#Vacay

by Cambria Hebert

  Drew nodded. “The snowmobiles here are top quality, too. Really got some good speed.”

  “Forrester, forever the racer,” Trent mused.

  Their eyes connected, and the emotion that passed between them was palpable.

  “Please, we all know you weren’t on the mountain the entire day,” Braeden cracked suggestively.

  Trent dipped his head, and Drew leaned over the table to smack him in the back of the head. “You might be married to my sister, but I will still kick your ass.”

  “Bring it on.” B challenged, throwing his arm out to return the hit.

  Trent caught Braeden’s wrist midair without even looking up. “You know better,” he intoned.

  Drew sat back, a smug look on his face.

  Braeden rolled his eyes.

  “You!” someone yelled from a few tables away, drawing all our eyes.

  A man dressed in a heavy coat with a black hat pulled low over his eyes jerked up from his seat, causing it to clatter on the floor behind him.

  His cheeks were flushed, face filled with anger.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he bellowed, pointing across the room.

  I followed his finger toward the bar where Meredith was getting her beer. The back of my neck prickled, and my fingers tightened around my bottle.

  Meredith stiffened. The man’s outrage clearly meant something to her. I watched her brace herself as she slowly pivoted in his direction.

  The angry man’s eyes flared when he saw it was in fact Meredith.

  “You!” he roared and then lunged across the room for her.

  Liam

  What the fuck was wrong with this place lately?

  First, the town loses its mind because Romeo Anderson’s here. Then Rimmel goes missing, it becomes a national headline, and I literally have to rescue them from the press on the street.

  Just when I thought we could have a normal dinner—you know, good times—some bozo with a grudge shows up and tries to attack Charlie’s vet.

  This place was off the chain.

  We all stood there, flabbergasted by this man’s sudden outburst, and then shit hit the fan.

  The man lunged at Meredith, and Daniel literally leapt over the fucking table. Bottles and glasses tipped over, spilling liquid everywhere as he went. Clearing the wide table, he jumped right between Trent and Drew, landing like a cat on the other side.

  Seeing the man coming, Meredith moved backward but instantly came into contact with the bar. Her hands came up in front of her as if she could ward off the impending collision.

  Daniel’s hand slammed down on the man’s shoulder and pulled. Not expecting the interruption, the man stumbled back and fell on his ass. Gracefully, Daniel slipped between the man and Meredith, his back turned to the asshole.

  Crouching a little, he looked into Meredith’s face. “You okay?”

  She started to reply, but her attention snapped over his shoulder to the man who had found his footing and was now even more pissed.

  I started forward, but Alex laid a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “He’s got this.”

  Without even turning around, Daniel snapped his arm out and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt. “Don’t fucking move,” he intoned, quiet but deadly.

  Everyone in The Tavern was staring. You could have heard a pin drop.

  “Daniel, don’t,” Meredith said. “It’s fine.”

  Daniel drew back as though she’d slapped him. His body language was absolutely flabbergasted. “You’re defending him?”

  “She knows she deserves this!” the man bellowed.

  Alex and I glanced at each other and moved forward.

  Daniel swung around, planting himself more firmly in front of Meredith, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Excuse me?”

  Sputtering, the man tried to lean around Daniel, but he blocked him.

  “This little bitch,” the man boomed, lifting his finger to jab it in Meredith’s direction.

  “Woah,” I said and moved forward. “That’s enou—”

  Daniel grabbed the pointing finger and bent it back. The snapping bone was audible.

  “Ow!” he screamed, bending at the waist.

  Daniel didn’t even react. Instead, he continued to tug the broken finger, twisting the man’s arm around his back at an uncomfortable angle.

  Meredith gasped and pushed around Daniel, laying a restraining hand on his shoulder. “What are you doing?” she exclaimed. “Stop!”

  Daniel glanced at her mildly but did not let the man go. “Whenever you defend him, it makes me want to break his other hand.”

