Piper was putting the casserole into the oven when Tomi came out of the bathroom. She could hear the television on and guessed Lindsey was watching her favorite show.
“So,” Piper said, turning to face Tomi, “how was your day?”
“It was really good.” Despite her sister’s knowing smile, Tomi left out any details about her growing attraction for the cute doctor and kept to the facts. She didn’t want to give her sister false hope that something more could happen. While Piper made a green salad for dinner, Tomi relayed the events of the long day, starting with the birth of the foal.
“You actually helped deliver the foal?” Piper asked with disbelief. “My little sister, who gags when she sees someone else brushing their teeth?”
Tomi laughed. “Saliva’s gross.”
Piper put plastic wrap over the salad bowl. “But witnessing a live birth wasn’t?”
The experience had been amazing. Okay, not the part when Cookie had been licking away the birthing sack, but everything else had been incredible. “You would’ve been impressed,” Tomi said. “I did a great job.”
“I am impressed.” Piper cleaned up bits and pieces of lettuce from the countertop. “I just wish I could’ve been there to see you in action.”
Tomi knew that Mrs. Reed had videoed the birth, but wasn’t so sure she wanted anyone to see it. It had been very early in the morning and, as she relayed the story, she realized she’d probably looked like an idiot singing and talking to the laboring horse. Plus, she hadn’t been camera ready, what with her lack of makeup and a messy ponytail.
“So, you and Ian are getting along?” Piper asked, arching one eyebrow playfully.
“Sure, he’s a nice guy.” Tomi felt herself smile, but quickly stopped herself when she saw a look of hope cross her sister’s face. “But we’re just friends. Nothing more.”
“Whatever you say,” Piper said in a sing-song voice.
Tomi rolled her eyes and started across the kitchen floor. “I’m going to take a quick shower, and then I’ll come back and set the table.”
“That’s Shane’s job tonight,” Piper called after her. “You get to unload the dishwasher.”
She gave her sister an okay sign before heading up to her room. After taking a shower, Tomi quickly dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a faded graphic tee. She didn’t bother blow-drying her hair but put on a little makeup, so she didn’t look too haggard for dinner.
The house was too quiet as she descended the stairs. The television was off, and Shane wasn’t sitting in front of the computer. Glancing in the corner, she noticed Anastasia was missing. Maybe the family had taken the dog for a quick walk.
Stepping over one of Lindsey’s model horses, she headed for the kitchen and caught Piper and Gabe making out. Stifling a giggle, she turned around and tiptoed back upstairs. She’d give the newlyweds a few minutes alone before making a noisy return to unload the dishwasher.
While she waited, she checked her phone for any new messages. She’d been so busy today she hadn’t bothered to look. There were two messages. One from her mom and one from her agent.
Tapping on her mom’s messages first, she smiled when she read her parents had driven along the coast to stay in a little bed and breakfast while Dad was in meetings. She made a quick reply and asked her mom to send pictures.
The message from Susan had an updated schedule, including the call for extras. She made a mental note to tell Piper so she could inform her drama students. The set production crew was arriving this weekend to get the ranch ready for filming. Tomi was excited things were moving forward, but was kind of sad that her time with Ian would come to an end so quickly. She liked him and sensed he liked her too. Under different circumstances, she would enjoy getting to know him better, maybe see if their mutual attraction might lead to more.
Knowing it wouldn’t do any good to daydream about the cute cowboy, Tomi pushed him out of her mind. Opening her bedroom door, she heard Lindsey and Shane talking to their parents. She hurried downstairs and found the family in the kitchen. Shane was setting the table while Lindsey stirred a pitcher of apple juice.
“Hey, Tomi,” Gabe said, loosening his tie. “Heard you had a pretty eventful day.”
“I did.” She moved next to the dishwasher and opened it up. “How was your day?”
Gabe snagged Piper around the waist and pulled her to him. “Much better now that I’m home.”
“You all need to take advantage of having me living here before filming starts.” She lifted the silverware basket from the dishwasher and set it on the countertop. “You should plan a weekend somewhere, and I’ll stay here with the kiddos.”
