Beckett Brothers: The Complete Series

by Leslie North

  Hunter outright scowled then. “I’m not sure how much more careful we can be. I sneak over to your place like a damn pervert in the pitch black every night. I even walk so no one sees my car parked outside. It’s ridiculous.”

  He stood and eased around the desk, grabbing her hand and pulling her up until she was pressed against him, head to toe.

  “I want to take you out to dinner,” he murmured, gazing at her. “Show you off at a bar. Make out with you in a dark corner while a good band plays.”

  “That sounds really nice.” She gasped as his lips traveled down her neck.

  “Mmhm.” He kissed her collarbone, then licked his way back up to her tender earlobe. Shivers wracked her body along with need.

  “But I don’t want either of us to get into trouble, Hunter. We have to be careful. Maybe even more careful.”

  He paused, then pulled back to look at her. “You’re right. I know you’re right. So here’s what we’re going to do. Pack a bag, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow after work at the Feed and Seed on the edge of town. I know the owner; you can leave your car there for the weekend.”

  “Where are we going?” Kit stepped away and smoothed her top before reaching out and wiping a dab of lipstick off Hunter’s jaw.

  “It’s a surprise,” he answered, “but it’s away from Gopher Springs, my staff, and all the sneaking around. For one weekend, we’re going to do whatever we want in broad daylight.” A wry grin stole across his face, and Kit’s heart kicked like a pony. “Well,” he continued. “Most of what we want.”

  Hunter watched as Kit chatted with the woman who owned the bed and breakfast just outside of Shreveport. The three-hour drive had taken them across the state line and away from all the stresses that seemed to fill their normal days—work that never ended, friends who would put pressure on them if they knew about the relationship, brothers who would be disappointed in Hunter for sneaking around, a sister-in-law who would carve up his man parts and serve them for breakfast if she knew he was having a sex-only fling with her best friend—it all gave Hunter a headache, so he’d vowed to spend two days without work, without worrying about getting caught or what others might think. This weekend was for him and Kit, no one else.

  “Oh, Hunter?” Kit called. He set down the magazine he’d been perusing and went to the registration desk. “Look,” she said, eyes aglow. “They have a stable and trail rides just down the road.”

  Hunter glanced at the brochure she held out. “Would you like to go?” he asked, as if it wasn’t already a done deal. She was so gorgeous in her little cropped top and skinny jeans, she could have asked him to buy her a horse and he’d have agreed.

  “I would,” she said. “I mean, if you’re okay with it. I realize riding’s not as big a thing for you.” She looked at the owner of the B and B. “He grew up on a ranch.”

  “Really?” the woman asked. “Is it around here?”

  “No,” Hunter replied. “Texas. North of Dallas.”

  “Oh! I have some dear friends who live up that way. The Pearsons. Have you heard of them?”

  Hunter blinked.

  “I’m best friends with their daughter, and Ava’s married to Hunter’s brother!” Kit exclaimed in excitement.

  No. No. No. A voice in Hunter’s head screamed.

  “Little Ava and her husband?” the woman exclaimed. “What are the odds? I’ve heard such great things about your brother.” She smiled at Hunter and he gritted his teeth so hard, he was afraid one might chip. “I’ll have to tell them I met you two here,” the woman continued. “Pat and I email all the time.”

  That’s when Kit finally clicked. Hunter saw her expression tense, and her smile become plastic instead of happy.

  “Oh…” She opened and shut her mouth—twice—then looked at Hunter in desperation.

  “Well, if you have the information on the stables, we’ll get out of your way,” Hunter said with a wink.

  The woman blushed a bit. “Of course, here you go. It’s just about three miles down the road you came in on. I’ll call them and let them know you’re on the way.”

  Hunter hustled Kit out the front doors and into the truck, where she collapsed and let her head fall against the window in horror.

  “Oh my God, what have I done? I can’t believe it didn’t even occur to me until I’d already opened my big. Stupid. Mouth.”