  “No!” the man begged. “I’m sorry. Let go!” Surprisingly enough, he started to sob. “Tiger,” he wailed. “Tiger.”

  “What the fuck...?” Braeden muttered from behind.

  “Took the words right out of my mouth.” Alex concurred.

  Meredith slipped around Daniel and grabbed his arm. “Let go,” she instructed. “C’mon.”

  Daniel let go but angled himself in front of her.

  The wailing man straightened, still sobbing. “You don’t deserve to be here!” he told Meredith. “Just another day’s work, coming in for a meal and a drink.”

  Daniel grabbed the man by the front of his coat and dragged him forward. “What the fuck are you going on about?”

  Meredith slumped. “It isn’t like that at all, Mr. Miller.”

  “Liar!” he yelled, then winced. “My hand. Ow, you broke it.”

  “Time to go, buddy.” I stepped up and laid a hand on his shoulder. “This isn’t the time or place.”

  He glanced at me and laughed. “Of course. Mr. Mountain himself. I should have known you’d take her side.”

  He looked at Meredith, who frankly was looking more worn by the second. “You would know him.” The man perked up and found Bellamy at our table. “You better watch out for this one,” he told her, pointing at Meredith. “She’s shady and doesn’t care who she hurts.”

  Meredith gasped. “That is not true!”

  Annoyance slapped me. Dragging my newly pregnant wife into this drama was not going to happen. Implying that I would be some kind of scalawag bastard who would cheat on her pissed me off even more.

  I grabbed one arm, and Daniel grabbed the other. “Time to go,” I spat.

  We started dragging him out, and he continued yelling about Tiger. We led him out into the lodge and around the giant stone fireplace. I gestured for the staff behind the check-in desk, and he came running.

  “Take this man to the doc’s office. He hurt his hand.”

  “Meredith, go back in the tavern,” Daniel said, drawing my attention.

  Meredith was standing close by, her face pale. “Just a minute,” she insisted, then stepped toward the man.

  “Stay back,” Daniel growled, letting go of him to put his arm out in front of her.

  Meredith pushed his arm away and stepped forward. “Mr. Miller, please know I did everything I could today to save Tiger. His injuries were just too severe.”

  “You killed my dog!” he wailed.

  Meredith winced. “I didn’t. We did everything in our power.” Her voice wavered. “I’m truly sorry.”

  Daniel and I exchanged a glance. So this guy’s dog died, and he was blaming Meredith for not being able to save him.

  What a super douche.

  I shoved him toward my employee. “Take him to the doc. Don’t let him come back here after.”

  “You broke my hand!” He accused Daniel.

  “Keep walking or I’ll break something else.”

  “That was a threat!” the man wailed.

  “I didn’t hear a thing,” I said loud enough for anyone in earshot to get the point that they didn’t hear anything either.

  Once he was gone, I reached out and laid a hand on Meredith’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” I asked, concerned. “Sounds like you had a shitty day.”

  “I’ve had better,” she answered quietly.

  I st
epped closer. “Everyone in this town knows you’re a good vet and you did everything you could.”

  Meredith looked up and smiled.

  Daniel’s hand fell on my shoulder, and he pulled me away from her, then stepped forward.

  With a secret smirk, I stepped up again. “C’mon, Meredith. I’ll get you a drink. Sounds like you could use one.”

  Daniel made an aggressive sound and shoved me aside. “Go sit with your wife.”

  Ah, so it was like that.

  Could Daniel actually be jealous?

  “Meredith?” I asked, ignoring him on purpose.

  The way he looked at me promised death and amused the hell out of me.

  She glanced between me and Daniel, her eyes confused. Then a weary look replaced it all, and I backed down. Pushing Daniel’s buttons was fun, but this wasn’t the time.

  I slapped him on the back. “Take care of her, would you? I need to see to Bells.”

  He grasped Meredith around the wrist. “C’mon, doc.”

  Doc, huh? I hid a smile.

