“Do you know Clara? This is Clara Cartwright, and she just moved to Langley from Dallas.” Eddy smiled proudly, as if she or Clara had built one of those cities instead of just hailed from one or both of them.
“Nice to meet you, Clara. I assume you’re here for this guy?” The puppy was friendly enough, sniffing me and licking my finger.
“Yes. Ralphie is about three months and it’s time for his next round of shots.”
“Perfect. Fill this out, and I’ll get you back as soon as I can.” I handed her the paperwork and Clara took the clipboard before teetering her way to the chairs in three-inch heels. I turned to Eddy with a grin. “Please tell me one of those bags is for me?”
She set both bags in front of me and I hurried and pulled them behind the desk to avoid greasy paperwork. “Yeah, one’s for you. Big Mama said you didn’t come in today.”
“Thanks, Eddy.”
“Thanks for what?” Scott, of course, chose that moment to make his presence known, and his grandmother’s face lit up.
“Eddy brought us lunch.” I handed one of the bags to him without looking and peeked inside my own to see what I would be eating when and if this place cleared out for more than five minutes.
“Thanks.” He grinned and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the older woman’s cheek. “You’re the best, you know that?”
“Of course, I do,” she cooed like a flirty teenager. “Do you know Clara?” Eddy went through her whole spiel again, but when she added extra details, I was on to the old lady. “Clara is an attorney over in Langley. Just joined that big firm.”
Scott’s blond brows dipped into a confused vee. “Okay. Nice to meet you, Carla.”
My lips twitched behind the computer screen as Eddy let out a disappointed groan. “It’s Clara, Scotty.”
“Clara Cartwright,” I added with a cheeky grin. “And her puppy Ralphie.”
Clara chose that moment to join the conversation, a broad smile on her face and her ultra-tanned cleavage pushed out on full display. “That’s right, I’m Clara, and this is Ralphie. Nice to meet you, Dr. Henderson.” She purred the words, like an actual purr, and I wondered if I’d missed that day at school because I couldn’t do that. She put one delicate hand in his, iridescent pink nails shimmering under the fluorescent lights.
“You, too.” He turned to me for a rescue but not only was I not a particularly jealous person—unless we’re talking about Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos—I was also having too much fun watching it all play out. Clara was gorgeous and thin with giant boobs, well put-together and she seemed nice. Oh, she was also a lawyer, which meant she was beautiful and accomplished. If Scott was interested in Eddy’s newest attempt at matchmaking, he could do worse.
“They’re here for Ralphie’s round two immunizations.”
Relief flashed briefly and he clutched his lunch bag even tighter. “Uh, okay. Do we have room in the schedule?”
“Yep! I’ll get her set up in exam room three while you take notes on the last appointment,” I told him, glancing down at said sandwich bag. “Fifteen minutes?”
He nodded and I hopped up like my backside was on fire, rushing away from the suddenly awkward foursome—five, if you included Ralphie—to prep the exam room. I took my time and when I returned to take Clara and Ralphie to the room, Eddy was still there.
“She’s nice, isn’t she?”
“She is. Pretty, too,” I added just to let the old girl know I was on to her schemes.
“Very. Accomplished also. A lawyer.” Eddy did a terrible job of hiding the smirk on her face.
“At that new firm over in Langley,” I added with a short laugh. “I know what you’re up to, old woman, and I don’t like it.” I pointed at her, noticing that unlike Clara’s, my nails were short and jagged—desperately in need of a manicure. I was about a lifetime overdue.
She blinked and a small laugh escaped. “I don’t know what you mean.” To her credit, she didn’t even try to look innocent. Yet.
“You’ll have to work a lot harder at being believable, Eddy. You know what you’re doing and so do I.”
The crafty old bird notched her chin in the air and sniffed. “You’ll have to be more specific, Stevie.”
She wanted specific? Okay. “If Scott is interested in Clara, that’s his business. I have no claims on him, despite all of your meddling.”
“You could have claims, if you’d stop acting so damn independent. Now, don’t get me wrong, a woman needs to be able to take care of herself without a man, but you act like you don’t need anyone—and a man needs to feel needed.”
