“Okay, good to know. Sorry, I’m a little bit of a worry wart.”
The door to the exam room opened, and Millie peered in. “Cora just got here, Smith. Y’all about finished up?”
“Yes, I’m sending Mason home with a new addition to his family.” I handed the paper with the kitten’s vitals on it to our receptionist. “Healthy and happy.”
“Thanks for getting us in, Millie.” Mason laid a hand on the older woman’s shoulder. “How’s everything at your place?”
Millie patted his hand. “It’s okay. We’re taking everything one day at a time. Thanks for asking.” She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “You give my niece and those babies my love, you hear?”
Mason hugged her. “Will do on Rilla and Piper, but the bun’s still cooking. You’ll have to wait another few weeks or so to give him your love.”
“I can’t wait.” Her lips tightened a bit. “You enjoy this time, Mason. When they’re so little, just a kiss and a little attention solves all their problems . . . savor it.” She forced a smile. “Well, now, let’s get you out of here so Smith can give Cora her weekly soothing.”
Mason extended a hand to me. “Thanks, man. And don’t forget my offer. Any time you want to come over, drinks on me.”
“I’ll take you up on that.” I watched him make his way down the hall, one arm around Millie’s shoulders as he talked to her softly.
And I wondered.
All that day, no matter how busy I was with patients and paperwork, I thought about Maureen and her date. She’d gotten so upset the night before, but not about Felicia as I’d expected. I’d been braced for Reenie to lash out over the idea that I’d been engaged and never told her about it, but she’d only gotten snappish and mean when we were talking about college.
And when she’d brought up parties and how often I’d gone to them, I’d come dangerously close to saying something I knew I’d regret. Because when I thought of college and parties, all I could remember was the fateful Epsilon blowout and what had happened when I’d opened the wrong door at the wrong time.
There wasn’t any use in bringing that up now. What had happened in college had to stay there, and the truth was, no matter how much I’d lusted after Maureen, there’d been times of absolute desperation when I had given in to the temptation of a random hook up. On nights when I was convinced she didn’t care for me at all beyond our friendship, I’d accepted that I needed to at least try dating other girls. It never felt right, and I always ended up bitter and disillusioned with myself.
Maureen and I both had hours at the clinic, since it was a Friday. I was on call; she’d covered after-hours the night before. We’d worked out what seemed to be a reasonable schedule, and of course, we both knew that we could count on the other if something came up at the last minute.
A little after five o’clock, I walked my final patient of the day to the front desk, chatting as I went. Maureen had driven out to a nearby farm to check on a pregnant mare nearing foaling time, and she came back in just as Mr. Judd and his parrot Bisby left.
Millie turned the lock and the CLOSED sign on the door. “Well, that’s it for this week, ladies and gentleman. Maureen, how’s Princess Buttercup doing?”
Reen grimaced. “She’s good. Probably foal sometime next week.” She glanced at me and smirked. “Most likely in the middle of the night, on one of my after-hours. I don’t know why horses don’t seem to be able to give birth during the day.”
“Let’s hope the Princess is the exception. All right, you two, now scoot. Time for everyone to go home. Have a good weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.”
Maureen and I followed our receptionist out the back door to the parking area, waving good-bye as she climbed into her sedan and drove away. We’d ridden into work in Reenie’s truck together today, but Reenie tossed me the keys as we walked back around to the front of the building where she’d parked.
“Do you mind driving? I’m exhausted. I didn’t want to say anything to Millie, but Mr. Garth asked me to check some stuff on his other three horses while I was out there. It was a long afternoon.”
“I bet. Why are we not telling Millie?” I pulled myself into the driver’s seat and turned the keys in the ignition.
“Because she’ll make me bill him for the extra time, and I don’t want to do that. He’s just an old man who’s trying to keep his animals healthy, and I’m happy to help.”
I nodded. “Well, next time we have a few minutes, why don’t we both ride out there and you can introduce me to Mr. Garth? Then at least we can share the load.”
“Sounds like a good idea. But for now, I need to get home, get showered and be ready to go on this date.” She sounded about as excited as if her evening plans included root canal.
