Royal Trouble

by Becky McGraw

  "It's all on the computer now," she informed following him. At his office door, Wes stopped and turned to face her, because he did not want her in the small confines of his office with him. "Rocky installed some new scheduling software that integrates with your billing. That'll make it easier for you to keep up. You can keep your notes on there now too. It will all tie into your cell phone, so no more scraps of paper."

  "Really?" he asked surprised and she nodded.

  Bless Roxanne Baker for her efficiency, but learning how to operate a new computer program was going to take him even longer than doing it manually. "Thank you," he said, but he really wanted to demand that she produce the paper calendar he had operated from for years.

  "Don't thank me, it was all Annie's idea. She talked to another vet and found out how they had their office organized, then bought the software."

  "Smart idea," he said, but mentally calculated how much that efficiency had cost him.

  "Yeah, it was. I wish--" Leigh Ann started, but blood rushed up to her cheeks and she looked up at him with insecurity gripping her.

  I wish I was as capable as my sister, she finished in her mind. Wes respected Roxanne, that was evident in the smiles he gave her sister. How he interacted with her. Leigh Ann wondered how long it would be before he felt like that about her. Or if he ever would. With his stand-offish attitude since their dinner, she got the message that he didn't want to be anything other than friends with her. That was something she was just going to have to accept, and move on. But she at least wanted his respect and maybe a little admiration. She really was trying to do a good job for him.

  Leigh Ann knew that would probably be a long time in coming though. And she could understand why Roxanne had earned this man's respect. After watching her sister organize this office, and work with him while he treated his animal patients, with Leigh Ann's biggest contribution being throwing away his important notes, she knew she was just a pretender.

  As hard as she was trying to reinvent herself, Leigh Ann had a feeling she was a woman destined to be nothing more than an ornament in society. She was a pretender. At life. Emotion surged up into her throat, she sucked in a shuddering breath then turned her back to walk over to the closet.

  "Um, I'll go dig the notes out of the trash." Leigh Ann picked up the cardboard box and headed to the door.

  "I'll try and figure out the new scheduling system." Wes said shortly.

  Just thinking about digging through that barrel had bile seesawing in her stomach. The notes were not the only thing she'd thrown in there. Several days of household trash, along with used veterinary supplies and office trash was in that can too. Picking through that nasty stew to find those tiny scraps of paper would be disgusting.

  But whatever it took, she was going to do it. She had to fix this situation. Leigh Ann did not want to disappoint Wes or her sister. Mostly she didn't want to disappoint herself.

  Maybe she could do something to make the task a little cleaner though. Leigh Ann walked to the supply cabinet to pull out a pair of latex gloves, and a paper mask. After putting on both, she grabbed the cardboard box and headed outside.

  After two hours of digging and gagging, Leigh Ann felt relatively certain she had found all of the miscellaneous scraps of paper. She got up from the ground and righted the barrel, before loading all the trash back inside. When she finished, she looked down at her clothes and gagged again. She was covered from head to toe in sweat and smelly goop from the trash. But a sense of victory filled her as she picked up the box and walked back to the office to tell Wes. She hoped he would be as excited as she was.

  Leigh Ann made her way to Wes's office and elbowed the door open. "I found them!" she announced happily, holding the box in her arms up like a trophy.

  He glanced up, but went right back to staring at his computer screen.

  "Good," he replied nonchalantly, as he clicked a few keys on the keyboard then squinted at the screen again.

  Good? That was the best he could do after she'd dug around in the garbage for two hours? Frustration, then a spark of anger shot through her. Leigh Ann dropped the box on the floor near his desk. It was obvious he was engrossed in the computer system, and wasn't paying her the slightest bit of attention.

  "Yeah, and a herd of elephants is out in your waiting room. I put your first patient in exam room one," she informed sarcastically with her hands on her hips.

  "Okay, thanks," he grumbled, clicking a few more keys, but not looking up.

  "I scheduled the dancing bear for three o'clock, so you need to put that into your calendar too," she informed him with a devil riding her shoulder. She wondered what it would take to get him to actually hear what she was telling him.

