by Julie Benson
Relationships. That was what his practice was about. He needed to build them with his clients as well as their pets. He placed the file on the counter behind him. “Tell me about, Chester. Cheyenne says he puts the TV meteorologists to shame when it comes to predicting rain.”
A big grin spread across the man’s face, deepening the multitude of wrinkles lining his features. “Dang right he does. Whenever he rubs his paw behind his ear, I know it’s gonna be a wet one.”
Cooper chuckled. “Now that’s one valuable cat.”
*
As Cheyenne sat at her desk Friday, closing out the daily totals while waiting for Aubrey, she thought over her first week. Or rather, most of it. She still had to get through tomorrow morning before she could officially say she’d survived her first week at the clinic.
Despite a few rough spots, most minor, the week had gone smoothly. At least in the office. She’d paved the way for Cooper with clients and their pets where she could by sharing whatever she knew about them. He insisted her insights helped establish relationships faster and easier than he would’ve otherwise. He also joked she’d saved him from a few bites, scratches and a kick or two at on-site calls by alerting him what animals to watch out for.
In the office, he was open, warm, and funny. He trusted her opinions and often asked for them before making business decisions. He thanked her for her hard work and praised her for how well the office ran.
As a boss, she couldn’t ask for better, but the further into the week they went, the stranger his behavior became outside the office. The minute they locked the clinic door, the Cooper she knew and whose company she enjoyed, disappeared.
The first night after making spaghetti for dinner, she knocked on Cooper’s door to invite him to share. Instead of joining her, he filled a plate, thanked her, and said he’d eat while working in his room. She told herself there wasn’t anything to worry about. Especially when he was all smiles at the office the next day. When he asked, she’d created a cooking schedule, but no matter who prepared the food, Cooper continued eating in his room.
As the week wore on, more than once, she’d stood outside his door to knock and ask him why he was avoiding her, only to chicken out. Her fear was he’d say something she’d rather not hear.
By the time Friday arrived, Cheyenne’s stomach was twisted into one big knot and her head hurt from trying to figure out what had caused Cooper’s odd behavior with her.
“Are you set to go?” Aubrey said as she stepped in the clinic.
“More than ready.”
“Fantastic. I can’t wait to hear about your week.”
“If you think I’ve got lots of exciting news, you’ll be disappointed. My only big news was discovering Penny’s a trained service dog, and I told you that.” I’m keeping the other news—that Cooper’s avoiding me, and I’m too chicken to ask him about it to myself.
“There’s got to be more than that,” Aubrey said.
“I’ve almost survived my first week, and it’s going better than I expected. The end.”
Aubrey stared at her and tilted her head. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“You’re seeing things? Gee, you’d think I’d be the one doing that since I have the brain tumor.” Hands on her hips, Cheyenne tilted her head too and stared at her friend. “Have you been out in the Texas sun too long? Has it fried your brain?”
Aubrey smiled. “You’re sarcastically snippy. Now I know there’s more going on, but that’s fine. I’ve got all night to get the details out of you.”
“If you’re going to harass me, I can stay home.” Some choice. Go out with Aubrey bent on playing twenty questions or stay home and watch some lousy made for TV movie while brooding because Cooper hid in his room.
“Seriously, give it a rest, will you?” Cheyenne said. “I just want to go out with a friend and have some fun. Okay?”
“I’ll let it go for now, if you’re sure you’re okay.” Cheyenne nodded, and Aubrey continued, “When you’re ready to talk, I’m here.”
“Thanks.” Cheyenne grabbed a dog leash off the hook by the back door and clasped it to Penny’s collar. “Come on, Penny. It’s time for girls’ night out.”
After leaving the clinic, they walked past the house toward the driveway and found Cooper at the corral with Bruiser and Riley. One boot hooked on the bottom rail, he leaned against the fence. His maroon A&M T-shirt pulled tight over his muscular biceps and strong shoulders.