  Hunter reached over and massaged the back of her neck. “It’s okay, hon, you were just having a nice conversation with a nice woman. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  She looked at him with a bleakness that made his heart ache. She wasn’t cut out for deception because she shouldn’t have to be. A woman like Kit was meant to be someone’s greatest pride, not his deepest secret. She deserved to be in sunlight, and candlelight, and all the light, all the time. Never in darkness—unless it was to make long, slow love.

  Fuck. He was a mess.

  “What if I’ve ruined both of our careers now? They’ll think you’re sexually harassing me. They’ll think I’m trying to sleep my way to a good residency evaluation.”

  “No, they won’t, because you’re going to call Ava and tell her the truth, and she’s going to let her mom know that this isn’t for public consumption. It would have been much worse if she’d known someone who wasn’t my sister-in-law and your best friend. We’ll be fine. You only have three more weeks as a resident. It’s all going to be just fine.”

  Kit seemed to settle at that. She pulled out her phone to text Ava that they needed to talk later that afternoon.

  But Hunter couldn’t help questioning his own words. Because he wasn’t sure everything was going to be fine at all. Kit deserved to be in the light with someone who cherished her. But she was leaving in three weeks, so Hunter would never be that man.

  And that’s when he heard the sound of his own heart breaking.

  Kit soaked up the sun filtering through the leaves of the laurel oaks along the trail she rode with Hunter. The stables had been more than happy to let two veterinarians ride out without a guide, and the trails on the property were extensive, moving from narrow and rocky alongside the river, to tree-covered on the bluff, to flat and open away from the water.

  Hunter had been wonderful the entire trip. He’d made all the arrangements, catered to her every whim, and had even talked her down after she’d made such a colossal mistake with the B and B owner. She still couldn’t believe she’d done it. Just chatted away with the woman as if she and Hunter were boyfriend and girlfriend out for a weekend together.

  But that’s what it had felt like ever since they’d left the Gopher Springs town limits. They’d eaten dinner at a little roadside barbecue joint on the way, sitting at a table in the middle of the restaurant and joking with the waitress. Then they’d checked in at the B and B—real names, no shame. They’d met another couple at breakfast and had a great conversation about the best places to stay in New Orleans. And now they were on a trail ride, in the sunshine together.

  Hunter had been the perfect companion. She wasn’t sure if he’d even noticed that he’d started calling her “hon” and “babe.” It made her poor heart sing and her head spin. He touched her all the time, rubbing her neck, kissing her cheek, holding her hand. When they’d watched a movie in bed at the B and B, he’d settled her between his legs, her back resting against his chest. Then he’d whispered dirty things in her ear the entire time they watched a 90’s rom com until she’d had to turn it off and act on some of his suggestions.

  He waited patiently for her to get ready in the morning, fetched food for her from the breakfast buffet, and generally treated her like a queen. And all Kit could think was, What if?

  What if they tried to do this for real? What if they could see each other on weekends? Maybe she could hire another vet tech at her dad’s practice to handle vaccinations every other Saturday so she could go to Gopher Springs to be with Hunter. Maybe he could do the same for the alternate weekends. They’d have to fly between Houston and Dallas, but i
t was an easy one-hour flight.

  “Watcha’ thinking about so hard, there, babe?” Hunter asked as he pulled alongside and gave her a pat on the ass before giving her horse one as well, which sent the slow old trail horse hopping for a step or two.

  Kit grinned and glanced at him over her shoulder. “Just looking ahead,” she answered. “To that pond that I’m going to beat you to.” She gave a dig with her heels, and her gelding sped up to a trot, while Hunter laughed behind them.

  As she rode out from under the trees and into the open field, the sunshine cooked away all the questions and doubts. Kit felt a new determination about her life, a new commitment to making it what she wanted. Maybe, she thought, she could actually have it all.

