“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Ian blurted out. “Trust me when I say you could never pass for a boy.”
“Thank you?” Tomi said more as a question than a statement. “At least I think that was a compliment.”
Ian cleared his throat, wishing he hadn’t said that out loud. Obviously, she’d been referring to her name as the cause for the misconception. “I…uh…was just pointing out the obvious.”
“Hmm,” Tomi said in a teasing voice, “it’s good to know I look like a girl.”
Yep, she definitely looks like a girl. A very pretty girl. Visions of bikinis and surfboards flooded his brain again, making the air in the truck seem stifling. He needed to change the subject before he said something else stupid. “Ronnie is short for Veronica,” he said, lowering his window to let in some fresh air. “What is Tomi short for?”
“Nothing,” she said. “My parents named me plain old Tomi. I don’t even have a middle name.”
There was nothing plain about her. Thankfully, he didn’t voice that thought out loud. “Do you and Piper have any other siblings?”
“Nope. It’s just the two of us.” She lowered her own window. “What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
“I have two brothers, but they’re quite a bit older than me and moved out of state a while ago.” He shifted the gears down as he approached an intersection. “My brothers were both in high school when my mom found out she was expecting me, so I kind of felt like an only child.”
“Was that a good thing?”
“Sure,” he said with a shrug. “But I don’t really know anything different.”
“What about your parents?” she asked. “Do they still live in Snow Valley?”
“No, my dad’s arthritis chased them to a warmer climate.” Ian slowed the truck down for a stop sign. “They moved to Arizona a few years ago when Dad retired.”
“I’ll bet you miss them,” Tomi said.
“Yeah, but modern technology helps keep me connected,” Ian said, thinking about the weekly conversation he had with his parents each Sunday via video chat. He usually talked with his mom while she prepared Sunday dinner. Sometimes it felt like he was right there in the kitchen with her, minus the delicious smells. He loved talking with them, but, by the end of the conversation, Ian was usually grateful his parents didn’t live next door to him anymore. One of his mother’s favorite subjects was his love life, or the lack thereof. It concerned her that he was thirty-one and hadn’t found his wife yet. He didn’t dare tell her he’d decided to stop looking.
Ian asked Tomi about her parents and, by the time they made it to the GH Ranch, he’d learned her parents lived in California, but she suspected they would probably move to Montana to be near Piper and her step-children.
He pulled in front of the massive barn Jace and Kellen had built between their two homes, cut the engine, and looked over at Tomi. “So, you’ll be left all alone in California?”
Her full lips parted with a light laugh. “When you put it that way you make it sound like a horrible thing.” Her blue eyes sparkled with humor. “Don’t feel too sorry for me,” she said, unclicking her seatbelt. “The beaches and sunshine will more than make up for my loneliness.”
“I get that.” He removed his seatbelt and pulled the keys from the ignition. “I guess I feel the same way about Montana. The fishing, hunting, and horseback riding help me too.”
“Don’t forget snowboarding,” she said, opening her door.
Ian wanted to tell her to wait for him to get her door, but this wasn’t a date. “I ski.” He grinned. “You’re the one who would be snowboarding.”
“Too cold, remember?” She winked at him before getting out of the truck and closing the door behind her.
Exiting his truck, Ian walked around the front of his truck to join Tomi. “This barn is nicer than my apartment,” she said, staring at the gorgeous structure.
Ian laughed. “Yeah, it’s nicer than my house too.” He squinted against the sun and pointed to the gleaming white cupola with the antique horse weathervane on top. “That copper horse cost more money than my truck.”
“I’m guessing they didn’t find that at the local hardware store?” Tomi asked wryly.
“Nope.” Ian tugged at the brim of his cowboy hat to help block the sunlight. “Caytie’s into antiques, and she found this one in England.”
A dog barked, and Ian saw Rascal barreling toward them. The mixed-breed dog had once belonged to Gabe Wesson, but the animal was more suited for ranch life.
“Watch out,” Ian warned Tomi as Rascal jumped up to greet her with his typical paws-on approach.
