“Yes, I’m Tomi Jensen,” she said to Meredith. Then she shifted her gaze and locked eyes with Ian. “Or, otherwise known as the Hollywood Diva.”
Dang. He was so busted. Hiding in his office was sounding better and better. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Ian said. He pasted on a smile that usually worked on the ladies and walked around the front desk to stand in front of her.
“Really?” Tomi said sweetly. “How did you mean it?”
Warmth crawled up Ian’s neck. He hoped his beard hid the embarrassment coloring his face. “I don’t really know.” He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “Maybe I was talking about a different Tomi Jensen?” he said, hoping she’d let him off the hook.
Amusement crinkled the corners of her eyes. “Yeah, I’m not gonna buy that one, doc.” Her cherry-colored lips curved up. “Unless there is more than one Piper Wesson living in Snow Valley.”
Meredith snickered behind him, covering it with a cough. Ian’s headache worsened as he accepted full responsibility for his words.
“No, ma’am.” He cleared his throat. “Look, I know it’s no excuse, but I’ve had a difficult morning, and now I’ve got a killer headache.” He smiled sheepishly. “Still, I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you. I’m really sorry.”
A soft smile played at the corners of her mouth as she assessed him with her blue eyes. “Apology accepted.”
“Just like that?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. He’d expected for her to make him grovel a little more.
“Yes,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “Unless you want me to go all diva on you?”
“No thanks,” he said with a laugh. He had been prepared to dislike her, certain she was shallower than the pond behind his house, but her sense of humor was making it hard not to. “How about we start over?” He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Ian Davies.”
“Tomi Jensen,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand.
Ian had felt the stirrings of attraction plenty of times and did his best to ignore the tiny jolt of electricity he felt when their palms connected. “It’s nice to meet you, Tomi,” Ian said, releasing his grip quickly. He wanted to shake his hand out like it would get rid of the unwanted reaction. Instead, he shoved it into the front pocket of his white lab coat.
Amusement danced in Tomi’s eyes as if she knew she had that kind of effect on men. Knowing Ian’s luck, the whole zing of electricity had probably only been a one-way deal. He reminded himself that he never got the girl. Besides, Tomi Jensen was an actress and probably had a slew of men after her. Now that he thought about it, he remembered Piper saying something about wishing she could steer her sister away from her Hollywood crush, and she’d like Ian to be the man to help her sister forget all about the movie star.
The office phone started ringing. Ian turned to answer it, but Meredith beat him to it. “I’ve got it.” She winked at Tomi. “By the way, I’m Meredith.”
“Nice to meet you,” Tomi said right before Meredith answered the phone. Then she turned to look at Ian. “So, what do I do first?” She held out her hands and wiggled her fingers. “Do I need to scrub in or something?”
Unable to hide his grin, he shook his head. “I think we’ll save the scrubbing in for another day.” He nodded toward the hallway. “Let’s go in my office, and you can tell me a little about your character and what you need to learn. Then I can show you around until our first appointment comes in.”
“Sounds great.” Tomi fell in step beside him, and he caught the scent of something flowery and sweet.
“Right in here,” Ian said, opening the door to his office. He flipped on the light and stepped back so she could pass by him. “Go ahead and have a seat,” he said, breathing in her floral scent once more.
Instead of taking a seat, she studied the pictures on his wall. “You were in the rodeo?” she asked, pointing to a picture of him standing next to a young Jace McAllister. The two of them had been roping partners. “Yeah, my partner and I took first place in team roping our senior year in high school.”
Tomi leaned in close to inspect the picture. “Is that Caytie’s husband, Jace?”
“Yep.” Ian moved next to her, careful not to get too close. “I forgot that you’ve already met Caytie and Jace.”
“I met them at Piper and Gabe’s wedding.” Tomi turned to look at him. “I was supposed to meet you that night, but you were a no-show.”
“I had an emergency.”
Her lips parted into another heart-stopping smile. “Did you really have an emergency or were you trying to avoid my sister’s not-so-subtle matchmaking efforts?”
