He’d missed country living. New York had been great, exciting, full of life, sound and culture, but at thirty-seven, he was looking for a quieter way of living now, something closer to his roots in Alaska.
Add Viv to the picture, and he was feeling pretty damn good.
He’d woken up this morning, Scar snoring in his face, to find he was a little more than stoked about seeing her again today.
And not just because she’d accepted his offer to help with his budding mobile vet practice.
It was because he genuinely liked her, was wildly attracted to her, wanted to know how a professed rich kid like her had become so grounded.
And then there was everything else. Her soft hair brushing against his cheek as they were so aggravatingly disrupted each time he got within a hairsbreadth of kissing those amazingly pink lips. Her wide eyes alive and bright as she set out the necessities for stitching up Levi. The way she melted against him when she’d fallen on top of him, keeping him harder for longer than he’d like to admit.
It was how kind she was with Mrs. Andersen, how calm she remained in the face of the poor woman’s tears.
It was a multitude of things. Things he was dead set on exploring further, as soon as he figured out what his mother, Norma wanted.
She’d been the call he had to take last night, and short of being in the middle of surgery, he always tried to take her calls. Especially when his parents were off in some part of the world he was unaware of.
But their connection had been crappy and he’d instead sent her a text, telling her he’d touch base with her later today after he saw patients.
Speaking of, he reached down and ran his knuckles over Scar’s broad head. He’d rescued Scar from a backyard-breeding sting with a group in New York, and had taken one look at his scrawny, malnourished, mange-riddled body and fallen in love.
Those soulful brown eyes, and the way his crooked bottom row of teeth jutted out from his mouth as he’d buried his shaking, painfully thin body against Jagger’s as though he’d finally realized he was safe for the first time since his birth being the clincher. They’d been partners for four years now.
“You comin’ with today, buddy? I think it might be wise of you to make friends with my new friend Viv. I’m hoping she’ll be around for a little while.”
Scar yawned and stretched before flopping down on the hardwood floor, his jowls puffing outward.
“I’ll take that as an endorsement in her favor,” he said on a chuckle, gathering his jacket and Scar’s new Christmas hat with the elf ears.
Scar followed him toward the door, faithful as always, his grunts deep as he used his squat legs to keep up.
Jagger kneeled in front of him and pulled the red and green hat over his wide head, running his knuckles under the dog’s jaw. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s go impress a girl.”
* * * *
Viv climbed into the van with a shiver and a smile when she saw Scar was riding shotgun. “Morning, Scar!” She leaned in and scratched his ears, dropping a kiss on his broad head. “I love your hat, pal. Very festive.”
He licked her face in return, making her laugh. “You mind if I sit, buddy? I feel like I’m always stealing your bunk.”
Jagger pointed to the floor of the van between the two seats. “Scar, down.”
He slunk off the wide seat with a longwinded moan, sliding to the floor to position himself in the dog bed Jagger had for him.
Jagger smiled at her as he began to back out of the driveway. His handsome face freshly shaven, his skin ruddy in the bright morning light. He wore a thick pullover sweater in dark green with a pair of black jeans and a hat that matched Scar’s in color.
“How are you this morning?”
“Eagerly awaiting the chance to earn my collection of Skipper heads. How are you?”
“Thinking about how lonely it’ll be without all those little Skipper eyes watching my every move,” he joked, handing her a Thermos. “Coffee. I think JC said you take it with cream and sugar. Heavy on the cream, right?”
Viv’s heart fluttered in her chest. He was thoughtful, too. “Yes. Your attention to detail is very appealing. Thanks, Boss.”
He winked a fringed eye. “You bet. So did you sleep well? We got in pretty late.”
Sleep. Yeah. Right. She’d tossed and turned all night long as she’d visualized Jagger naked in a million different scenarios while the cats piled on top of her, taking up most of the bed.
But she decided some things were better left unsaid. “I slept great. You?”
“Like a baby. Now, about Hector. I asked Max to meet us at his house. I feel pretty uneasy about Levi’s bite and little Mookie’s paw. I want to discuss this with him and get his input.”
