Always For You (Always Love Book 1)

by Tawdra Kandle

“I trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have offered you the partnership.” I smirked a little. “Plus Millie already called to give me a full report.”

  Smith shook his head, feigning disappointment. “And here I thought I’d won her to my side with my irresistible charm.”

  Laughing, I lowered the heat under the wok. “Sorry, bud. She’s known me all my life. It’s going to take more than a pretty face to undermine her loyalty.”

  “But hey, I come with more than a pretty face. Don’t discount the hot bod and winning ways.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it.” Giving the veggies one last toss, I lifted the pan and tipped it over a large bowl. “So since you’re here, want some stir fry? It’s just vegetables over rice, but you’re welcome to share.”

  “If you’re sure you’ve got enough, definitely.” Smith opened the cabinet that held my plates and pulled out two. I sternly warned myself not to read anything into the fact that he knew my kitchen layout already.

  I spooned brown rice from the steamer onto the plates and then divided the veggies over top of it. “Everything went well today? You didn’t feel like you were in over your head?”

  “Not really. The practice is the same no matter where you do it, isn’t it? The paperwork’s a little different. I’m trying to make sure I understand your procedures, but it’s pretty easy. And Millie’s a peach.”

  “She is. You know, she started working for Dr. Yancey when she was just married, thirty-some years ago, and she’s been with him all this time. When her kids were little, she’d bring them into the office with her. Dr. Yancey was really easy going about it. He’d bring in his own kids, too, when they had school holidays. It’s a very family-friendly place to work.”

  Smith retrieved forks for both of us and then sat down at the table with his plate. I picked up napkins and joined him.

  “Good to know, for when I get ready to start popping out the kids, right?” He winked at me and took a bite of the food. I watched him, waiting for a reaction. “My God, Reen, this is delicious. I had no idea you could cook.” He laid down his fork and picked up my hand from where it lay on my lap, giving a warm squeeze. “You’re a woman of many talents.”

  My heartbeat stuttered, and I frowned, pulling my hand away. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I take it you don’t cook?”

  “I make a mean grilled cheese. And I can scramble eggs. Otherwise, no.” He shot me a half-apologetic look. “I’ve had to rely on takeout, the women in my family, and the kindness of strangers when it comes to meals. Oh, and I’m also dependent on the frozen food aisle.”

  “That’s pitiful. Cooking isn’t hard, and you should learn.” I scooped up another bite. “I mean, how’re you going to dazzle the women if you can’t woo them with food?”

  He shot me the smolder. “Believe me, I’ve got moves. The last thing they’re thinking about when they’re with me is their stomachs.”

  I swallowed and shook my head. “Quite the player, are you? Haven’t you ever thought about settling down?”

  Smith’s face grew serious, his ever-present grin fading. “Actually, I have. I got really close last year. Almost got married.”

  Feeling as though I might choke if I took another bite, I laid down my fork. “I had no idea. You never said anything.” We’d been in sporadic contact over the years, emails here and there and even the occasional text message. He’d sent me updates whenever he moved or changed jobs, and I’d let him know when my dad had died last year. I felt a little betrayed that he hadn’t shared something this important with me.

  “I was going to. I planned to send you an email so you wouldn’t be shocked when you got the invitation, but then . . . things changed.” He was watching my face, as though how I reacted to this news might be important.

  I pasted on a bright smile. “Glad to know I made the cut to be invited. Did you . . . or did she . . .?” I let my voice trail off, hoping he’d fill in the blanks.

  Smith sighed. “I met Felicia when the charity committee she chaired was planning a fundraiser. The office where I was working was one of the sponsors of the event. We hit it off—she’s a great girl. And we just started seeing each other casually.” He lifted one shoulder. “Suddenly I realized we’d been together two years, and I figured the next step was an engagement ring.” One side of his mouth quirked up. “At least, that’s what my mother told me. My parents loved Felicia, and I think my mom was afraid I’d let her get away.”

  “But you didn’t.” My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.