“Hey, boy,” she said with a laugh. “Still your happy-go-lucky self, I see.” Rascal barked once and then licked her cheek.
“That’s one way to put it,” Jace McAllister said, coming up behind the dog. “Sorry, he’s usually penned in at the main house, but the electrical fence is on the fritz again.”
“No worries.” Tomi gently popped the dog with her knee and commanded him to get down, which he immediately obeyed.
“That never works for me,” Jace said, narrowing his gaze at the now placid dog. “Mama Ilene’s about the only one Rascal listens to. Of course, she’s also the one who feeds him most of the time too.”
A loud whistle from behind them perked up Rascal’s ears. Ian turned and saw George Holbrook walking toward them. “Come on, boy,” he said, holding up a doggy treat. Rascal made a beeline for his new owner, and George hooked a leash on him as the dog devoured the snack. “Sorry, I’ll keep him inside with me while you all get to work.”
“Thanks,” Jace hollered. Then he held out a hand to Tomi. “Hey, it’s good to see you again.”
“You too.” She shook Jace’s hand and then nodded toward his house. “Is Caytie home?”
“Yeah, she’s changing Georgia’s clothes and will be out in a few minutes to say hi.” Jace held out a hand to Ian. “Hey, man, thanks for coming by. Ivy and Kellan are in the barn with the mare.”
“We were just admiring your weathervane,” Ian teased his friend as they all walked toward the entrance. Jace’s wife had inherited a substantial trust fund from her grandmother and was very generous to family, friends and even strangers with her money.
Jace snorted a laugh. “It’s an investment.” He tugged on the handle to one of the large mahogany double doors. “At least that’s what the dude at the accounting firm tells me.”
Stepping inside, Ian took a moment to take in the beautiful barn that housed up to ten horses. Rich wooden gates, adorned with dark wrought iron, fronted each stall. Fresh hay and saddle oil scented the air, making Ian feel right at home. He loved horses and wished he had more time for leisure riding.
A horse nickered softly as Tomi gave a low whistle. “Jace, this is so beautiful,” she said, running a hand along the top of the leather chair that was part of a small sitting area with a comfortable matching couch, a large coffee table, and a few horse magazines strategically fanning out atop the glass surface. “If I didn’t like you and Caytie so much, I’d tell the location scout for Whisper Falls about your barn.”
“Thanks.” He rubbed his palm across his jaw. “I can’t imagine having a film crew setting up camp here. Lance Christensen is a braver man than I am.”
Ian had been out to the Christensen spread the week before, helping inoculate two-hundred head of cattle. He and Lance had talked about the upcoming Hollywood invasion. The rancher had leased out a few acres of land he wasn’t using and considered the money from the production company as an unexpected blessing. His family had doubled this past year when his wife gave birth to twin girls. They’d outgrown the small white farmhouse and moved into a newly constructed home closer to his parents’ house. The movie company wanted to use the now-vacant farmhouse for filming, off-setting some of the cost of Lance’s new dwelling.
Ivy Thomas poked her head out of one of the middle stalls on the left side. “Hey, Ian. Thanks for stopping by on such short no
tice.” She stepped out of the stall and rubbed a hand over her very pregnant abdomen.
“Glad to do it.” He started to walk toward Ivy, and Jace and Tomi fell into step with him. “How’s our pregnant mama doing?”
“Which one?” Kellen said, stepping out next to his wife. “We’re taking bets on who delivers first.”
“It won’t be me,” Ivy said, leaning into her husband’s arm. “My due date isn’t for three and a half more weeks.”
Ivy spotted Tomi and rushed over to give her a quick hug. “Tomi, it’s so good to see you again.”
“You too.” Tomi reached out and gently patted Ivy’s rounded belly. “You don’t look like you’re due in a few weeks.”
“Thanks.” Ivy placed her hands on her lower back and stretched. “But you know you’re as a big as a barn when you can’t see the tips of your cowgirl boots anymore.”
“You’re not as big as a barn,” Kellen said. “Maybe a small shed.”