“Any other suspicions aside from were?” she asked, stealing a glance of him from over the rim of the Thermos.
He was so good to look at. Big and solid. And he made good coffee. There was a hint of cinnamon and hazelnut mixed in a strong brew of creamy goodness. She cupped the Thermos with pleasure and fought a dreamy sigh.
Jagger shook his head as he made a left into Hector’s driveway just behind Max’s brother Derrick’s house. “It has to be a were, doesn’t it? Unless the vampires have suddenly developed the jaws of death, or there’s another kind of shifter in town I’m unaware of, it must be a were, and I’m uncomfortable putting it like that to Max. I don’t want to unjustly accuse. He’s been good to me. I’d also rather not mention that in front of Hector. He upsets pretty easily when it comes to his rabbits. So let’s check out the rabbit he’s concerned about and then have a sit-down with Max. After that, we’ll break for lunch and work out my current need for someone to help me schedule appointments. That work?”
“You bet.”
As they pulled into Hector’s, parking near the big barn where he housed the rabbits, they found Max waiting there for them, his strong, solid presence as alpha of the pack reassuring. He was fair and kind, according to JC, but more importantly, he was really good to her best friend.
Max waved a hand to them as they got out of the van with Scar positioning himself between them, the pointy ears on his hat flapping in the cold wind.
He held out a broad, roughly hewn hand to Jagger, his dark hair scraping the collar of his thick down jacket. “Cold enough for you?”
Jagger shook it, giving it a quick pump, towering over even Max, who was easily six foot. “I love it. Feels like home.”
Max’s eyes turned to her. “And what brings you here, Viv? You looking for my beautiful bride?” he asked, his expression warm when he spoke of her best friend.
Nothing made her happier than seeing JC so content and well-adjusted in her new life.
“Nope. You’ll be overjoyed to know, seeing as you’re my landlord, I have a job as Dr. Dubrov’s assistant. No more squatting for this girl.”
Max grinned, and Viv was once more reminded why her friend loved him so. He was also quite generous. “You know you’re always welcome here. No strings. If it weren’t for you, I might not be so happily married. So whatever I have is yours.”
Jagger shot her a quizzical look.
Viv blushed and shook off Max’s words, pulling her hat down over her ears. “It was nothing. I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, we need to see to Hector and his rabbit. I’ll go get him. You two talk.”
Viv began to make her way through the thick, freshly fallen snow toward the old red barn where Hector kept his beloved bunnies, Scar hot on her heels. She inhaled the clean air, letting it fill her lungs before she entered.
Hector stood over one of several bunny huts he owned, his usual garb of aviator hat, goggles, fingerless gloves and a thick jacket making him appear as though his thin body had been swallowed whole by too much fabric.
Jerry, one of her favorites in Max’s pack of misfits—who somehow managed to become stuck in shift—raised his sweet eyes and smiled at her with a wave.
“Hey, Jerry! How’s my favorite werewolf?”
He g
rinned, so open, so innocent, her heart clenched. “I’m good. But the bunny? Not so much. Do you think you can help?”
“You can bet I’ll sure try,” she assured him.
“I like you, Viv. You’re nice.”
She chuckled and curtsied. “I like you, too, Jerry. You’re my knight in shining armor, remember?”
Jerry’s cheeks burned bright with two red spots when she called up the memory of how he’d carried her best friend on his back in order to get to Max in time.
“I remember,” he replied, turning back to the rabbits, a smile on his face.
Rows of huts with heat lamps lined the interior of the barn where Hector had begun his crusade to keep the rabbits of Cedar Glen from harm.
He’d erected tall utility shelves, now filled with hay and pellets for his beloved pets. Stacks of cases of water were in the corner on bales of hay. He’d added strings of Christmas lights, crisscrossing them across the barn’s ceiling, and he even had a Christmas tree all decked out in the corner.
But his face said it all. Usually bright and animated, he had a dull look to his sweet eyes and his pallor had become pasty but for the two bright red spots on his cheeks.
