So he’d left her at the office instead of bringing her to the farm, and he’d vowed not to call her tonight, not to go to her apartment, not to notice the pain that had wedged itself against his ribcage, threatening to steal his breath if he let it.
Maybe it was the whiskey, maybe it was that very same pain, but before he could stop himself, he was telling Scout the truth—about him and Kit, about their weekend, and what had happened at the office before he came out to the farm.
Scout leaned back in his chair and gave Hunter an assessing look. “Well, I have to say I didn’t see this one coming.”
Hunter glared at him, and Scout chuckled.
“So that’s it, then? You think she’s all that, but it was just a fling, and you’re going to let her go?”
“What choice do I have? She’s obviously ready to move on, and really, my life isn’t set up for a relationship. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
Scout winked at a cute waitress who sashayed by with a fresh basket of popcorn. Hunter snapped his fingers in front of his brother’s face to get his attention back.
“Sounds like you have your mind all made up,” Scout said, finishing his second drink of the night and setting the glass down on the table with a thump. “So I guess that means you’ll be back to working fifteen-hour days, breakfast with Bran on Thursdays, the occasional drink with me after a house call for my cows.”
Hunter’s gut sank. For the first time ever, it didn’t sound like enough. Hell, it didn’t even sound enjoyable. He’d never had an issue with his life before Kit came along. Now it all paled in comparison to her company, their time together.
“Yep,” he answered Scout with a giant, lying smile on his face. “Back to normal sounds just fine to me.”
14
It had been three days since Hunter walked out of Kit’s office, and she hadn’t seen or spoken to him in private since. He’d managed to be with a patient or on a house call every time she was in the office, and now, on Saturday afternoon, the office was closed, and she was all alone, sorting through patient files, filling in her residency paperwork, and trying to ignore the ever-present voice in the back of her head that said, “Go to him, tell him how you feel.”
Nope. Wasn’t going to happen. And the fact that her phone rang at that very moment with her parents’ number on the screen was the universe’s way of reminding her how things had to be.
“Hi, there,” she said after sliding her finger across the screen.
“Kit? Is that you?”
“Yeah, Mom. How is everything?”
“It’s fine. I’m having a good day, and your daddy took me to the movies this afternoon. We saw the new one about the lost dog.”
“Mmhm,” Kit murmured as she scanned the questions she needed to answer on her residency forms.
“Of course, I had to listen to your daddy hollerin’ about all the things the dog wouldn’t have survived in real life. But it had a happy ending, and you know how I love those.”
“You do,” Kit agreed.
“When will you be home, sweetheart? I just love the weekends when Daddy can be home with me. I’m so excited for him to retire so we can do more things together. I think I’ll have more good days with him around the house.”
Kit’s head began to throb just a touch, and she blinked at the computer screen, trying to focus on the words in front of her.
“I’m actually about to fill out my residency report right now, Mama. I have to help with appointments this week and finish my paperwork, then on Thursday, we’re all set for my exit interview. I’ll be home Thursday night.” She blinked again, and this time it was to hold back the tears that wanted to escape at the thought of leaving Hunter and Gopher Springs.
“That’s perfect, sweetheart. We can’t hardly wait. They’re starting to plan your daddy’s retirement party, so as soon as you say you’re ready, they’ll give him a send-off, and then you’ll be in business.”
Her stomach churned at the words. “Okay, sounds good. But I’m gonna’ have to go now so I can finish this work up and get home. I need to start packing.” After she crawled into bed and cried for a while.
“Love you, Kit Kat,” her mother cooed.
“Love you, too,” Kit answered around the lump in her throat.
She set the phone down and took a shaky breath before looking up—right into Hunter’s eyes.
* * *
He’d gone and done it again. Eavesdropped on Kit’s personal phone conversation. But in all fairness, her office door had been open this time—she just hadn’t realized anyone else was in the office.
He’d heard her mention her residency, and he’d been like a moth to the flame. He couldn’t stop himself from following the sound of her voice. Then he’d stood there and listened to her describe how she was going to leave him—leave Gopher Springs, rather. And she said it all as calm and matter-of-fact as if they’d called each other “doctor” for the last eleven weeks instead of “babe” and “hon.”
What Hunter wanted to do was punch a hole in the wall. What he did instead was say, “Knock, knock” a moment too late to cover the fact he’d been standing there listening in.
“Oh! I didn’t realize anyone else was here,” she said, her expression enigmatic at best.
“I left vaccines I need when I go out to Bran’s later today.”
She nodded, and the tension in her small office grew exponentially.
“So, sounds like you have your last week all planned out,” he finally added.
“Yeah.” She looked at him, but he had no idea what she was thinking, and after all the time they’d spent together, that made him sadder than anything.
“So we’re still on for your exit interview on Thursday, then?”
“Yes. Thursday.” Her gaze dropped to her desk, and he could see her hands clenched tightly in front of her.
“And you’re pulling out for Houston the very same day, huh?” He tried not to sound bitter…or forlorn, but he wasn’t sure he’d pulled it off.