“Yeah, you should go on another honeytrip,” Lindsey said.
“It’s called a honeymoon, dummy,” Shane said. “And they already went on one of those.”
“Shane, don’t call your sister names,” Gabe said in a stern voice.
“Sorry,” Shane mumbled. “But it would be embarrassing if you guys went on another honeymoon.”
“Why would it be embarrassing?” Lindsey asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Shane said, his cheeks turning a ruddy color. Then he stormed out of the kitchen.
Piper and Gabe exchanged a bewildered look. Someone, most likely one of Shane’s peers, had tipped him off on what happened on honeymoons. Chances were the kid had been given faulty information that should only be cleared up by his parents.
Gabe blew out a breath and let go of his wife. No parent wanted to broach the subject of marital intimacy with their kids. She still remembered when her own parents had given her “the talk” after she’d asked a question about why her best friend’s sister was having a baby and she didn’t know who the father was.
“Don’t worry about it, sweet pea,” Gabe said, smoothing a hand down his daughter’s hair. “Maybe you and Aunt Tomi can make dessert before we eat?”
Yeah, except Aunt Tomi didn’t bake. “Sure, but we’ll need to make a run to the grocery store.” She looked at Piper and Gabe. “If that’s okay with you all?”
“That would be great,” Gabe said, rubbing a hand across his jaw. “We can eat after you two get home.”
“We get to go to the store!” Lindsey said, jumping down from the chair she’d been kneeling on. “Can we buy ice cream?”
“Heck yeah,” Tomi said, closing the dishwasher. She would finish unloading it after dinner.
“Go ahead and take my car,” Piper said. “Lindsey’s booster seat is already in the back seat.” She tossed a set of keys to Tomi and then mouthed, Thank you.
Lindsey chattered all the way to Dove’s, Snow Valley’s market, not once mentioning Shane’s outburst. She was grateful because she had no idea what to say. Parenting was a difficult job, one she knew her sister was well prepared for. Tomi, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure she would ever be ready for parenting, especially difficult situations a pre-teen might bring on.
“Can we get cookie dough ice cream?” Lindsey asked, holding onto Tomi’s hand as they crossed the parking lot to the entrance of Dove’s.
“Sounds good to me.” Tomi let go of Lindsey’s hand and opened the door. “What other flavor do you like in case they don’t have any cookie dough?” she asked, grabbing one of the smaller shopping carts.
Making their way to the freezer section, Lindsey listed off a few more names, all of which involved cookies, chocolate or chocolate chips. Lindsey said hello to several of the shoppers they encountered, proudly introducing Tomi as her new aunt. Snow Valley was a friendly place, and it was easy to see why her sister liked living here.
“Okay, kiddo,” Tomi said, standing in front of the ice cream section. “Let’s see what our choices are.”
Fortunately, they had all the flavors Lindsey had listed, only she couldn’t decide which one she wanted. Tomi wasn’t in any hurry. Besides, she wanted to give her sister and brother-in-law plenty of time to talk to their son. She and Lindsey discussed the pros and cons of each flavor. Tomi used a Bri
tish accent, which her niece found very entertaining. They’d narrowed it down to cookie dough and cookies and cream.
Tomi held up the two containers and asked Lindsey to choose, however, this time she used a southern accent. “What’ll it be, sugar? Pick one or the ice cream will be meltin’ all over and makin’ a big ole mess.”
Lindsey giggled. “I can’t decide. You pick, Aunt Tomi.”
Tomi couldn’t decide either and was about to toss both cartons in the cart when someone came up behind her.
“Maybe y’all should just buy both,” a deep voice said in a perfect Texas drawl.
A tingle of awareness spiked her heart rate, and Tomi knew who it was without having to look. Turning slightly, she met Ian’s silvery blue eyes. “Why thank you, sir, I do believe we will.”
Chapter 8
Ian had been thinking about Tomi Jensen ever since he’d dropped her off a couple of hours earlier. And now she was standing in front of him, looking even cuter than she had this morning. She’d showered, judging by the damp braid hanging over one shoulder. Plus, her face was free from the fine layer of dust she’d acquired at the Petersen’s ranch. He tipped the brim of his Stetson. “Glad I could help, ma’am,” he said, using the same Texas accent he’d picked up from a college roommate.