  "Fine, I'll do that." He still didn't look up from the computer screen.

  "Oh and the pregnant raccoon I met out at the trash bin said to tell you that the pills you gave her for morning sickness helped a lot."

  He shook his head, a puzzled look came over his handsome face, then his eyes flew to hers. "What?"

  Leigh Ann raised a brow, then giggled at his comical expression, before laughter consumed her. Bent at the waist, clutching her stomach, she told him in between gasping breaths, "She's going to name her firstborn after you."

  On the verge of hysteria, Leigh Ann took deep heaving breaths trying to get control of herself. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard. And it felt darned good, so she embraced it, reveled in it, instead of fighting the laughter that consumed her.

  A pained groan was followed by his chair scraping back, then his hands clamped firmly on her shoulders and she was dragged up. Sucking in a surprised breath, Leigh Ann looked up into Wes's heated eyes. His jaw tightened, and his fingers cut into her shoulders as if he were waging some internal battle. After another groan, his head lowered toward hers and she held her breath anticipating the feel of his lips on hers.

  When his clean masculine scent hit her senses, she remembered where she had been and what she had been doing. She must smell just like that trash can out back. Leigh Ann put her hands on his chest and pushed back from him.

  "I smell." That had to be the understatement of the year. Leigh Ann reeked and needed a shower. As much as she wanted him to kiss her again, she was too embarrassed.

  At her words, Wes shook his head and stumbled back against the desk, looking like he just woken up from a bad dream. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, it shouldn't have happened."

  "It didn't happen," Leigh Ann corrected sullenly. Because Leigh Ann had stopped it. Wes looked relieved, but she felt like a dummy. Another taste of his kiss was all she had been able to think about all week. He had been about to give her an instant replay that her body was begging for, but all she could think about was how bad she must smell. Her nose had become immune to it after the first hour, but she knew he had to notice.

  "It did happen at the restaurant the other night, and it shouldn't have. It was a mistake, Leigh Ann. One I'm not going to repeat." His eyes were cold and serious, and the look in them froze her heart. Regret. He regretted kissing her the other night.

  "Okay, it won't happen again, then."

  Leigh Ann's chin dropped to her chest, so he couldn't see how upset that thought made her. She didn't regret kissing him, that was for sure. Well, maybe now she did. All week long he had sent her signals that should have prepared her for hearing this, but she had held out hope that he was just busy, and that was the explanation for his indifference toward her. Hearing him say the words hurt.

  "It was inappropriate, Leigh Ann. You work here, and I'm your boss," he explained gruffly. His tone almost made it seem like he blamed her for the kiss.

  She bristled and fought the unfamiliar urge to lay into him and remind him he was the one who had kissed her. That wouldn't accomplish anything though, except maybe getting her fired...again. She was close enough to that happening as it was, so it was better to keep her mouth shut. If there was one thing Leigh Ann knew how to do, it was that.

 
; She had repressed her emotions so long, it was second nature now.

  "Yes, I understand," she replied, lifting her chin a notch to finish, "I'm going up to the house and take a shower and change clothes."

  Wes swallowed down the desire to join her in the house for that shower, to finally put out the fire that had been burning inside of him since he met Leigh Ann Baker.

  "Fine, take the rest of the day off then," he offered. It was nearly three o'clock anyway, and he needed some space to get his head right. "I'll probably be out here late catching up, so grab a sandwich for supper and I'll see you in the morning."

  And sleep out here if I have to, he added mentally. Trey had left last night to go on a vacation with his parents for a few days, so that meant if Wes went up to the house, he would be alone with her tonight, and all weekend.

  She surprised him when she said, "I'll be out too. I'm going to call Roxanne, and probably have dinner with her, then get her to take me to my car. I'm not sure if I'll be here for the rest of the weekend or not."

  Relief washed through him, but curiosity followed. He wondered what she planned for the rest of the weekend. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask, but then he reminded himself he didn't have the right to ask.

