“No kidding,” Stevie added. “This is the strangest farm I’ve ever seen. No offense.”
“None taken. This is a sanctuary. We take farm animals that have been abused or neglected and let them live out their lives here on the land. Peaceful, except for the occasional petting zoo.”
“Incredible. If you ever need volunteers, let me know.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Brenda whipped out her phone and pressed it against Stevie’s. “Now you’ll know which number to avoid if you change your mind.”
“If I get a life before I leave town, I’ll just let you know that I’m not interested.”
I couldn’t tell if there was actual stress in her voice or if I was just hearing things, so I kept my focus on the pregnant goat I was here to check out. For now, I was happy to listen and learn more about Stevie.
“How long are you in Tulip for?”
“Until the end of the week, for sure. After that, I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“You came all the way down here for a temporary job?”
I held my breath and waited, eyes closed, for Stevie to lay it all out there. “I had to leave my old job, anyway, and a week of pay is better than a week without.”
“Was your boss one of those men who can’t keep his hands to himself?”
I froze, listening. She hadn’t said why she’d left her old job, and I hadn’t given her much of a reason to open up, either.
“No, he just couldn’t keep it in his pants. He slept with the nurse on staff, a pharmaceutical sales rep, and the janitor, and that was just in the office.” Her voice was amused, but she couldn’t hide the hurt deep in her voice.
“So you didn’t sleep with him?”
“Nope. He was a nice guy—a family guy, I thought. But when his wife found out, she made him clear his office of all female temptation just to make sure he stayed faithful. Apparently, he didn’t tell her the janitor was a dude, otherwise I can’t understand her logic.”
Yep, there was anger and hurt there, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. She’d lost her job through no fault of her own. And now it was about to happen again.
Her explanation had sent Brenda into another fit of giggles, giving me plenty of time to check out the other animals in peace. It wasn’t exactly what I’d pictured, but it kept Brenda from poking her noise in my business and that was an added bonus.
Stevie
Fifteen. That’s how old I was the last time I felt exhausted in the best way possible. I know everyone usually thinks of sex when they think of a good, satisfied kind of exhaustion, but for me it’s always been real physical labor. Even though I spent far too much time closed inside a too-small car with the giant known as Scott Henderson, it was a fun day. Holding animals against my chest, cooing to the young ones when necessary—it was a good damn day and even if I didn’t last longer than the week, today was worth the experience.
After leaving the Cullen Farm, we headed to two more properties where Scott did his thing, tending to a few horses before we made our way back to the office well after sundown.
As soon as I walked inside my hotel room, I locked the door and kicked off my shoes before making a beeline straight for the shower. It was hot as hell and the water pressure was mediocre at best, but it helped wash away the dirt and grime, the animal hair and the hay. All of it swirled down the drain as the small bathroom filled with steam and I stood there under the spray until I felt mostly human again.
Most of my belongings were still locked away in the moving truck I still couldn’t unload but still had to buy an extra parking space for, not to mention the cost of the truck itself. All, very likely, for nothing. I didn’t feel like blow drying my hair, so I let it air dry and slipped into a pair of flannel pole-dancing clown pants and a matching t-shirt, then fired up my laptop. I couldn’t wait for Scott to decide whether or not to get rid of me; I needed to be proactive. I looked for jobs all over the country, confident now that I could live a good and happy life outside the state of Texas that had become my de facto home over the past few years.
Scott was a rule follower, not a maverick. How effective and proficient I was at my job would never trump his discomfort at having me around looking the way I did, so I blasted my resume out for more than an hour before a knock at the door pulled me from my mission. With a frown, I stood and went to the door. I didn’t have any friends in town, which meant no impromptu visitors.
Through the peephole, I spotted Eddy and another woman with brown and silver hair, wearing a green and pink cowboy shirt. Eddy was a meddler, sure, but mostly harmless, so I opened the door. “Good evening, ladies. Can I help you with something?”
“No, but we can help you,” Eddy said, shoving me aside as she entered without an invitation. “Betty here has a few leads on rentals in town. Apartment or house, whatever you need. Her new daughter works for the mayor, you know.”
I’d heard at least half a dozen times—each of them from Eddy. “I’m not ready to start looking at rental units yet,” I told her honestly. I wouldn’t break Scott’s confidence, but I wouldn’t hold on to his secrets unnecessarily, either. “And I don’t think I asked for this?”
“You didn’t, but Tulip is a special little town—our own little slice of heaven—and we pride ourselves on welcoming newcomers and helping our neighbors out. With the hours you’re keeping over at Scotty’s place, I figured you haven’t had time to nail down a place yet.”
She was right. Sort of. Mostly. I would be looking already if my status as a resident of Tulip was more concrete, but it wasn’t. “I haven’t had time, but I’m not going to look until I’m sure I’m staying.”
The two women shared a look I couldn’t decipher, and I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to. Then Eddy turned to me with a frown. “You already took the job.” She sounded offended, like she had been betrayed.
I nodded, because even though Tulip wasn’t my hometown and I wasn’t a proper Texas girl, I was raised to respect my elders. “And Dr. Henderson has instituted a probationary period for both of us.” That was offering enough information without giving away all of it, right?
