Spring Romance: NINE Happily Ever Afters

by Tessa Bailey

  “You got it. I’m gonna refill my coffee,” I said as I stood from my desk.

  “Oh good, I need some too. Let’s make a fresh pot. Knowing Jackson, he’s already drained the last pot.”

  I followed Shay down the hall. When I had started working here, they reorganized the layout of the offices. My office used to be an old exam room for the vet clinic. It was tiny, but I adored it. In the corner of the renovated upper floor of the barn, it was a perfectly square room with cream painted walls and a window that looked out over the Blue Ridge Mountains. They had also converted a storage space into another exam room and expanded the space in the front of the clinic.

  Jackson saw patients or, rather, pets on the days he worked in the clinic. I didn’t know how he managed it all. Between being a first responder for Stolen Hearts Valley Emergency Response, running the lodge and rescue program, and managing his part-time veterinary clinic, he was beyond busy.

  He had a lot of help, though. Shay worked double duty, handling most of the administrative stuff for the clinic, lodge, and rescue program. Wade and Lucas helped Jackson with the renovations over here. I didn’t even know how they fit all that in between everything else, but they completed them within just a few weeks. Shay was now looking to hire a vet tech to help Jackson.

  We walked together into the front where we had a counter at the back that held a coffeemaker, a teapot, and a microwave. Jackson’s voice carried to us as he walked out with an owner and their pet.

  “I think she’ll be just fine,” he said.

  “Are you sure, Jackson?” a female voice asked in return with a most definite flirtatious tone to it.

  When Shay caught my eyes, she rolled hers in return. I had noticed that many pet owners enjoyed flirting with Jackson. Shay was a good sport about it, but then it was beyond obvious that Jackson completely adored her.

  I started prepping the coffee as Shay waited by the register. When Jackson came into view, he glanced over at Shay and winked. The pet owner in question was a pretty woman with short dark hair and dark eyes to match. She had an athletic, energetic vibe to her and held a tiny Chihuahua in her arms.

  Jackson stepped around the back of the counter and leaned over to press a kiss against Shay’s cheek. “Ellen doesn’t owe us anything. It was just a follow-up from the surgery last week.”

  “Oh, great. Let me give you the printout so you have it for your records,” Shay replied, smiling over at Ellen.

  Ellen’s eyes bounced back and forth between Shay and Jackson, and I could see a flicker of disappointment in her gaze. Jackson was generally oblivious to the women who flirted with him and likely didn’t even kiss Shay to make a point. It was just that whenever he saw Shay, he had to put his hands on her. Of that, I was certain.

  Jackson turned around just as I tapped the start button on the coffeemaker, resting his hips against the counter. “There’ll be enough for me, right?” he asked with a smile.

  “I should hope so,” I replied.

  Jackson was a handsome man with shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. As I looked at him, I idly wondered how come my body didn’t spin like a top around him or, frankly, most of the other men who worked here. Seeing as they were a combination of first responders and adventure guides, they were all fit and rugged, yet Lucas was the only one who got me hot and bothered.

  I bit my lip, my cheeks getting warm just thinking about him. With his passing comment that I should let him know if I wanted a man to help with those matters, I couldn’t stop thinking about whether he really meant it. I didn’t need to remember how I’d finally done a test run with my shiny new vibrator with him in mind.

  My mind went right there. A vivid recollection of Lucas’s rich green gaze, the feel of his muscular body against mine when I’d impulsively hugged him—that was all it had taken to send my thoughts strolling into a fantasy the other night. My fingers teasing my slick folds had been Lucas’s in my imagination, and my magic pink vibrator had been him stretching me. My climax rolled through me so rapidly it had taken me by surprise.

  When Shay turned back to face us as the owner and her Chihuahua left, just recalling those moments of intense fantasy left me so flustered that I had to busy myself by needlessly wiping the counter around the coffeemaker. After pouring coffees for all of us, Shay tugged me into a conversation with Jackson about the shelter rescue, promptly getting my mind off Lucas.