“I really had an emergency.” He held her gaze, wondering if her straightforward approach was for real or just part of her flirting skills. “And I’m pretty sure Piper’s matchmaking is more of a ploy to get her favorite sister to move closer to her.”
“I’m her only sister,” Tomi said with a laugh. “And Piper knows I could never live in Snow Valley.”
“Not big enough for you?” he asked in a slightly accusatory tone. Gina had felt the same way.
One of her perfectly shaped eyebrows arched up. “No. It’s because I’m not a fan of cold weather or snow.”
“We won’t get snow for another couple of months. Besides, how can you not like snow?” Ian asked, thinking of all the fun things he enjoyed doing during the winter season like skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating, and ice fishing.
“Because it’s wet and cold,” she said dryly.
“That’s what warm outerwear is for,” Ian said, unsure why he was arguing with her. “Have you ever gone sledding or made a snowman?”
“Nope.” She lifted one shoulder up in a shrug. “But I surf and make sand castles, so I think we’re even.”
“Surfing and snowboarding are similar.”
“Right, except in one of them I get to wear a bikini.”
Ian swallowed back the argument that he’d witnessed girls skiing in swimwear before, but the image of Tomi wearing a bikini made his mouth go dry. So dry that he needed a drink of water. “We should probably get started,” he said, putting some distance between the two of them. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked, crossing the floor to the small fridge he kept stocked with water, juice and his favorite soda.
“I’ll take a water, please,” she said.
Ian crouched down and grabbed two bottles of water. Tomi sat down, and he handed her a drink before taking refuge behind his desk. He was done talking about the perks of winter sports and fun, as well as bikinis. Taking a drink of water, he asked her about her character and what she wanted to learn for it.
Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she told him about her role as Dr. Jessica Thompson, a vet for a large horse ranch. “Piper said you aren’t in the office very much, which will be perfect for me.” Before Ian could protest, she added, “I’d also like to go out on any emergency calls you get, even if it’s in the middle of the night.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said, shifting in his seat. Obviously, his plan to have her hang out in the office with Colby for a week wasn’t going to cut it. And judging by her enthusiasm, he doubted she was going to quit early. “Some of these places are in rural areas where you might not always get accurate directions from your phone.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem if we share locations with each other,” Tomi said as she pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped on the screen. “That way I can track you down no matter where you are.” She pursed her lips and squinted at him. “Wait a minute, that kind of sounded stalkerish, didn’t it?”
“It kind of did,” Ian said with a chuckle.
“Trust me, Dr. Davies,” she said dramatically. “I do not plan on stalking you for personal reasons.”
It was stupid to feel insulted, but did she really have to be so adamant? “Thank you for clarifying that, Miss Jensen.”
Her blue eyes widened. “Hey, it’s not that you aren’t hot enough to stalk for
personal reasons…I’m just…not looking to date anyone right now.”
She thought he was hot? Ian started to smile and then remembered the girl had her sights set on a movie star. “Since your interest is strictly business, I feel perfectly safe sharing my location with you.”
“Great.” She tapped on her phone again. “I’m ready when you are.”
Ian rattled off his number, and a moment later his cell phone pinged an incoming text message from an unknown caller.
He picked it up and smirked at the message from Tomi.
Out of curiosity, am I supposed to wear kitty scrubs like Meredith has on?
Ian quickly typed a reply, even though she was sitting right in front of him. Not unless you want to.
Her phone pinged, and Ian lifted his eyes to see her tapping on her screen much more quickly than he did. Looking back down at his phone, her message appeared almost like magic.
Do I need a cool white coat like you’re wearing?
He was pretty sure his white lab coat was anything but cool. Without hesitating, he tapped out his reply. If you want the cats and dogs to take you seriously, you do.
He pushed send and seconds later her phone pinged. Tomi’s snicker made him smile. Ian glanced up at the same time she did, and their eyes met and held. Slowly, the laughter in her eyes shifted into something softer, making Ian’s mouth feel like he’d stuffed it full of cotton balls.
“Well, I definitely want them to take me seriously,” she said coyly. “Is there a cool-white-coat store where I can pick one up?”