  Wes didn't want to know if she had a date or something. That would just make it harder to do what he knew he needed to do. Maintain his distance.

  "Okay, then have a good weekend," he replied, dragging his eyes away from her to study the screensaver on the computer screen, instead of doing what he wanted to do, which was beg her to stay and put him out of his misery.

  Yeah, Wes needed some relief. Maybe he'd call Martha, who was the last woman he had sex with, a woman who could give him relief without strings. They were both in kind of the same situation. She had escaped a physically abusive situation, so she wasn't looking for a relationship. He had been emotionally and psychologically tortured for three years. They both got what they wanted, comfort and relief, then went on their way in the morning.

  An hour or so later in the outer office sorting supplies, Wes heard the throaty rumble of a truck coming up his gravel drive. Curiosity getting the better of him, so he went to the front door to peer outside. A huge, lifted black truck, with big mud grip tires rolled lazily up the drive toward his house. He didn't recognize it, and couldn't see the driver, so he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

  The driver stopped the big monstrosity near the front porch of his house, then dusty cowboy boots hit the ground on the far side of the truck. At the front door, Leigh Ann opened the screen door to walk out onto the porch wearing a short blue jean skirt and glittery pink tank top, accessorized by one of those knee-melting smiles of hers.

  That bright smile grabbed him by the dick and squeezed hard. When he saw that her visitor was Dylan Reed, a cowhand from the R & R, that fist moved up to constrict his heart.

  Wes wondered what the hell happened to her having dinner with her sister. It was obvious from the way the man was dressed, he was going out on the town tonight, and more than obvious that Leigh Ann was going with him.

  I'm not sure if I'll be here for the rest of the weekend or not.

  That's because she had planned on spending it fucking Dylan Reed probably.

  Hot anger shot through him, transported along his veins with a good dose of disgust. It wasn't jealousy he was feeling, Wes convinced himself. The woman standing on that porch hugging another man, after kissing him silly the other night was not the type of woman he wanted in his life.

  He had cut her loose just an hour ago. She was free to kiss or date whoever she wanted to. But damn if the thought didn't make his stomach lurch. Loneliness settled in his chest and his heart sank to his toes like a rock. He fought the urge to run over there and tell her not to go, as he watched Dylan lead her to his truck. The man opened the passenger door, then put his hands at her waist to lift her up inside.

  Wes was definitely going to town tonight. Maybe he could think straight then, get his head out of his ass and take care of his business. Not pine over a woman who was no good for him.

  Dylan stopped the truck in front of the travel trailer she had called home just a couple of weeks ago. It would be her retreat for the weekend now. A place where she could avoid running into Wes Jepson every five minutes. A place where she could gather her emotions and get rid of the anger burning a hole inside of her. It might only be three-hundred square feet, but it was enough room for her to think. And a place where she could be alone to do that.

  "Thanks for the ride, Dylan," she said with a short sigh, as she reached the steps to the trailer. Rocky had been tied up giving riding lessons to a new group of guests when she called earlier, so Dylan offered to come and get her. Her sister was going to meet her later for dinner.

  "Anytime, sugar...you sure you don't want to come out with me?" he asked with a sexy grin and a wink.

  Leigh Ann wished she felt like going with him, it would probably make her feel better, but going out was the last thing she felt like doing. "Nah, but thanks, I've had more than enough man trouble this week," she replied with a forced laugh.

  Leigh Ann had decisions to make. Like whether she was staying at the vet office or trying to find another job. She knew at the rate she was going, Wes would probably fire her soon, so she needed to be prepared, make a backup plan. Leigh Ann could not afford to be jobless again.

  Next week would be the test. The schedule was packed with office visits for cats, dogs, hamsters, a ferret and a fainting goat, as well as several farm calls. Roxanne would be there, but she expected Leigh Ann to help him. Dealing with those animals, and helping him with his treatments was going to be the supreme test of whether things were going to work out with her being his assistant. Considering her history with animals, the odds weren't good it was going to work out.