  “I promise, the horses are easy,” Jackson assured me. “They might be big, but they’re creatures of habit.”

  “They all seem nice enough when I stop and pet them. It’s just I’ve never fed them. That easy, huh?”

  “If you’re worried, I can ask …” Jackson began.

  At that moment, the door opened, drawing the attention of all three of us. I expected to see any number of pets coming in with an owner. Instead, Lucas stepped through the door with an absolutely adorable little girl in his arms.

  Without question, I knew she was his daughter. And, oh my God, was she ever cute. Her features were softer than his, and her hair was curly to his mostly straight, but she was the spitting image of her father with black hair and bright green eyes. I’d never seen Lucas over here except when he helped with the renovations. Jackson and Shay looked just as surprised as me.

  “Hey Lucas,” Shay said with a smile. “What brings you over here?” She rounded the counter, heading straight for him and plucking his daughter from his arms. “And you, sweet Rylie, what are you doing here? It’s my lucky day.”

  Shay nuzzled Rylie’s cheek as Rylie giggled, putting her small arms around Shay’s neck and planting a noisy kiss on her cheek.

  Lucas watched them for a beat before answering Shay’s question. “I’m in a bit of a bind. I’m on call for the team, and my sister’s sick today. My mom is also tied up at a doctor’s appointment. I wouldn’t …”

  His words tapered off as Shay nodded firmly. “We’ve got Rylie. You go do what you need to do.”

  The lines of tension eased on his face. “Well, it’s either that, or Jackson covers for me on duty through tonight. I don’t want to impose.”

  Shay glanced at me. “I’m sure Valentina and I can handle Rylie.”

  “Of course we can,” I heard myself saying. “We’ll have fun.”

  Lucas just now seemed to notice me. His eyes widened slightly when they met mine.

  Jackson glanced back and forth between us and then back at Lucas. “Normally, I’d cover for you, but today’s a clinic day, and I’m booked solid. You know Rylie’s in good hands.”

  Rylie giggled as she spun one of her curls around her finger.

  “Come meet my friend, Valentina,” Shay said as she turned and walked over to me.

  I set my coffee down and leaned forward. “Hi. I don’t think we’ve met. Tell me your name.”

  “Rylie!” she said as if making an announcement to the universe.

  I held out my hand, and Rylie squeezed it in hers. “Nice to meet you. I’m Valentina.”

  “Valentine,” Rylie said with a nod, her curls bouncing.

  Lucas had followed Shay over. “You mind being called Valentine?” he asked, his gaze sliding sideways to mine.

  I tried to tell my body to behave, but it was having none of that. Heat bloomed from my chest outward, and my belly did a little flip. I was quite certain Lucas wasn’t being the least bit flirtatious. It was just that he had that effect on me.

  “Not at all,” I replied, hoping my voice didn’t sound as breathy as it felt.

  “Shay’s helped out in a pinch before. You had much experience with kids?” he asked.

  “More than enough. I used to babysit all the time for my little sister and helped run the daycare at my parents’ church for the kids who were too young for Bible study.”

  “What’s Bible study?” Rylie asked as Shay lowered her to the floor.

  “It’s where people talk about a big book,” I explained.

  Lucas’s low chuckle sent a shiver over my skin. “Excellent description,
” he countered, his tone deadpan.

  “If you got a call, I’m guessing you’re in a hurry,” Shay chimed in.

  “Always,” Lucas said, his eyes bouncing to her. “Hang on, let me grab her snacks from the car. I was in such a hurry I didn’t even get those on the way in.”

  “I’ll follow you out,” I heard myself offering.

  Seeing as Rylie was clearly comfortable with Shay, I figured it was best if I helped out on this end. Lucas’s long stride ate up the distance from the clinic to his truck while I hurried behind him.

  “You sure you don’t mind?” he tossed over his shoulder as he stopped beside the vehicle.

  “Of course not. I love kids.”

  His truck was black and sleek. The outside fit his personality. The inside was another matter. In the back seat, the booster seat and just about everything else was pink.