Seeing him so worried brought a lump to Viv’s throat. Sure, it was insane to have so many rabbits, but they were his passion, and she couldn’t fault him for caring about the wildlife in Cedar Glen. He was responsible enough to spay and neuter so overpopulation wasn’t an issue, and he took great care to see to their every need.
Viv came to stand next to him, catching a glimpse of his troubled expression. She gave him a small squeeze, hoping to keep things positive. “Morning, Hector!”
“Hey, Viv. Good to see you. You lookin’ for JC?”
“Nope. I’m here with Dr. Dubrov to help with your rabbit. What’s going on with the little guy?”
Instantly, Hector’s sweet face went slack again, the apprehension lining his eyes stark. “I don’t know. He’s so lethargic and he’s not eating. I know how crazy it sounds to everyone else, but I can feel something’s not right,” he fretted.
“Not crazy at all. You’re a good guy for caring so much about the wildlife here in Cedar Glen, Hector. How about you give him to me and Jagger will give him a thorough checkup?”
Hector nodded, scooping him up from the isolated hut and rubbing his nose against the rabbit’s fur before he gave him to Viv.
“Does he have a name?” she asked, stroking the rabbit’s ears and cuddling him close to her chest.
“He’s one of the Brady Bunch. I took them in last year after their mother, Carol, accidentally drowned in the pond over by old man Layhee’s. That’s Bobby, and if he doesn’t make it, Marcia-Marcia-Marcia’s going to be very upset. She’s all kinds of out of sorts as it is because I separated them.”
Viv gave him a sympathetic squeeze to his gloved hand. “Got it. I don’t know how you can keep them all straight.”
He shrugged his thin shoulders, the look of defeat on his face breaking Viv’s heart. “I guess a parent just knows.”
“Okay, I’m going to take him to Jagger. Be right back. Promise.”
Viv scurried away out of the barn with Scar and into another snowfall, heading for the van where Max and Jagger were inside talking.
As she stepped inside, the wind picking up speed once more, she found the two men facing each other across the examining table.
Max’s eyes were intense and stormy, his posture rigid. “So you think someone’s attacking the pets in Cedar Glen? Who the hell would do that?”
Jagger shrugged his wide shoulders. “Not a clue, but that bite on Mrs. Andersen’s dog was pretty messy. I’m no expert, but it wasn’t a small animal, that’s for sure. I’m just saying to keep a lookout. Make sure everyone keeps their pets inside, and monitored closely when they let them out to do their business. That goes for livestock, too. Whatever you do, make sure Hector keeps his rabbits contained and locked up tight when he’s not with them until we figure this out.”
Max sighed as he rose, zipping up his jacket. “You got it. I’ll send out an email to the pack and have everyone spread the word. Until then, thanks, man. You’re a great asset here in Cedar Glen. Can’t tell you how much better I feel having you here.”
Max took his leave as Viv sprayed the table with antiseptic, keeping Bobby tucked into her jacket as she cleaned it and laid a fresh blanket out for the rabbit.
As she set him on the table, his head lolled lethargically, making her bite the inside of her cheek.
“So what’s going on with the little guy?” Jagger asked as he washed his hands and grabbed his stethoscope.
She stroked Bobby’s brown ears. “Hector says he’s lethargic and won’t eat.”
Jagger got down to eye level with Bobby and used one large finger to stroke his fur. “Hey, little guy. S’up today? You have a bellyache?”
As Viv pulled the stool over to the table to help, she tingled all over at how gentle this enormous bear of a man was and how easy it was to fall right into working with the effortlessness they seemed to have.
As Jagger listened to Bobby’s chest then checked his teeth, he determined the rabbit had an abscess, which was causing his eating and lethargy issues.
Once Bobby was considered in the clear, she sighed at the sight of a man his size caring for something so tiny—caring enough that he hadn’t laughed off Hector’s fears or mocked his concern for his rabbit.
And as the snow fell outside with Scar snoozing at her feet, she was content.
Blissfully content.
