by Beau Brown
The summer heat brought out the pungent fragrance of the crape myrtle that grew wild around the yard. I headed slowly toward the barn as Avery pointed to the cows in the distance and the horses nearby. He was so excited to be outside, I wondered if no one ever let him out of the house.
As we neared the barn Jake came out of the building carrying two buckets of paint. He didn’t have his shirt on any longer, and his sinewy pecs and biceps gleamed with sweat. Against my will, my eyes were drawn to the thin line of dark, silky hairs that trailed down to his belt. His jeans hung low on his narrow hips, and they fit his muscled thighs perfectly.
I swallowed against the surprising punch of attraction that hit me. His musky scent mixed with sweat had my omega instincts responding whether I liked it or not. I averted my eyes, but not before he noticed me staring.
“Papa!” Avery jumped up and down. “Can I help paint?”
Dragging his irritable gaze from mine, Jake snapped, “No.”
I patted the little boy’s head, trying to comfort him from how harsh his father sounded. “You don’t have to bite his head off.”
“Why are you over here? We’re working,” Jake grumbled.
An alpha about my age strolled over, his gaze friendly. “You must be the new manny.” He seemed oblivious to Jake’s anger. It made me suspect perhaps Jake’s bark was worse than his bite.
I forced myself to smile, still irritated with Jake’s boorish treatment of his son. I held out my hand. “I’m Hunter.”
“Tex.” The guy winked as he gripped my fingers.
I shot Jake a glance. “I didn’t think it would hurt anything to let Avery out of the house for five minutes.”
Jake set the paint cans down and he moved closer to me. His earthy scent filled my nostrils and my pulse picked up again. “I hired you to keep my son out of my hair during work hours.” He spoke softly enough that I knew Avery couldn’t hear him.
“He’s not a vampire. He needs to get outside and be a kid.”
“It’s a big ranch. Maybe take him over by the lake where he can feed the ducks or something,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t know you had a lake.” My voice was clipped as I held his angry gaze.
He blinked at me. “Okay. True. You wouldn’t.”
His change in demeanor threw me.
“I’ll give you a tour,” Tex volunteered.
Jake’s expression tensed. “No. I can do it.”
“I don’t mind,” drawled Tex, running his gaze over my body. It didn’t offend me because alphas couldn’t help themselves from being alphas.
“I said I’d do it.” Jake’s voice was gruff.
Tex held his hands up. “Whatever you say, boss.”
Jake turned and walked into the barn. I stared after him confused. He seemed like he couldn’t stand me or Avery, but now he was volunteering to take us on a tour of the ranch? When he returned, he had his shirt on.
“Follow me,” he growled, brushing past me.
I gave Tex a puzzled glance, and he shrugged. I lifted Avery into my arms and strode after Jake, breathing hard from carrying the little boy. It was impossible to keep up with Jake and eventually I put Avery on the ground and gave up even trying. Instead I focused on Avery and I talked with him softly, pointing out the tangled zinnias and verbena along the path.
Jake was about twenty feet ahead of us and he stopped when he noticed we were dawdling. “Come on. Come on. I don’t have all day.”
I scowled. “This is supposed to be enjoyable for Avery. We’re not in the army.”
He gave a long, weary sigh. “I thought you were here to help me.”
“Yeah. I’m here to help you by taking care of Avery.” I glanced back the way we’d come. “Go back to work. I can find my way back.”
“You don’t know where the lake is.”
“I assume it’s along this path?” I gave a dry laugh. “I can find the lake now that I know it exists. Go back to your painting, and me and Avery will have a nice, relaxing stroll.”
“Papa, come to the lake with us.” Avery clapped his hands.
“I can’t.”
Avery’s mouth turned down in a pout.
Jake walked back toward us. “Are you sure you can find your way back?”
“Yes.”
He bit his lip. “The sun will be down in a couple of hours.”
“We won’t stay too long.”
“Fine.” He surprised me when he reached out and ruffled his son’s hair. He looked up and caught me watching him and he clenched his jaw. “Don’t make me come looking for you two.”
He strode away with his shoulders stiff and unyielding.
CLICK HERE FOR BOOK TWO
OTHER BOOKS BY BEAU BROWN
Omega Lover Book #1
Omega Daddy Book #2
Omega’s Choice Book #3
Omega Lover Box Set
The Cop and His Omega
The Sherriff Surrenders (Sweet Water Omegas #1.5 Written by my pal E.E. Wilde)
The Manny Tames the Cowboy (Sweet Water Omegas #2)
Stealing A Cowboy’s Heart (Sweet Water Omegas #3)
Baby Doctor (Poppy Field #1)
Cowboy’s Omega (Poppy Field #2)
Baby Donor (Poppy Field #3)
Alpha’s Secret Baby (Poppy Field #4)
Manny Problems (Poppy Field #5)
Omega’s Protector (Poppy Field #6)
Omega’s Song (Poppy Field #7)
A Husband for Christmas
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Copyright (c) 2019 by Beau Brown
Doctor Perfect
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Beau Brown at [email protected]
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
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