Betty folded her arms and dropped down on the bed—my bed—with a harrumph. “Sounds like a bunch of damn nonsense to me.” She was a plainspoken woman with clear green eyes and a mind as sharp as a blade. “What’s the truth, did your piercings scare him off?”
Absolutely. “I have no idea, he didn’t say.”
“Or the tattoos. My boy always did have an aversion to body art,” Eddy added with a shake of her head, tracing the visible tip of the angel’s wings that wrapped around the top of my shoulder.
“I said I have no idea, ladies, and I don’t. I haven’t asked and I won’t. If my ability to do the job well doesn’t land me this position for as long as I want it, nothing will. I’m fine with that. You should be, too.” This was, by far, the strangest visit I’d ever had in my entire life. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
“You’re leaving?” Betty sounded hurt, which was strange since I’d only met her about three minutes ago. Maybe five, I didn’t know—to me, it felt like a lifetime. “She’s looking for a new job, Eddy. Look right here!” She pointed at my screen and Eddy dropped down beside her with the energy of a woman half her age.
“Why?”
Oh, she was good. She’d fooled me once and I could see, now, why she caused so much trouble for her strait-laced grandson. “I might not have a choice, Eddy. Especially since someone got me to pack up my life and move here under false pretenses.” Eddy blushed but she looked directly at me, defiance burning in her eyes like she was an innocent woman.
“I gave you the shot you needed, don’t blame me if you’re determined to screw it all up.”
I had to smile at her spirit. “I like you, Eddy. You’re crazy as hell and I dig that, but I need you to stop meddling. This is my life and my livelihood, and I need this job.”
She scoffed and shook a hand in the air. “If that’s the problem, I’ll talk to Scott
y—”
“No. Absolutely not. Please do not talk to Scott about me for any reason. Please,” I added, just in case it might actually work.
After a long pause, she nodded. “Okay. Fine. I won’t try to influence Scotty where your job is concerned. I promise.” She crossed a finger over her heart and did her best to look like a woman with a lot less mischief in there.
It seemed too easy, but I was too tired to fight and I had a feeling these old ladies rarely lost. “Thank you.”
They both shuffled out the door as easily as they’d pushed their way in, sighing as they turned to me. “There’s a potluck dinner at the community center tomorrow. It’s for charity,” Betty added to entice me further.
Food and charity. There were worst ways to spend a night. “Do I have to dress up?”
Eddy looked me up and down. “It wouldn’t kill you to wear something nice, but it’s not required.” They both gave me a long, assessing look before walking away.
I stood there, feeling like they’d walked away with everything they wanted and left me holding the bag.
Scott
There was only one reason to get up early. Revenge. Sick, twisted revenge that harmed no one except the idiot crazy enough to get up an hour early just to beat his assistant to the office. Me, I’m that idiot. But it didn’t matter—I woke up early, skipped my morning run and breakfast, and I made it in before Stevie arrived.
It was damned annoying to see her scowling face lit by the light of the computer screen every single morning. She never smiled at me, just hopped up and retrieved my coffee and messages. Every single morning. Like clockwork. But that morning, I’d beat her in, and I damn sure wasn’t going to waste the time.
First, I logged onto the system to check out the new filing system, which was a lot. Too much, in fact. It was overly complicated and I didn’t know where anything was, which meant she would have to redo it. I smiled, just thinking of how mad she would be when I gave her that news. Sometime just before nine, I heard Stevie enter the office. She paused, briefly, before falling easily into her morning routine.
Unflappable as ever. I was determined to see the woman get annoyed. Or angry.
Ten minutes later, she breezed in with a big steaming mug of coffee and a familiar white bag, soaked with grease at the bottom. She set both items on the corner of my desk, then stepped back and waited before she turned and left without a word.
Strange.
Stevie’s confidence in her abilities as an assistant was warranted, which is why her sudden silence was so damn bothersome. Was she planning on leaving before I made a decision? Had she already checked out?
I didn’t know—not yet—but she was efficient as hell, making my life far easier than thought it could be. I had already accepted that this life as a small-town vet would be harder than that of my counterparts who treated the sick pets of the rich and famous, since I had to pull triple duty as doctor, nurse, and administrator. But Stevie had, somehow, made things much simpler in the few days she’d been around. Hot, refreshed coffee regularly appeared on my desk, and so far, there had been no double-booked appointments, forgotten meetings, or any other trouble.
It was all smooth sailing. It almost felt too smooth.
Another knock sounded, pulling me from my thoughts and from the mountain of paperwork I needed to approve now that the filing system was officially up to date and online. The stack in front of me was filled with invoices, old and new, along with equipment orders, lab fees to be paid, and plenty of other admin stuff I’d been neglecting under the guise of doing it all myself. “Come in,” I barked, annoyed at the interruption even though I knew exactly who it was.
Stevie appeared on the other side of my desk in another pair of painted on blue jeans and a short-sleeved T-shirt that was not workplace appropriate. It wasn’t revealing, it’d need a few more inches to come close, but it was still low-key sexy. She dropped another bag on my desk and took a step back. “Your first appointment after lunch is at one-fifteen. A Doberman with a bowel problem, belongs to Martha Clark.”