“Ha ha,” Ivy said, gently slugging her husband in the arm. “I get an extra-long foot massage tonight for that comment.”
"Yes, ma’am.” Kellen swooped in and gave his wife a quick peck on the lips.
A loud whinny drew everyone’s attention. “Marigold’s as miserable as I am,” Ivy said. “I noticed her limping this morning, but can’t find anything wrong.”
“Let’s go take a look.” Ian followed Ivy and Kellen into the stall. Tomi and Jace stayed back, leaning over the gate to watch as he examined the beautiful mare.
“Easy girl,” Ian said, running his hand over the horse’s abdomen. He could feel the foal move beneath his palm as he made his assessment. Marigold snorted as Ian lifted the hoof of the affected leg.
“Did you find anything?” Ivy asked from beside him.
“No, you were right.” Ian gently patted Marigold’s neck. “There isn’t any injury. I suspect it’s just the ligaments loosening due to her pregnancy. Let’s keep an eye on her for a couple of days. If it gets worse call me and we can do an ultrasound.”
“I totally get what you’re feeling,” Ivy said, rubbing the mare’s nose. Marigold blew out a puff of air and nickered as if to commiserate with another pregnant female. “But it’ll all be worth it once we have our babies here safe and sound.”
“Amen to that,” Kellen said, coming up behind his wife to rub her shoulders. “I hope Kellvy decides to come this weekend.”
“Kellvy?” Tomi asked. “Is that what you’re naming the baby horse?”
“No,” Jace said with a low chuckle. “That’s one of the names Kellen has come up with to name their son.”
“We’re not naming our baby Kellvy,” Ivy said with an eye roll.
“Ivan Thomas has a nice ring to it,” Kellen said with a smirk.
“Ivan is cute if we were Russian.” She placed a protective hand over her stomach and turned to Tomi. “My husband has thought of a few names combining our two names. I told him he can name any children he gives birth to. Otherwise, the final say is mine.”
“Sounds fair to me,” Tomi said with a laugh.
Ivy opened the stall gate and stepped out with Ian and Kellen following behind her. Once they were outside, Kellen pulled the gate shut and said, “I just thought of a name you’re gonna love, Babe.”
Ivy’s lips twitched. “I can’t wait to hear it.”
“What about Rody?” he asked, leaning a shoulder against the post. “And his middle name can be Owen.” As his wife considered the name, Kellen’s smile widened. “Put it all together, and you get Rody Owen Thomas.”
Ian snickered at the play on words as Ivy repeated the name out loud. She caught on and started to laugh. “You are impossible.”
“Dude, that’s brilliant,” Jace said, holding up his knuckles for a fist bump. “I might steal the name if our next baby is a boy.”
“Is Caytie pregnant again?” Kellen and Ivy asked at the same time.
“No, I’m not pregnant,” a female voice said. A second later Caytie came into view, holding her daughter, Georgia, on one hip. “But my husband is trying to talk me into it.”
“Who can blame me?” Jace said, holding his arms out to his daughter. “We make beautiful babies, Mrs. McAllister.”
“Yes, we do,” Caytie said as their daughter dove into her father’s arms.
A twinge of envy tightened Ian’s chest as he watched Jace cuddle his little girl close. Not that he wanted Jace’s wife and daughter—his brief crush on Caytie had ended when she and Jace started dating. Still, despite his declaration to embrace bachelorhood, he did want a family of his own. That meant he’d eventually have to start dating again.
He watched Tomi cross the floor to give Caytie an enthusiastic hug. She fussed over the baby and then said something to make Kellen and Jace double over with laughter. Ian liked watching her interact with his friends. He wanted to join in on the conversation but didn’t dare move in closer. It would be easy to let his imagination get away from him with thoughts of he and Tomi as a couple, hanging out with his married friends.
He immediately nixed the idea and took a couple steps back as if would make him immune to Tomi’s charm. It didn’t help that much, and he wondered how on earth he was supposed to work side by side with this woman for the next two weeks without losing his head or his heart.
