Love in a Pickle: A Silver Fox Small Town Romance (Green Valley Library Book 9)

by Smartypants Romance

  “Leigh?”

  I stiffened, surfacing from my thoughts. Walker straightened and ambled closer. He moved with the lumbering grace exclusive to big men, a very slight bowleggedness lending his walk a kind of deliberate, sexy swagger. Advancing, he squinted slightly as if trying to make me out in the muted lighting of the hospital’s basement floor. He stopped only three feet away from me.

  I disciplined my eyes, sternly instructed them away from the just-right fit of Walker’s huge shoulders in his white broadcloth shirt. I did not allow my eyes to notice how the tip of his conservative navy tie arrowed the path to his tapered waist and the slightest imprint of powerful thighs just visible in his dark slacks. I refused to dwell on how beautifully his perfectly sculpted dark goatee contrasted with the deep mahogany of his skin.

  My fingers clenched against the empty wish for a cigarette.

  He wasn’t nearly as circumspect, making no effort to disguise the frank assessment in the gaze that slowly crawled upwards from my clogs in slow degrees. I didn’t miss the banked heat in his eyes when his stare finally met mine.

  “Golden Boy,” I said, feeling a perverse pleasure at having launched the opening salvo and earning the answering curl at the corner of his lip. He hated that name, I knew. Hated it whenever I reminded of him of who he was. Son of the richest man in the county, heir apparent to a growing banking empire in Tennessee. Why this bothered him, I’d never know. It was hardly a secret, not with him and his father on billboards advertising his family’s bank around Knoxville and Nashville. But that didn’t make it any less fun to pick at him.

  “Umbridge.”

  I feigned surprise. “What, have you exhausted all the Disney villains? We’re into the Harry Potter lexicon now?”

  His answering smile was sharp and wicked. “You know, there are just so many names for the devil. I don’t think I’ll ever come up empty-handed when it comes to you.”

  “Good to know. What are you doing here?” I flicked a pointed glance at the doorway to Radiology he’d evidently just come through, and I noticed the orange paper had somehow disappeared into his pocket by the time he greeted me.

  And … cue the third complication.

  Walker Leffersbee and I shared a secret, and seeing him here had just made it much more, well, complicated.

  I hadn’t seen him since he abruptly passed out right in front of me at Zora’s wedding almost two months before. He’d gone down like a felled tree with no notice at all, almost smacking his head on the cement floor. As I leaned over him praying he wasn’t dead, Zora walked in and assumed she’d caught us in the throes of passion. I instinctively covered for him by letting her believe that, and once he regained consciousness, I allowed him to convince me to keep the truth of the episode between the two of us. Neither of us wanted to burden the family with stressful information on such a happy occasion.

  Zora had been away on her honeymoon for more than two months, during which I’d seen not hide nor hair of Walker. That was quite a feat in Green Valley, the small town outside of Knoxville where we all lived, and even more impressive considering he’d previously been a regular visitor at the duplex Zora and I shared. It worried me. He’d promised to seek medical help to identify whatever the hell was wrong with him. Looking at him now though, he seemed perfectly fine. But I also couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes shifted evasively at my question. The hand in his pocket tightened around what had to be that orange paper.

  He was hiding something, something important, and I was the only one who knew anything was potentially amiss. Great.

  This was why I hated secrets. In my experience, they never ended well.

  You won’t be here that much longer anyway.

  “What did you say you were doing here?” I prompted again, realizing with no small amount of uneasiness that we’d both been silently contemplating the other while I was absorbed in my thoughts.

  “Bitterly regretting that I left my crucifix and garlic at home,” he said, a familiar teasing note entering his voice.

  I smirked. “You think I’m going to let you get away with this weak-ass evasion?”

  His smile dropped.

  “Hi, Leigh.”

