by Ann Yost
She made a face in the mirror. It didn’t help that she’d climbed all over him like a cat in heat last night in the Jacuzzi.
“Stupid move, Hal.”
She shut her eyes and remembered the feel of his strong fingers on her skin, the sense of controlled power in his big body despite his harrowing adventure and the euphoria as they’d experienced a mutual release. He’d felt it, too. That part of their relationship definitely worked.
They’d do it again. She could tell herself to stay out of hot tubs with him but she knew, in her heart, within three months they’d make love again. A new thought struck her. Maybe he was turned off by the infertility. Man was designed to spread his seed. It was against biology for him to keep returning to barren ground.
Whatever. Her job now was to keep some distance between them. More contact could only result in more heartbreak. She put on her crayon-red parka and plunged out into the weak winter sunshine.
Asia’s kitchen was, as always, full of light and the scent of baking bread. Cinnamon rolls and fresh coffee awaited Hallie. She smiled at the housekeeper. She held onto that smile even when she felt Baz’s gun-metal gaze upon her. She issued a general greeting that included him along with Cameron, Daisy, and Lucy.
“Want anything from Boston, Hallie?” Lucy asked.
“You’re going to Boston?”
“Yep. My roommate, well, my ex-roommate,
Miranda, wants me to visit through New Year’s.”
Lucy Outlaw had graduated from college the previous spring, but she hadn’t settled down yet.
She’d taken on a series of part-time jobs while waiting to get an offer from a newspaper or a magazine.
“You’ll miss the Grange Hall dance,” Cam pointed out. The annual New Year’s Eve celebration, Hallie knew, was practically the only Eden tradition that had survived the area’s economic downturn.
She watched Lucy’s delicate features twist.
“No harm done. I didn’t have a date, anyway.”
She looked at Hallie. “I guess you’ll be going with Jake.”
Hallie felt Baz’s eyes boring into her. She glanced at Lucy and thought she caught a flash of jealousy on the young woman’s pretty face. That was unlikely, though. They were separated by thirteen years and a sort of simmering hostility.
Cameron changed the subject. “How’d you sleep after your ordeal last night, Hal?”
His voice halted the progress of Hallie’s coffee cup from the saucer to her lips. Her ordeal? Last night? Had he found out about the lapse in the hot tub?
Baz’s deep emotionless voice chimed in. “He means the business at the river,” he said, his voice gravelly.
Good grief. She avoided his gaze. Instead, she addressed Cam.
“I slept fine. The adventure belonged to your brother.”
“He was the hero, all right,” Cam said.
Lucy’s eyes twinkled. “We were so proud of you, big brother.” She leaned over and hugged him.
His body tensed. It was an odd reaction from a man who’d enjoyed as many women as he. But, he’d had few sisterly hugs. Very few. Lucy was a baby when he’d last seen her.
“Richie almost drownded,” Daisy reminded everyone. “But my Uncle Baz saved him.”
“I had lots of help, Sunshine.” He grinned at her, and Hallie’s heart turned over. She knew he was hurting, filled with guilt over the infertility, but he was able to find a warm smile for his new little niece. In the space of two days, the man who’d been an island had allowed his sprite of a niece into his heart. He was well on his way toward becoming a family man.
All he needed was his own family.
The little girl hopped out of her chair and climbed up on her uncle’s lap. “You feel good,” she purred, putting her head against his massive chest.
He closed his arms around her, and Hallie looked down into the still-full cup of coffee.
“Ready for your first day as a country doc?” Cam asked his brother.
“He looks ready,” Lucy said.
He did. Baz had forsaken his customary hand-tailored suits for low-riding jeans and a brown-and white flannel shirt. He looked comfortable and right.
She couldn’t help hoping he wouldn’t like it too much here. Her peace of mind in Eden, Maine, depended on Baz’s return to L.A.
“I figure this is the proper attire for roto-routing critters and pulling calves.”