Keep the pace even. Don’t bolt. Nod in greeting, mumble a simple have a good night, and keep going. That was her plan, but unfortunately Penny had a different one and plopped down at Cooper’s feet to beg for attention.
“Penny, we need to go.” Cheyenne tugged the leash and glared at the shameless hussy.
“We’re headed to The Horseshoe, Cooper,” Aubrey said. “We’re celebrating Cheyenne’s first week on the job, and since it’s your first week in business, you should join us.”
Cheyenne’s head spun around so fast, she nearly cricked her neck. Then she pinned her friend with a take-that-invitation-back glare.
Aubrey flashed her a big grin instead, and Cheyenne responded with a don’t-you-dare scowl. A gal should be able to expect better of her best friend.
*
Celebrate his first week in business, my backside. Cheyenne rolled her eyes. Whatever ideas Aubrey had in her head she’d best drop them right quick.
“After working with me all week, the last thing Cheyenne wants is to hang out with her boss,” Cooper said.
Ouch. That comment stung, but Cheyenne raised her chin, refusing to show how his words wormed inside her with a surprising bite. Why had she expected a different answer when he’d avoided her outside work all week?
“You don’t think that, do you?” Aubrey said, elbowing Cheyenne in the ribs.
Cooper’s gaze zeroed in on her, waiting. What should she do now? Common courtesy kicked in. “If you want to come, it’s okay with me.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
Message received loud and clear. We don’t socialize.
Despite expecting his refusal, disappointment swirled through Cheyenne. What did you expect when your voice held as much excitement as if you’d said you were going to shovel manure?
Anxious to escape, she tugged on Penny’s leash again, and this time the dog obeyed. As she walked toward Aubrey’s truck, she vowed the minute they were alone, she’d make her friend pay for her stunt.
“If you change your mind, you know where we are,” Aubrey said to Cooper over her shoulder.
After Cheyenne settled Penny in the cab and slid into the front passenger seat, she said, “What were you thinking, inviting Cooper?”
“I was thinking he’s a hot guy who’d be fun to hang out with.”
You don’t know the half of it. FYI, his kiss can make a girl forget what day it is. “I didn’t appreciate you putting me on the spot.”
“What’s wrong? Is he a horrible boss?” Aubrey started the truck, backed out of the driveway and headed for town.
“No, he’s a great boss, but it was awkward, especially when he said he doesn’t want to see me outside of work.”
“You’re kidding right?”
Cheyenne shook her head. “You were there. You heard it.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Were we part of the same conversation?” Cheyenne snapped, her frustration growing.
“He said you wouldn’t want to spend time with him. I didn’t hear anything about what he wanted to do.”
Cheyenne tried to remember Cooper’s exact words but couldn’t. She’d been flustered running into him, and then hurt by his comment. Then her pride and her bluster kicked in, turning off her brain. Could she have misunderstood what she heard?
“His exact words were, ‘After working with me all week, the last thing Cheyenne wants is to hang out with her boss,’” Aubrey said.
Had he been waiting for her to show she wanted him to come? Or rather, for her to make a gen
uine invitation? “Whatever. It doesn’t matter since he said no.”
“I bet if you called him and sincerely asked him to come, he would.”
Would he? What if he came and they talked? Really talked about why he’d gone from dropping sexy innuendos that first morning to avoiding her that night. She hated this awkwardness between them. She wanted them as comfortable outside the office as in.
Liar. You want him to kiss you again to see if he’ll make you go all warm and soft again.
“Out with it, Cheyenne. You’ve got a dreamy look on your face. What’s happened between you two?”
She frowned. Blasted Aubrey’s best friend vision. “I do not have a ‘dreamy look’ on my face.”
“Well, not now, you don’t, because you’re ticked at me for mentioning it, but it darn sure was there a minute ago.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Cheyenne snapped. She just didn’t want to deal with her feelings for Cooper now, and she certainly didn’t want to talk about their one mind-numbing, make-her-toes-curl kiss. Even with Aubrey. “Cooper’s great to work for. I don’t know how I’ll thank him for everything he’s done for me. Not only did he connect me with Penny, he got me out of Mom’s house and gave me a job. He gave me my independence back.”
