Lost and Found (books 1-3): Small-Town Romantic Comedy

by Elizabeth Lynx

  The waitress nodded. She's new. I had never seen her before, not even in town. She's cute with straight black hair that brushed her shoulders and bangs that needed a trim.

  "No problem." She refilled my cup, never looking me in the eye.

  "Thanks, uh, Emily." I glanced at the pin above the pocket on her yellow blouse.

  Her dark brown eyes flickered up to meet mine with a twinge of uncertainty. "I never told you my name. Who are you?" She took a step back, her body rigid.

  "Um . . . your name tag did." I pointed.

  Looking down at where I pointed, she relaxed her hand and the coffee pot tipped, spilling some coffee onto the ground.

  "Shoot. I'm such a klutz. I'll be right back."

  Emily shuffled off to the back. The way she reacted to me just now reminded me of my father. When we first came to this town, he trusted no one. Except, for some reason, Tyler Ferguson's father.

  The clock over the register read four fifteen, and I wondered where Olivia could be. The vet was only a five-minute walk from here and she got off at four o'clock. Emily came back out with a rag and bucket. When she set down the bucket of soapy water, it tipped and spilled everywhere.

  "It's only my second day. I'm so going to be fired," I heard her mumble to herself.

  I stood and walked over to the spill. "I'll start with the rag while you go in the back to get a mop."

  When she glanced up, the black fringe from her bangs covered most of her eyes. "I don't think it's a good idea to have a customer down on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor. Especially one in a cast." She pointed to my arm. "If I'm not already fired, I will be if Debbie finds out you're helping me clean."

  "I used to help her sweep the floors when I was a kid. I'm sure she'll be fine with it." I extended my hand. She took it and got up from the floor.

  "If you are sure about this? I really can't afford to lose this job. If you can't already tell, this is my first job. Well, my first job outside of a farm."

  I was taking the rag from her and stopped midair. "Farm? What type of farm?"

  "Cows mostly. But my family also had some chickens and a few horses. My dad expanded into corn for a few years but went back to animals only. My mom used to joke that he was trying to cover all the bases." She snorted at her family joke.

  "There are some farms scattered around this area. Why don't you find work on one of them?"

  She shrugged, tilting her head forward until all her hair fell into her face. "There aren't a lot of animal farms around here. The ones I found deal with maple and honey. I did try at an alpaca farm, but they didn't need any help. So, here I am."

  Olivia popped into my head. I knew she wouldn't stay on the farm forever, and I'd gotten a lot more done with her around. It would be a big help if I could hire someone to help out once Olivia was gone.

  That thought made me both happy and sad. Despite what she told me last week about wanting to stay, I knew enough about this life to understand that the excitement would wear off after some time. When I was a kid and my dad first brought me here, I thought we'd found paradise. After the first year, I longed to move back to DC. That's when my father told me we could never go back.

  I was about to invite Emily up to the farm to check it out when I heard the bell over the door. Olivia was laughing as she entered with Tyler right behind her. I clenched my jaw and stared at him. The guy was one big flirt, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was his way of hitting on Olivia. Wasn't it convenient his assistant went on maternity leave last week? A little too convenient if you asked me.

  "I'll be back with the mop. Thanks for the help," Emily said.

  I got down on my knees and soaked up what I could before wringing the rag out in the bucket.

  "Forget your wallet at home, Carter?" Tyler said.

  I shifted and looked up at him standing over me. "What?"

  "Need to work off the bill?" Tyler smiled and began to laugh at his lame joke.

  "No. Just helping the new waitress."

  "Wow. That's so nice of you." I stiffened at the surprise in his voice.

  I may not be a very social person, but I'd lend a helping hand to anyone when needed.

  "I got the mop. I think I can take it from here."

  I threw the rag in the bucket and rose from the floor.

  "I got us a table," I turned my back to Tyler and guided Olivia over to the booth, "and ordered you hot chocolate."

  She clasped her hands. "Look at you being the perfect gentleman today." Olivia stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.