I groaned. Martha was the kind of pet owner who fed her dog human food, non-stop, ignoring all dietary orders she was given. “Thanks.” She gave a short nod and turned on her heels. “Wait.”
Stevie turned, slowly, pushing a mass of curls out of her face. “Yes?”
“What’s this?” A dumb question, I knew, but we were both aware of what I was really asking.
“Lunch. People generally eat it between breakfast and dinner. You don’t want it?”
“I do,” I insisted, even though I wasn’t sure if I really did. “What is it?”
Stevie shrugged and leaned against the doorframe with a casual ease I envied most days. “Burger and fries. Figured it was a safe bet.”
I frowned, wondering what her angle was but aware that asking about it might just piss her off. “What did you get?”
“Nachos. Loaded with extra jalapeño and guac.” She flashed a proud smile and I groaned.
“That sounds heavenly.”
“It does, and it’s mine. You have a burger and fries,” she reminded me, chin tilted up, defiant.
My lips twitched at her attempt at putting her foot down, which I allowed. “Thank you for lunch, Stevie.”
“You’re welcome,” she said softly and left my office.
She also left me confused, but that wasn’t on her. It was on me and my unbelievable reaction to this woman who wasn’t my type. Not even a little bit.
My phone lit up with Derek’s face as it began to ring and I smiled, reaching for it. I needed to talk to someone about these strange, protective feelings she was stirring in me, but if I talked to Derek, newly in love, he would undoubtedly see things that weren’t there. “Derek, how goes the business of overcharging clients?”
“I don’t know, you tell me. How much is a doggy massage going for these days?” The amusement in his voice soothed his words, even though neither of us meant them. Much.
“You couldn’t afford one,” I shot back with a laugh.
“So, how is the assistant going? I heard she has a ring in her nose, is it true?”
I nodded, turning to look out at the view of the fields of tulips on the other side of the window. “It is true, a light purple stone that almost matches her eyes.” Shit, why did I say that? “She also has a row of earrings all the way up one ear.” That was better, a perfect distraction.
“Are you freaking out? I bet you’re freaking out right now and counting down the days until you can fire her, aren’t you?” Derek laughed again, so confident he knew me and I had to admit, as my best friend, he really did.
“I’m not freaking out.” There was no need to, not when the end of the week was just around the corner and I was, unfortunately, no closer to a decision than I’d been the day she called me on already having my mind made up. “She’s efficient,” I added weakly.
“That’s a good thing. So, what is it about this woman that has you so unsure?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, even though I had some idea. “She brought me lunch. Double bacon cheeseburger with fries.” What in the hell did that mean, anyway? Was she sucking up to the boss, or did she get it because I always work through lunch?
Derek was quiet for a long minute and I strained to see if there were any sounds of an impending emergency. “She doesn’t sound like your type, even though Betty swears she’s as pretty as a picture.”
“Your point?”
“My point is, what would be the harm in keeping her on for awhile?”
The harm was that Stevie was absolutely not my type, but that didn’t mean she lacked a certain appeal. She was attractive and mouthy and that wild black hair made my fingers itch to run through it. Dammit. “I don’t know.” That was the honest-to-god truth.
Silence descended on the other end of the line, for so long I was about to hang up, when Derek spoke. “You like her.”
“She’s my assistant. Very capable, what’s not to like?” Why was he re
ading more into this than there actually was?
“And you like her. As a human, maybe even as a person.” He laughed, so damn amused by himself. “Then I guess you’d better get used to having her around, because it sounds like you couldn’t get rid of her even if you really wanted to—and you don’t sound like a man who’s ready to see the back of this woman.” He laughed again. “Or maybe you want to see much more than the back of her.”
“I didn’t say I was keeping her,” I barked angrily, but Derek didn’t find me the least bit intimidating, despite my size.
“Good,” he snorted, “because she isn’t a damn pet. She’s a woman. An employee.”
Which meant she was off-limits no matter what feelings she stirred up inside me. “Did you call just to give me shit?” It was exactly the kind of thing we did, but not so much since he’d started spending every free moment with Max and Callie.
“No, I actually called for a reason. Giving you shit was just a bonus.” He rifled through some papers and when he spoke again, I heard the smile in his voice. “The Hometown Heroes potluck mixer is tomorrow night. Bring a homemade dish and your best smile.”
“Shit. Will this ever end?”
“Probably not, but those old ladies helped me land Maxine, so I can’t complain too much.”
“You complained plenty while it was happening, believe me.” And as amusing as it had been to watch, it had also been kind of painful. Some things, a man needed to do himself.
“Maybe so, but I’ve got my woman now, which means more women to focus on your pathetic love life.” This time, I heard the muffled sounds of the speaker and I reached for my lunch.
“Gotta go. Talk to you later, and good luck with the assistant.”
“Stevie. Her name is Stevie.”
Derek sighed. “There is something sexy about a woman with a man’s name.” With that, the call was over and I groaned—instead of relaxing at home tonight, I had to cook something.
Hero Boss: An Alpha Male Office Romance Page 3