Chapter 5
An annoying beeping sound pulled Tomi out of a dead sleep. How could it possibly be morning? She felt like she’d only been asleep for a few hours. Groaning, she reached out to the nightstand to feel for her phone. She was so tempted to hit snooze and stay in bed for a few more hours. Ian probably would be grateful if she didn’t show up at all.
Her fingers touched the edge of the phone, and she grabbed it before it woke the whole household up. Holding it up in front of her face, she squinted against the light of the screen and realized the annoying sound coming from her phone wasn’t her alarm…Ian was calling her and it was three in the morning.
“Hello.” Her voice came out rough, and she cleared her throat, so she didn’t sound like a smoker. “You do realize what time it is, right?” she said, scooting up against the headboard.
“I’m fully aware of the time,” he said, sounding far too chipper for this time of the night…er morning. “I thought you wanted to go on emergency calls with me?”
“I do.” A spark of excitement jolted her body into wakefulness like she’d just downed an entire energy drink. Throwing back the covers, she slipped out of bed. “Can you wait for me to get dressed or should I just come in my jammies?”
“Uh,” he stuttered, “I guess that depends on what kind of pajamas you’re wearing.”
Tomi shouldn’t tease him, but this was way too good to pass up. “Why Dr. Davies,” she said in a sultry voice, “is that a clever way of asking me what I’m wearing?”
There was a beat of silence and, for a moment, she thought maybe the call had dropped. Then she heard a garbled choking sound. “No, of course not. I just meant…never mind what I meant.”
Tomi held back a giggle at the tone of his voice. He was so easy to get riled up, but she better back off before he fired her. “I’m kidding.” She opened the closet and yanked a pair of jeans from a hanger. “Do you want me to meet you at the clinic so I can follow you or do you want to give me the address?”
“No,” he said on a long exhale. “You can ride with me. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Wow, and I didn’t even have to let the air out of my tires.”
That made him laugh, which made her feel all warm inside as if she’d crawled back into the cocoon of blankets on her bed. She liked the sound of his laugh and wished she could see his face.
“Even though Ronnie found a couple of nails in your tires, you’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” His deep voice held a hint of amusement, leaving her with a satisfied smile on her face.
“I will…eventually. Just as soon as I run out of jokes.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s possible,
” he said with a low chuckle. “I’ll see you soon.”
The call ended, and Tomi placed the phone on top of the dresser so she could dress quickly. Stepping into the jeans, she returned to the closet and found a gray hoodie with the California Bear logo on the front and pulled it over her head. After locating a pair of socks, she picked up her shoes and quietly opened the bedroom door, slipping out into the hallway.
Although she’d told both Gabe and Piper about the possibility of Ian calling her in the middle of the night for a vet emergency, she had seriously doubted it would happen this soon, if at all. Ian had been very subdued on their way back from the GH ranch to get her car from the clinic. Tomi had kept quiet too, sensing he’d had quite enough of her flirtatious teasing for one day. Since she already had an early start of making the doctor flustered, she’d have to pace herself today and try to behave.
Clicking her door shut, she tiptoed down the stairs, hoping the occasional creaking wasn’t as loud as it sounded to her. The bathroom off from the kitchen had a drawer full of Lindsey’s hair ties, so she stepped inside and turned on the light. It nearly blinded her as she pulled the drawer open to locate a hairbrush. Her eyes adjusted to the light as she pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. Thanks to her mother, Tomi’s naturally tan skin tone made it easy to skip putting on any face makeup. Her dark lashes still had the remnants of yesterday’s mascara with just a few smudges under each eye. Since Ian would be here any second, she opted to go with the smoky eye look and turned off the light. She might not take life too seriously, but she was a stickler about being on time. Something everyone in her profession appreciated about her.
Tomi exited the bathroom and hurried to the front door. She let out a tiny yelp when Gabe stepped in front of her. “What are you doing?” he asked on a yawn.
“Sneaking out to meet a boy,” she said, putting a finger to her lips as if to keep it hush-hush.
He grinned and ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Is this boy someone your sister approves of you sneaking off with?”
Caught Kissing the Cowboy: A Return to Snow Valley Romance Page 5