Never Expected You

by Jody Holford

  Reaching out a hand, he introduced himself. “Zach. Zach Mason. Veterinarian.” Jesus. He wanted to smack himself. Who did he think he was? The James Bond of animal doctors?

  Those long, inky lashes lowered, and he watched as she visibly breathed in and out to pull herself together. When she opened her eyes, she turned away from him and his extended hand to face the real Dexter.

  “Please don’t worry about being late, Dexter. Why don’t you deal with your car, and we’ll start again tomorrow?”

  She looked and sounded cordial, but Zach had a feeling she was simmering under the surface.

  “Are you sure? My uncle lives in town. I’ll be staying with him, but I thought it was best to get here as quickly as I could,” Dexter said. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and shifted his feet.

  The tow truck driver glanced over, his eyes sticking long enough Zach thought he might remember him from high school. It was bound to happen despite the ten years he’d been gone and the thirty pounds of muscle he’d added.

  Stella stepped forward, all sweetness and charm. “I’m positive.”

  She glanced back at Zach, and it was like Jekyll and Hyde—the look she gave him had fangs with a side of suspicion. Even his Army unit would have shriveled under that look. Zach grinned at her, making her whip back to the kid, smiling anew.

  “I have more than enough to take care of today. You go do what you need to do. Come at eight tomorrow so we can chat before the first patient.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Lane. I really appreciate it.”

  “So now I’m hauling this thing somewhere else?” the tow driver asked, scowling.

  “It would seem so,” Stella said, straightening her spine.

  Zach didn’t like the lust that was coiling low in his gut, but she was gorgeous and ready to go to bat for some kid she’d just met? That was a combination no one could ignore. At least not a guy like Zach, who, more than once, had desperately needed someone to go to bat for him.

  While Stella affirmed that she was sure about it, Zach looked around. Hell of a property—just like he remembered. Gorgeous and vast, acres upon acres. Rolling green lawns, some of it overgrown, some of it treed, lots of it fenced. The tree line was nearly miniature from where he stood. The farmhouse where he’d sat on the back porch with her dad was weathered with age but still standing strong. The new porch railings suggested it was cared for, as did the brick edging that closed in a small flower bed next to the porch. Ms. Lane didn’t strike him as the type to let things fall into disrepair. She didn’t look like she planted flowers, either. Looks more like they should be thrown at her feet.

  He studied the smile she gave the young student, and the kid’s eager nod made Zach feel older than his thirty-two years. If he thought hard, he sort of remembered Doc Lane’s little dark-eyed girl running around with some of the animals. Mostly, he’d come to the clinic to get away from everything else. Back in the day, the land and the pets soothed a part of Zach that nothing else could. Calculating, Zach guessed he had about five years on Stella. He barely remembered her, but she probably didn’t remember him at all. When he’d started feeling ready to come home, he’d read what he could about Stella online, but truthfully, there wasn’t a lot. He’d done a little digging in phone calls with his mom, asking if the practice was busy, if she had a partner, but he had to be careful there or she’d be knitting baby booties.

  The idea her son was coming home to stay was enough to put his mom in a perpetual state of happy. Shouldn’t have left her for so long. It had been the best thing for both of them. Going away let him become something, and being a man who could provide for his mother had mattered. It wouldn’t have happened if he’d stayed in Brockton Point.

  Hopefully he could change Stella’s current opinion of him, otherwise he’d be relying on a years old connection to her father that she probably didn’t even know about. If nothing else worked, he’d be dusting off his knees to do some begging. Zach chuckled to himself at the thought. A part of him wouldn’t even mind that task. And you’re ignoring that part completely.

  The driver and student headed back toward the truck, and Stella walked over to Zach. She didn’t look happy, but he’d certainly faced worse. She wouldn’t be one he could charm or out-maneuver, and knowing that made him want her—it, you want it—more.

  “Why did you lie?” she asked. She whistled, and her dogs came running, circling them both, trying to check him out and get her attention at the same time.