Hallie reminded herself she should be grateful to have a large animal expert close at hand. She didn’t feel competent to tend the farm animals. That was Jesse’s department. And now, Baz’s.
“That reminds me.” She cleared her throat. “I need to talk to you about a mare out at the Meadows’ place on M-15 near the Rez. She’s about to foal, and your dad’s a little worried about the situation.”
Baz nodded. “He mentioned that.”
Well, naturally, he had. Jesse was far too responsible to go on a cruise without making arrangements for his patients.
“I’ll drop in on them. Maybe you could come, too,
since the farmer knows you.”
“Of course.” Hallie’s spirits lifted, marginally.
They were both professionals. Maybe they could work together, after all. “Would tomorrow work for you? Today is booked solid since we were closed for the holiday.”
They walked to the clinic together. Hallie prayed he wouldn’t refer to last night or to her baby bombshell. Apparently the prayer worked because they only discussed the weather.
Hallie’s attempt to introduce Baz to the elderly receptionist proved unnecessary. She remembered him from his early teen years when he and his mother still lived in Eden.
“Oh my goodness me.” She studied him. “I haven’t seen you in donkey’s years, Basil. You grew into a fine man. My stars, you look just like your father.”
Hallie saw his face tighten. He didn’t want to think of Jesse as either his father or a role model, but he was gallant to the old lady.
“You, on the other hand, don’t look a day older than the last time I saw you.”
“Pshaw. You’re a smooth one, Basil Outlaw.”
“Just call me Baz,” he advised with a wink. “It won’t scare the clients as much. Basil makes people think of vampires and zombies.”
Hallie stared at him. Where was all this charm coming from?
He sat at the desk in the office. She grabbed the smock decorated with colorful paw prints. She didn’t put it on though, until she went into one of the two treatment rooms. It seemed so intimate to dress in front of this man. She rolled her eyes. Too bad she hadn’t had those feelings last night.
The bell over the door jingled, and she heard Baz introducing himself to the clients. Most people in town knew who he was but not merely because he was Jesse’s son. The talk was all about yesterday’s rescue of Richie Ward.
Hallie was surprised at how comfortable and easy he sounded. In the L.A. lab he’d been efficient, remote and occasionally, mildly impatient.
The newcomer said something amusing, and Baz’s rare laugh reached Hallie’s ears. Her chest felt tight. Maybe this was his natural habitat.
In spite of the tension between them, she appreciated his help as the day wore on. He restrained Hap Heller’s big rottie, Antoinette, while Hallie clipped the dog’s toenails, then he listened to Hap grouse about a proposed second stoplight in town. He helped vaccinate a litter of puppies, and he smiled at ten-year-old Tina Barber as she told him each of their names and personality characteristics.
He helped Hallie calm Laura Wilkins who was hysterical about her balding parakeet, Petey. He even agreed with Hallie’s diagnosis: molting.
The first clash of the day occurred just before lunch. Mrs. Ingersoll’s Pekingese, Ralston, had developed a shortness of breath. Again. Baz took one look at why the dog’s belly brushed the floor, and he delivered a short, harsh lecture to the old lady. Mrs.Ingersoll and Ralston left in a huff.
“You were a little rough on her,” Hallie pointed out. “She pre
tended to be angry, but I saw her eyes tear up.”
“She deserves to cry. She’s killing her dog with those table scraps.”
The good-natured, laid-back country vet routine
was already getting old. Hallie felt a flash of relief.
“Mrs. Ingersoll’s children have moved away. She’s
only got Ralston. She thinks she’s making him happy by sharing her meals.”
“He’s happy all right. He just can’t breathe.”
“I know. Mavis and I are working on a weekly get together for some of the elderly pet owners.”
“Lessons in nutrition?”
“I was thinking more of a support group in the guise of a canasta group or a book club. If they had more friends their own ages, they’d be less focused on their pets.”