  “I’m guessing your daughter likes pink,” I offered as Lucas leaned in and curled his hand around the handles of a pink bag.

  He turned back, a half grin kicking up one side of his mouth. “She loves pink. Though she’s a tomboy, and most of her toys are trucks.”

  He handed me the bag. “There’s a lunch in there and some snacks. I gotta run.”

  “Of course you do,” I replied as I reached for the bag, my hand brushing his. A hot zing spiraled up my arm from that brief contact.

  Lucas held my gaze for a long moment, and my insides went molten.

  “Thank you.” He paused and pulled out his phone. “Give me your number, so I can text when I’m on my way back.”

  I recited it quickly, and he tapped it into his phone. In a second, I felt a vibration in my pocket where my phone was.

  “Just confirming,” he said.

  I pulled it out and showed him the text. “That you?”

  “Absolutely. Seriously, thanks.” At that, he hopped in his truck.

  I watched as he drove away.

  Chapter Seven

  Valentina

  “So,” Shay said as she paused with a hand on her hip, “this is where all the food is. At least for the horses. We keep treats for basically every creature here as well.”

  We were in the tack room. It was a large, square room with windows high on the wall. Since the barn was built halfway into the hill, on this lower floor, the storage rooms along the back wall had windows at the top. There was a hallway and two rows of stalls on the other side.

  “Got it.” Rylie had wandered over and was investigating the bins. We had a fun day with her, taking turns keeping her entertained, and then when she got tired this afternoon, she napped in one of the comfy chairs in Shay’s office. “I’m guessing I should stock up on treats before anything else?” I asked, glancing at Shay.

  “Oh yeah,” Shay replied.

  “Want to carry some treats?” I asked Rylie.

  She nodded vigorously, her black curls bouncing with the motion.

  Shay flicked open the lids on some of the bins mounted against the wall. “There’s dried fruit for Gloria …”

  “The pig!” Rylie exclaimed.

  She laughed softly. “Yes, the big pig. It’s dog bones for the dogs, and grain treats for everyone else.”

  Shay snagged a handful of everything, filling her pockets and putting some in the small pockets of Rylie’s lightweight jacket.

  All in all, it took about an hour between feeding the horses and crossing the pasture to the other barn where the rest of the rescues stayed. Gloria and Squeaky kept us company. Gloria was a friendly sort and made snuffling noises to Rylie’s delight when she fed her a piece of sliced apple. Squeaky was just as affectionate and lived up to her name with squeaks.

  After we returned to the clinic, I began to wonder when we would hear from Lucas. Apparently, the team had responded to an accident in a remote area. The winding roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains could be a challenge under good circumstances, and in some areas, they were dicey.

  Shay and I were chatting in my office after I had finished reconciling the accounts, enjoying a late cup of coffee while Rylie played with toy horses and shredded paper on the floor. The shredded paper was a great option for hay in her imaginary barn.

  “Jackson thinks we can add another barn for additional space for the rescue program. We have the land, but my concern is the time. With you here helping with the accounts …” Shay stopped talking when the emergency buzzer rang from the main entrance.

  Jackson was finishing up with his last appointment, and we had locked up just a few minutes ago.

  “I’ll go see who it is,” Shay said, standing and hurrying down the hallway.

  Moments later, she leaned around the door. “We have an emergency, so I’m going to help Jackson. Do you mind staying with Rylie until we hear from Lucas?”

  “Of course not,” I replied quickly.

  With a quick nod, she hurried away. I glanced over at Rylie who was cantering the horse in her hand through the paper hay. I left my coffee on the table and sat down beside her on the floor. “Want to race?” I asked, lifting another one of the toy horses.

  Rylie grinned up at me. We settled into a silly game of racing. Roughly a half an hour passed, and Rylie had moved on to playing a card game on her own. I realized I hadn’t heard a thing from Shay or Jackson down the hallway. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was about time for her evening snack, which consisted of a half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and apple slices.

  While she ate, I checked to discover Jackson was handling emergency surgery for a dog who’d been hit by a car. Shay was running interference with the distraught mother and child who brought the dog in. I assured Shay I would stay with Rylie until we heard from Lucas.