  He leaned down, let the first of the two labs smell his hand, and then crouched to rub their sides. He looked up at Stella. With the morning sun lighting the sky, she looked like a dark-haired angel. If he was ever overseas again, this was the image that would haunt his brain. All that quiet, somewhat fragile, beauty.

  She arched a brow and crossed her arms under her breasts.

  Right. She wasn’t letting him off on a technicality. He rose, smiling when the darker of the two labs kept nudging his nose against him. “You caught me off guard. It wasn’t my intention to mislead you. I did try to tell you, but Pedro started moving and you shushed me.” So, not entirely his fault.

  She started to protest, but he held up a hand and cut her off. “I did help you with Pedro.”

  Her shoulders relaxed some. “True. What can I do for you, Zach. Zach Mason?” He laughed at her teasing and noted her tone seemed friendly enough, but her gaze suggested she was waiting for him to drop a second shoe.

  The wariness she didn’t hide well made him wonder if she’d already been approached about partnership. Last he’d talked to his mom, she’d told him Stella Lane was working herself to the bone for casseroles and cupcakes. Brockton Point was growing bigger and she couldn’t possibly serve the entire area as her father had once done. Zach could go anywhere, practice anywhere, settle anywhere. But home was where he wanted—needed—to be. So Stella Lane was his best option for the professional future he was counting on. The first step in a series of them that would firmly root him back to the very place he’d always wanted to belong.

  Zach put his hands back in his pockets and gestured toward the barn with his chin. “Weren’t you going to check on your horse?”

  Stella looked down at her watch. “Shit. I have an appointment in forty-five minutes. You might as well come with me and tell me why you stopped by. Without an animal to be checked.”

  They walked down the sloping gravel lot to a path that led to the barn. It looked newer than the rest. The air was sweeter in Maine than the many places he’d been lately, and not just because of the woman beside him. Hell, a basement with no windows and no ventilation was nicer than some of the places he’d been in the last ten years. The more recent years had been better, but some memories never entirely faded.

  “You’re actually a vet?” Stella asked.

  He glanced over at her, his brow arching. Some trust issues there.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  She held his gaze, and once again, he admired her backbone. “People lie all the time.”

  True. Her tone suggested she spoke from personal experience. “Did I not just help you with your bird?”

  She shrugged, faced forward, and kept walking. “For all I know, you watch a lot of Animal Planet.”

  Zach laughed. “I prefer National Geographic, but I can assure you, I’m not a phony. Wanna see my license?”

  She smirked but didn’t smile. “Have you been to Brockton before?”

  “Grew up here, actually. I’ve been gone a long time, but I’m back to stay now. It’s time to put down roots.” He’d moved on from being the shy, poor kid with the well-known, jackass of a dad. The army had done something staying in town never could—made a man out of Zach. One he was proud to be, but it had taken some time.

  Stella considered him a moment, then asked, “You have family here?”

  Zach nodded, carefully stepping around the overgrown roots on the path. “My mom and aunt. A few cousins. My mom brings her dog to you.”

  Stop
ping, she tilted her head. “Wait. Sheila Mason?”

  Zach grinned. He’d missed small towns where a person could guess someone’s family members based on a last name. “She is.”

  A strange look passed over her features, but before he could question her, she continued down the path. “Your mom is a nice woman. Her border collie keeps her active. She’s heading up Brockton Days this year. She’s very persuasive and managed to rope me into setting up a clinic at the festival.”

  That sounded like his mom. Zach had inherited his mom’s persuasive charm. Hopefully Stella wouldn’t be immune to it.

  “I would imagine, since I’m home, she’ll be tagging me to pitch in. She loves dogs. Calls this one the son she never had. She’s had them as long as I can remember.”

