“Yes. I lived there while I was in college.” After graduating high school and getting accepted at the University of Florida, she’d been ready to move on campus, but her father had said she could go only if she commuted from home. Haley had been so anxious to become a vet that she would have walked the thirty miles to and from the school each day if that meant she got to go. But, wanting her independence, she’d fixed up the old storage area above the garage.
With her dad’s assistance.
Odd, how close they’d been. She’d always suspected that it wasn’t a financial issue that had him wanting her to live at home when she went to university. She’d thought the main reason was that he would miss her.
Haley sighed. How different things were then. She’d have never believed the two of them would go a year without speaking. But this month marked thirteen months since he’d announced that, after thirty-eight years of marriage, he’d fallen for a woman he’d met on one of his business trips. Then left her mom on her own to take care of Haley’s grandfather.
“Even if he doesn’t live in the house, he would see her every day, right? Your grandfather? Did you ask him if he had seen your mom?”
“I would ask him, but he also didn’t answer his phone yesterday or today. And he isn’t great at returning phone calls. He says if someone really wants to talk to you, they’ll call back.”
Chuckling, Aaliyah logged the heartworm meds on her inventory spreadsheet. “You know, he does have a point. I may stop returning calls, too.”
Haley smirked. “That’s fine for your personal calls, but I’d appreciate you calling our clients back.”
“Gotcha. But it sounds like you should keep calling your grandfather then. Eventually he’ll pick up.”
“Trust me, I have been.”
Aaliyah frowned. “Isn’t there a neighbor or a friend you can call to check on her? Or...what about your dad? I mean, he still lives in the area, right?”
“He lives there,” Haley said, unable to stop the grimace that accompanied the thought, “but I’m not calling him. Especially about Mom.”
Aaliyah pointed her pen in the air. “Duly noted. Okay. Maybe someone from her church could check on her?”
“She stopped going to church a year ago.” Haley didn’t add that they’d both stopped at the same time. “And she doesn’t really have anyone that she’s all that close to anymore. Most of her time is spent taking care of my grandfather.”
“I think it’s awesome how she takes care of him like that.”
“Yeah, particularly since he’s never been the nicest of people. He scared me to death when I was little. Honestly, I never knew how my grandmother put up with him when she was alive.” Haley finished updating the files on the computer and glanced at the clock. A quarter to two. “Oh, my. Gavin will be here soon to help me collect the animals for the visit to Willow’s Haven.”
“Gavin will be here soon? Wow. I’m away for a day and he moves to first-name status. The other night, I’m pretty sure I heard you compare him to a bear.” Aaliyah’s eyes practically glittered with excitement at this new predicament. “And then yesterday, you’re sitting at the alcove, in your truck, looking very comfortable with the guy.”
“It wasn’t anything more than a discussion, trust me.”
“I figured, given your stance on men.” Aaliyah paused and looked at Haley thoughtfully. “You know, all men aren’t like your dad.”
“You mean acting like they’re committed for life then leaving? The thing is, it wasn’t just his leaving that hurt. He knew why I moved so far away, because Doc Sheridan had told me he would be retiring and this was a way to get my own clinic going faster. When I said I wanted to stay closer to home, he encouraged me to move, saying he and my mom wouldn’t be at home much anyway once he retired. That they’d be on their own again, like newlyweds.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“Yeah, it would’ve been. She had been looking forward to that time with him for as long as I can remember. And then, after I’ve established myself here, not only with the clinic but buying a home, he leaves my mom.” She swallowed. “Instead of the retirement he promised, and those trips and great times with my dad, my mom is all alone. And I’m here, five hundred miles away.”
“Haley, are you thinking about moving back to Ocala?” Worry filled Aaliyah’s tone. She and Haley had gotten close during their time together at the clinic. Plus, Haley knew she liked her job here, even if it was part-time, and who knew whether another vet would let her work the minimum hours she needed to finish her degree and spend time with her little girl?
“I’ve suggested that to Mom several times, but she keeps reminding me of how difficult it is to start a clinic from the ground up, especially around Ocala, where there’s a vet nearly every mile. And she said we can still be as close because we talk every day.”
“And then she didn’t call.”
“Or answer her phone when I called her,” Haley lamented. “It’s bizarre.”
“Maybe things aren’t as they seem and everything is A-OK in Florida.”
“Maybe so.” Haley closed the computer files and viewed the screen saver, a photo of her and her mom from last Christmas. “But if I haven’t heard from her by tomorrow, I’m driving down.”
Aaliyah noted her place on the inventory sheet and looked pointedly at Haley. “You really are worried about them, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Well, I’ll be praying that you hear from your mom soon.”
Haley paused. Gavin had offered to pray for her yesterday. And now Aaliyah.
Everyone kept talking to God on her behalf.
She wondered what He thought of that.
“I’m going to get Buddy ready to go. Can you take Honey and Sugar for their nature walks while we’re at Willow’s Haven?”
“Sure,” Aaliyah said as the door opened and Gavin entered, his sheer presence filling the room like an electrical current.
