Never Expected You

by Jody Holford

  “You’re welcome. Is there anything else you need done for company?”

  Stella looked around the yard. They probably wouldn’t get too many more days of this late summer. “Why don’t we set up some lawn games? Charlie will love that. I’ll run into town later and get stuff for salads, and Taylor said she’d take care of bringing a cake. Dec will bring beer and wine.”

  Zach set his cup on the mower and picked up a stick, tossing it for the dogs who gave chase. “You and Dec ever date?”

  Stella frowned. “Uh, no. Why?”

  Zach shrugged but didn’t look at her. “Just curious.”

  Neither of them needed to be curious. If she let herself indulge in the memory, Stella could still taste his lips on hers. She could still feel his fingers digging into her skin as he kissed her senseless. So, she didn’t indulge. Because they both knew there was something more important at stake here.

  “I don’t exactly have a lot of time to date. Free time hasn’t really been in huge supply.”

  The dogs came back, Soda carrying the stick. Zach took it and threw it long again. Stella did her best not to stare at his arms and the way his muscles bunched as he whipped the stick ten times farther than she ever could.

  “You’ve got more time now,” he said.

  She smiled. “You’re right. I do. Thanks to you, I have some space in my schedule. Which means I can make time for things I enjoy.”

  Zach turned, and his gaze burned into hers. “Awesome.”

  Why she wanted to mess with him was beyond her. Except that she was feeling lighter and happier than she had in a long while. Stepping closer, she looked up at him. God, he was tall and built and smelled so good she wanted to bury her face in his neck. Which was exactly why she should find a date. Find someone to distract her from the feelings Zach brought out. Feelings she didn’t want. There might be time in her schedule for a fling, but there was no room in her heart for anything more.

  “You know what I haven’t had in forever?”

  Zach looked at her lips, licked his own. Stella’s belly tightened. His voice came out rough when he asked, “What?”

  She breathed in, deep and slow. “A good, long, hard ride.”

  His jaw dropped, and his eyes darkened to an almost feral shade. “Is that so?”

  Stella nodded. “It is. Would you mind?”

  His hands went to his hair and he tunneled his fingers through it. So he didn’t touch her? “Doc,” he said, his voice low and needy.

  She bit her lip. “I’ll only be about a half hour once I get Chocolate Chip saddled up. When I get back, I’ll take care of setting up some of the lawn games. I think I have bocce and ladder ball.”

  Zach scowled, realizing she’d been messing with him. He leaned down so they were eye to eye. “You’re a bit evil.” He tried to fight the amused quiver of his lips but lost.

  She poked him in the belly. Which was rock hard. “You’re a big boy. You can handle it.”

  “Payback is a bitch, Doc.”

  She took her coffee and turned, shooting him a sassy smirk back at him over her shoulder. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

  With a smile on her face and some free time on her hands, Stella headed for the barn.

  …

  With the evening growing dark, the lights Zach had hung around the back porch resembled stars close enough to touch. Stella tossed the two balls held together by a thin rope toward the ladder. When it looped around the rung she wanted, Charlie jumped up and down then came to give her a high five.

  “We win,” he said.

  Stella high-fived him. “Yeah we did.”

  “Because Stella cheats,” Declan said, glaring at her.

  “You’re just a poor sport,” Stella returned.

  “This does not count as a sport,” Declan said.

  Taylor laughed, going to retrieve the bolas. “I think you’re both lousy winners and losers,” she said.

  Declan pointed at her. “See? That attitude there is why we lost.”

  Taylor laughed harder and shook her head. “No way. We lost because you missed three shots entirely.”

  From the wide, refinished porch, Megan, Adam, Sheila, and Garrett watched, amused expressions on all their faces. Parks was manning the BBQ, and Zach had gone to show Shane around the clinic and property. Stella’s heart felt oddly full as she laughed along with her friends.

  “She’s got you there, Dec,” Garrett said, saluting him with his beer before taking a long pull.

  “Steaks will be done soon. You want to grab the salads, Stell?” Parker asked.

