hers, but she already has very strong maternal instincts.”

  Jake straightened and crossed to the whelping box in the corner. He peered over the edge at the three Maltese puppies that were curled into one another and sleeping soundly.

  “They’re so small,” Jake whispered, not disturbing them.

  “There were four originally, but one of them didn’t make it. The first came with no problem whatsoever, but the second passed away in the birth canal. To save the others, I had to perform an emergency C-section.”

  “Just like people.”

  “Yes. Just like people.”

  Glancing back at Anna, Jake asked, “Did the mom die?”

  Her stomach knotted at the way his big, gold-fringed eyes misted ever so slightly. “No, Jake. She’s going to be just fine,” Anna assured him. “But in addition to needing to recover from the surgery, she’s suffering from eclampsia. That’s a calcium deficiency, so she can’t nurse the puppies while we treat her.”

  “Then how do you feed them?”

  “We use doll bottles filled with formula. Though the puppies are ready to be weaned. They’ll get vaccinated and then be adopted out.”

  His head cocked to the side. “You won’t keep them?”

  “No. I pretty much have my hands full as it is.”

  “That’s too bad. They’re really cute.”

  The puppies roused from slumber and Jake entertained them while Anna prepared a goopy mixture of formula and crushed food to start the weaning from the bottles. She and Jake then sat cross-legged on the rug covering the floor of the stall and he watched her dip her finger into the shallow bowl and hold it under the nose of one pup, then dab a little on his mouth.

  “It’ll take a bit for them to get the hang of lapping directly from the bowl, but they will lick.” The pup did, and she fed him more. Then teased him with the scent and taste of the mixture while slowly lowering her hand toward the dish. He didn’t take the bait. Plopped down on his tiny butt and stared up at her defiantly.

  Jake laughed. “Stubborn, isn’t he? Or she?”

  “He. We have to keep at it.”

  Jake followed suit with one of the other puppies.

  He was gentle. Patient. Whatever issue there might be with his father, he didn’t seem to be acting out. Wandering off wasn’t the most brilliant idea, especially in a town he wasn’t familiar with and while the snow was falling, even if it was only a light flurry. But Anna had the sense he’d done it more out of curiosity than rebellion.

  “What other animals do you take care of?” Jake asked.

  “All sorts, but mostly horses. Well, there are a lot of strays in the area, too. And I work with the state to relocate wildlife—bears, wolves, mountain lions and the like—that venture into neighborhoods, campgrounds or ranches where the livestock might be threatened.”

  “How?”

  “We trap or tranquilize them, if necessary, and return them to their natural habitat.”

  “That sounds cool.”

  “It can be a little scary at times. But, yes.” She smiled again. “Overall, very cool.”

  There was a clearing of a throat and Anna glanced over her shoulder. A man in a formal chauffer’s uniform stood at the opening to the stall.

  Definitely not a normal sight in Starlight Bend.

  Beside her, Jake sighed. “You called my father. How’d you know who he was?”

  “I texted the sheriff,” she said. “Because no parent should worry about where their child has disappeared to—”

  “I didn’t mean to worry him. Or be gone so long. I just get a little tired of sitting in reception lobbies playing games on my iPad.”

  “Yeah. I can see where that might get tedious.” She stood and said to the driver, “I’m Dr. Anna Voss. Jake has been with me the entire time. He’s been extremely helpful. Not to mention respectful of the animals in my care.”

  “His father will be pleased to hear that. And this is for you.” The stoic driver held out an envelope, with Mount Sinai Hospital-New York stamped in glossy b
lack ink in the upper left-hand corner.

  Her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry… What is this?”

  “Compensation for your time.”

  Anna continued to stare at the envelope.

  Mount Sinai.

  New York.

  New York City, to be exact.

  Oh. My. God.

  A rush of contradictory sensations flooded her veins. Agitation and exhilaration were an odd blend nearly impossible to reconcile.

  Her head whipped in Jake’s direction. “Who is your dad, Jake?”

  He got to his feet as well, squared his shoulders and announced in a ceremonious tone, “Dr. Nicholas Anderson Hoffman, III. He’s a neurosurgeon in Manhattan, where we live. Well…when we’re there, that is.” He appeared a little deflated at the end of his declaration.