I let her words sink in for a long moment and nodded, because she was right. More than one relationship had ended because I wasn’t needy or clingy enough, and usually I watched them go with a relieved smile. “If that’s the case, I hope he and Clara are very happy together.”
She let out an annoyed sigh and smacked her hand on the closest flat surface. “Dammit, Stevie.”
I held up a finger to stop her explanation and grabbed the ringing phone with a smile. “Henderson Animal Clinic, how may I help you?” I flashed the toothiest grin I could in her direction and Eddy glared.
“You’ll regret this,” she mouthed to me and left with a harrumph.
I smiled and spent the next hour and a half answering phone calls and shuffling patients in and out of the lobby and exam room. The rest of the afternoon flew by so fast I didn’t have the time or the energy to think about anything more important than what I would have for dinner tonight.
Not Scott.
Not Scott and Clara together.
Not me and Scott. Naked. Together.
Nope, all I thought about was an ice-cold beer and a big plate of Buddy’s beef and black bean nachos.
Scott
“What’s with the frown?” Ty set down a pitcher of dark beer and took the seat across from me, his ever-present stoic expression firmly in place.
I shrugged, feeling out of sorts as I scanned the after-work crowd at Black Thumb, watching single men and women circle each other while couples canoodled near the digital jukebox, danced too close on the tiny dance floor, or made out in the dark corners surrounding the pool tables in back. “I don’t know. Today has been weird.”
Ty let out a laugh, waving over Derek and Antonio as they entered. “This is Tulip, every damn day is weird.”
He was right about that. This little town could best be described as quirky, and something odd was always happening, but since the Hometown Heroes calendar became a town-wide thing, the weirdness factor had only increased. “I know that, but Eddy came in today and she brought in this woman. Clara.”
“Was she hot?” Ty asked just as Derek and Antonio arrived at the table with another pitcher of beer, wearing the smiles of the well loved and satisfied man.
“Was who hot?” Antonio’s dark brows dipped into a suspicious vee.
“Clara,” Ty answered with too much glee. “The woman Eddy brought into his clinic today.”
“Woman?” Now it was Derek’s turn to look confused. “What happened to Stevie? Maxine said that’s who they had their eye on for you.”
Though it was nice to hear confirmation that I wasn’t going crazy, that part didn’t make sense. “That’s what I was thinking, too—I mean, Eddy brought her here and hired her without my knowledge, so what’s with Clara?” Women were already confusing, and trying to figure out the logic of a group of meddling middle-aged matchmakers was impossible.
“Maybe they realized Stevie isn’t your type.” Derek’s lips quirked and I knew he was thinking about Maxine, so different from him but, somehow, he’d managed to make her fall for him.
“She isn’t,” I barked a tad too loud. “But that’s not the point. Clara was handsy as hell. I had to keep her yapping dog between us as a barrier to prevent her from shoving my face into her cleavage.”
Ty barked out a laugh. “Sounds horrible. A gorgeous woman is throwing herself at you.” He rolled his eyes. “Give me a break.”
“Give your brother a break,” Antonio insisted. “He’s attracted to a woman he’s convinced is all wrong from him and worse, the whole town is in on it.”
“The whole town?” I’d assumed Eddy and her crew were in on it, but the whole damn town?
Ty nodded. “Guess you didn’t see the Hometown Heroes Facebook page today?” With the giddiness of a teenage girl meeting her favorite pop star for the first time, Ty pulled out his phone, swiped a few times, and turned the screen so I could see it. “Take it.”
I did, and the image staring back at me was… electric. Even the static capture that should have come across as flat and lifeless was hot. Fiery and filled with sexual tension. Looking at the photo of me and Stevie in Eddy’s kitchen, it wasn’t hard to predict what had happened later that night. “Janey.”
Derek and Antonio both laughed, because they’d both been caught in similar situations by the pesky photographer we all loved… until this year, anyway. “She’s sneaky. You gotta keep your guard up, man.” Antonio shook his head but it was quickly forgotten when Buddy dropped off more beer, wings, onion rings, and sliders. “Thanks, Buddy.”