  "I'm going to wash my hands."

  I turned and glared at Tyler, hoping he got the hint that he wasn't invited to join us. I hadn't needed to worry as he was already flirting with Emily, demonstrating his amazing talent at mopping.

  When I finished in the restroom and came back to the booth, Tyler was gone and Emily was hauling the bucket and mop away.

  "How was work today?" I slid into the opposite side of the booth.

  Olivia had the menu open in front of her, blocking the view of her face.

  "Really good." She lowered the laminated menu to display her beautiful smile. "I got to help with spaying a cat. I mean, I only handed him some of the instruments and then sat with the cat while she was sedated, but I learned so much."

  "That's wonderful. I'm glad you enjoy working there. You know, the cast comes off soon, so you don't need to stick around if you don't want to . . ."

  My heart was beating wildly in my chest. I had overheard her with her sister on the phone. She confessed how family came first and that she couldn't let a man destroy her family. Her sister must have told her about my past.

  Bea had promised she wouldn't say anything, though. But they were sisters, and I said I didn't like her right before she confronted me about being Lorne Fitzwilliam's son. My secret couldn't stay hidden forever. Once I let Olivia into my life, my past would eventually come to the surface. My father always warned me about that.

  "But I want to stay. Actually, I've got some exciting news."

  She reached for my hand, her thumb running circles over my palm.

  "Dr. Ferguson."

  "Tyler."

  She pursed her lips together. "He is a doctor of veterinary medicine, Carter, so his title is doctor."

  I feigned interest in the menu laying between my arms. "Semantics."

  "No, that's not semantics at all. He's a doctor. Anyway, Dr. Ferguson would like me to think about becoming his full-time assistant. The woman on maternity leave, Kylie, put in her notice. She had the baby a few days ago and felt like she couldn't leave her son. Now, I have a chance to work there. Isn't that great!"

  My smile was stiff as I said, "That's great." But inside I wanted to scream no. Not just scream it, but I felt the urge to run down to the vet office and throw Tyler against a wall.

  I bet he called Kylie and convinced her to quit so he could have Olivia all to himself.

  Man, I hated that guy.

  Olivia let go of my hand and went back to her menu while I seethed with my thoughts. I'd seen that place. It was small, about the size of the cabin. A perfect, cozy seduction lair. What woman wouldn't like to be around cute, cuddly animals all day? Then at night, when the door was locked, he would turn on her. Explaining how tight his muscles were after trying to resuscitate a kitten or put a cast on a puppy's leg.

  He'd be a hero in Olivia's eyes, and all he'd have to do was remind her that I was a bitter sheep farmer that no one liked. She wouldn't have to take long to think about leaving me for him.

  "What are you going to have? I'm thinking about the pear pancakes and a white omelet. A little bit bad and a little bit good on my plate." Her sparkling hazel eyes lifted to meet mine. Her grin was soft, content, and it angered me that it was almost his.

  "You know, I help animals, too."

  Her brow crinkled as she frowned. "I know you do. You showed me what to do if the sheep's feet get infected."

  "They have cloven hooves."

 
"Yes, I meant hooves. I’m sorry . . . But, I asked what you were going to order?"

  "I'm not really hungry. Maybe a stack of toast, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and only two pancakes."

  "That's you not being hungry?" Her mouth fell open, and she reached for my menu.

  "I'm only ordering two pancakes, aren't I?"

  Emily showed up to take our orders and just before she left, an idea popped into my head.

  "Did you know Emily grew up on a farm?" I said as I handed her the menus.

  "No. That's great. Where's the farm?" Olivia smiled up at our waitress.

  "Out West." Emily's shoulders lifted or maybe her head sunk into them. Whatever happened, I could tell she wasn't comfortable. Perhaps she was like me, uneasy discussing her personal life.

  I was about to invite Emily to the farm and discuss her helping out around it. Maybe if Olivia saw someone showing interest where I worked, she might want to stay and take less interest in working at the vet office.