  Apparently father and son really did travel a lot.

  My, how history repeats itself…

  She handed back the envelope while her mind whirled. “I don’t need compensation, thank you. I enjoyed Jake’s company and he helped me with some of my chores.” Turning back to Nick Hoffman’s son, she said, “I’ll walk you out.”

  Jake stroked Nikita a couple times more. Then cast a wistful look at the puppies. Clearly fought a frown.

  Anna’s heart twisted again, the way it had at Big Sky Living when she’d stared at Zander’s name. She hadn’t even glanced at the kid’s list of toys that he wanted for Christmas. She’d learned over the years not to get emotionally invested—she did enough of that here in the stables and med facilities. Her methodology was to select the first tag that caught her eye and buy the gifts. Every single one of them the child hoped for and a few extras thrown in to spread additional holiday cheer.

  But there wasn’t much she could do to cheer up this kid.

  Nor could she control the consternation and anticipation churning inside her as they bundled up and left the stables. With every step that drew her closer to the SUV waiting to whisk Jake away, her breathing became shallower and her chest tightened further.

  Because she knew exactly what she was going to find in her driveway.

  Jake’s father stood off to the side of the vehicle, speaking into his cell phone, his back to them.

  He had broad shoulders beneath the black full-length overcoat he wore. His hair was equally dark and dusted his collar.

  The way he’d always worn it.

  Tears of nostalgia stung her eyes, but a ripple of anger overrode the sentimentality, keeping them at bay.

  Nick hadn’t even come into the stables to retrieve his son. And he’d intended to pay her a babysitting fee?

  Seriously?

  Her gaze dropped to Jake. Now that she thought of it, he didn’t look a thing like his father. The coloring and features were all wrong, lighter and more delicate—hair, complexion and eyes. Nick had tanned skin and penetrating deep-green eyes. Mesmerizing emerald irises framed by lush, sooty lashes. She could stare into them for hours on end. Had on plenty of occasions.

  And whereas Nick had always been solidly, powerfully built and now crested six-two or three, Jake was leaner. Smaller than Nick had been at the same age.

  Christ. That had been twenty-five years ago.

  An entire lifetime ago.

  But there couldn’t possibly be two Nicholas Anderson Hoffman, III’s—who both happened to be neurosurgeons and lived in New York City.

  And besides…she’d know Nick from any distance, whether she was gazing into his eyes or staring at his back rather than his devastatingly handsome face. She knew him to the depths of her soul. Intimately and instinctively.

  For all of time.

  The driver opened the side door of the Escalade for Jake, who turned to Anna and gave her another of his polite smiles. “I really had fun.”

  “I’m glad. Sorry I had to spoil it.”

  “It’s okay.” His expression turned contemplative. “You collect strays and return them to their natural habitat, remember?”

  Her jaw slacked.

  The cosmic forces were really messing with her. Why now, after all this time?

  Jake climbed into the vehicle and the driver closed the door behind him.

  Nick has a son.

  One he evidently was not spending enough time with.

  And had Nick even intended to let Anna know he was in town?

  Her irritation with him prompted her to impulsively call out, “Hey, Nick!” The angst eclipsed all the other emotions colliding in the most disturbing way. “Aren’t you concerned about whether your son is safe and sound?”

  Nick raised an arm in the air, signaling he needed another minute.

  Anna stewed. Planted her hands on her hips and demanded, “For God’s sake, Nick. Call the person back!”

  The hand he’d lifted raked through his thick, luxurious-looking hair. Then he hit the disconnect button and turned toward her.

  Anna sucked in a sharp breath.

  His chiseled-to-perfection visage rocked her straight to the core of her being. Made every nerve ending ignite and every erogenous zone sizzle.

  Good God, how could he be even more gorgeous than she remembered? Taller, hunkier—and with the slow quirking of one corner of his mouth, sexier.

  Her pulse raced and the spark between her legs triggered a raw, incessant yearning that echoed throughout her body.

  He was hot.

  Damn hot.

  And here he was... In Starlight Bend.

  The very wish she’d never made for herself.

  Because Anna Voss had stopped believing in wishes the day Nick Hoffman had left this town—and her—far behind.