  Zach grinned because Stella looked like she didn’t know whether he was joking or not. He was looking forward to doing more than just talking to his mom over the internet. There hadn’t been a lot of time during his tours with the army to visit. Following the army, he’d finished his education and, in the last few years, he’d been working hard to stockpile money and come home. He hated knowing his mom was probably lonely. It was never his intention to ignore his mom. It was just a natural consequence of working his ass off. He called whenever he could, more so in the last several months while he was planning his return.

  “She talks about you. Said you were an army sergeant,” Stella said. He didn’t know why, but the skeptical look in her eyes made him want to bring out the reluctant smile he’d seen a couple of times now. Or make her laugh.

  “I was. Did two tours, only one as sergeant. I stayed overseas while doing my vet training. We worked with military animals, but also those in surrounding areas that were wounded from war.”

  It was a job he both loved and hated in equal degrees. Helping was in him—he’d been born an animal lover, but seeing their pain ripped him to shreds. People didn’t realize that war had a domino effect on animals as well as people.

  Stopping at the barn door, she looked his way and he felt her measuring him—assessing him. The less aggressive set of her shoulders was the only indication that his work history dented her shield at all. He’d bet money Stella Lane had been hurt. That kind of wariness—the kind that settled deep inside and shone through the eyes—was something he could identify with, but he was better at covering it up. Either that, or he’d just grown comfortable enough in his own skin not to give a damn what others thought of him.

  “I never thought much about how war affects animals, or even service animals in general,” she said, confirming his beliefs. She surprised him when her features softened. “That’s pretty amazing. So you’re back to stay?”

  She’d softened a little, but she was still going to be a tough sell if he was reading her mistrust correctly. “For good. It was always the plan.” She didn’t need to know that part of the plan, in his mind, had been working with her dad. A stitch of sadness poked at his heart.

  Stella eased into her smile and his stomach tightened. Jesus. A smile like that could make a man forget his name right along with his goals. But not Zach. He had discipline. Keep telling yourself that, man.

  Stella pulled open one of the heavy, wooden red doors, making her biceps tighten. Whether it was natural or she worked at it, she was visibly fit. Tiny but strong. His lips quirked, thinking she probably wouldn’t like the description. He stepped in, checking out the barn. There were several stalls but only one horse, who whinnied immediately.

  “Hey there, Chocolate Chip. How’s my sweet girl?”

  A shiver ran over his skin at the sweet, nearly sensual way she spoke to the animal. Holy hell. He’d need to find a way to ignore the sexiness of everything she said and did. Maybe he was just jetlagged or had been too long without the company of a woman, but her voice danced over him in a slow, seductive waltz.

  He cleared his throat. “Cute name. She’s gorgeous.” He was rewarded with a heart-stopping smile from Stella. Damn.

  “Isn’t she?” She nuzzled the horse with an affection that couldn’t be faked. “You absolutely are. But she hasn’t been eating much lately. Not sure if it’s the temperature or change of scenery or something else entirely.”

  He wandered close. Between Pet Central, the mega clinic he’d been running, and being in remote places, he’d encountered a vast range of animals and illnesses or injuries that weren’t typical in North America. Good chance to test your skills on home soil. Letting the horse sniff his hand, much like he had the dogs, he spoke softly.

  “Hey girl. You sure are pretty.” The horse nudged him. “She’s yours?”

  Stella nodded, running her hand down the horse’s flank. “Yeah. She’s fairly new. I only brought her home about a month ago.”

  Stella’s obvious love for the animal in both word and deed made it easy to see she was a good doctor. Zach moved closer and continued to pet the animal, letting her get used to his scent. “Any changes other than the move? Diet? Was she with other horses at her last place?”

  He started to unlatch the gate, and Stella put a hand over his. Heat flashed from her touch all the way up his arm, and his eyes locked on hers. He wasn’t sure if the spark in her eyes was from lust or anger, but whatever simmered between them was tangible. Nearly visible, shimmering around them like a cloud.

  “What are you doing? If you’re not here to visit, why are you here, at my home and work?”