“He had a little help, you know.”
“I already thanked you, but I’ll say it again. Thank you. If you hadn’t pushed me, I never would’ve gone to see Cooper, and I’d still be living with Mom.”
Aubrey grinned. “You’re welcome, and for the record, that’s what best friends are for—to kick you in the butt when you’re too afraid to take a chance.”
“How about you? Have you figured out what to do with your life?” Cheyenne asked, jumping on the chance to change the subject.
“I’m doing just fine, thank you.”
“Apparently this best friend’s kick in the butt stuff doesn’t work both ways.”
“Not tonight.”
“I think it should.”
“Not unless you want to walk the rest of the way to The Horseshoe.”
“You don’t fight fair.”
“Nope.”
*
When Cheyenne opened The Horseshoe’s door and stepped inside with Aubrey and Penny, and spotted half the town there, she again wondered why someone didn’t open a restaurant/bar to compete with this place.
Before they could ask the perky, blonde hostess, Tammy Jo for a table, the Tyler Junior College graduate nodded at Penny. “You can’t bring your dog in here, Cheyenne. You know the health laws.”
“She’s a service dog. The law says she can come here,” Cheyenne insisted.
“I thought that was just for blind people or people who’d lost an arm or something,” Tammy Jo said.
“It’s the law for anyone with a disability,” Aubrey responded.
The teenager put her hands on her hips, looking Cheyenne up and down. “You’re not disabled. You get around just fine.”
And people thought she wasn’t bright because she only had a GED? “Seizures. Remember, I had one here at work.”
“That’s a disability? Go figure.” The teenager shook her head, sending her blonde hair tumbling over her eyes. She swept it off her face, and nearly threw herself off-balance. Cheyenne bit her lip to keep from laughing.
“I’ll have to check all this out with Jeannette,” Tammy Jo said referring to The Horseshoe’s manager.
“It’s all right, Tammy Jo.” Gabriel Ramirez, The Horseshoe’s tall, dark haired forty-something owner, nodded to the family behind Aubrey and Cheyenne. “You take care of the Luna’s. I’ll see to Aubrey and Cheyenne.”
The owner grabbed two menus from the hostess station and led them to a table situated near the far wall. “I’m sorry about Tammy Jo. Her dad and I are friends. He asked me to give her a job. We’re working on her customer service skills.”
“I heard she got fired from Margaret’s because she ticked people off,” Aubrey said.
“I’m trying to teach her the customer’s always right, but the concept’s taking a while to sink in.” Gabe pointed to the empty table near the bar. “I’ll ensure she understands the laws on service dogs. Cheyenne, you and your dog are always welcome.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. You—” The sound of crashing dishes came from the kitchen cutting her off.
“That can’t be good,” Aubrey said.
“At least it’s not my fault this time,” Cheyenne said in all seriousness.
Gabe smiled. “Will you forget that? I have. Now, excuse me. I’ve got to see what happened.”
The owner no sooner left than Vicki arrived to take their order. “The usual? The everything burger and fries?” When she and Aubrey nodded, the waitress said, “I don’t know why we bother with menus.”
“We need them for the tourists.”
“Not many of those lately with the weather forecasters predicting we’ll hit one hundred three tomorrow. Wish I could chat, but Shelly called in sick, so we’re down a waitress. Good for the tips, but lousy for the feet.”
When Vicki left, Aubrey asked, “So, Cooper’s good to work for?”
“What’s with grilling me about him?”
“I’m your best friend. I’m interested in what’s going on with you, and right now the big thing in your life is the new job.”
“That and the brain tumor causing seizures.”
“Which would you rather talk about, Cooper or the health stuff?”
Easy choice. Tonight, she wanted to forget about her health problems as much possible considering she’d come with a service dog. “Cooper, but there’s nothing to say other than what I’ve told you.”