  Chapter Two

  Nick shoved his iPhone into the pocket of his overcoat and continued to battle the magnetic pull he’d been experiencing since the moment he’d arrived in Montana, having flown into Kalispell early this morning in his Gulfstream, it being the closest airport to Starlight Bend.

  Under normal circumstances, his first order of business would have been to come straight to the ranch. To see Anna. But these weren’t normal circumstances—by any stretch of the imagination.

  He rounded the SUV and tugged on the door handle. Popped his head inside and asked his son, “Are you okay?”

  “Sure. I got to see a lot of animals. And…” Jake looked contrite. “I know you’re mad.”

  “I’m not mad,” Nick said. “I was deeply concerned. You can’t just run off like that. I had no idea where you were and that’s a horrific feeling, Jake.”

  “I know. I just—”

  “Jake.” Nick’s jaw clenched as he tried to balance all the things that were currently spiraling out of his control. His son’s disappearance, his grandmother’s health issues—which was what had brought him back to Starlight Bend—and the woman who owned his heart being the one Jake had somehow found. “We’ll talk in a few minutes. There’s something I have to do first.”

  “Okay.”

  Nick closed the door and crossed the drive to where Anna stood off of the walkway in calf-deep snow that her tall, stylish gray suede and fur-trimmed boots protected her against. She wore jeans that hugged her toned thighs and shapely hips, and a white North Face jacket and matching turtleneck with a pale-pink scarf knotted at her throat.

  Her long blond hair was pulled up in sexy disarray that left curls tumbling to her nape and loose, silky tendrils at her temples and neck. Her grayish-hazel irises were enhanced by smoky eyeshadow. She had perfectly sculpted brows and high cheekbones that usually held a bronze glow but which had flushed from the brisk weather—or the sight of him.

  Nick’s gaze fell to her mouth. To the glossy lips he’d give his entire fortune to kiss again.

  Anna Voss was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Would ever know.

  Standing mere inches from her did crazy-wicked things to him. Gut-clenching, groin-tightening things. So, too, did her feisty nature.

  She folded her arms over her chest. In the velvety voice that had haunted him for more than a decade and a half
, she quietly demanded, “Speak, Nick.”

  He said, “Give me a minute to catch my breath, honey.”

  Anna gaped.

  “What did you expect?” he asked in a low, intimate tone that had excitement flaring in her eyes.

  So, he wasn’t the only one instantly revved.

  He should have known. The last time they’d been together was still burned on his brain—and he suspected the same held true for her.

  “I take one look at you and you knock the wind right out of me.” He stepped closer to her as he yanked off one of his black leather gloves and swept his fingers along her jaw. “You are so damn pretty.”

  Her eyes misted. “Nick.”

  “I didn’t think you could possibly be more sensational than in my memory. The image I’ve always had of you tangled in my sheets, your hair spilling over the pillow, a bewitching smile on your face. The most alluring angel to ever grace this earth.”

  “I was anything but angelic when I was in your bed.”

  He grinned, despite the palpable tension between them. “You’ve got a point there. And you never failed to blow my mind. Especially that last time—”

  “Nick,” she repeated on a broken breath.

  “I left you that morning. And it was the hardest damn thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

  A couple tears tumbled down her cheeks. But she warned, “Your flattery isn’t going to keep me from being annoyed with you.”

  Though clearly it melted her heart.

  “You know I mean every single word.” He’d been hooked on her from the moment he’d met her. Long before the hormones had kicked in. Nick had felt the inherent compulsion to protect her, to stick close to her from the time he’d arrived in Starlight Bend, at the age of seven.

  She’d been a carefree spirit, a bit on the fragile side, with bouncy blond curls and a vivacious smile. A girl who’d wrapped people around her little finger without even trying or knowing she was doing it.

  Who wouldn’t fall in love with someone so beautiful inside and out? A fearless kid with an old soul who’d risked her own well-being to save a kitten from a tree, a puppy trapped in a sinkhole, a lamb caught in barbed wire fencing… He’d witnessed it all—because he’d always been with her. Right alongside her in her rescue missions, helping her and hoping like hell she wasn’t the one who ended up injured.