  “No, I didn’t. I proposed, she said yes, we had a very elegant engagement party at her parents’ home in Beacon Hill. We began to make plans. And then one day, after I got home from work, Felicia came over with dinner from one of our favorite restaurants. Really amazing Italian food. Seemed like a regular night, she was telling me about her day and I was telling her about mine, and then out of the blue, she said, ‘Smith, are you in love with me?’ And I couldn’t answer her. It was like something got stuck in my throat. I’d been telling this girl I loved her for almost two years, and yet I couldn’t make myself say that I was in love with her.” Smith rubbed his forehead. “Felicia was . . . she was amazing. Most women would’ve screamed and thrown stuff around, but she just smiled at me and said she understood. She told me she’d known for a little while that something was off, and she admitted that she wasn’t in love with me either.”

  “She wasn’t?” I couldn’t imagine being with Smith and not being in love with him.

  He smiled a little. “No, she said she thought she was in love with the idea of me—a decent guy from a good family, someone her parents liked—and she figured at some point, her feelings would get deeper. But they never did, and she was afraid if we didn’t stop things then, we’d end up married for ten years with two kids, wondering what the hell we’d done.”

  I nodded carefully. “She sounds like a very wise woman.”

  “She is. It worked out for her, luckily. About six months after we called off our engagement, she met a guy who was totally wrong for her, at least on paper. He’s a chef from South Boston, big rough-looking dude—but they’re wildly happy. I saw her before I moved down here.”

  “Ah.” I finished my stir-fry and sat back in my chair. “But you haven’t found the tattooed cocktail waitress with the heart of gold who’s totally wrong and yet completely right for you?”

  Smith laughed. “No, and for that my mother is ever grateful. She forgave me for not marrying Felicia, but a cocktail waitress might be the last straw.”

  “I’m surprised at least one hasn’t crossed your path. You certainly dated enough in college. Unless you’ve totally changed since then, seems like you’re missing out on a whole demographic.”

  Smith rolled his eyes at me. “Maureen, I think you have inflated sense of how many women I, uh, got to know while we were in school. Most of the girls I hung around with were friends.” He paused, narrowing his eyes. “And a few my mom set me up with. But I wasn’t quite the player you seem to think I was.”

  “You always had a girl with you. At least that’s how I remember it.” I reached for Smith’s empty plate, stacked it on mine and stood up. “You never missed a party, and I don’t think you had many lonely Saturday nights.”

  “I went to parties because my friends were there, not to hook up with girls.”

  “Of course not. That was just an added benefit, right? Your pick of all the chicks who just couldn’t wait to nab the famous Smith Harrington.”

  Smith stood up, too, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Where’s all this coming from? I can’t remember many times I didn’t ask you to come with us to the parties. You’re the one who always had something better to do. And Reen, that was years ago. Why’re you so upset about it now?”

  I couldn’t explain it to him, but I felt tears threatening at the back of my throat. “I don’t know. It’s stupid, right? And why should it matter? You were always a wonderful friend to me, just like you said.” I dropped the dishes into
the sink full of water. “By the way, in the interest of full disclosure and because I promised my brother I’d tell you, I’m going out on a date tomorrow night. But you don’t have to worry about meeting him, because Meghan already has.”

  Smith’s eyebrows drew together. “Tomorrow night? Isn’t that kind of quick?”

  I scrubbed at a plate. “Nope. I met him yesterday, we had coffee today—”

  “Wait, wait, wait. You had coffee with this guy today?”

  I side-eyed him. “I think there’s an echo in here. Yes, we had coffee today.” Rinsing the dish, I set it in the drainer. “I don’t have a lot of time, Smith. I’ve wasted too much already, waiting for—well, waiting for my life to come to me. I’m done with that. I need to get to know Tim and see if there could be something between us.”

  Smith exhaled a long breath. “Fine. I’ll make sure I’m here so I can interrogate this guy and make sure he’s worthy of you.”

  “Didn’t I just say you don’t have to do that? Tim works at Meghan’s school, and what’s more, he’s been coming to Burton since he was kid. I know his grandmother. He’s hardly going to kidnap me and have his wicked way.”

  “Yeah, I hear you. Still going to be here, so what time are we expecting lover boy?”

  I sighed. “He’s picking me up at seven.”