  "Carter is a sheep farmer. You should come by and have a look. That is, if you would be interested in helping Carter. I'm sorry for being so forward, it's just that I was helping him but I'm going to be working at the vet more often. And you have farm experience." Olivia waved her hand between me and Emily.

  There went my idea. It seemed like she didn't mind at all walking away. So much for her not wanting to leave.

  "That sounds great. I told Carter earlier I had been looking for a farm job. I have a half day on Friday. Can I stop by in the late afternoon?" Emily hugged the menus to her chest.

  "Perfect. Carter will be there. I'll be at work, but he'll be able to show you around the barn."

  Emily thanked us and walked back to the counter to put in our orders.

  "I hope that wasn't too much. Even with your cast coming off in a few days, I think you still need help around the farm. I don't know how you managed everything before. And now that some of your ewes are about to give birth, you'll need the extra help."

  I watched her for a moment and realized this was what I wanted over a month ago when she first arrived. I couldn't wait for her to leave and now it was happening.

  I had a strict rule I followed about never getting close to anyone . . . until Olivia. That was what I got for letting her soft touch get under my skin.

  "Yeah, I will need help when you're not around." She patted my arm with a grin that made my heart ache.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Olivia

  "Worst day ever!" I groaned as I leaned against the door of the cabin.

  Kitty looked up from her bed, tilting her head. Dragging my feet to the kitchen table, I threw my purse down and flopped into a chair. Kitty raced over to my side. It's our ritual—I came home and she nudged her head against my leg for affection.

  Reaching down, I absently stroked her head. "It's the first day of spring, Kitty. Everything should feel light and airy. I woke up this morning with the hope of a good day. I was going to tell Dr. Ferguson that I accepted the offer for full-time employment he asked about at the beginning of the week. He told me to take the week to think about it since he knew I wasn't from around here. I couldn't wait until the weekend. I had to say yes today."

  Kitty groaned, pushing against my hand.

  "And then I had to go and wreck everything by wanting to wait until we closed for the day to tell him. I should have told him first thing this morning. It was the day from hell and most of it was my fault. Needless to say, I was too embarrassed to accept the assistant job. He's probably putting an advertisement right now for a new office assistant. At least I have Carter. He always needs help around the barn."

  Kitty barked, nudged my hand, and gazed back at the kitchen cabinet. I glanced at her metal dog bowls. No food or water.

  "Did Carter not feed you today? That's not like him. Don't worry, I'm here. I'll get you some dinner."

  I got up and went about filling the dog's bowls. Once I headed back to the bedroom, Kitty's face was firmly planted in her food.

  "Carter?" I called out but there was no reply.

  He must be in the barn. I moved up to the loft and quickly changed into jeans and a red sweater. It was nice to have clothes that fit. Bea had ordered an entire wardrobe for me and had it shipped here. Last week, about three days after Bea left, the packages started to arrive. Over the course of five days, I received five sweaters, eight blouses, various jeans and pants, shoes, boots, heels, lingerie, and of course, a few good sturdy bras.

  Carter had no idea where we would hold all my things. I didn't think he was happy when I converted the loft into my closet.

  I descended the ladder and grabbed my coat. Once I stepped out back, I heard laughter. I covered a giggle. I had caught Carter a few times laughing at his own jokes when he thought no one was around. As I sat on the small stool he left out back, I shoved on my farm boots.

  Then I heard more laughter, but it wasn't coming from Carter. It was coming from a distinctly female voice. I got up and walked over to the entrance, which was left open. Standing there, I saw Carter with his arm around Emily. He was hugging her from behind.

  My neck burned and something cold snaked through my limbs. That's how he held me when he wanted something more than a hug. I flexed my hands to make sure I still had feeling in them.

  I couldn't help but be reminded of Derrick. The laughter. The talk. The way he held her. I listened for a moment but had to hold the barn wall in fear I would faint. And the last thing I wanted to do was fall unconscious into sheep excrement.

