“The last time I remember Trey dating anyone steadily was several years ago. We all thought he was going to get married. He never told us what happened to end it, but I’m sure Doc knows the whole story.”
Nicole often wondered if Trey had ever loved or endured a broken heart. Now she knew, and the fact tore at something deep within her. She didn’t want to think of Trey anguishing over a woman. Not any more than she wanted to think of him making love to one.
Rising to her feet, Nicole said, “Well, that’s really none of my business.”
Loretta continued to scrutinize Nicole’s face. “Why, Nicci, you’ve really fallen for the guy. Haven’t you?”
“You’re jumping to ridiculous conclusions. I’ve not known Trey long enough for something like that.”
“Really? Whatever happened to love at first sight?” the bookkeeper asked.
“That’s totally not sensible.”
Laughing, Loretta asked, “Who gave you the idea that there was anything sensible about love?”
Nicole was trying to come up with a logical reply to that when Cybil entered the waiting room. Seeing it was empty, she walked over to the counter that separated the customers from Nicole’s work area.
“Looks like we’re all finished,” Cybil said. “Are you two girls ready to lock up and go home?”
“I’m more than ready. My washing machine is trying to lie down and die. I need to go by the appliance place and price a new one or ask Malcom if he can fix mine without it costing me a fortune,” Loretta said, then gave Nicole a conspiring wink. “See you two tomorrow.”
Loretta left the room, and Nicole gathered up her handbag and the thin jacket she’d worn over her sundress early this morning.
“I’ll lock the front door and we’ll go out the back,” Cybil told her. “Doc and Trey came in a few minutes ago. They can finish locking up whenever they get ready to leave.”
Just hearing that Trey was actually in the building caused Nicole’s heart to take an excited leap. She’d not had a chance to talk with him since they parted late Sunday evening, and she’d missed him terribly. Several times, she’d come close to picking up the phone and texting him, or even walking up to the treatment barns to say hello. But she’d told herself that chasing after the man wasn’t the answer. If he’d already forgotten about those kisses they’d shared in the arroyo, then she needed to forget them, too.
“Yes, I’m ready,” she told Cybil, and after switching off the overhead fluorescent light, she joined the woman out in the hallway.
The two women walked side by side past the treatment rooms and on toward the back of the building where a large recovery area held the caged animals that needed to remain at the hospital for extended care. Along the way, the loud sounds of barking dogs and meowing cats carried down the wide corridor.
“What a day,” Cybil said with a weary sigh. “I’m so tired I barely know my own name.”
“It’s Cybil. Just in case you’re wondering,” Nicole joked.
Laughing, Cybil wrapped one arm around the back of Nicole’s shoulders and squeezed. “Thanks for reminding me. And just think, we have the pleasure of doing this all over again tomorrow.”
Nicole laughed along with her. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
A few feet ahead, the door to Chandler’s office stood partially open, and she could hear the two men’s voices drifting out from the room. Even though she was longing to see Trey, she didn’t pause to look in, or say good-night. No doubt the pair were discussing work, and she didn’t want to be a nuisance by interrupting.
Outside the back door of the clinic, the two women said their good-nights and walked on to their cars, which were parked on opposite sides of the graveled lot.
Nicole had just opened the driver’s door and tossed in her purse when she heard the sound of crunching footsteps behind her, and then Trey’s voice called out.
“Nicci, wait up!”
Her heart beating fast, she glanced over her shoulder to see him trotting up to her.
“Hello, Trey.”
He was smiling at her, and the smile she gave him in return was so wide she could feel it stretching her face. So much for being subtle, she thought.
“I saw you walk by the office and I, uh, wanted to catch you before you left,” he explained.
“Was there something you wanted to tell me?”
He reached for her hand and smoothed it between the two of his. “Just that I’ve been so busy since we started back to work Monday that I haven’t had time to go to the front of the clinic and talk with you. I—uh—didn’t want you to think I was deliberately avoiding you.”
The sun had already dipped behind the western horizon and shadowed the parking area at the side of the building, but Nicci suddenly felt as though bright sunshine were pouring down on her.
“I didn’t think you were trying to avoid me. Remember, I make the appointments. I know how busy you are.” Her gaze met his, and she instinctively stepped a bit closer. “I have missed you, though.”
The smile on his lips eased to a tender slant. “I’ve missed you, too. That’s another thing I wanted to tell you.”
Feeling an overwhelming urge to touch him, she placed her free hand on his forearm. “I’ve been thinking that we—uh—should have dinner together again. What are you doing tonight? Is it urgent that you go straight home?”
His brows lifted slightly as he glanced down at his soiled jeans and shirt. “No. It’s not urgent. But I can’t go out like this.”
“I wasn’t thinking about going out,” she told him. “We can have dinner at my place. I’ll go by the deli and pick up something. You’ve not seen my house yet. I’d like to show it to you.”