“Well, my parents are counting on me…” Her voice drifted off, and suddenly Hunter couldn’t be there any longer. Couldn’t continue to stand around and act as if his heart wasn’t shattering and his entire view of the world hadn’t just shifted.
“Gotcha,” he snapped, then pasted on a smile that he knew didn’t look normal. Because he wasn’t sure anything would ever be normal again. So he went and did the only thing he could think of—he said goodbye. “I know the last few days have been nuts and we both have a busy week ahead. But I want you to know how much the last few weeks have meant to me.”
“Really?” she asked, something different sparking in her otherwise indifferent gaze.
“You’re a really fine doctor.” The words felt stiff and inadequate, but he labored on. “And a great person, too. I feel very lucky that we got to spend this time together. You’re going to knock their socks off in Houston…in all kinds of ways.”
Kit just…blinked at him, and Hunter felt like a thousand red fire ants were crawling on his skin. Everything was tight and itchy and painful.
“So, I guess I’ll see you on Monday,” he added.
“Yes. Monday.” Her voice was as empty as her eyes, and Hunter thought he’d never forget that look as long as he lived.
15
“Well, I sure am glad I drove up for this,” Dr. Marshall said as he sat across the conference table from Kit. Her mentor’s surprise visit to her residency exit interview was the best thing that had happened to Kit in the last week.
“I can’t thank you enough for coming all this way, Dr. Marshall. It really means a lot to me.”
Hunter shifted in his seat beside Dr. Marshall and smiled. “And I got lucky by association,” he said.
“Well, it’s a treat for me to see former students doing so well. I’m just real impressed with everything Kit had a chance to try while she was here. I know you’ve always said you didn’t have time for residents, but you did a bang-up job.”
&nb
sp; “No,” Hunter said softly. “It was Kit who did the bang-up job. I just provided the venue for her to shine. She’s going to make a fantastic vet.”
Kit felt her cheeks flush as she met Hunter’s gaze. But a moment later, he was clearing his throat and holding out the signed certificate that showed she’d completed a residency in both large and small animal veterinary practice.
“There you go,” Dr. Marshall said, standing and shaking Kit’s hand. “Now, how about I take the two of you to lunch?”
Kit stood as well and saw the look of discomfort that crossed Hunter’s face. Right, they were done, things were awkward, time to move on.
“Thank you so much, but I’m actually leaving town to go back to Houston this afternoon. I still have a billion things to pack, and my friend, Ava, is meeting me at my apartment to help in just a few minutes.”
Dr. Marshall said his goodbyes, and Kit rushed for the door, unable to say one more round of farewells to Hunter. She held it together as she hugged the rest of the office staff, but the moment she closed the car door, the tears came down like a summer monsoon.
He hadn’t even tried to stop her. It was truly over. And she’d gone and fallen in love with the man. What a complete fool she was. A heartbroken, miserable, fool.
* * *
Hunter worked to catch his breath as Kit walked out of the conference room. He hadn’t tried to stop her. She was obviously in a rush to get the hell away from him. How had he managed to bungle everything so badly? How had they gone from what they’d shared in Shreveport a week and a half ago—to this?
“Well, Hunter,” Dr. Marshall said, clasping Hunter’s shoulder. “When I heard you were going to supervise Kit’s residency, I knew it would be a great thing for both of you. You did a fantastic job, and I hope now you’ve been cured of this cockamamy idea that you don’t have time to teach a resident. You’re a natural teacher, just like I always knew you would be.”
Hunter felt a flush of shame wash over him. If his mentor only knew what he’d started with Kit and how badly it had all ended, he’d never be giving him this particular pep talk. No, the man would probably be hauling Hunter up before the state board. He didn’t deserve praise. Especially not from Dr. Marshall.
“I really didn’t do anything special,” he muttered, busying himself with gathering all the papers he needed to file with the board to record Kit’s residency. “Like I said, she was a great student. She’ll make a very good vet.”
Dr. Marshall chuckled. “Well, I have to tell you the truth about something. When I found out Kit would be doing her residency with you, I had a little thought of sorts—call it an old man’s foolishness—I had hoped you two might hit it off…romantically.” He grinned, and Hunter’s heart raced in panic.
“Wh—what?
“I just thought that the two of you seemed like a good match. My Tilly said the same, since she’s had many dinners with each of you. We thought maybe Kit would be the one to grab that heart of yours. Or we hoped, anyway.”
“The state board would never allow a supervisor to date his resident. I mean that’s—”
“Pshh.” Dr. Marshall flapped his hand around. “I know the rules. And they exist for a good reason, but I also know you’d never take advantage of a student, and Kit’s plenty outspoken. She can take care of herself.”
Outside, the sun was shining, and Hunter could hear people on the sidewalks chatting, cars rolling by on Main Street, and the hum of the mini-refrigerator they kept in the conference room. All the ordinary things he’d been listening to for years, that now sounded as foreign and outrageous as his mentor saying he should have dated his resident.
“I’m not sure what to say,” Hunter finally answered.
“Eh, it was probably a silly idea of ours. We just think so highly of the both of you, we thought you’d think highly of each other, too.”