Her full lips stretched into a generous smile. “You’re pretty good at that, Dr. Davies. Do they teach dialect training in veterinarian school?” she asked, putting both cartons of ice cream into her shopping cart.
“Nope, my roommate was from Texas. Since he seemed to get all the girls, I thought I’d try talking like him.” He smiled sheepishly and shrugged one shoulder. “The accent worked for me too. That is until the girl found out it was fake.”
Tomi turned toward him, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “Yeah, I once dated a guy I thought was from England. He wasn’t even a theatre major, so I didn’t suspect a thing.”
“How did you find out it wasn’t legit?” Ian asked.
“I caught him talking to another girl in a plain American accent.” She fingered the end of her braid. “You should’ve seen the look on his face when he noticed me watching him.”
“Busted?”
“Totally.”
Lindsey peeked around her aunt’s leg and waved. “Hi, Dr. Ian.”
“Hey there, Miss Lindsey.” He crouched down and tweaked her nose. “How is your pony doing?”
“Good.” She gave him a big smile, revealing two missing teeth. “I can trot all by myself now.”
“Awesome.” He stood back up, meeting Tomi’s gaze. “I was going to text you about tomorrow’s schedule. I usually only work a couple of hours on Wednesday’s, but Dr. Moore, the other vet at the clinic, heard about our day yesterday and told me to take the day off.”
“Oh, okay.” She rubbed her lips together and smoothed a hand down her niece’s hair. “So, what do you want me to do?”
“I’ll still stick close by to take calls for emergencies, but Colby is totally cool with you shadowing him.” Ian shifted on his boots, remembering his partner’s enthusiasm at working with the actress. He said his fiancée was interested in being an extra for Whisper Falls, so Colby hoped he’d have an in for her by working with Tomi. Still, the thought of Tomi spending the whole day with the young, single veterinarian didn’t sit well with Ian. Tomi was hard to resist, and Colby wasn’t married yet. “Or you can take the day off with me…I mean too. You can take the day off too.”
A small smile played at her mouth. “What exactly are you doing on your day off?”
“I’ve got a few things to do around my house,” Ian said, trying to sound casual. Even though he knew he shouldn’t spend any more time with Tomi, he still hoped she’d want to hang out with him. “And then I’m going fishing.”
“Fishing?” One of her eyebrows lifted. “I haven’t seen any large bodies of water close by.”
“No, but there are plenty of streams that are perfect for fly fishing.”
Her eyes lit up. “My character likes to fly fish. The producer is going to have a double stand in for me, but it would be so cool if I could do a lot of it myself.” She bit down on her bottom lip and looked up at him through her lashes. “Do you think maybe I could tag along with you? Just to observe,” she added quickly.
Ian had only taken one other girl fly fishing with him and that had been his girlfriend in high school. She’d hated every second and ruined the whole day with her complaints. But Merilee had also complained about anything that had to do with the outdoors, including caring for animals. Tomi hadn’t hesitated once yesterday to jump in and help him.
“I don’t mind. I could even teach you a few things if you’re really interested in actually learning.”
Her eyes held his for several seconds. “I am definitely interested.” The way she said it made Ian wonder if there was a double meaning behind her words.
“Can I come fishing too?” Lindsey asked, tugging on Tomi’s hand.
“Sorry, sweetie, but you have school,” Tomi said.
The little girl’s lower lip stuck out like she was about to pull a fit. Then her eyes brightened. “Hey, I see my teacher. Can I go say hi?”
Tomi and Ian both turned to see Lindsey’s teacher standing in front of the frozen pizza, waving at her. “Sure,” Tomi said, “but then come right back, okay?”
“Okay.” Lindsey skipped down the aisle, apparently forgetting all about fishing.
“What time should I be ready?” Tomi asked.
“Is ten too early?”
“No.” She gave him a censured look. “I’m typically an early riser. I usually go running before the sun is fully up.”