  Later that night as she lay in Hunter’s arms for the last time before returning to Gopher Springs, she thought more about the possibilities. About having her own practice in Houston, seeing her parents happy, and also about being with Hunter, spending time in his world, in his arms, in his bed. It was a compromise, and compromise was good, right? She could fulfill the promises she’d made to her parents and still have a chance for time with Hunter. It wouldn’t be easy—time on planes and in cars, scheduling issues with her dad’s practice, always feeling like she needed to be somewhere else—but if it meant more weekends like the one she’d just had, she couldn’t help but think it was worth it. It might be the thing that saved her. Hunter was more than just some guy, and what they had was more than just a fling. She was ready to admit that to herself. Now she hoped he was, too.

  12

  You and me—Nadine’s diner—now.

  Ava’s text message was direct, and Kit had been dreading it for forty-eight hours. She’d been forced to leave a message on Ava’s voicemail when she couldn’t reach her to tell her about the situation with Hunter. Now it was time for the face-to-face, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

  She put her shoes on, checked the time, and gave herself one last glance in the mirror. On the way over, she texted Hunter to tell him she’d be late for work, and why. This was one time when she would go ahead and take advantage of her relationship with the boss. She knew he’d rather have her handle Ava than show up to the office on time.

  As she walked into the diner, Nadine hollered from the back, “Sit anywhere you want, doll. I’ll send one of the girls right over.”

  Kit chose a booth in the front corner window, away from the main traffic at the center of the diner. Before the waitress arrived, Ava was sliding into the opposite side of the booth.

  “Well,” she said, one eyebrow raised, her lips pursed. “Looks like somebody forgot to tell their best friend about something pretty important.”

  Kit felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. “We weren’t trying to keep it from you—”

  “Just from everyone in general,” Ava interrupted.

  Kit’s palms were sweaty beneath the table. “Pretty much.”

  Ava glared at her for another moment, then broke into a huge grin. “Oh. My. God. You and…” She lowered her voice to a sort of whisper-shout. “Hunter! I’m so excited, I could squeal like a pig in a fight over scraps.”

  Kit finally let a breath out in relief. “Oh, thank God, you’re going to forgive me?”

  “Only if you tell me all the details and swear to never ever leave me out of the loop again. I don’t care if you’re sleeping with the governor of Texas, you have to let me know about it.”

  The waitress arrived and took their orders, then Kit told Ava the story of how she’d ended up sleeping with her residency supervisor in secret.

  “He’s just so…”

  “Sweet, caring, sexy?” Ava added.

  “He really is,” Kit admitted, taking a big bite of her hash browns, while Jake Turnbull tried to slide past Nadine in the doorway without getting his ass patted.

  “But you guys really think you’d get in trouble with the state board?”

  Kit brought her gaze back to her friend. Dear, sweet Ava, who was so happy here in Gopher Springs. Ava, who could see Hunter anytime she wanted, while Kit was going to be three hundred miles away, vaccinating poodles in her dad’s old office.

  “We would get in trouble, for sure.”

  “But now you only have three more weeks,” Ava said with a sparkle in her eye.

  “And I’m leaving town.”

  “Do you have to?”

  Kit felt a rebelliousness rise in her, threatening to come out her mouth in words that would make the feeling real in some way it wasn’t, if she never spoke it. She choked it all back down before answering. “You know I do. It’s been our plan ever since I started college. Mom and Dad need me too much.” She paused. “But I’ve been thinking…”

  Ava looked at her expectantly.

  “…about the long-distance thing. I mean if we alternated weekends, Hunter and I could see each other as much as most couples do, anyway. During the week, people are too busy with work and too tired afterward. Flights are only an hour—”

  She saw her friend’s expression shutter. “And then another two hours from the airport to here,” Ava reminded her.

  “But it would be time together, and maybe some weekends, we’d just stay in Dallas, get a hotel, see some sights.”

  Ava smiled, but Kit could tell her heart wasn’t in it. “Maybe…”

  “You don’t think it could work.” Kit frowned, disappointed.

  “You know, every relationship is different. Maybe that would be great for y’all.”