Ian swallowed hard and scooted back from his desk, breaking eye contact with her. What was he doing? It was stupid to flirt with a girl who flirted for a living.
“Nothing locally.” He stood up and walked over to the small closet in his office and opened the door. “I’m sure this will be way too big, but you’re welcome to use it until we can pick one up in Billings.” He removed the spare coat from a hanger and turned to find her standing nearby.
“Thank you.” She took it from him and slipped one arm in and then the other. The coat drowned her. “I doubt hamsters would take me seriously in this,” she said, holding out her arms.
Ian laughed, grateful for her quick wit. He had been very close to telling her how adorable she looked in the oversized white coat. “I’m sure Meredith has a set of kitty scrubs you can borrow if you’re worried about ruining your clothes.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” She slipped off the coat and handed it to him. “I’ll talk to the costume designer. Maybe she can send me something early.”
The reminder that Tomi was an actress and this was all for pretend helped rein in Ian’s attraction to her. Hanging the coat back up, he led her out of his office, giving her a quick tour of the facility he’d recently updated since taking over the practice. She asked a lot of good questions, using her phone to keep notes on the answers he gave her.
Their first appointment was right on time. Mrs. Norris doted on her cat, Theodore, and Ian wondered what ailment the poor thing had this month. After introducing Tomi to the eccentric woman, Ian examined Theodore while Mrs. Norris apprised him of the feline’s gastrointestinal issues in vivid detail.
Tomi’s face paled as Ian took the animal’s temperature. There was only one accurate way to do this, and it wasn’t a pleasant option. Theodore didn’t like it and hissed as Ian waited the appropriate amount of time.
Thankfully, the cat didn’t have any accidents during or after the procedure. “Theo’s temp is normal,” Ian said, keeping a hold of the cat with one hand while using his other hand to unwind the stethoscope from around his neck to plug the tips into his ears. He continued with the examination, not noting anything other than Theo was grossly overweight for a cat of his age.
After questioning Mrs. Norris about the cat’s diet, Ian knew what the problem was. “How often are you feeding Theodore?” Ian asked, winding the stethoscope around his neck.
“Only two times a day, just like you said. I fill up the dish in the morning and then again at night.” Mrs. Norris reached out and stroked the cat’s long fur. “He also gets a few snacks throughout the day.”
“How much are you feeding him two times a day?” Ian asked, ignoring the puffs of cat hair Mrs. Norris dislodged with her frequent petting. “And how big is the feeding bowl?”
“Well, I tried using a small one, but Theo is a big boy and was always so hungry. I find he’s much happier if I fill up a larger bowl in the morning and again in the evening.”
“Theo is grossly overweight, Mrs. Norris.” Ian smiled, hoping to soften his reprimand. “It’s not good for his health, and I know you want what’s best for Theo, right?”
Eyes wide, Mrs. Norris pressed her quivering lips together. “Yes, of course I do.”
“Good.” Ian ran a finger over the cat’s head, dislodging more orange hair. “One of my reps brought by a new slow-feed cat bowl I’d like you to try. It’s specifically designed to make Theo slow down during his feeding, plus it only allows you to add a small amount of food at a time.”
“How much is it?” Mrs. Norris asked. Ian knew the widow lived on a fixed income but if the new cat bowl worked, she’d save money each month in cat food alone.
“No cost. The company left me a few samples to give out for my clients to try.” Ian glanced at Tomi. “Would you mind getting one of the bowls? There should be one in the cupboard behind you.”
While Tomi looked through supplies, Ian wrote down the feeding instructions for Mrs. Norris, clearly spelling out how much food to give and when to give it.
“Is this it?” Tomi asked, holding up a gray bowl shaped like a kitty face.
“Yes, thank you.” He handed Mrs. Norris the feeding instructions and then turned to get the bowl from Tomi. As she handed it to him, the bowl slipped free from the shrink wrap and clattered to the tiled floor.