  "That's amazing, Carter. I'd never done that before. You're so good at it."

  I pushed my fisted hand up to my mouth to muffle a yelp. This was officially the shittiest day of my life. My boss was probably going to fire me on Monday, and now my boyfriend was cheating on me with the diner waitress.

  I wanted to run. I felt the urge to turn and leave and never come back. It seemed no matter where you went, whether it's up a mountain or into the heart of the city, crappy men were everywhere.

  But running wouldn't solve anything. It didn't help last time. Derrick was still trying to take over my dad's company. And leaving wouldn't stop Carter from fooling around with this woman.

  Things had changed. I was a different person. If someone wanted to use me, then they needed to suffer the consequences. Carter may have gotten his cast off on Wednesday, but he didn't know tae kwon do like I did.

  Carter let go of Emily and stepped back just as I moved toward him with fury radiating from my body. But I stopped a few feet from them when Emily turned, holding something in her hand.

  The sheep shears.

  His head turned, and he noticed me. Carter's smile grew.

  "Olivia, you're home. Emily stopped by a while ago. I'm teaching her how to shear the sheep on the practice one. She's really good. I might even say a natural." He leaned over and elbowed her in the shoulder.

  Emily's head lowered and even with a winter hat on, her hair managed to curtain her face.

  "I don't think I did that good a job. Carter's just being nice."

  Nice? It was obvious I misunderstood the situation. Carter was helping Emily learn to shear, just like he did with me a few weeks ago, but Carter didn't start being nice to me until . . . until we had sex.

  "Okay. I see."

  I tried to smile. My lips turned up but the more I forced it, the more my eyes began to burn. I turned and hurried toward the barn door. Tears were about to fall, and I didn't want them to see.

  Was this why Carter kept discussing me leaving the past two weeks? He was ready to move on. He must be ready to find another farmhand to replace me.

  As I got to the back of the cabin and kicked off my boots, I looked up to see Carter hurrying toward me. He stopped a few feet away from me and tilted his head. I reached up to my cheeks and realized they were wet. He saw me crying.

  Shit.

  I scrambled inside and ran to the bedroom, flopping face-first onto the bed and began to sob. I let everything out. I thought about
how Derrick had used me, and even my parent's never believing I could be anything more than some rich man's wife.

  And when I ran here, I realized I could be more than the antiquated ideas put forth by my parents. Carter showed me that. He took one look at me and expected me to do more. And, God damn it, I did!

  Today it all crumbled into nothing. I hadn't been at my job for more than two weeks and already, I was a failure. What hurt the most? The man I was falling for, the one that pushed and yelled and screamed until I believed I could be more, didn't want me anymore.

  He didn't need my help. A new, shy, younger woman would take my place. She came from the world he loved—the farm. I grew up in the city he despised.

  My future was written in stone long ago. Etched in the marble of the stately homes and prestigious prep schools I'd walked through so many times. I wasn't meant for this country life. I didn't fit in here. Carter made that quite obvious when I first arrived. He must have been biding his time, taking what he needed from me.

  And that's when it hit me. The day he fell through the roof. He was so eager for me to go. But he had no one to help and here I was, willing to do what was needed.

  He didn't have that cast anymore. He had a potential farmhand that was a natural. The only thing left that he needed to do was get rid of me.

  The door to the bedroom slammed open and with it, a cool gust of air. Carter stood in the doorway, staring down at me.

  "Olivia. What happened? Did that Tyler jerk do something? You know, I never liked him—"

  "No, he didn't do a thing. I did. I was the fool." That was all I could get out before another wave of heartache strangled my words.

  He shut the door and came over, curling up beside me. His face was an inch from mine and it hurt to look at him. He was kind and helpful to the people he liked. It was only the people he didn't care for he was gruff with.

  He had been grouchy with me up until the night we had sex. Did he like me or hate me? If he liked me, then the first two weeks were an act, maybe to keep me from learning more about him. But, if the last two weeks had been an act, then he never cared for me.