“Then let’s make it eight-thirty.”
“Perfect.” She glanced behind her to make sure Lindsey was still there and then turned back to him. “I can bring lunch as long as you’re okay with something simple. I’m not a very good cook.”
“I’m not picky.” He was going to offer to bring some leftover roast beef but wasn’t sure if there was enough for more than one sandwich. “I’ll bring dessert.” He peeked in the basket of her cart. “I see you like chocolate.”
“What girl doesn’t,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m good with whatever you want to bring. I’m not picky either as long as it has real sugar.”
Ian was about to suggest they go choose a dessert together when he heard his name being called. He spotted Lucy Taggart walking toward him. Her husband Cole, a family practice doctor in Snow Valley, was trailing behind her, talking on his phone. Lucy was beaming and pushing a cart filled with diapers, diaper wipes, bottles, and formula. Since the couple didn’t have any children yet, Ian wondered if it was for Cole’s office.
“Hey, Lucy,” Ian said. “I checked the link you sent, and the website looks great.”
“Thank you, I’m glad you like it.” Lucy’s eyes flickered to Tomi. “You have to be Piper’s sister,” she said, holding her hand out. “I’m Lucy Taggart.”
“You’re correct,” Tomi said, shaking Lucy’s hand. “My name is Tomi Jensen.”
“I love your name,” Lucy said. “I told Cole—that’s my husband—if we get a girl I want to name her Ryan.”
“Are you announcing something?” Ian asked, gesturing at the cart full of baby items.
“Yes!” Lucy squealed and then covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry, I’m just so excited. We just found out we’re going to be parents about an hour ago.”
“Congratulations,” Tomi said. “When is the baby due?”
“Any day now.” Both Tomi and Ian glanced at Lucy’s flat belly, and her grin widened. “I’m not pregnant. We were just notified by the adoption agency that the birth mother picked us.”
Ian had heard the Taggart’s struggled with infertility. Snow Valley was a small town, and Lucy’s mother was very vocal about her desire to be a grandmother.
“You and Cole will be amazing parents,” Ian said. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” She looked like she w
as about to burst with happiness. “I’m afraid we’ll have to reschedule dinner.”
“No worries,” Ian said.
Cole ended his call and stepped next to his wife, slipping an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him. “Did you find someone to cover for you?”
Cole nodded his head. “Yeah, Dr. Brickman will cover the weekend, and Dr. Salisbury will take next week.”
“Hey, congrats, man,” Ian said, giving Cole a fist bump. “Lucy told us the news.”
“I figured.” Cole nodded at the shopping cart. “The secret will be out once we check out anyway.” He looked at Tomi and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Cole Taggart.”
“Tomi Jensen.” She shook Cole’s hand and added, “Piper Jen—I mean Wesson is my sister.”
“Ah, I thought you looked familiar.”
“Tomi’s a famous actress,” Lucy said. “She’s one of the stars of the new show being filmed at Lance’s place.”
“That’s right,” Cole said. “My office manager saw the flyers posted around town about being an extra in the movie. She’s really hoping she’ll be selected.”
“I’m not that famous,” Tomi said with a laugh. “But if you give me her name I’ll see what I can do.”
Cole gave her the name and then glanced down at his wife. “Babe, we need to get home and pack. We’re booked on the redeye and still need to stop by your parents’ house.”
“Mom is going to flip out and probably want to come with us.” Lucy laughed at the look on her husband’s face. “Don’t worry, I’m giving her and Daddy the assignment of putting the crib together and getting the nursery ready.”
“I married a gorgeous genius,” Cole said, leaning down to give his wife a quick kiss. “Our baby is lucky to have you for a mom.”
Moisture filled Lucy’s eyes. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a mom.” She sniffed and brushed away a tear from her face. “Okay, let’s go.” She waved at Ian and Tomi before pushing the grocery cart toward the checkout stand.
Ian watched the couple leave, hoping everything worked out for them and that the birth mother didn’t change her mind.
Caught Kissing the Cowboy: A Return to Snow Valley Romance Page 8