Or maybe it just seemed that way to Haley.
But...wow.
He wore a navy denim shirt, the sleeves rolled up and consequently showcasing tanned, muscled forearms. Well-worn jeans and hiking boots completed the look of a rugged outdoorsman totally comfortable in his world. He looked like he’d just come in from hiking. Or riding a horse. Or chopping wood. Building a raft. Or a house. An active man, not afraid of hard work.
He looked like a guy...you’d want to go on a hike with. Or share a picnic. Or ride horses. Maybe go to dinner with.
Build a house with.
If you were wanting any of those things.
And she wasn’t.
She wanted a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. And, blessedly, that was all he wanted, too.
Which was perfect.
“Oh, look, Gavin is here,” Aaliyah said, barely above a whisper, but Haley heard and quickly put her thoughts back in order.
“Hey, Gavin. Let me get Buddy and then we can go get the other animals,” she said.
“I’ll help you.” He nodded toward the office as he walked to Haley. “Good to see you, Aaliyah.”
“You, too, Mr. Thomason,” she said.
As Haley led Gavin toward the back, she made a mental note to pinch Aaliyah at the first opportunity.
Gavin stopped to pet Honey and Sugar on his way to Buddy’s kennel. “What happened to the other guy—the one that visited us at the truck yesterday? Roscoe, wasn’t it?”
“Landon picked him up earlier. They wanted him back at the farm so he can get used to the new filly and so she can get used to him being around.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“It is.” She stopped walking to watch him, standing there while Honey proceeded to lick each of his fingers. “I think she likes you.”
“What’s not to like?” he quipped. When she lifted her brow, he r
eminded her, “You forgave me for being a bear, remember?”
“I did,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t remember how much fun you are when you aren’t in the mood for...”
“For what?” he asked.
“For humans.”
His deep, rumbling laugh sent a ripple of goose bumps down her arms. She mentally scolded herself for letting her natural response to a good-looking male get in the way of her friends-only status with Gavin Thomason.
Who happened to be a very good-looking male.
If she were saying... Which she wasn’t. Especially not to Aaliyah. Or to anyone else in Claremont.
She turned away from Gavin and Honey to find the smallest animal in the place toddling to the front of his kennel and sticking his tiny nose through the gate.
“Well, look at you.” She put her finger out for Buddy to lick.
“Yeah, look at him,” Gavin remarked. She could tell from the warmth radiating at her side that he now stood directly beside her. “He looks like he’s feeling better. And his fur...it actually looks soft.”
“The fact that he’s got some liquids in him doesn’t hurt, and I gave him a bath this morning with a moisturizing pet shampoo that should benefit his skin and coat.” She opened the kennel and gently scooped him out.
He continued licking at her fingers and even wagged his tail as she moved him into the crook of her arm.
“You would think he knew he was going to see Eli today,” Gavin said.
“I think he can tell something exciting is happening.” Haley nuzzled his nose to hers then grabbed the small red leash and collar she’d gotten for the puppy and attempted to put it on one-handed. He kept wriggling free until Gavin, chuckling, slid his hands beneath his belly to hold him still.
“She’s just putting your collar on,” he said softly. “Stop squirming.”
“That’s right.” Haley snapped the collar in place and checked the silver tag to make sure the clinic’s phone number was legible. “I put one of the clinic tags on him for now, but I’m guessing Eli plans to keep him, right? So I’ll need to get the Willow’s Haven contact information on the collar and then we can update it with Eli’s new address after he’s placed in a home.”
Gavin’s mouth dipped to the side. “Brodie and Savvy are doing their best to get approval from the state to keep pets at Willow’s Haven, but, so far, they’re hitting a wall. The social worker isn’t sure it would be beneficial for the kids to get too attached to an animal that might not be going to their permanent homes.”
“Why couldn’t they go to their permanent homes?”
“From what I’ve heard from Brodie and Savvy, it’s because some people are allergic to animals and can’t allow them in the home. And some people don’t like animals.”
She stroked the tiny area between Buddy’s ears, gazing down fondly at the puppy Eli already cared so much about. “Well, if you ask me, if the kids get attached to a pet, then they should be able to take that pet with them wherever they go. These kids need all the love they can get. And you can’t get any better form of unconditional love than from a pet.”
* * *
Gavin continued holding the puppy while she secured the leash, standing close enough that he could see the truth of her statement in her eyes. She honestly believed there was no better form of unconditional love?
He’d known God meant for him to support her, so he’d be crazy if he let her statement, or this opportunity, pass him by. “A pet’s love is unconditional, but there’s also the unconditional love that children should experience from their parents. Some of the Willow’s Haven kids haven’t known that yet. The ones that were abandoned. Hopefully they will learn about it at Willow’s Haven and receive that kind of love in their new homes. But the best example of unconditional love, of course, comes from God.”
She took a quick breath, as though she were going to say something, and Gavin wondered if he’d finally get a glimpse into what had caused her to turn her back on her faith. But then she blinked, bit her lower lip and said, “I hope the state will see that the kids could really benefit from having pets of their own. And in the meantime, we’ll make sure to give them plenty of opportunities to love these animals.”