  “Rematch after dinner,” Declan said.

  Taylor handed him the bolas. “Maybe you should practice while we eat,” she said.

  Charlie laughed, and Declan zeroed in on him. “You think that’s funny, squirt?” He picked him up, making Charlie squeal in delight. “Next time, it’s you and me against the girls.”

  Still laughing upside down, Charlie looked at Stella. “Okay. I don’t mind losing to girls.”

  Shane and Zach were on their way back when Stella took the steps up to the porch. She was still laughing as she walked toward the back door. Sheila followed behind her.

  “Let me help you with the salads, hon,” she said.

  In the kitchen, Stella couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She pulled out the potato and pasta salads from the fridge.

  “These look delicious. Thank you for inviting us to join you,” Sheila said.

  “My pleasure. I’m glad you guys could come.”

  Sheila grabbed the green salad while Stella pulled a few bags of chips out of the pantry.

  “It’s good to see my boy so happy,” Sheila said as Stella grabbed napkins and paper plates.

  She looked up and saw Zach’s mom was watching her. “He’s been a huge help. I didn’t want to admit I needed it, but he kept pushing and I’m glad he did.”

  “Your dad would be so proud of you, Stella.”

  Tears pushed against the happiness bursting inside of her chest. “I hope so. I’d like to think he’d approve of Zach being here. That maybe he’d have done the same thing.”

  Sheila nodded. “Until he left for the army, Zach didn’t have a lot of great male role models. I know your dad mattered to him. Thank you for letting him be part of this.”

  Stella knew she should be the one thanking him. “I know he’s happy to be home. I’m glad the timing worked out so well.”

  “There’s nothing a parent wants more than to see their child happy.”

  Nodding, Stella ignored the tightness in her chest. Her dad had seen her happy. He’d seen her get her degree, her license, and he’d helped her through her broken engagement. It didn’t feel like enough, and she knew she’d never stop being angry he’d been taken too soon, but she found comfort in Sheila’s words. If nothing else, he’d known she was home and happy.

  “I’ll take these out,” Sheila said, stacking one salad on top of the other and heading for the door.

  Stella took a deep breath and let it out. He’d be happy with the choices she made.

  “You okay, Doc?” Zach asked from behind her. He was too quiet for such a big man.

  Sniffling just a little, she turned. “I am.” And though Stella believed in the second shoe dropping more than glass slippers, she really was.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Zach didn’t mean to sneak up on her and he expected her to brush off her obvious emotion. She was more than a little sensitive about showing weakness. Instead, she gave him a luminous smile after he asked her if she was okay.

  “I just came in to see if you needed anything else brought out,” he said, coming over to take the napkins and plates.

  “That was thoughtful,” she said. He watched her visibly collect herself and didn’t mind. He knew a thing or two about wanting to control how people saw him. But he hoped, in time, around him, she’d feel like she didn’t have to put on a mask.

  “My mother told me I wasn’t being a good host,” h
e said, making her smile.

  He liked seeing her with her friends—people he knew she considered family. It was like seeing her with the animals.

  “I like your mom.” She loaded up a tray with dressings, salt, pepper, and chips.

  “The feeling is mutual.”

  As they moved toward the door, she stopped and tipped her head up, looking at him. Fuck. He lived with her, saw her every day and still, every now and again, her beauty grabbed him by the throat.

  “Shane seems nice,” Stella said.

  “He is. He was in the army as well and loves animals and my mom, so it was pretty easy to make conversation with him.”

  She continued to stare in that assessing way she had. “Easier than you thought it would be?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  She laughed, and he opened the door, gesturing for her to go first. They were an eclectic bunch, he thought, as they sat around a huge picnic-style table that was made from a long, refinished door.

  “This table is incredible,” his mom said, beaming at Stella.

  “Thanks. Taylor made it. She’s incredibly talented. She refinished the dresser in my bedroom as well,” Stella said.

  Taylor blushed visibly. Her pale skin made it easy to see that compliments overwhelmed her. “It’s just a hobby.”