  Kit nodded, a bitter taste starting in the bottom of her throat. But she changed the subject and soldiered on through the meal. No matter what they talked about, though, she couldn’t forget Ava’s tone or the look on her face. If her best friend, Hunter’s sister-in-law, didn’t think it would work, then Kit must be living in a fantasy world. What if the last few weeks were really all she and Hunter could ever have? What if a secret eight-week fling was the best relationship of her entire life?

  Hunter gave the dachshund one last pat on the head and said goodbye to its owner. As he finished up the notes on the little dog’s medical chart, the door to the exam room opened.

  “Hey, Doc. Angie Reed is here with her new puppy,” his vet tech said.

  “Great, I’m ready.”

  “And I just got a call from the kids’ school. Benji’s running a temp so they say I have to come pick him up.”

  Hunter looked at her and smiled. “No worries. I can handle one little puppy by myself, and Kit’s going to be back soon to help with the rest of the afternoon’s appointments.”

  His vet tech smiled and ushered Angie and the tiny terrier puppy into the room before closing the door.

  “Hey, there,” Hunter said, ruffling the pup’s head. “I heard you got a new friend. What’s his name?”

  Angie had one long red braid that draped over her shoulder and a tight white t-shirt that read, Teachers Do It With Class. Her makeup-free face was smooth and lineless. She’d graduated college sometime in the last couple of years, and looking at her, Hunter wondered if he’d ever been that young.

  “This is Jaspar,” Angie answered, her North Texas drawl firmly in place. “He’s eight weeks old.”

  Hunter asked more questions about the pup as he ran his hands over the little terrier’s coat, felt along his joints and pressed gently on his abdomen. He looked inside the dog’s ears and eyes, then stopped to put everything in the chart.

  “Jaspar’s been so great for me,” Angie said, moving around to Hunter’s side of the exam table and leaning a hip against the metal countertop. “I finally broke up with my boyfriend from college—” she rolled her eyes, “God, did that ever need to happen.”

  Hunter chuckled as he typed on the laptop. “Pets are great companions. They help people get through all kinds of things, even breakups with boyfriends who should have been left back in college.” He winked at her, and she smiled wider, her blue eyes lighting up.

  “So,” Hunter began to explain the vaccinations little Jaspar would need.
Angie played with her braid, licked her lips, and generally stood so close that she was in Hunter’s way—but she was a first-time pet owner, he thought. Probably nervous.

  As soon as Hunter delivered the last shot, Angie scooped Jaspar up and began snuggling him, cooing and generally going on the way females did with puppies. Hunter turned back to his laptop to print out the new puppy instruction guide that he routinely handed out. When he turned back, Angie had somehow managed to move even closer. Her face was flushed and her lips glossy as if she’d just put lipstick on.

  “Uh…” Hunter stood awkwardly, grateful that the puppy was between them. Otherwise, he’d be touching Angie, she was so close. All he could think for a moment was that her cousin, Jeff, who’d been in Hunter’s high school class, would probably not approve of this scene. But he soldiered on, not sure what else to do.

  “So when you check out up at the front, they’ll have a printout of our new puppy guide. It’ll tell you all sorts of things, like how much to feed him for his weight and some basic training tips.”

  She smiled, then kissed Jaspar on the head.

  “Did you have any other questions?” he asked.

  “Hmm?” she hummed before looking up at him with big, blinking eyes. He stared back at her, hoping that by some sort of osmosis she’d understand he wanted her to move so he could open the door and get her the hell out of his exam room. He was definitely never seeing her again without a vet tech present.

  “It must be a lot of work taking care of all these sweet animals by yourself,” she cooed, running a finger down the front of Hunter’s lab coat.

  Aw, hell. He turned his gaze to the ceiling, hoping for inspiration as to how to get out of this. But before he could piece together a speech that would spare Angie’s feelings while also making his lack of interest clear, the door to the exam room opened, and he heard a small gasp.