  “Perfect.” Smith flashed me a smug grin. “I can hardly wait.” He took one long stride toward me, and in a swift move that took me utterly by surprise, cupped the back of my neck, his fingers threading through my hair. I froze, and I was pretty certain time stopped as he stared into my eyes.

  “Believe me, Maureen. No one wants you to find the one you’re meant to be with more than I do.”

  He leaned closer, his eyes fastened on my lips, and for a crazy, breathtaking moment, I was certain Smith was going to kiss me. But when his lips touched me, it was on the forehead, in a kiss so tender that I wanted to cry again.

  He released me abruptly and turned to go upstairs without another word, leaving me shaky, on fire and completely confused.

  “SHE’S ABSOLUTELY FINE, MRS. SAXON. That little cut is healing well, and if you just make sure she finishes the antibiotics, she’ll be good as new.” I scooped up the wriggling rabbit and knuckled her soft head before handing her to the woman across the table. “If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call or bring her back.”

  “Oh, thank you so much, Dr. Harrington.” Mrs. Saxon beamed at me and kissed the bunny between her ears. “And don’t worry, I had Len fix the loose wire on the cage so Hippy won’t get hurt again.”

  “That’s a relief.” I managed to nod gravely. “Let’s get her back into her travel case, okay?”

  It took another five minutes of gushing and reassurances, but I finally got woman and rabbit out the door. Millie was on the phone, so I went back to the exam room to wipe down the table. Mari, our tech, had left early today, so it was every man for himself.

  “Hey, Smith.” Millie poked her head into the room. “Cora Michaels just called, and she’s having car trouble, so she’s going to be late. I sent Boomer over, and if he can’t fix her up, he’ll run her and Fitzi over.”

  “Ah, okay. No problem.” I shrugged. Mrs. Michaels’ little poodle was ancient, which meant she brought him in at least twice a week for ailments both real and imagined.

  “But meanwhile, we had a walk-in. If you don’t mind, maybe you could see him real fast while you’re waiting for Cora.”

  “Sure.” I turned to the sink to wash my hands, and when I looked back at the door, a huge man stood in the doorway. He was almost half a foot taller than me, seriously bulked up, with close-cropped hair. And tucked in the corner of one massive, muscled arm was a tiny gray kitten.

  “Smith, this is Mason Wallace and his new friend. Mason, Dr. Harrington. Y’all play nice now.” She closed the door, leaving us alone. Mason made the room feel even smaller, and I leaned back against the counter with my arms crossed.

  “So what do we have here?”

  He sighed and lifted the cat in one hand, setting it on the table. Immediately the little thing scrambled back over to cower against Mason’s middle. “My daughter found him under the bushes in our backyard. I don’t want her to get attached if he’s—you know, if he’s sickly or something. So I thought I’d bring him over and have Maureen take a look. Sorry, I didn’t even think about calling first.”

  “Hey, no problem. It worked out.” I scooped up the handful of gray fur. “Hi, there, fella. You lost? Where’s your mama?”

  “I checked around the neighborhood, and no one’s missing a kitten. Someone said there’d been a stray in the area, and maybe she had a litter.”

  “That’s definitely possible.” I used my free hand to move the earpieces of my stethoscope into place and pressed the chest piece to the cat’s tiny chest. After a minute, I pulled off the stethoscope and probed his belly, grinning as he attacked my hand. “Seems to be really healthy. Strong heartbeat, good breath sounds. Belly feels fine.” I held him up to my face. “Eyes are clear, no nasal discharge. I’ll take him in the back and do a quick stool sample, just to check for worms. And we should do a blood draw to check for feline leukemia. If you’re looking at keeping him, we should talk about vaccines. Rabies, the leukemia . . . and a flea and tick treatment.”

  Mason frowned. “How long does the leukemia test take? I don’t want to take him home and let Piper fall in love with him, then find out he’s sick, you know?”

  “We’ll have the results in about fifteen minutes. I do recommend rechecking in about eight weeks, but I don’t see any cuts on this little guy. I think you’re okay.” I glanced at Mason’s sober face. “How old is your daughter?”