His gray eyes narrowed in disapproval. “Listen, Halliday. It’s our job to take care of the medical problems of animals, not the psychological problems of their owners. We are not a lonely hearts club.”
She shook her head. “You’ve been in a lab too long. You’ve forgotten that pets and their humans are intertwined. I can protect Ralston’s interests best by watching out for Mrs. Ingersoll, too.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of trying to rescue people?”
She gaped at him. “Look who’s talking? As far as Eden is concerned, you’re the new Batman. I’m just doing my job. I know you’re more accustomed to anonymous white mice than companion animals. Maybe if you named those little suckers you’d get more attached.”
His stern mouth twitched, and there was amusement in his eyes. His gaze remained on her though, and she couldn’t look away. The bell jingled signaling another client, and Hallie swallowed hard.
“You’ll have plenty of years to teach me the finer points of companion animal medicine after we’re married,” he said, softly, deliberately.
Hallie went perfectly still as he strode past her with his hand outstretched.
“Harold,” he said, greeting the village treasurer.”Who do we have here?”
“This is Pinkie. She’s a teacup poodle.”
“So I see. A fine specimen, too.”
Hallie swallowed, painfully. He still wanted her?
She hadn’t expected that.
That single reference to the future was the only one. She began to think he had backed off and she started to relax.
The following afternoon they drove Jesse’s battered pickup out to the Meadows’ Farm. The house was in need of paint. Icicles clung to its sagging roof but the barn was spacious, clean, and heated.
Hallie told Baz that Ralph Meadows was attempting to hold onto his family’s acreage by selling his tractor and developing a quarter horse breeding program. The pregnant mare, Blue, represented the foundation of that program.
Ralph greeted them and showed them into the barn. Hallie watched as Baz examined the sleek, chestnut-colored animal. His hands were thorough but careful, and Blue tolerated his touch very well.
Hallie didn’t blame her. There was something so seductive about the combination of strength and gentleness in his big hands.
Ralph brought her back to the present with a comment. “She doesn’t have much pep.” His words were tinged with anxiety. “Normally she’s chomping at the bit to get out in the fields.”
“She’s resting up for the big event,” Baz explained.
“It’s called nesting,” Hallie chimed in. “It happens with human mamas, too. Just ask Janie.”
She felt Baz’s eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. This wasn’t about him or her. It was about the mare.
Ralph invited them into the shabby farmhouse.
Hallie wondered whether Baz would be put off by the young couple’s obvious poverty, but she got her answer when he graciously accepted an invitation to stay to supper from Ralph’s very pregnant wife, Janie.
The stew was plain but hot and filling, and Janie had made fresh biscuits to go with it. It was followed by homemade peach cobbler.
“This is delicious,” Hallie said. “Did you can the peaches yourself?”
“Yes. I’ve got shelves and shelves of them down in the cellar,” Janie said. “You should take some along. We couldn’t eat them all in five years.”
“I’ve got a better idea. A group of us are opening a crafts cooperative in the spring. The Maine Attraction. We figure it’ll get a lot of traffic when summer tourists start heading this way to looking for a place to cool off. How about providing us with peach cobbler? We can buy it from you direct then serve it to our customers. We could pay a couple of hundred dollars a week to start. If we get more traffic, we’ll buy more. And if you’d like, we can take orders for you.”
“That would be great.” Janie flashed a huge smile at her husband.
Hallie noticed a nick between Baz’s dark eyebrows. He didn’t approve of the plan. She couldn’t imagine what kind of objection he’d have.
“The cobbler’s certainly tasty,” he said, smiling at Janie. “I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed anything this much.”
“Janie’s a fine cook,” Ralph said, with satisfaction. “Just like her mom and sisters.”
Baz nodded. “Have you thought about baby names?’
Hallie blinked, more than a little surprised by the question. Despite their earlier talk, it was hard to conceive of Baz and baby names in the same conversation. He really had changed.