  “What about dinner?” she said, glancing back at the restaurant.

  “You want to eat?” Daniel asked.

  She shook her head.

  “We’re going,” Daniel said to me.

  I waved them off, and they left in the opposite direction.

  Back at the table, everyone was a little more subdued than before.

  “Where’s Daniel?” Sabrina asked, gazing around when I came back alone.

  “He took Meredith home.”

  Alex chuckled.

  Bellamy and Sabrina stared at him.

  “What in the world is wrong with you?” Sabrina questioned.

  “Never thought I’d see the day Daniel went down.”

  “Huh?” Bellamy asked, looking at me.

  “He’s got it bad.” I agreed.

  Sabrina’s eyes widened. “You mean Daniel likes the Meredith?” She glanced at Bellamy, and the two made a face.

  Braeden laughed. “Oh yeah, he’s interested.”

  “How in the world could you know that?” Ivy asked.

  Drew made a sound. “Dude vaulted over a table to get between her and a fight.”

  All the women at the table glanced at each other. And then they started to smile.

  Bellamy leaned toward me. “She’ll be a good sister-in-law.”

  I smiled. “I think you’re right.”

  Sharon appeared at the table with a pen and paper in her hand. “There you boys go, causing trouble in my restaurant again.”

  “We’re sorry,” Alex and I said in unison. It didn’t matter that technically I owned this place. Sharon would forever be my boss.

  She chuckled. “Who’s ready to order?”

  Everyone raised their hand.

  Daniel

  I drove her back to my place because taking her anywhere else wasn’t an option. She didn’t say anything about it or about what happened back at The Tavern.

  After unlocking the door, I pushed it open and held it for her to go ahead.

  She stopped not far inside, staring toward the doorway leading to the living room. I came in behind her, gazing around the room, on edge.

  Riley was standing between the rooms, staring.

  “She’s up,” Meredith said, watching the wolf.

  I made a sound and tossed my jacket on the island. “Hey, Riley,” I said, walking over and holding out my hand.

  She nudged it, so I petted behind her ears.

  The doc watched, surprised. “You two are getting along well.”

  “We have an understanding.”

  “Does she like her name?”

  I shrugged. “That was the first time I ever called her by it.”

  Meredith stepped toward the wolf, and though I remained relaxed, I readied myself to get between them if I had to.

  To my surprise, Riley didn’t mind Meredith’s presence, and she let her scratch behind her ear, too.

  “I got her lab results,” she said, lightly dragging her fingers through the wolf’s fur. “She’s not pure wolf. She’s part domestic.”

  “A wolf-dog mix,” I mused.

  The doc nodded. “Yes. Which explains her size and demeanor.”

  “Do you think that’s why she was on the outs with her pack? Maybe why she was hurt?”

  The doc though for a second. “It could be. Maybe they sensed her weaker link and were trying to chase her out.”

  “She won’t be able to go back to the wild,” I surmised.

  “Possibly not. She’s already malnourished, which makes me wonder if she can really fend for herself. And if she doesn’t have the protection of a pure pack, then she probably won’t make it.”

  I gazed down at the gray wolf, and she gazed back.

  “I’ll keep her.” I decided.

  Meredith looked up, surprised. “You’re going to keep her?”

  I shrugged. “Why not? You just said she was part dog. I could probably train her.”

  As if to try and prove the point, I went to the door, whistling for the wolf. “Riley, you wanna go outside?”

  Riley trotted along behind me, slipping out onto the deck and going out into the yard.

  I stayed at the door, watching her. Not because I thought she would run off, but because her leg was still injured and I was worried she might need help.

  “You like her,” Meredith mused, coming to stand near the door.

  I half smiled. “I guess I do. I like her fighting spirit. I can tell she’s been through a lot. She’s a survivor.”

  “Like you?”

  Her quiet words brought my gaze to hers. “Yeah, like me.”