“Whoops, sorry,” Tomi said, bending down to pick up the rubberized bowl. Her movement must have startled Theodore because the cat leapt off the table and landed right on Tomi’s back. She let out a small yelp and jerked upright. The little dance she was doing didn’t dislodge the cat. Instead, it made him dig his claws in deeper. Tomi’s eyes widened as she tried to swipe the cat from her back.
“Theodore, you get down this instant,” Mrs. Norris said as if she were scolding a naughty child.
Ian reached out to get the cat, but Tomi was wiggling too much for him to get a good grasp. “You’ll have to stand still,” he said, trying not to laugh at the sight of the large, long-haired tabby clinging to the back of her shirt.
“Says the man without sharp claws digging into his back.” She stopped moving, allowing Ian access to extricate the feline.
“Come here, boy,” Ian said, gently tugging on the cat. One of the claws was stuck in the fabric, leaving a small snag in the material as it pulled free. Orange cat hair covered the back of Tomi’s shirt. Protecting clothing was another reason to wear scrubs or a lab coat. He hoped her shirt wasn’t a designer piece. He would buy her another one but didn’t feel like spending a small fortune.
Mrs. Norris took Theodore from Ian. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” she asked, stroking the cat’s fur along his back.
“I think so,” Tomi answered, trying to wipe away some of the cat hair sticking to her sleeve.
“Oh, I was talking to Theo,” Mrs. Norris said, cuddling her pet close. “But, of course, I’m worried about you too.”
Ian smothered a laugh at the look of indignation on Tomi’s face. “Of course,” she said, handing over the specialty bowl to him.
“Thanks.” Before he let loose a laugh, he quickly turned his attention back to his client. “I’ll walk you out to the desk, Mrs. Norris.” He opened the door and then met Tomi’s eyes. “I’ll send Meredith in with a lint roller.”
“Perfect.” She brushed at the stubborn cat hair on her shoulder. “But I may take her up on the kitty scrubs too.”
“I’ll let Meredith know.” Ian followed Mrs.
Norris out the door and walked her to the front desk. Since Meredith was on the phone, Ian showed Mrs. Norris the basic concept of the cat feeder.
“What about my bill?” Mrs. Norris asked.
“I’ll have Meredith send it out to you,” Ian said, walking her to the door. “You can settle up when you bring Theo back in for a weight check in three weeks.”
“Thank you.” She lifted one of the cat’s paws to wave at him. “Say goodbye to Dr. Davies.”
“See you in a few weeks,” he said, opening the door for her.
As Ian came around the front desk, Meredith hung up the phone. “Want me to send out her bill again?”
“Yes, please. Make sure to give her the family discount.” He pulled open a drawer and grabbed one of the many lint rollers his assistant kept on hand. “Theo dive-bombed my apprentice. Do you happen to have a clean set of scrubs here?”
“Uh-huh, but I doubt they’ll fit.” Meredith rolled back her chair and stood up. “She’s half my size.”
“They’ll be just fine,” Ian said with a chuckle. “I’ll send her out here so she can change in the break room.”
Meredith scooted back from the desk. “By the way, your three-thirty appointment just canceled, but Ivy Thomas called and asked if you could come by and check one of the mares about to foal when you get a chance. I told her you might be able to come around four.” Meredith stood up and pushed her chair back in. “Ivy promised to feed you homemade cookies if you do.”
“Sounds great.” Ian pivoted on his heel and walked back to the room he’d left Tomi in. She would probably want to ride along with him to see the mare. He wasn’t sure that was a good idea.
Kellen Thomas and Jace McAllister both lived with their wives on the GH Ranch. The two men were like brothers and were both Ian’s friend. He knew they’d love teasing him about his pretty new sidekick. Their wives, Ivy and Caytie, would likely jump on board with Piper about getting him to date Tomi.
The door was cracked open, and he could hear Tomi talking to herself. She didn’t sound very happy. Maybe she’d decide to call it quits, leaving him free the rest of the day. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and tried not to laugh. Facing the opposite direction, she had her head bent with one arm reaching behind her to brush at her plaid shirt.
Caught Kissing the Cowboy: A Return to Snow Valley Romance Page 3