  “Damn well shouldn’t be,” Dec said, dishing up a huge scoop of potato salad.

  They passed the bowls around as Garrett and Parker put a steak on each plate.

  “You know, someone with more manners might say something like, ‘it’s a shame to waste your talent, Taylor.’ Something a little less caveman-ish,” Adam said, grinning at his buddy.

  Zach had spent enough time listening to the two rib each other while losing fifty bucks to them at their poker game to know that it was good-natured.

  “Not all of us have your finesse with numbers and words, Klein,” Declan said.

  Parker snorted out a laugh. “I’m sorry. Was that out loud?”

  Garrett chuckled and leaned in to kiss his husband’s neck. “I’d be careful before you start teasing Adam about his finesse with words given that your proposal included the words ‘come on man, we totally should.’”

  The group laughed, and Zach took a seat next to Stella, his thigh accidentally brushing hers. He ignored the electricity. Getting to this place with her where he was sharing her business, her home, and her friends—well, he’d been on the outside looking in for so long, he didn’t want to risk the feelings overwhelming him right now.

  Declan turned to Taylor. “I apologize, Tay. Your work is exquisite, and I think your talent should be showcased to the masses.”

  Megan bit her lip and stared at Adam, but the others laughed.

  “You’re a jackass,” Adam said.

  “Aw, there’s that finesse you speak of, Gar,” Stella said.

  “Speaking of furniture, I’d love to replace a couple of things at our place,” Megan said.

  “Like what?” Adam glanced at her as he cut into his steak.

  “Nothing major. I was just thinking it would be nice for me to have my own desk. You know, for marking and stuff,” Megan said, taking a bite. She sighed in pleasure and looked at Parker. “You’re a genius with meat.”

  The guys burst out laughing and Garrett slapped Parker on the back. “I tell him that all the time.”

  “I like your chicken better, Uncle Parks,” Charlie said.

  “Oh my,” Zach’s mom said, but her eyes were dancing, and Shane put a hand on her back and whispered something in her ear that made her chuckle.

  They chatted over salads and steaks, sipping on the excellent craft beer Declan had brought. Charlie and Declan chatted about comic books while Taylor and Megan filled his mom in on the wedding and their recent shopping trip.

  Stella, like Zach, ate quietly, taking it all in. The sky grew darker and the lanterns she had set up around the patio, along with the bulbs strung along the rail, lit the place up. The stars made their presence known, shining alongside the moon, and Zach held onto the moment. He’d landed exactly where he wanted. Looking around the table, his chest filled with satisfaction. With more than he’d expected. He didn’t want to mess this up. Stella nudged him with her knee.

  “You okay?”

  He looked down at her. “I’m good, Doc. Really good.”

  Her gaze held his and for the first time since he’d met her, he noted that her eyes had lost the layer of exhaustion and worry. Damn if he didn’t feel a deep swell of pride for being part of that. And damn if he didn’t want to keep being the reason for the sated smile on her lips.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Zach did his best to pretend the owner of the collie he was currently checking out wasn’t standing too close. Every time he moved, he brushed the woman’s arm, which he was pretty sure she intended. His mouth tightened when the wrinkled woman with spry eyes and a streak of blue in her silver hair inched closer.

  “You can sit down, Mrs. Vondri,” he suggested again.

  Her dog panted heavily as Zach pushed on his stomach and rotated his legs to ensure there was fluid movement.

  “I don’t recognize you. Stella says you lived here before. Why don’t I recognize you?”

  Shifting so he could move to the other side of the exam table—and put it between them—he shrugged. Telling her it was because she was forty years older than him probably wouldn’t go over well.

  “Not sure. I’ve been gone a long time.” He checked the collie’s ears. The dog just sat there, accommodating as could be. A far sight better than the poodle who’d bit him first thing this morning.

  “So you weren’t always an eye treat?” Mrs. Vondri finally sat in one of the chairs.

  Zach coughed and looked over at the woman. She beamed. “I’m sorry?”

  “You know…a treat for the eyes. Like eye sugar.”

  Jesus. Someone save me.