“Hey, you need to buck up. It’s a date night. You’re going out with a new man who has a lot of potential, apparently—” I shut my mouth. What the hell was I doing, talking up the guy who was trying to steal my one and only true love?
“Yeah, I know.” She leaned her seat against the headrest and bent her knees up, hugging them as her eyes drifted shut. “I’m just a lot more tired than I’d thought I would be.”
“You could always cancel.” Keeping my voice casual and not hopeful wasn’t easy.
“Hmmm. No, I’ll be fine.” Maureen’s lips barely moved as she answered me.
I smothered a sigh and turned onto the road that would take us home. After a few weeks in Burton, I was already feeling at home. The town was friendly, and my new patients brought me welcome-to-Burton gifts of fresh-baked breads, desserts and invitations to dinner.
There’d been more than a few raised eyebrows about me living in Maureen’s house. One older lady had informed me archly that in her day, no self-respecting single woman would live under the same roof as an unmarried man unless she wanted a reputation for being loose. When I pointed out that I was living in a separate apartment she merely shook her head and tsk’d at me. I’d realized I was fighting a losing battle and just shut my mouth.
Millie was fiercely protective of Reenie, and when she’d overheard the woman, she’d rounded on her, telling her in no uncertain terms that Maureen was a good girl who’d lived with her mother all these years and only now was striking out on her own. The tongue-lashing our receptionist had delivered had been a wonder to behold.
I glanced sideways and smiled a little when I saw that Maureen’s head had lolled to the side, and her lips were slightly parted. Her breath was deep and even, and her face was relaxed. I was struck anew at how lovely she was. Several strands of black hair had escaped her ponytail and lay on her cheek. As we rolled to a stop at the intersection, I reached over and brushed them away with one careful finger. She didn’t stir.
Seeing her sleeping reminded me of the evening when I’d begun to realize that I felt more than friendship for this girl. We’d both been in the same English class, and it was the night before the final. Neither of us felt prepared, and we’d agreed to pull an all-nighter in the library, which was open twenty-four hours during final exams.
For hours, we reviewed poetry, plays and the all-important style manual. Our professor was a stickler for citing sources and using the correct forms as well as for extrapolating poems.
“Okay. What’s one of the chief ways in which T.S. Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock broke from the poetry of the nineteenth century?” I glanced at Maureen, who was rocked back in her chair, with her legs braced on the edge of the table.
“Um . . . God, we did that poem so long ago. Way back at the beginning of the semester. I don’t even remember the crap we learned last week, let alone three months ago.”
“Yeah, I know. But this final’s comprehensive.” I scribbled something on the edge of my notebook. “Note to self: make sure all classes we take from here on out do take-home finals. Or at least not tests that cover the whole semester.”
“Agreed. Should we do a blood oath?” She grinned and dropped her feet to the floor, letting t
he chair fall with a soft thud. “All right. So I kind of remember this one. Wasn’t it that Eliot’s depiction of nature was different? Like, in the eighteen hundreds, they were all about nature being perfect and God-inhabited and shit, but Eliot described it as almost sickly and dangerous.”
“Yup, that’s it. Also the free verse aspect.”
“Mmm-hmmm.” Reenie folded her arms on the table. “How long until our next coffee break?” We’d scheduled several stretch-and-go-get-coffee stops during the night, and while Maureen was willing to be flexible about them, I insisted we stick to the plan.
“Forty-five minutes. If we focus, we can finish up Eliot before then. C’mon, woman. We can do it.”
“Okay.” Her voice was muffled now, and when I looked up from my study guide, her head was down, resting on her arms, and her eyes were shut.
“Reen, we gotta finish this part.” I waited for her response, but there was only silence. Sighing, I pushed back in the chair and dropped my head, stretching my neck and rolling my shoulders.