His eyes lifted back to her face, and judging by his expression, it was obvious to Nicole that her invitation had surprised him. Actually, she’d surprised herself. She was continually telling herself that she needed to sit back and wait for Trey to do the asking. But she was quickly learning that he was far from the forward type—at least, with her he wasn’t taking the lead. She didn’t know if that was because he felt unsure about having a relationship with her, or whether he’d rather they remain friends.
When he didn’t immediately respond, she quickly added, “It’s okay if you’d rather not, Trey. I’m sure you’re tired and you probably want to get home and rest.”
He suddenly chuckled. “Rest. What’s that? I don’t need rest.”
She let out a pent-up breath. “Does that mean you want to come?”
“Sure. I’d like it—a lot,” he said softly. “I have a few things here to wrap up, but I can be there in thirty minutes. Is that okay?”
Impulsively, she rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. “It’s perfect. I’ll see you then.” She started to climb into her car, then remembered he didn’t know where she lived. “Oh, I’d better give you my address so you can find me.”
Reaching into the car, she fished a pen and scrap of paper from her purse and jotted down the address.
“And just in case you have trouble finding it, the house is pale yellow with brown trim and the yard has a chain-link fence. You’ll see my car parked beneath the carport,” Nicole added.
“No worries. I’ll put your address into my phone. It has a navigational app. I’ll see you in a bit.”
He jogged off in the direction of the treatment barn, and Nicole hopped into the car and practically threw gravel as she hurried out of the parking lot.
She had thirty minutes to stop by the deli and pick out something yummy for dinner and then get home and make herself look presentable. That was hardly enough time to take pains with her appearance, but she didn’t care. She was going to be with Trey again and that was all it took to send her spirits soaring.
Chapter Eight
Trey usually kept a set of clean clothes in a locker at the clinic just in cas
e he might need a change. But a few weeks ago, he’d used the clothes and hadn’t bothered to replace them.
Now, as he walked onto Nicole’s porch, he looked ruefully down at his chambray shirt and blue jeans. Both were covered with sweat, dust and dark patches where cow manure had splattered and dried. Maybe she wouldn’t notice the stains too much, he thought, but the smell might knock her for a loop.
He was in the process of lifting the small brass knocker on the door when it swung open and the precious sight of Nicole’s smiling face made him forget all about his disheveled appearance and the fact that he smelled like a bull pen.
“Hi, Trey!” She pushed the door wider and gestured for him to enter. “Welcome to my house.”
Stepping past her, he found himself standing in a small foyer furnished with a brass hall tree and a potted cactus with a pair of red blooms in front of a single long window. But his attention was hardly on his surroundings. Not when she looked like a sweet dream in a blue checked sundress and her hair wound in a loose knot atop her head.
All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Instead, he stood patiently to one side while she dealt with the door. But when he heard the lock click, the reality that they were entirely alone sent a spurt of panic through him. How was he going to keep his hands to himself and his mind on something other than making love to her?
She didn’t give him time to come up with a strategy as she quickly looped her arm through his and urged him out of the foyer.
“Other than Roslyn, you’re the first guest I’ve had since I moved in,” she said as they strolled into a rectangular-shaped living room. “Actually, one of my neighbors came as far as the porch to say hello. I guess I could count him.”
“Him?”
She smiled coyly up at him. “Mr. Bains. He’s eighty and a widower. He retired here in Wickenburg so he could play golf year-round. Sometimes I see him leaving with his clubs as I’m leaving for work.”
Trey chuckled. “Now he’s the kind of man Granny needs. Elderly and safe.”
She gave his arm a playful pinch. “You leave your grandmother alone. She wants passion—not snoring.”
Yeah, Harley was probably capable of giving Virgie plenty of that, Trey thought crossly.
You need to wake up, Trey. You have a problem with Harley because you don’t have the backbone to be like him. Because you don’t have the guts to go after the woman you want. Because you turn into a trembling coward when you think about marriage.
Fighting the taunting voice inside his head, he asked, “How do you know what Granny wants? You’ve never met her.”
Her laugh was a little wicked. “From what you’ve said about her, she’s a woman who enjoys life. That tells me plenty. As for Mr. Bains snoring, he has a hefty paunch. I’m guessing he raises the rafters every night.”
Slanting her a wry look, he patted a hand against his abdomen. “I’d better start watching what I eat. I don’t want to start raising the rafters.”
Chuckling, she gestured toward the furniture grouped into a cozy U in the middle of the room. The couch and love seat were upholstered in dark red fabric, while the chairs were a deep moss green. Brown leather hassocks were positioned in front of both chairs, while colorful throw pillows dotted all the plush furniture.
“Go ahead and be honest,” she said. “All I need to add is a decorated tree and it would look like Christmas.”
“Nothing wrong with that. I like it,” he said truthfully.
“Thanks. Comfort was my main objective.” She gestured toward the walls, which were painted a light gray color. “I don’t have many pictures or wall hangings put up yet, and I still need a few scatter rugs, but its slowly coming together.”
The room looked like a real home, he thought. Was that because it had a woman’s touch? Or because he was standing next to Nicole, imagining himself as a permanent fixture in her life?