She’d never met anyone like Cooper. She’d always been attracted to rough and tumble rodeo cowboys, and though Cooper was a Texas cowboy, there was so much more to him. He possessed a dry sense of humor and a gentle spirit so apparent when he worked with animals. His intelligence no longer made her nervous. Despite being one of the smartest people she’d ever met, he never lorded it over her, talked down to her, or made her feel she was less. Somehow, he made her feel she could grab the world by the horns and tackle anything she set her mind to.
“What’s he like? He’s been friends with Ty since college, but I hardly know him,” Aubrey said.
“I think he takes a while to know. From what I’ve seen so far, he’s got a wicked sense of humor. You wouldn’t believe how often we laugh at work, and you should see him with animals.”
“What about running the office? How’s that going?”
“It’s surprising, but I really enjoy the work. It beats the hell outta waitressing.”
“Maybe you’ll stick around.”
Cheyenne held up a hand. Stay in Wishing? “Hold on there. I can’t see that happening. I have a life and a job I want to get back to.”
The minute the words left her mouth, the little voice in her head chimed in. Why don’t you want to stay in Wishing? Is life here so bad? And what about life in the rodeo? Was that so great?
“I seem to recall you weren’t all that crazy—”
“Cheyenne, Aubrey, I’m glad to see you tonight.”
Cheyenne turned to find Dot Griggs beside their table. She greeted the older woman with a relieved grin. “Good to see you, too, Miz Griggs. How are Maybelle and her little one doing?”
“Fine and dandy, thanks to Dr. Abbott. He sure is something, and the fact that he’s easy on the eyes doesn’t hurt, either. If I were fifteen years younger, I’d give you gals a run for your money chasing him.”
“What? Oh, no. Neither of us is interested in Cooper, I mean Dr. Abbott. Me especially since I work for him.” Cheyenne pinched her lips together to stop her rambling.
“Speak for yourself, Cheyenne. I haven’t decided about making a play for Cooper.”
Cheyenne glanced at her friend, trying to judge her seriousness, but Aubrey sat there with a blank look on her face. Not that it mattered whether her bestie was serious or not. She wouldn’t care if Aub
rey dated Cooper. He was a great guy and her friend was fantastic too. Why shouldn’t two terrific people get together?
If you really believe that pile of horse crap, why is your chest getting tight at the thought of Cooper kissing Aubrey the way he kissed you?
Cheyenne cleared her throat. “Working for him has shown me how lucky Wishing is. He’s an excellent vet.”
Dot nodded. “I’m glad you’re helping him, but it can’t be easy. I know you’re having a tough time. I always say prayer and keeping busy gets a body through the rough patches.”
Cheyenne would add a good neurosurgeon to Dot’s list. At least for her current rough spot. “That’s a sound strategy.”
“From what I hear, Cheyenne, you’re doing a great job with his office. I always knew you had a good head on your shoulders. You remind me of me in my younger days. Smart as a whip, but not in the book-learning way. Because of that, I had a terrible time convincing the bank to loan me the money to purchase my breeding stock when I started out.”
Dot Griggs, one of the most successful businesswomen in the county, thought her smart? “Thank you for the compliment. That means a lot coming from you.”
“I never knew the bankers gave you a hard time when you started out,” Aubrey said.
“That was long before you and your family moved here. Almost ancient history,” Dot said.
“I’d love to sit down and talk business with you some time. I have some ideas, but am running into some resistance, too,” Aubrey said.
“Come to the ranch next week. How ’bout Wednesday?” Aubrey nodded, and Dot continued. “We’ll talk. I’m always looking for a sound investment.” Then Dot turned to Cheyenne and patted her on the shoulder. “Take care of that man and yourself. We don’t want to lose either of you.”
After the older woman left, a few more people stopped by on their way in or out of The Horseshoe to say hello and wish Cheyenne the best dealing with her “health issue” as most labeled it. Thankfully, when their food arrived, folks let them eat in peace.
“Remember the last time we were here, and I said I should make a public announcement, updating everyone on my health the minute I arrived?”