* * * *
Viv rushed into JC’s salon, waving to her friend from across the room. As per usual with JC, she’d decorated the quaint pink and white salon for the holiday. Red and silver bows hung from each hairdresser’s mirror, swags of garland donned every corner of the pink-and-white-wainscoted walls, and soft white lights were threaded around the big picture window, blinking on and off.
Classical Christmas music played and most of the chairs were full, meaning JC’s fears she’d never build up a new clientele were for naught.
JC motioned her over to her chair where a gorgeous brunette sat, the cascade of her chestnut hair falling down her back and across the chair in waves, everything, from her neck to her legs, long and sleek.
One willowy leg, with a gorgeous red stiletto at the end of it, was crossed over the other, her foot bouncing.
“Hey, you! How was your first day as assistant to the hunk?” JC asked from her position behind the lanky brunette, where she was running her fingers through her hair and examining the ends.
Viv grabbed the chair next to the beautiful woman and smiled, unable to contain her fizzy joy. She’d spent the entire day with Jagger, sharing a pastrami and Swiss foot-long sandwich with him at lunch, wherein he’d teased that her appetite had better pick up the pace if she hoped to keep up with his enormous one.
They’d gone over his appointments, sorting and making calls to confirm as he made his rounds at some of the farms to check livestock and warn the farmers about a possible wild animal on the loose.
They’d talked. They’d laughed. They worked side by side like they’d always done so and if she didn’t tell someone how euphoric she was, she’d explode.
“It was pretty awesome. He’s pretty awesome. I can’t believe I keep using the word awesome. I sound like I’m still in eighth grade. There are a million other adjectives to spare regarding Dr. Sexy, but it’s what comes to mind every time I think about him.”
“And how often do you think about him?” JC teased, pulling a long strand of chocolate hair upward between her fingers and snipping the edges.
Viv blushed, unwinding her scarf and fighting hard to contain her girlish grin. “Too often.”
“I don’t even know who you are anymore, all lost in this dreamy haze of budding love. What happened to my hardcore non-romantic?”
“She hadn’t met the hunk yet?”
Viv was willing to concede that she’d never been so giddy over a ma
n in quite the way she was over Jagger. It was useless to hide it. In fact, she didn’t even want to hide it. She wanted to bask in it.
JC giggled, brushing stray strands of hair from her client’s shoulders. “There’ve been quite a few boyfriends in your life and I can’t remember a single one who left you quite so enamored. So define this, would you? What makes him so different from all the others?”
The way he made her feel. The excited skip to her heart when he was near. The anticipation of really locking lips with him for the first time. All things she’d never been nearly as excited about with any of her other boyfriends.
Or maybe it was just as simple as she didn’t have to hide from him. Everyone she’d dated up to this point in her life had been human. She’d never have to explain the urge to shift, the need to run.
“I don’t know. But it’s only been two days since we met. This could wear off and it’ll be the same old Viv. Tossing men out of her life like she used to toss out the trash.”
“But the new Viv has a twinkle in her eye and a glow about her that’s absolutely adorable. I like the new Viv. You look happier than you have in a long time. Which makes me happy.”
The brunette smiled an amused smile, her red lips tilting upward in glossy perfection when her eyes met Viv’s. Green and almond-shaped, they were clear and bright, her skin smooth and polished.
Viv winced in her direction. “Sorry, I’m embarrassing myself. We’re over here yakking like two high school girls about a hot guy while you’re just trying to get your hair done in peace. Apologies.”
The brunette waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, flashing nails matching the color of her lips to a tee. “It’s Christmas—what better time to fall in love? Magic’s about this time of year. So, I don’t mind at all,” she said, her voice a sultry, husky timbre.
Viv slid from the chair and smiled back. “We’ve only known each other two days. No way it could be love this soon.”
The brunette’s lips curved into another smile as sultry as her voice. “Love happens when it happens. There’s no time frame.”
Her best friend bobbed her head with a wide grin. “What she said. No truer words.”
Moves Like Jagger (Wolf Mates Book 4) Page 5