  “Four. I know I might seem like I’m over-reacting here, but leukemia’s kind of a buzzword in our house. My mom’s in remission.”

  “Ah.” I nodded. “Well, I’m sure you know there’s no human danger with feline leukemia, but we’ll check him out and make sure he’s going to stick around for the long haul. Of course, it’s up to you, but if you’re worried about the cat’s long-term health, keeping him indoors will help with that. Decreases the likelihood of exposure to disease and injury.” I held the kitten close to me. “Give me a minute to run the tests, and I’ll be right back. Have a seat.” I pointed to the hard plastic chair against the wall as I opened the door to the lab area.

  The kitten was compliant, not loving the stool sample drill but not putting up too much fuss, either. He gave one long meow when I did the blood draw. I set it up to run and returned to the exam room.

  “Here he is, good as new.” I deposited the kitten on Mason’s lap. “I’ll check the results in a few minutes.” Leaning against the table, I hid a smile as I watched Mason’s large hand stroke the kitten’s soft fur. The cat arched in pleasure, his purr loud and satisfied. “So you know Maureen? And Millie?”

  Mason grinned. He seemed to be more relaxed, now that the initial news was good. “Oh, yeah. Millie’s my wife’s aunt. And I’ve known Maureen since I was a kid. She was a couple of years behind me in school, and now she’s friends with my wife. That whole group of women get together every month or so.” He studied me. “Did I hear that you’re living with Reenie?”

  One side of my mouth quirked up. “Well, I’m living above her. I’m renting the apartment at her house.” The pieces began to come together. “Oh, are you Rilla’s husband? I met her last week at Meghan and Sam’s house.”

  He nodded. “That’s me. I was working that night and couldn’t make it over. Hey, the next time they have their girls’ night, you should join the guys and me. We do a poker evening. Sometimes it’s at my house, or at my bar, if I can get a babysitter. Other times, we meet out at Sam’s farm. Nothing too wild, just a couple of beers, some friendly hands of poker and some laughs.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks. Did you say your bar?”

  “Yeah, I own the Road Block. Big place, just outside the town proper.”

  “I think I
’ve seen it.” I checked the time and saw I still had a few more minutes before the test results were ready. “And I’m pretty sure Maureen’s mentioned it.”

  Mason lifted his eyebrows. “I hope so. It’s the hottest spot in town.” He shifted, turning the kitten onto his back so he could rub the cat’s stomach. “It’s also the only bar in the area. And outside Kenny’s Diner, Smoky Joe’s barbecue and the pizza place, the only restaurant.”

  “I’ve had the pleasure of the Franco’s. Good pies for Georgia. But I’ll have to check out your place.”

  “Come over and I’ll buy you a beer.” Mason sighed as the kitten curled into a tight ball on one of his thighs. “Look at this. How am I supposed to resist it?”

  “You’re not. It’s a kitten. Its job is cuteness. Hold on a minute, and I’ll grab those results.”

  By the time I returned to the exam room, the kitten was sound asleep. I gave Mason a reassuring smile.

  “It’s okay to fall in love with him. He’s clean and healthy. I’d say he’s about ten weeks old, so you can feed him kitten food. I’ll give you a sample bag to start you off, but you’ll also want a litter box and litter, of course. Bring him back in a couple of weeks for his vaccines.”

  “Great. Thanks.” Mason lifted the little guy carefully, cuddling him close. “This is actually a good thing. My wife’s pregnant, as you probably noticed, and we wanted to do something special for Piper, so she doesn’t feel neglected when the baby comes. What’s better than her own baby kitten?”

  I laughed. “New baby, new cat? Good luck, man. But kittens aren’t too much work. Not like housetraining a puppy. Get a litter box, some food, and you’re good to go. Oh, but your wife should stay away from the litter box until after the baby comes. There’s something called toxoplasmosis that can be harmful to pregnant women.”

  Worry etched his face. “Are you sure it’s safe for her to have the cat in the house, then?”

  “Yup. Just no litter changing. Perfectly safe. My sister-in-law has three cats, had them while she was pregnant with both her kids. Everyone’s healthy.”