  We both turned to see a scrubs-clad woman waving to me as she approached. I recognized her as one of the nurses from the burn unit. I gave her a smile and threw my hand up in greeting, noting her gaze was now sliding over Walker. Walker glanced at her, turned back to me, then did a double take, his head craning sharply to take in the apparently entertaining twitch of her ass as she passed. She glanced back over her shoulder and met his assessing stare with her own bold regard before continuing onward to the elevators.

  Walker was slow in returning his attention to me, a sly smile sitting on those deliciously full lips when he finally faced me again.

  And here was perhaps the biggest problem. Yes, I had an itch for Walker, and had ever since he showed up in our dorm room all those years ago to check on Zora. It was an itch I’d probably have a lot of fun scratching before I wisely moved on. But Walker was the equivalent of community dick: never short on female companionship and seemingly averse to even the most casual of attachments.

  A memory, the worst kind of haunting, assailed me as I stood looking at him. Me at ten years old, sitting in the passenger seat of my father’s lovingly restored Ford Mustang, waiting for him to come out of his auto repair garage. He’d somehow forgotten the night deposit, he’d said, and needed to jet in and pick it up. Shouldn’t take more than a second, Lee-Lee.

  It had, in fact, taken more than a second. More like thirty minutes. He’d emerged from the shadowy interior of the shop adjusting his belt, the new, pretty, young receptionist close at his heels. Her shirt was misbuttoned.

  Only a few days prior, my mother, sister, and I had returned home after several months spent cramped with my aunt and cousins. He was sorry, he’d told my mother. It wouldn’t happen again.

  I’d delivered that presentation to my class a week later.

  I’d worked my whole life to avoid men like my father. Nonetheless, eight years ago, I’d managed to marry a different flavor of the same treachery. Six years ago I’d moved from New Jersey to live with my best friend in a tiny Tennessee town, all to avoid the unrelenting presence of the unfaithful man I’d married and thankfully divorced. And here I was, standing in front of yet another version of the same man.

  Knowing all of that, why did Walker appeal to me on any level?

  Maybe you’re no good at keeping your word to yourself. That would the worst betrayal of all now, wouldn’t it?

  Maybe it was time to stop running from the mistakes in my past. With any luck, I’d be back in Jersey soon, resettled with a new job. I needed to start a new reality.

  “Leigh?”

  Startled, I glanced up at Walker and found him frowning down at me, his expression grave. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” I said, with more bite than I intended.

  His frown deepened. “You haven’t been this cranky since they ran out of ribs on all-you-can-eat day at the Rib Shack.”

  “Sorry. It’s just … we had something fall through with a patient. It’s really disappointing and I’ve got to figure out how to fix it.”

  I delivered a friendly punch to his arm, but he easily absorbed the blow, those dark eyes steady on mine.

  “This is worse than the Rib Shack running out of ribs, if you can believe that,” I admitted.

  His gaze sharpened. “What’s wrong? How can I help?”

  “You can’t. We were supposed to have the Karney the Kangaroo show up—”

  “Who?”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. No one over the age of seven would know. But he was supposed to show up for a patient. I promised, and he’s not here.”

  Walker appeared to think this over. “Well, can you arrange for something else instead? Another—”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Her heart is set on this. And all we’ve got is an empty suit.�
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  “You’ve got the suit?”

  “Yeah, none of us can fit it—” And then it hit me. “We’ve got the suit.” I turned my wrist to check the time, then looked back at him, running an eye over his height.

  “You know I’m certified as a volunteer—”

  “That’s right!” Maybe God was about to answer my prayer.

  “Walker … do you think—”

  “You need me in the suit, right?” His smile was wry.

  “Do you mind? If it worked out, it would mean so much to this little girl—”

  Shrill beeping from his pocket interrupted me. He pulled out his phone, glanced at the display, winced, and quieted it before returning it to his pocket.

  Oh, that’s right. Walker likely had vice president-y things to do. Come to think of it, I was surprised to see him away from the bank during business hours.

  “It’s fine if you can’t,” I said, wanting to give him an out but almost choking on the words.