He cleared his throat. “If the rest of the house looks like this, then you’ve been busy.”
She reached for his hand. “Come on,” she said. “I’m sure you’re tired and hungry. Let’s go eat and I’ll show you the other rooms later.”
She led him through an arched doorway and into an angular space that intersected with two separate hallways shooting off to the left and right. Straight ahead was a pair of slatted swinging doors.
He followed her through the doors and into a kitchen with a long row of windows facing a backyard, plenty of white cabinets and a round pine table with matching chairs. A shaded lamp swung over the table, while a light over a gas range illuminated the work area.
Releasing his hand, she crossed over to the cabinet counter. “I got enchiladas and sides to go with them. I hope you like Mexican food. Otherwise, you might have to settle for a peanut butter sandwich.”
“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I love Mexican food.”
She opened a microwave and pulled out a glass dish. “Go ahead and have a seat,” she told him. “I’ll bring everything over.”
“I can help,” he offered.
Shaking her head, she glanced in his direction. “Thanks, but you’re my guest.”
Is that how she considered him? Just a guest dropping by for supper and a bit of conversation? Trey wanted to be more than that. He wanted to be her everything. He wanted the right to hold and kiss her, make love to her. He wanted her to belong to him and him to belong to her.
He wasn’t sure when or how he’d reached that conclusion. Or what he intended to do about it. He only knew that when she’d opened the door and invited him into her home, he’d felt happier than he’d ever been in his life.
“Okay, if you’re so intent on spoiling me, I’ll sit.” He started toward the table, then paused midstride. “I wasn’t thinking, Nicci. I washed my hands before I left the clinic, but I think I ought to wash again.”
“Oh, sorry, I’m not a very good hostess. I should’ve shown you to the bathroom.” She placed the dish of enchiladas on the table, then motioned for him to follow her out of the kitchen. “It’s right down the hallway.”
Outside the swinging doors, she turned left and they immediately walked past an open doorway on the right.
“The dining room is in there,” she explained, gesturing toward the doorway. “But I didn’t think we needed to use it tonight.”
He chuckled. “The way I look, I’m surprised you let me in the house. Much less into the dining room.”
“Nonsense. You look like a man who’s been working outside with his hands. That’s very sexy.”
Trey came close to stumbling. “I—uh—I’ll take your word for it,” he said sheepishly.
She laughed softly. “Trey, you have to be the most modest, guileless man I’ve ever met.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” he asked.
By now they’d reached a doorway on the left and she stopped and turned to him. The gnawing hunger in his stomach was instantly forgotten as her hands flattened against his chest and pushed their way upward.
“It’s very much a compliment,” she whispered.
His gaze collided with hers and then, all at once, he was struggling to breathe. There was something in her gray eyes conveying far more than her words, even more than the pressure of her fingers wrapping urgently over the ridge of his shoulders.
“Then I should be thanking you,” he murmured.
She rose up on her tiptoes and angled her mouth to his. “My very same thoughts.”
Trey didn’t waste time wondering why she was offering her lips to him, or even why the look in her eyes told him she wanted him in the most basic way a woman could want a man. The why of it no longer mattered to Trey. He was tired of trying to figure out her motives and even more tired of trying to resist the fire she built in him.
When his lips came down on hers, she let out a welcoming groan and curled both
arms around his neck. Trey responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her body tightly against his.
The thought to keep the kiss gentle and contained lasted for about two seconds. After that, the contact of their lips turned to a reckless hunger that shot a hot blaze straight to his loins.
Along the way, Trey fought to hold on to his senses, but the taste of her lips was like sipping from a fountain of wine. By the time she opened her mouth to invite his tongue inside, he was desperate to be inside her and feel her warm body yielding to his.
The need for air finally forced their heads to part, and as they both sucked in several long breaths, Trey could feel his heart pounding like a sledgehammer against his rib cage. Beneath his hands, he could feel her shoulders trembling, and the fact that he’d had that much effect on her stunned him.
“Nicci, I—”
She suddenly looked up at him, and Trey forgot the words he was about to speak. Instead, he was taking note of how her eyes had darkened to a stormy gray and her puffy lips had turned to a deep shade of rose. The dimly lit hallway created shadows across her cheeks and chin, and before he realized what he was doing, his fingertips were tracing the flickering shapes upon her soft skin.
“I wondered how long I was going to have to wait for you to do that,” she whispered in a raw voice. “I was beginning to think you didn’t want me.”
He groaned. “Want you? Nicci, if I wanted you any more than I do right now, it would kill me.”
His throat was so tight it sounded like he was choking. She must’ve recognized the agony in his voice, because her palm was suddenly resting against his cheek and her soft gaze was delving into his.
“You’re worried. Why?”
He groaned a second time. “This might be a huge mistake. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to hurt me. Maybe we need to forget—”
“Forget what?” she interrupted in a hoarse, shaky voice. “How we make each other feel? Forget what it’s like when we touch each other, kiss each other? Maybe you can forget, but I’m past that point.”
His Forever Texas Rose Page 12