Hunter cleared his throat and released the breath he’d inadvertently been holding. “Well, shall we head to lunch?” he asked, gesturing toward the door.
“Yes, we shall. I’m dying to see this Nadine’s Diner you always talked about.”
Dr. Marshall and his wife had been right. Hunter had thought highly of Kit. In fact, he’d thought she was the best thing to ever walk into Gopher Springs. And now she was gone. Not only had his mentor not been concerned Hunter would take advantage of Kit, he’d actually wanted him to get close to her. Dr. Marshall didn’t care about the state board and their rules. Hunter felt as if the entire world had gone mad. A woman he’d never asked for had made him fall in love with her and then walked out of his life. A mentor he’d tried to impress by perfect behavior was disappointed that he hadn’t misbehaved. It was all too much.
So Hunter did what Hunter always did. He stayed the course, walked the line, and fulfilled his obligations. He got the job done. First feeding Dr. Marshall, then finishing up his appointments for the afternoon, then ignoring the pain that had lodged itself so deep in his chest, he wasn’t sure it would ever go away.
16
“You’re late,” Bran said as Hunter scooted into the booth at Nadine’s on a Thursday morning three weeks after Kit had left town.
“I have appointments running out my ears, I’m going to have to hire a new vet tech and…” His voice faded away as Scout approached the table and, without a word, slid in next to Bran.
“What are you doing here?” Hunter asked, feeling as though he’d arrived in the middle of a play.
Scout reached out and snagged the glass of orange juice sitting in front of Hunter, taking a gulp that consumed half the serving.
“I’m about to have breakfast,” Scout answered as he set the glass down. “How about you?”
Bran looked at the tabletop and chuckled.
“No, seriously.” Hunter gestured between his brothers. “What’s going on?”
Scout shrugged as he flagged down a waitress, and Bran just gazed steadily at Hunter.
“Scout’s schedule has changed some. He hates eating breakfast alone. I told him he should join us on Thursdays, and so he has,” Bran replied as if the last seven years of their lives had vanished in a heartbeat.
“Oh-kayy…”
“You payin’?” Scout asked Bran with a devilish grin.
Bran sighed but agreed, and Scout proceeded to order enough food to feed a platoon of hungry soldiers.
After the waitress left, Bran raised an eyebrow at his youngest brother. “Three different kinds of pancakes? Really?”
Scout shrugged. “I never eat breakfast out. It’s going to take a few weeks for me to hone it down to my favorites.”
“Next time, you’re buying,” Bran pointed at Hunter.
“Fine,” Hunter answered listlessly.
Scout drank the remainder of Hunter’s orange juice, then asked, “So, why’s business so…busy?”
Hunter didn’t want to talk about business. Truth be told, he didn’t even want to eat breakfast with his brothers. Especially not when there was some strange sort of reconciliation going on that he didn’t understand and hadn’t been included in.
“Just busy,” he grunted.
“Why now?” Bran asked. “Seems like, if anything, you had less work the last few months.”
Yeah, thought Hunter, but that was then, and this was…well, this was after. After Kit. After everything.
“I guess Kit was picking up more slack than I realized.”
The waitress stopped back by with the first round of food and coffee refills. Hunter dug in and hoped his brothers would leave him alone now.
“Yeah, I liked that Kit,” Scout said around a mouthful of coconut cream pancakes. “She was smart as a whip.”
“Real pretty, too,” Bran added.
Hunter’s blood began to boil.
“Pssh, she was a babe,” Scout concurred. “If she’d stuck around, I would have asked her out.”
“Like hell, you would,” Hunter snapped.
Bran’s eyebrow rose.
“Why do you care?” S
cout asked. “You obviously weren’t interested anymore. It’s a small town, bro, and I’m the youngest of three. If I put a do not date sign on every woman one of you had already dated, I’d never have any fun.”
Hunter was partway out of his seat before he registered Bran’s hand on his arm.
“Settle down there, Romeo,” Bran said with all the authority of the head of the family. “He’s pushing your buttons, and you played right into it.”
Hunter took a deep breath and sat back down, muttering something about revenge being when younger brothers least expected it.
“Touchy,” Scout said. Bran nodded in agreement.
Hunter ate silently for a few minutes, knowing his brothers were exchanging looks while he had his focus trained on the eggs and bacon. Finally, he sat back, tossed his napkin on the table, and said, “I miss her, okay? I fucking miss her, and there’s nothing I can do about it so I’m just going to have to get used to it, but it’s going to take a while.”
Bran pushed his plate aside and picked up his coffee cup. The aroma of the strong brew reminded Hunter of sitting at breakfast in Shreveport with Kit. But then, everything now reminded Hunter of Kit.
“So why’d you let her leave?” Bran asked quietly. “Ava’s been asking me for three weeks what went wrong, and I don’t have an answer for her.”
“It’s what she wanted,” Hunter replied. “She made it real clear that what we had was temporary, and she had obligations at home.”
Wrangling His Sexy Assistant: Beckett Brothers Book Two Page 8