  His gaze flitted to his watch, then back to me. “Naw, I can do it. I need to be out of here soon though, so we need to get a move on.” Another fitful glance at his watch as his hand seemed to close longingly over the phone in his pocket. “So. Are we doing this?”

  I jerked a thumb behind me to indicate the Development office down the hall, but now found I couldn’t quite work the explanatory words up my throat. Are we doing this, he’d asked, and the words suddenly carried unexpected significance. Walker Leffersbee was about to do me an enormous favor, and I’d already done him one. Was it really wise to get in the habit of trading favors with him now?

  What’s wrong with you? I had a precious little girl upstairs who needed her kangaroo. Why was I hesitating?

  “Yeah,” I said over my shoulder, “We’re doing this.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think this is Karney.”

  “What was your first clue, Sherlock?”

  Ebony, Ruth, and Simon stood in a semi-circle around a costumed Walker, gaping at him. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to laugh or cry.

  Right now, laughter was winning out.

  “More like Highwater Hal.” Ebony gestured to where the stubby legs of the kangaroo costume abruptly ended before a large patch of Walker’s smooth brown skin began. Even more disconcerting were the thin, gray business socks and highly shined dress shoes he wore with the ensemble.

  He looked like a giant toddler in an absurdly undersized kangaroo onesie.

  It was hysterical. I couldn’t see Walker’s expression behind the dark mesh of the oversized grinning kangaroo head, but I knew he would enjoy punishing me later if I laughed.

  “Highwater Hal,” Simon repeated, finally letting his laughter spill over. He and Ebony high-fived each other and cracked up.

  “Why does he have kangaroo hands but not kangaroo feet?” Ruth asked, blinking at him in apparent amusement. I shook my head, trying not to cackle. The fully-exposed length of Walker’s well-developed forearms ended in giant green kangaroo paws.

  “The kangaroo slippers are supposed to cover his shoes, but they were too small,” I explained.

  Ebony glanced back to me with a sly smile. “Well, now we definitely know we’re dealing with a different man.” Her brows quirked at me. “A much bigger man. With big feet.” She turned back to him and offered her hand. “I’m Ebony. I’m one of the nurses here on the Peds floor. I work closely with Leigh.”

  Walker awkwardly maneuvered the oversized mitt until it smacked against her extended hand. “I’m Walker.” His voice was now somehow deeper than usual. I rolled my eyes.

  Ebony gave a dramatic shiver. “My, what a deep voice you have.”

  Simon elbowed me. “How did this suddenly take a creepy turn?”

  “Never mind that,” Ruth said turning to me. “You did it. God knows how you pulled it off, but you did. Although, there’s the issue of his voice. There’s no way he can change it, and he doesn’t sound like Karney. And the fact that the suit is too small—”

  “It’ll work,” I said. There was no other choice, and we were so close. “We’ll cover the exposed parts of his arms with ace bandages. It’ll be just like the doll I use to teach the kids about the medical procedures they’re having. And … he just won’t talk.”

  “We’ve got to figure it out fast, then. OR will be on their way up any minute now,” Ruth hissed.

  Fifteen minutes later we watched, hearts in our throats, as Walker lurched toward Madison’s room. Ebony had run down to another floor to fetch an adult gown large enough to fit over the arms of the costume. It rode up over the protruding kangaroo paunch with comical effect.

  “I hope this works,” Ebony whispered in my ear, echoing the same worry currently pinging through my gut.

  “It’s gonna work,” I whispered back with a confidence I didn’t feel.

  A loud cheer went up in the room as soon as Walker crossed the threshold. I followed behind him just in time to see Madison spring to her knees as she let out a loud squeal.

  “Karney! You came!”

  Madison’s parents jumped to their feet, looking relieved. Mrs. Bowers’s eyes widened as she took in Karney’s rag-tag appearance, and her gaze shot to mine. I nodded to her and mouthed, Go with it.