With Buddy’s collar and leash now in place, she slid him from Gavin’s palms and held him up to her face. “Isn’t that right, Buddy?”
Gavin knew better than to push the subject. Their “friendship” was still fragile, in a very early stage. But he knew with certainty that he was supposed to help her through whatever her spiritual issues were, and he would, eventually.
Right now, however, she wasn’t ready for any type of God talk.
“Normally, I’d put a photo of Buddy in the lobby on the Rescue Me wall, but I’m not going to do that this time,” she said, forging ahead without giving him any chance of furthering discussions on unconditional love. “Eli wants him and he should have him. We’ll merely wait until that can happen. And in the meantime, we’ll make sure they get to spend plenty of time together.”
Odd that he didn’t find himself recoiling when she’d said “we,” naturally including Gavin in her future plans involving Willow’s Haven. Without the threat of a relationship beyond friendship, there was no reason he couldn’t work wholeheartedly with this incredible, striking lady to provide a great program for the kids.
Striking? Where had that come from?
Buddy licked her nose and she laughed, her cheeks lifting and drawing attention to vivid green eyes within a bounty of thick lashes. He noticed her blond hair, loosely contained in a high ponytail with wisps curling all around her jaw and down her neck.
He wondered what she looked like with her hair down.
Whoa. Okay, so striking nailed it. But that was fine. He could have a beautiful, striking friend. He’d had attractive friends in the past, so that shouldn’t impact his ability to maintain the friendship status that they both wanted. Plus, he didn’t have to look far to remember everything he’d lost when Selah and their baby boy died. Every time he saw a mother and baby, even yesterday when he’d seen the mare and filly, he was reminded of the pain of his past.
And the fact that he didn’t want to open his heart up to that potential torture again.
Therefore he needed to get his mind on something other than Haley Calhoun’s natural, eye-catching beauty. “Why don’t I carry Buddy?”
The tiny dog emitted a high-pitched, excited bark and Haley laughed again.
It didn’t help that her laugh was adorable.
“Sure.” She grinned as she handed him over. “I would put him in a kennel for traveling, but he’s been in this one for a while. I think he’d like to be free, if you don’t mind holding him.”
“Don’t mind at all.” He was grateful for the wriggling thing licking at his knuckles, because it kept his mind off his new, extremely attractive friend.
“Okay, then, let’s go.” She moved past him and left him to follow in the wake of apples, cinnamon and a swishing blond ponytail.
No doubt about it. It’d take more than the squirming puppy in his arms to keep his mind off Haley Calhoun.
Chapter Eight
“This is your house?” Gavin took a moment to absorb the unique scene. A turquoise cottage with stark white trim accenting the doors, windows and porch. It looked like something belonging on a sandy beach instead of being tucked into the wooded confines at the base of the Lookout Mountains. Exquisite, in a modern yet rustic kind of way. And Gavin liked it immensely. So unique. So distinctive.
So...Haley.
“I may not live in Florida anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like having those fun beach hues in my world.” She grinned as she turned to look at him. She’d left the truck windows down and the breeze played with those blond wisps, several brushing against her delicate cheekbone. “Do you like it?”
“Yes,
” he said, speaking the truth, whether talking about the house...or the woman who lived there. He absorbed more of the details of her home. A wooden picket fence bordered the perimeter. The vivid red door centering the front porch matched the humongous red barn at the back of the property. “That barn is bigger than the house.”
She laughed and nodded. “Which makes sense, since it has more occupants.”
Several of the “occupants” came into view as they neared. The most prominent of the lot was a silver horse with a stunning white mane and tail, as well as white hindquarters with charcoal spots. He tilted his proud head and neighed loudly as Haley drove past the house and headed to the barn.
“It’s okay, Sterling,” she called out the window. “He’s a friend.” She glanced at Gavin. “Just so you know, he’s a bit possessive. Jealous, even.”
“Jealous?”
She winked. “You’ll see.”
And that wink made her even cuter.
Friends, Gavin reminded himself. Nothing more. He didn’t want anything more, couldn’t let anything more happen to his heart.
God, help us keep this relationship where it needs to be, for both of our sakes. And help me find a way to break through her walls and bring her back to You.
The other farm occupants came into view as they pulled up to the barn. A fat black cat, perched at the opening to the hayloft, looked mildly perturbed that they had company.
“That’s Fang. I’d bring him with us, but he’ll only come if he’s in the mood to cooperate.”
“I’m guessing that isn’t typically his nature,” Gavin said.
“Hardly, but we’ll give it a go.”
She parked the truck near the front of the barn and climbed out. “Now, we’re only here for a few minutes, but I’ll do my best to give you all some attention before we leave,” she announced, and Gavin realized she was speaking to the crew at large rather than to him. Then she turned to the other occupant in the truck. “Buddy, you be good in here while we’re gone, okay?”
Finally a Bride Page 8