  She snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “Candy. You’re candy for the eyes.”

  He tried to ignore her and the nauseating taste in his mouth. “Looks like Snowball is doing well. He could stand to lose some weight though. I’m going to recommend a different brand of dog food, okay?”

  The dog, who had very little white on his black coat, wagged his tongue like he understood the word food.

  “None of that expensive crap though. I love him, but if I’m eating cheap, so is he.”

  Lifting the dog down, Zach reattached his collar. “It’s not more expensive than what you already use.”

  “You’re a nice boy,” she said, standing to take the leash.

  Zach went to the sink to wash up. “Thanks. Dexter will help you settle up at the front desk.”

  “Sure, sure. Everything has a price these days.” She continued muttering as she shuffled out of the room, the dog leading the way.

  He heard Stella’s voice in the hallway greeting her before she popped her head into his exam room. “How’d that go?” Her voice was hushed.

  He didn’t particularly like the way his heart quickened at the sight of her, but he knew she’d like it even less. It was one thing to be attracted to someone, but sharing close quarters with her for hours every day, then going home with her at night, made it difficult to deny his feelings.

  “I think I need a shower. I feel dirty.”

  Stella laughed as he dried his hands. He liked the sound. “Better you than Dexter. Are you busy after work?”

  Walking to the door, he stopped in front of her. He liked the way she tipped her head back and held his gaze. “You asking me out?”

  She made a half-scoffing, half-snort noise. “Uh, no. Unlike Mrs. Vondri, I do not need a treat for my eyes.”

  Heat burned his skin. “These walls are too thin,” he growled.

  Stella snickered. “Yup. We need to go over some applications for the assistant position.”

  He was pleased she agreed that hiring a part timer was worth the expenditure even though they hadn’t rented out the stables yet. They’d ha
d four acres of land cleared and already sold the timber. They’d chosen two other plots of land to do the same.

  “Sounds good.”

  They walked side by side to the reception counter where Dexter was accepting payment from Mrs. Vondri. She waved goodbye to Zach and Stella. As she pushed on the door, it opened all the way and a tall, dark-haired man let Mrs. Vondri pass before coming in with a very large tabby cat in his arms.

  Zach was looking for visible injuries on the animal—they didn’t have any tabbies on the books today. Stella had a habit of letting anyone walk in off the street and get care. Could be great financially, but it was hell on her schedule. Other than emergencies, Zach suggested they insist people schedule appointments.

  When he raised his eyes to the owner’s face, his stomach clenched.

  Colton Dean. All-star ass clown. Best friend to Rick Growski. Smooth and slick, like he’d always been, the former football player had aged decently, except for thinning hair and a small paunch. His suit fit perfectly, and he held himself with the air of a man who liked getting his own way. Or confidence. Now that you have some, you ought to recognize it.

  Colton looked at Stella. “Hey, uh, I haven’t been in before, but my cat keeps throwing up. I wondered if you could take a look at her.”

  Stella glanced at Zach. “New client. All yours.”

  Looking down at Stella, he kept his voice low and tried to unclench his jaw. “We talked about this. People make appointments. No more walk-ins.”

  It was stupid, completely stupid to be bothered by this guy’s presence. What the hell was wrong with him?

  Stella smiled, her eyes darting to Dexter and Colton watching them. “Okay. But maybe we say that next time? We can’t let the animal suffer because of new policies. And this could be defined as an emergency.”

  Shit. She was right on that one. The animal shouldn’t suffer, but he didn’t want to either. Travis had spent his last moments with people like Colton and Rick. Zach had expected to struggle with memories of Trav once he got home, but he didn’t expect these guys to be triggers. Fuck. He hated that word. Triggers. He hated this feeling. Clenching his hands into fists, he counted in his head like the shrink had taught him. He would not lose his shit over seeing some dickhead from high school. You can’t bring Travis back. He knew that. He accepted that. What he couldn’t accept was the fact that maybe, just maybe, if he’d gone to the fucking party with Trav, he’d have been able to stop him from giving in to the stupidity that Growski’s parties were known for.