  Something passed between us, and a queasy feeling fumbled around in my stomach. Clearing my throat, I whistled for Riley, left the door open, and went to the fridge for a beer.

  I carried one to the doc and handed it over as Riley came back inside.

  After shutting the door, we went into the living room, and Riley settled back onto her blanket.

  “I forgot your steak,” I explained. “I’ll get you one tomorrow.”

  Over by the window, Meredith made a sound sort of like a laugh.

  I glanced around, thinking she was laughing at me for having a conversation with my wolf-dog. But her back was turned, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

  She wasn’t laughing.

  Swiftly, I went across the room, taking her beer and setting it on the window seat with mine. Tears glistened on her smooth cheeks beneath the string lights lining the window.

  Refusing to meet my gaze, Meredith looked away, quickly swiping at her cheeks. “Sorry,” she whispered. “It’s been a long day.”

  I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I was completely inexperienced with women and their tears. The only other woman I’d ever cared about was Sabrina.

  “I should go,” Meredith said and started away.

  I caught her wrist, stopping her.

  “Doc,” I rasped and pulled her around. She collided with my chest almost instantly, her face fitting in the crook of my neck, and I tucked both arms tightly around her.

  Her back shook with her silent cry, and without even realizing it, I started to gently rock back and forth.

  “Go ahead and cry,” I told her.

  A broken, muffled sob pressed against my neck, and I rubbed her back with long, even strokes. I held her for a long time, the twinkling lights at my back and the fire in front of us.

  Her hands fisted my shirt as she clung to me, and something inside me slid into place... a piece of me I’d always just assumed I would never find.

  A little while later, she stirred, lifting her head. Her dark eyes were somber, and her cheeks were flushed. “Aren’t you going to ask?” she whispered.

  My stare bounced between her eyes. She was so goddamn beautiful. “Ask what?”

  “What happened to that man’s dog.”

  I made a negative sound. “It doesn’t matter what happened because I know you did everything you c
ould.”

  “How do you know that?” she whispered.

  “Instinct.”

  Tears still clung to her lashes, making them appear even thicker and darker. “What else does your instinct say?” she asked, her fingers flexing against my shirt.

  My heart rate slowed to a low thump. “That you’re mine.”

  Her breath caught, and I kissed her.

  The second my mouth met hers, she owned me. The man who managed to never fall fell hard. The man who was happy to live alone could never live without her.

  A great shift occurred inside me, rearranging my entire world, realigning it so everything finally made sense.

  Her hands lifted to my face, sliding over my cheeks and around the back of my head. Energy swirled around the room, and our tongues tangled together. Pulling her body tight against mine, I reveled in the feel of her against me, just right.

  Lifting my face only long enough to tilt my head in the opposite direction, I ravaged her mouth again, kissing with desperation only she had ever made me feel.

  She pulled back first, grabbing my shoulders to steady herself as she sucked in air. Rubbing my thumb across her lower lip, I licked what was left of her off my own.

  “Stay with me tonight,” I whispered, pulling her just a little closer.

  Her eyes rounded, but beneath the surprise, I saw desire.

  “And after tonight?” she asked.

  “Then, too.”

  A slow smile transformed her face. “How about we just take it one day at a time at first?”

  “I can work with that.” I allowed.

  She lifted her chin, and I kissed her again. It was a strange sensation. Like I’d finally come home.

  My heart fluttered erratically, and I had to steady the tremble in my hands when I lifted my head once more.

  “Is that a yes?” I asked.

  She nodded once.

  Her long legs wound around my waist when I lifted her off the floor. And just like that, my bachelor days were done.

  Romeo

  A small hand slid beneath the covers, up over my bare thigh, and across my naked abs. Boldly, I covered it with mine and directed it down to the stiffening length between my legs.

  Rimmel giggled against me and wrapped her hand exactly where I wanted it.

  Closing my eyes, I melted back into the pillows with a low moan. Her hand worked me skillfully because Rimmel was an expert when it came to my body.