We all dug into the food and refilled our glasses, silence reigning as we stuffed our faces, completely unaware of the world around us. While I ate, I debated telling the guys what had happened between me and Stevie. Not to brag, since I wasn’t that guy, but because I needed some damn perspective.
“That photo looks like she’s kind of your type,” Ty remarked, completely out of the blue.
That was the perfect opening. “I didn’t say I didn’t like her, I said she wasn’t my type.” And both of those things were true. I couldn’t explain it and I wasn’t sure I wanted to understand it, but I couldn’t keep denying it. “Something… happened.”
The table fell silent for about a minute and then erupted into noise. Cheering and laughing, and I’m pretty sure Ty let out an excited whistle. “So, I guess she is your type. Eddy will be happy to hear that.”
I pointed at my brother and sent him a threatening glare. “Tell her, and I’ll make sure you have a target on your back until this calendar business is over.” Fear brightened his eyes but Ty kept the casual, not-worried-at-all smile on his face.
“She’ll find out eventually. It’s not like this is a private place.” Just to make his point, Ty glanced around the bar, which was even more packed than it had been an hour ago. “The question is, why would Eddy bring this Clara woman by if you already sealed the deal with your pretty assistant?”
I grunted and shook my head. “No, the question is why was Stevie completely not bothered at all by Eddy’s overt attempts to match me with Clara?” I’d had a good time—hell, a great time—last night with Stevie, but her complete lack of concern was troubling. “She didn’t appear jealous or angry. I’d say she was almost amused.”
“Do you want more than sex with her?” Derek asked. “Because you’ve said that she wasn’t your type. Twice.”
“Sounds to me like maybe the good doctor is worried maybe she didn’t have as much fun as he did.” Antonio’s smirk only angered me because it was a lie. And because he was taunting me.
“We both had a great time. I’m sure of it.” I shook my head. “I just don’t get it. She didn’t get angry at me or Eddy, and once Clara was gone, she didn’t even mention it.”
“Did you bring it up? Or last night?”
I shook my head and frowned at my brother. “No. Why would I?”
“He’s an idiot,” Ty said, pointing at me as he stared at the other two. “A doctor, and an idiot.”
“I’m right here. And I’m not an idiot.”
They all laughed like this was the biggest damn joke they’d ever heard. Then Ty turned to me. “If you’re not interested in more than one night with this woman who isn’t your type, why does it matter how she reacted the morning after?”
It was a good question, and I didn’t have a real answer for it. “I don’t know, okay? I just wasn’t ready for her easy acceptance of whatever the hell Eddy is up to now.”
“Ahhh,” Derek said around a mouthful of meat and onion rings. “You wanted Stevie to go all cavewoman on Clara and Eddy, pretend like she has some sort of claim on you? At the office, no less.” He shook his head. “Never took you for one of those guys.”
“I’m not,” I barked, getting angry all over again.
“Good,” Ty said with a smile. “Because Stevie just walked in.” Every head at the table swiveled to the door, where she strolled through and greeted Buddy with an easy smile. “You could just go talk to her.”
I could do that, but she didn’t even give the bar a cursory glance, as if she really didn’t give a damn who was inside because there was no one she wanted to see. Not even me, hell, maybe especially not me. “Maybe she’s meeting someone.” It was a weak answer, but I avoided saying more by shoving my face into my beer.
“He’s scared,” Ty announced, sounding way too damn amused. “Worried she’ll tell the whole bar he didn’t satisfy her properly.”
Ty was trying to goad me and I refused to give in, even if my gaze kept sliding over to the woman in question, watching her chat amicably with Buddy but otherwise ignore the world around her.
“He’s got it bad.” Antonio’s deep voice penetrated my thoughts, but I tuned them out as best I could because… because of Stevie.
Stevie, who was tough as nails on the outside but somehow managed to squeal like a little girl when Buddy brought out his favorite masterpiece, beef and black bean nachos, stacked with several layers of chips, extra guac and jalapeño peppers. She clapped, taking in the size of the plate with wide, excited eyes.