  She nodded back.

  As planned, I pulled up next to Walker with my box of teaching materials in hand. “Karney, Madison is so excited you’re here. How do you like the welcome sign she made?”

  Walker gave an oversized nod, wildly gesticulating his approval. I took a step back before one of his paws gave me a concussion.

  Madison, possibly one of the cutest kids in the world, shrieked as she told him all about how she’d made the banner with the help of floor nurses. Seeing the giddy light in her brown eyes, the excited quiver to her ginger ponytails, and the wide smile persisting despite the contracture of the scar tissue covering her left cheek, I let out a relieved sigh.

  This would work. We’d kept our promise.

  “Karney, since you have a sore throat today and you can’t really talk, would you like to learn about the surgery Madison is having today?”

  Karney nodded emphatically, and Madison’s face lit up.

  “Madison, do you mind showing Karney what’s going to happen with your surgery today?” Madison nodded, and used my Patty the Patient doll to explain it. Walker stood next to her, nodding his oversized kangaroo head often. I was suffused with pride as Madison took Walker through all the things I’d taught her about the upcoming procedure. Throughout her lecture she patted Walker on the arm, gazing adoringly at Karney’s goofy grin.

  “Listen to her, she’s got it down,” Simon said in my ear, and I nodded. “That’s got to make you proud, seeing how much your education has helped since she got here. She understands what’s going to happen, so she’s a lot less anxious. Hell, she’s calmer than her parents right now.”

  He was right. “Sometimes telling kids a version of the truth they can handle is a lot more effective than their imaginations running riot with all the worst-case scenarios.”

  “Good job getting Karney here too,” he said, giving my back a quick pat. “This is a way better send-off for the surgery, and that’s thanks to you.”

  “You’re buttering me up. You must want something.”

  “I guess I’ve been missing you. Sure I can’t talk you into a celebratory nightcap, a friendly sleepover? For old times’ sake?” Simon aimed a boyish grin down at me, and I lightly elbowed his ribs.

  “I prefer to leave the past in the past. As much fun as it was, our run is up.”

  “Too bad.”

  I winced at the genuine disappointment in his eyes. I’d really had some good times with Simon. Not only because he had the body of a Greek god and remarkable stamina when it counted the most, but because he was a genuinely good guy. But he wasn’t the guy for me.

  I was leaving anyway, whether because of the hospital’s implosion or for another job. I sighed and turned my attention back to the scene in the room.

&n
bsp; Walker gave Madison a hug. My heart clutched.

  By the time the orderly showed up to take her down to surgery, Madison was ready.

  “Bubble parade!” I tossed tiny vials of bubble solution to the assembled nurses and orderly, and we all let out a cheer.

  “We’ll be here waiting for you, Maddie,” her father said, managing to flatten out the faint tremble in his voice.

  “Yes,” Madison said matter-of-factly. “You’re going to get me something to drink. ‘Cause I might have a sore throat when I wake up. But it won’t last forever. Just for a little while.”

  “That’s right.” Her mother leaned over to plant a kiss on her forehead, her husband quickly following suit. Walker gave Madison one last hug then stepped out of the way as the orderly sorted out wires and wheeled her bed away from the wall. I caught her parents engulfing Walker in a huge hug just before I left to join the cheerful, singing procession down the hallway. Madison joined us in blowing bubbles as she sang. She held my hand the entire way down to the OR, frequently giggling at the jokes and funny noises we made along the way.

  The relief I felt when she was safely delivered to the OR was immense. I’d kept my promise, and I had Walker to thank for that.

  On the way back up in the elevator, I wondered how I’d find sufficient words to express my gratitude.

  But, as it turned out, I didn’t need them. He was already gone.

  ** END SNEAK PEEK **

  Before and After You is coming October 21, 2021!

  Sneak Peek: Silver Brewer, Book #1 of the Silver Foxes at Blue Ridge series by L.B. Dunbar