  With darkness falling, it was no surprise when Rylie nodded off into another nap. By the time Lucas texted to say he was on his way back, she was sound asleep. I replied to ask him to text me when he got to the parking lot. It wasn’t much later he responded.

  I’m here, Valentine.

  I didn’t know if his text had autocorrected to Valentine, but it made me smile. Rylie was groggy when I woke her, but she followed along easily. I had wisely packed up everything beforehand.

  With her hand warm in mine, and the bag hooked over my elbow, I left through the side door at the end of the hallway rather than interrupting the family waiting in the front area. It was dusk, the sky slipping from silvery gray into navy. The light was smudgy with the lavender and pink streaks the sun left behind bleeding into the sky as night claimed it.

  Lucas climbed out of his truck when he saw me. When I looked up across the parking lot, my heart gave a resounding thud, and my pulse took off at an unsteady gallop. When I stopped in front of him, Lucas’s eyes went to Rylie first, his lips curling with a slight smile. My pulse kept on running.

  He ruffled her hair. “Hey there, let’s get you in the truck.”

  Rylie released my hand as he opened the back door of his four-door truck. He lifted her smoothly when her foot slipped as she climbed in. He deftly buckled her into the booster seat and took her bag from me, tucking it into the front before quietly closing the door. Glancing through the window, I saw her eyes had already fallen closed again.

  Only then did he turn, leaning his hip against the truck. His green eyes stood out in the gloaming. “Figured she’d be tired. Thanks again. That took longer than I thought,” he said, his voice low. “How was she?”

  “She was fine. No problems at all. It was a busy afternoon, so I’m not surprised she’s tired. We took her with us to feed the animals.”

  Lucas’s mouth kicked up just barely at one corner, and my belly promptly executed a flip. My mind skidded back to the afternoon last week, and my cheeks got hot while my thoughts went off in a rather inappropriate direction.

  “I bet she loved that.” Lucas’s voice broke into my runaway train of thought.

  I mentally snapped the reins on my willful mind. Lucas’s gaze slid sideways into the back of his truck. I could barely make out Rylie with her head tilted back as
she slept.

  I was suddenly envious of her ability to sleep so well. I hadn’t been sleeping well. In fact, my nights were restless with tangled, sweaty dreams usually involving Lucas.

  Glancing back at him, I found his gaze on me. I didn’t quite know how he pulled the trick off. All he had to do was look at me, and my belly felt funny, and a restless feeling stole through me.

  It didn’t help matters that his presence was so potent. His eyes flicked into the truck windows again.

  The lingering humidity in the air only amped up the heat building inside. Lucas turned back, catching me staring at him. His lips curled into a smile again. My body knew this smile was nothing like the one he had when I mentioned we took her to feed the animals.

  My pulse, which had barely slowed down, took off into the stratosphere, humming along so fast, I could hardly catch my breath. Lucas cocked his head to the side, his gaze considering.

  “So tell me, how are you?”

  I was relieved for the smudgy light of dusk and hoped like hell he couldn’t see just how flushed I was. I shrugged, striving for nonchalance. “Just fine.”

  He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between us and peering into my face. “Fine? I’m never sure what fine means.”

  I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. “It just means I’m fine.”

  I couldn’t say why his simple question felt loaded, nor why I glared at him. My skin felt itchy with pinwheels of sensation pricking it all over.

  Some people might say I had led a sheltered life, and I had. Sheltered or not, I was quite certain having a man you kind of had a crush on accidentally get your package with a vibrator in it did not fall under something that happened to many people. I didn’t know how to do regular conversation after that.

  I stayed quiet. Frankly, I didn’t know what to do other than laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

  What I said next surprised the hell out of me. “I’m sorry about last week,” I blurted out.

  Lucas straightened, his gaze never breaking from mine. “Sorry for what?”

  I shrugged. Gah! None of this made sense. “It was just kind of, well, embarrassing, and now it’s all awkward, and I hate that.”