  He hesitated. He knew that timing was crucial to any good plan. But she was asking now, and if he wanted her trust, he’d have to earn it. “I’d like to join forces with you, actually. I thought of hanging my own shingle, but this place has been the go-to for this town as long as I can remember. I want to be part of that. I have a lot to offer.” Okay, okay. Retreat. Give her a minute. Stop thinking about how damn sweet she smells. He’d had his financials printed in case things went well. He wanted to show her, in print and word, that he was serious.

  Wariness stole over her features and the horse neighed, like she sensed the shift in mood. “I’m not looking for a partner.” Her jaw clenched, and she looked away.

  He hadn’t expected her to jump at the offer, but he hadn’t expected the hard edge beneath her tone either. He kept his voice gentle, like he’d done with the horse. “I have a lot of experience and a lot to offer your practice. As a doctor and as a business partner.”

  Her eyes darted in his direction for barely a second and her lips pressed into a tight pout.

  Maybe he was fooling himself to think she’d just take him on. His mom had said, more than once, that since she’d come home, Stella Lane was running on empty—catering to her father’s patients whether they came to the clinic or they needed her twenty miles out. She was servicing the entire county, and that just couldn’t be going as smoothly as she’d apparently like him to believe.

  Stella sighed, and he couldn’t tell if it was with irritation or boredom. “I’m not hiring.”

  Her spine rivaled that of soldiers in his unit. That’s good, because I want a partner who will have my back. “Perfect. Because I’m not a high school kid looking for a part-time job. I’m a well-trained, very experienced vet, and I can offer a lot to your practice. Tell me you’re not running ragged or tired of getting paid in Hamburger Helper and I’ll walk away now. But if that’s even slightly true, you should take more than five seconds to consider what I’m saying.”

  Her scowl bordered on cute. He noticed that even though her mood toward him had shifted, she kept her touch gentle for the horse. She leaned in, rubbed the horse’s flank, and he caught the fatigue in her eyes. It got under his skin, but he could help that if she’d let him. He needed her to let him.

  “I hate Hamburger Helper. But how do you tell an eighty-year-old woman that you’d rather have cash? Or, at least, cinnamon buns?”

  A laugh burst from his chest at the sweet admission. “I can help you with the financial aspect as well. Having an outsider—especially one who isn’t really an outsider—set some boundaries would t
ake that weight off you.”

  Brockton Point might be growing, but they were still old school in their ideas of loyalty. Starting his own practice would be the long route to getting what he wanted, and Zach didn’t want to wait any longer. Besides, this place—Stella’s place—held happy memories for him and there weren’t a lot of places in Brockton he could say that about. He needed action and to keep ploughing forward.

  Watching her closely, he saw her jaw clench and her eyes met his. She tried not to show it, but he caught the flicker of…interest? He hoped so. Pressing the advantage, he stepped forward, letting his hand stay on the horse’s flank, soothing her, almost as a way to show Stella he could.

  “It can’t be easy running this place by yourself. Brockton has only gotten bigger, and more people means more pets. We could keep all of them healthy and local. We’d be good together. A good team.”

  Stella’s gaze shuttered and became unreadable and her back stiffened visibly. “I don’t need to partner with anyone. Especially someone I don’t even know. And I don’t want to be part of a team.”

  Interesting. Hackles all the way up. Being part of a team grounded him. He needed it like air, but he sensed he shouldn’t push just now. There was more to Stella’s story, and he might have to figure out what before she’d let him in. He’d heard rumblings that the clinic had shut down for a while after Doc Lane’s passing, which had hit him harder than he’d expected. For a bit, he’d wondered if he could buy the practice from her entirely, but then he’d heard she opened back up to taking patients, old and new. According to his mother, Stella had taken in only emergency patients while she sorted through paperwork and grieved. Wonder who she leaned on through it. The thought popped into his head without warning. Now, she looked like she’d rather rely on a pissed-off porcupine than Zach.

  Dropping his hands to his side, he gave her the truth. “Be that as it may, I know your reputation and I knew your father. I want to be part of what you have here,” he said.