“See? He hasn’t heard one single thing we’ve said for the past ten minutes. Yep, he’s got it bad,” Derek agreed with a laugh. “Maxine will be delighted to hear it.”
That grabbed my attention, turning it away from the bar and back to the table. “You will all keep your damn mouths shut.”
Despite my being bigger than all of them, they all laughed. Heads back, with fists banging on the table to draw the attention of everyone in Black Thumb. It was all one big joke. Ty whistled and shook his head. “Looks like it’s been taken out of your hands. Tough luck, baby bro.”
The smirk on his face drew my attention to the door but there was no one there, just a few women stumbling out together. But when my gaze turned to the bar, to Stevie, she was no longer on her own. “Rafe,” I growled. The fire chief was a good guy. He was good-looking, according to all the women in town, and the whole firefighter thing was definitely a draw, but he didn’t date and didn’t seem to be looking for anything serious. He could break Stevie’s heart.
“Rafe might be prettier than you, but you’re still a catch.” Ty clapped me on the back with a sympathetic smile. “And he’s only made her laugh, what, three times since he sat down.”
“Just a couple minutes ago,” Antonio added, pouring more salt into a wound that shouldn’t even exist.
I knew what they were doing but no matter how much I talked myself out of it, my body wouldn’t listen. The legs of my chair scraped against the floor as I pushed it back too fast, nearly toppling it. I caught it in time, righted the chair and set Stevie in my sights. “I’ll be right back.”
Behind me, laughter and cheers sounded, but I ignored it all. I had a woman to see about.
Stevie
“So, did you become a firefighter because chicks dig them, or do you have a hero complex?” Rafe Montgomery was the fire chief, and the man looked like he belonged in the movies. On the big billboard and everything. He had thick, dark brown hair that was almost black and light brown eyes that looked gold in some lights, especially when he was holding in laughter.
“A hero complex?” His lips curled into a charming smile I was sure set plenty of hearts on fire. “Haven’t you heard? I’m an actual hero.”
He was attractive and charming, but there was no damn spark anywhere in sight. Still, I tossed my head back and laughe
d. “So, you’re one of the guys Janey convinced to go shirtless for charity?”
Rafe leaned in and stole one of my nachos, deep rumbling laughter erupting when I smacked his hand away. “If I say yes, are you gonna go out and pre-order one?”
I tapped my chin and grinned. “Maybe. I mean, the rest of the heroes are pretty hot, too, so if there’s just one dud, at least it’s for charity.” Rafe was just what I needed after a long day of reminding myself that I didn’t do jealousy. Ever. At all. He was entertaining eye candy, which was, frankly, the best kind.
He laughed again and stole another nacho. “Damn, these are good. And the perfect way to make up for being so mean.”
I frowned. “I wasn’t mean enough to share my nachos with you, Chief.”
Rafe shrugged and ordered a beer as Buddy walked past. “Where’s a little thing like you gonna put all this food?”
“I’ll find a place, Rafe, don’t you worry.” I had a healthy metabolism, and running around Scott’s office all day was an excellent calorie burner. Not to mention the Tuesday and Thursday runs to local farms and ranches, which included plenty of physical activity.
“Am I interrupting?” Scott’s deep voice boomed between us, sounding jealous and unhappy. A quick look in the mirror behind the bar revealed he was both.
“Yes,” I said sharply.
“Nope,” Rafe said at the same time, giving me a look that said he didn’t want to get in the middle of whatever the hell was on Scott’s mind.
“Actually, we were in the middle of an entertaining conversation. How can I help you, Scott?”
He blinked, like he didn’t understand why his macho pissing routine wasn’t working. “We need to talk.”
Rafe stood with an apologetic grin. “Catch you later, Stevie.”
My shoulders fell, not because I wanted Rafe to stay but because I didn’t want any part of the thunderous expression on Scott’s face. “Next time, I might even share my nachos with you.”
Hero Boss: An Alpha Male Office Romance Page 9