“We didn’t need to spend much time on that subject,” Janie replied. “It’s going to be Ralph, Junior.”
“Fine choice.” Baz’s comment earned an appreciative look from the young dad-to-be.
“Of course, it could be a girl,” Hallie pointed out.
“Not a chance.” Ralph grinned at his wife and laid a protective hand on her mounded stomach. “We specifically ordered a boy.”
Hallie felt Baz’s eyes on her, and she had to fight down the fury that uncoiled in her stomach. She knew it wasn’t possible to avoid all references to babies, but he didn’t have to throw her infertility in her face by looking at her like that.
When the meal was finished, Janie struggled to her feet.
“Let me clean up,” Hallie started to say but, Baz cut her off. “Why don’t you gals relax in the parlor while Ralph and I clean up?”
Once again Hallie gaped. She didn’t know which shocked her more, Baz using that lazy country drawl or Baz offering to clean up the dishes. But the biggest surprise was yet to come. Janie propped her feet on an ottoman and told Hallie about her preparations for the baby. Suddenly a pair of male voices reached Hallie’s ears.
“What on earth?”
“That’s Tennessee Whiskey,” Janie explained.
“It’s Ralph’s favorite. He always sings it when he’s doing chores.”
“I’m a little, er, surprised that Baz knows the words.”
Janie shrugged. “He grew up around here. Even if he’s been gone for a good while, Eden County’s his home.”
The farmer’s wife was right. Baz’s roots were here in west-central Maine. The signs that he belonged here were everywhere. All she could do was pray he wouldn’t see them.
She decided to do a little investigating on the way home. “I didn’t know you liked country music,” she said, with what she hoped was an appropriately casual tone. “You must have gotten that from your mother. I’ve never heard Jesse listen to anything but classical.”
“My mother loved the symphony. That was the one thing she and my dad had in common.”
“Why did they get divorced, anyway?”
It was dark in the cab of the truck. Hallie could only see his rugged profile, but she felt him tighten up. “Infidelity.”
Hallie stared at him. “Hers?”
“His.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like Jesse.”
“It was a fluke. A one-time thing. From what I could gather, she was somebody’s visiting sister-in-law.
She saw Jesse and targeted him like a pointer picks out a fox. Eventually she ra
n him to ground.”
“Your poor mother.”
He was silent a moment. “In retrospect, I think she was just waiting for an excuse. She hated it here in the sticks. Jesse’s lapse gave her the opening she was waiting for.”
“I wouldn’t call infidelity a lapse.”
His head turned swiftly, and his voice was harsh.
“Life’s messy, Hallie. It can’t always be divided into neat categories. People make mistakes, and they hurt each other.”
Jesse Outlaw and his ex-wife had certainly hurt their son. She thought about the boy exiled from one other parent, his siblings, his family home. No wonder the man’s heart had been frozen for so long.
She just wished he would keep it from thawing until he got out of Maine.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s ancient history. What was all that about the peach cobbler?”
“You mean buying it for the co-op? I think it’s a great idea. Who wouldn’t want to browse around a shop full of unique gift items and enjoy homemade cobbler at the same time?”
“I thought the co-op was supposed to be nonprofit. Can you afford a couple hundred dollars a week?”
“We’ll figure something out.”
“You’re going to pay Janie out of your own pocket, aren’t you? You offered her the job because you know they need money, but you forgot one thing.”
She was sick of defending her actions to this man. “What?”
His voice was very quiet. “You forgot you won’t be here in the spring. You’ll be in L.A. With me.”
His words stripped away the thin veil of protection she’d started to build around her heart.
“Look. Let’s get something straight here. I told you my story so that you’d let up on this. I do not want to keep having this conversation.”
It was as if he hadn’t heard her. “About that lab report. I’d like to take a look at it. There might be something the lab technician or the doc missed. If there’s a way for you to have a baby, we’ll find it.”
“You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met,” she replied.
“I am when I’m sure something’s right. This is right. You and me.”