  Dylan's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Doc giving you grief?"

  Leigh Ann waved her hand then forced her lips up into a smile she didn't feel. "Not really, it's just been a long week, and I need some space."

  "Well, if you change your mind about tonight and want to let your hair down, come find me at Smack Daddy's. I'll probably be there til closing time."

  Leigh Ann stepped forward and slid her arms around Dylan's waist to give him a quick squeeze, then pushed back to smile at him. "Thanks for everything, cowboy."

  "Just lay off the beer, it makes your clothes fall off," he said with a grin. "I fixed the air conditioner, so you shouldn't have to strip this time."

  Leigh Ann shivered remembering. "No more beer for me. I learned my lesson," she assured him. And no more Wes Jepson, because she had learned her lesson there too. With one look of liquid heat from his hazel eyes, he made her drunk enough to take her clothes off as well. If she wanted to keep her job, that would have to change.

  While she was in the shower earlier, she had done some thinking. There had to be other men out there who lit her fire like Wes Jepson. Men who had his good qualities, but who weren't so jaded on love. She would just have to take her time to find one, even though that was last on her priority list right now. Wes had just been the first attractive, younger man she met after she broke free from her mother. Leigh Ann needed to slow down and focus on getting her life together now, and finding that man later. At least she knew now what she was looking for, minus the asshole tendencies.

  Think with your head Leigh Ann, not your heart. You need a man who can take care of you financially, the rest will take care of itself.

  Her mother's not-so-sage advice. Because her mother had gotten pregnant and married young, although Trudy Baker had never said it out loud, Leigh Ann couldn't help but think her mother regretted marrying her father, who was a modest farmer. She might have loved him when she married him, but when he died, she hadn't shed a tear.

  Going through life without love from your spouse was something Leigh Ann never wanted to contemplate. That is why she'd broken the four engagements arranged by her mother. After Lester, Leigh Ann vowed she wasn't sett
ling for her mother's idea of happiness. She wanted a man who loved her, a man she could love, and wasn't settling for less. But that man wasn't going to be Wes Jepson, because he'd made it perfectly clear this afternoon that he wasn't interested in a relationship with her.

  Not that she was looking for one, really. She had bigger things to worry about right now. A little sex with him wouldn't be out of the question for her though. She was darned curious what good sex involved, and from his kissing, she was sure he could teach her. Leigh Ann had never had a casual relationship with a man, but if Wes had suggested it, she might have agreed. But he didn't. Obviously, he didn't want her in any way shape or form. She wasn't even convinced he wanted her to remain his assistant.

  Now, Leigh Ann had to decide whether she could continue to work for him with that knowledge. She also had to figure out how to broach the subject with her sister tonight at dinner. Leigh Ann needed Roxanne's advice, but she was afraid her sister was going to lose control when she found out that Leigh Ann had kissed Wes Jepson...and liked it.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "Close your eyes and pick something, Leigh Ann," Rocky told her with a frustrated sigh. "I'm buying, so order what you want."

  "I'll have the steak salad and a glass of merlot, please," Leigh Ann told the waiter. The man had been standing there tapping his pen on his order pad for five minutes, answering her questions about how the food was prepared. Did he roll his eyes, before he looked down at the pad to scribble?

  Counting calories and considering carbs in her meal choices was an old habit, something she had done her entire life. Old habits were hard to break. Closing the menu, she handed it to him. He shoved it under his arm and stormed off toward the kitchen. Probably because he thought she might change her mind again. Leigh Ann needed to remember she wasn't parading herself in front of a crowd in a swimsuit anymore, or squeezing herself into beaded gowns with no give. Or listening to her mother.

  Roxanne wasn't afflicted by that problem. Thirty seconds after opening her menu, she ordered a twelve ounce ribeye, loaded baked potato and broccoli casserole drenched in cheese. Leigh Ann had always envied her sister's ability to eat what the hell she wanted and never gain a pound. She also envied her ability to tell their mother to go jump off a bridge when she tried to control her life.