Next to me, Maureen made a soft noise in her sleep, something between a moan and a murmur. Her hair was fanned out her across her back; she’d released it from the elastic earlier, claiming it was giving her a headache. Now, watching the slight rise and fall of her back, I had the sudden and unreasonable urge to run my fingers through the silky threads and let it sift over my hand. I leaned forward, closer to her, and took a long, appreciative sniff. I already knew Maureen smelled wonderful. It was a mix of her shampoo, some kind of lotion or light perfume and something else I couldn’t pinpoint. I’d first noticed it the day she’d nearly knocked me down the steps, and ever since, whenever we were together, I tried to subtly position myself to get a whiff.
She looked so innocent and relaxed when she slept. Her mouth was a little bit open, and I knew that if I covered those full red lips with my own, I could slip my tongue into her mouth, kiss her until her eyes fluttered open, and then I’d pull her onto my lap and slide my hands under her bulky sweatshirt—
Oh, my God. What the hell was I thinking? This was Maureen, my friend, the girl I’d hung with, laughed with over our friends’ romantic fumblings . . . I didn’t think of her this way. I couldn’t want her, could I? I hadn’t ever thought about it, but the way my jeans were suddenly a little tighter than was comfortable said I could and did want her. Matter of fact, if I could lay her out on this table in the next few minutes, that would be just about perfect.
Truth to be told, I wasn’t being completely honest with myself. I’d been attracted to Reenie since the moment we’d met on the steps. But I’d convinced myself that I wasn’t looking to get involved with a girl during my freshman year. My brother Fox had preached to me the importance of being a free agent as long as I could. He’d told me that the first few years of college were for playing the field, having fun and nailing as many chicks as possible. While I didn’t necessary agree with the last part, I knew I needed to focus on my classes and damned if I didn’t want to have some fun, too.
But now the idea of seeing that beautiful black hair spread over my pillow while I held myself over her body . . . yeah, that seemed more appealing than fun with a string of nameless girls. I thought of her wide brown eyes going soft and hazy as I touched her.
“Aw, hell.” I muttered the words as I dropped my forehead onto my hand.
“Hmmm? I missed that last part, can you repeat it?” Maureen straightened, blinking hard and trying to be discreet as she wiped the corner of her mouth. I studied her closely for a minute, hoping that just-waking-up Reenie would be less appealing to me than sleeping Reen. But no. I couldn’t miss the adorable flush on her cheeks, and the way her chest rose under the sweatshirt. Yeah, I still wanted her. Badly.
“I think we should take a break.” I pushed my chair back and stood up, turning my back on her so she couldn’t see how she was affecting my body, specifically my dick. “I need some air.”
“Okay, sounds good. I wouldn’t say no to some caffeine.” Maureen rose, too, and stretched her neck. My hands itched to massage her shoulders and then trail my hand down one arm and link my hand with hers. God, I had to stop this.
She glanced up at me, a question in her eyes as though she’d heard my thoughts. Or maybe it was just the expression of frustration probably on my face. “You okay, Smith?”
“Yeah. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” I took off for the exit, hoping like hell this was just temporary insanity, because I had a feeling that what I felt for this girl didn’t fall into the fun-and-done lifestyle I’d wanted for this year.
Now, as we pulled into the driveway of the home we shared, I knew that I’d been on the money all those years ago. What might’ve happened if I’d given in that night and kissed her as she slept? What if I’d taken her hand as we walked to the all-night coffee shop, and then kissed her full on the lips for luck the next morning when we’d gone in for our final? I was pretty sure I knew, and it was a hell of lot better than the prospect of an evening where Maureen went out on a date with another man and I sat at home, alone, waiting for my chance to tell her how I felt.
When I turned off the truck, she stirred, blinking awake. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”
My lips curled into a lazy smile, and I had to sternly tell my hands to stay put and not grab her shoulders and pull her onto my lap. “Honey, you can fall asleep on me whenever you want.” I winked, and her face went pink.
“I guess I need to go inside and get ready for my date.” She didn’t move from the seat, and her tone was anything but excited.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I sat still, too, willing her to say something to me. To give me an opening I could take.
But in the end, she only sighed, reached for the door handle and slid to the ground, leaving me to bang my head against the steering wheel before I followed her into the house.
