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 fr
om 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.
“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 she 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.”
Hero Boss: An Alpha Male Office Romance Page 2