SMITH STAYED UPSTAIRS IN HIS apartment while I got ready for my date, and for that, I was extremely grateful. I wasn’t sure I could handle him standing around, offering me commentary as I figured out what to wear to go out with another man. Not when I knew, deep down inside, that I’d give almost anything to be spending the evening here with him, at home. Snuggled up in his arms as we watched a movie, or even just talked over dinner.
But instead, I slid on my favorite denim skirt, topping it with a silky tank top and stepping into black flats. I loved clothes as much as the next girl—well, maybe not every girl, but I liked to look good—and my job didn’t offer me many chances for dressing up. I made a mental note to look into better clothes if dates were going to become a regular part of my life.
I caught part of my hair back in a clip, keeping it off my face but letting the length curl around my shoulders. Standing in front of my bathroom mirror, I surveyed myself critically. My make-up was light, but it did make my eyes pop a little more, thanks to Ali’s lessons way back in high school. My cheeks had their natural pink flush, and I’d left my lips bare. Was I hoping for a kiss? I thought about that for a minute, trying to imagine how it would feel to have Tim Walker kiss me. If I were honest with myself, it didn’t excite me. Not at all.
“Looking good, Evans.” Smith lounged in the doorway of my bedroom, leaning against the jam and watching me. I met his eyes in the mirror, and if I hadn’t known better, I might’ve thought I saw a mix of frustration, irritation and . . . want?
I gave my head a little shake and turned around. I was projecting again. Fooling myself into thinking I saw what I wanted to see. That had to stop now.
“Thanks.” I forced a smile. “Now let’s just hope I don’t fall asleep in the middle of dinner.”
“Where’re you going, anyway? Kenny’s or the barbecue joint?”
I stuck out my tongue at him. “No, smartass. We’re going to the Road Block for dinner. And I guess if things go okay, maybe we’ll stay to dance. But no worries, because I’m sure Mason will be there to keep his eye on me and give Flynn a full report.”
“Oh, you’re
going to Mason’s place? I met him today. He brought in a kitten his little girl found.”
“Piper conned Mason into a kitten?” I grinned. “Oh, that’s just wonderful. He’s so funny with her and with Rilla. You know, big tough guy, and those two women just have him wrapped around their little fingers. It’s darling.”
Smith chuckled. “Funny, that’s the feeling I got, based on how he was talking about them. I guess it’s a good thing Rilla’s having a boy, huh? Evens up the numbers in their family.”
“Yup. They’re adorable together. Rilla was this quiet, shy little thing up until last year. She was raised by a very protective father, and he pretty much disowned her when she moved in with Mason to help him with Piper and his mom. But after they got married, Rilla really started to come into her own. She has her own business, and she helps with advertising and promotion for the bar. She’s fairly amazing.”
“I didn’t realize she was Millie’s niece until Mason said something today.” Smith came further into the room and dropped onto the end of my bed.
“Rilla didn’t know it until last year. Her mom is Boomer’s sister, but she left town when Rilla was just a baby, and then her dad refused to let any of the mother’s family see Rilla. But they’ve been making up for lost time. Rilla’s close to both Boomer and to her aunt Tammie. And Millie just loves spoiling her and Piper.”
“That reminds me. Mason asked Millie how everything was going at her house, and Millie said they were taking everything one day at a time. Is something wrong? She’s not sick, is she?”
I sighed. “No. Millie’s fine. It’s just . . . well, it’s a kind of a messy situation.”
Smith shrugged. “You don’t have to tell me if it’ll break a confidence.”
“No, everyone in town knows. You should hear it from me, because you’ll get the whole story.” I sat down on the bed next to him. “There was a guy in Ali and Flynn’s class. His name’s Trent, and he comes from a kind of bad background. His mom was in and out of trouble, and I think she was even in jail for a while. Trent was in foster homes now and then, when he wasn’t living with her. Anyway, he grew up rough. I don’t know why I’m telling you that, only that maybe it explains a little about him.”
Always For You (Always Love Book 1) Page 8