by Jody Holford
Stella’s head whipped up, hissing like he’d poured scalding water on her bare skin. “That’s horrible.”
He looked past her. “At least I didn’t get fired.”
Now she vibrated with frustration for him. “Well screw him. He can take his animals to the next county.”
Zach smiled and picked up the hammer. “Thanks. That means a lot, but like I said, it was a moment. It wasn’t really even Colton as much as his asshole friend, Rick Growski.”
Stella all but stomped after him to the next post. “That doesn’t make it okay.”
“No. It doesn’t, but that’s not the point, Doc.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t have to bury this and pretend to be all macho.”
Zach snorted and tugged on a lock of her hair. “I’m not pretending anything. And this shit is buried. Or I thought it was. I waited to come home until I was sure I could deal. I don’t know what happened earlier, but I didn’t deal. I forgot for a second that I’m not some powerless kid. I’m a trained professional, I was in the army. I own two properties and work for the hottest vet in Brockton Point. But I slipped today.”
Stella smirked at him over the hot vet comment and couldn’t help but think that he was the one deserving of that label. “Have you had counseling?”
“More than you’d think. Today shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t have bugged me.”
Stella poked her finger into his chest and ignored him when his lips tilted up. “Like hell it shouldn’t have. You go after everything with such single-minded determination. I thought it was just because my dad made an impact on you, but there’s more there and if you don’t deal with it, it’ll keep coming back when you don’t want it to.”
Zach’s laugh told her he considered the conversation over, which was fine. Because if she pushed too hard, he could do the same.
“You’re cute when you’re mad. When it’s not directed at me, that is.” His eyes moved past her again as the sound of a car rumbled up the drive.
She turned to see a vehicle she didn’t recognize. “Who’s that?”
“The future.”
He tossed the hammer on the ground and started walking. Once again, she was forced to follow. She huffed out a breath, realizing she’d chased after him more than once today. She did not chase after men anymore. Not even one who dropped his guard in order to comfort you?
“Who is that?” she asked again.
A man got out of the four-door car and leaned in, pulling out a large black bag. He waved when he saw Zach, who waved back.
They were getting closer, and Stella was grateful she’d worn her runners that morning. She always chose comfort over glamour.
“Kurt, thanks for coming,” Zach greeted, putting his hand forward.
Kurt shook it and glanced at Stella. “No problem, happy to. This is a gorgeous place.”
He looked familiar, but Stella couldn’t place him. “Zach,” she said, her voice low.
Zach turned and gestured to her. “Kurt, this is Stella Lane. She owns the place.”
Kurt stepped forward, hand ready. “We’ve actually met, but it’s nice to see you again, Ms. Lane.”
Photographer. Stella’s brain flipped back through memories and placed him as the guy who’d tried to take photos for a real estate magazine when she’d first returned. Everyone had been certain she’d sell and flee.
She shook his hand but released it as quickly as possible.
“I remember you now.”
Zach looked between them. “You know each other?”
Before the guy could respond, Stella spoke. “He works for a real estate firm outside of town who had their eye on my dad’s land. He came to take pictures.”
Shoving his hand into his pockets, her partner had the decency to look abashed. “Uh, didn’t know that.”
“I actually work on contract, not for Best Bet Realty, Ms. Lane. And truthfully, I’ve been wanting to photograph your property for a long time. It’s gorgeous. Like raw, untouched beauty.”
Swallowing down her anger and the feelings of betrayal battering her senses, she shook her head. “Well, you can’t.”
Zach’s head whipped her way. “What? Yes, he can. Kurt, why don’t you walk around and take a look, give me a minute with my partner.” The last word was said through gritted teeth.
Kurt hitched his bag on his shoulder and walked away. Stella watched him go and whirled on Zach.
“What do you think you’re doing and better yet, who the hell do you think you are?”
Zach erased the space between them and bent his knees so they were closer to eye level. God, what she wouldn’t give to be taller than someone and look down on them.
“I’m your partner and I’m doing us a favor. That guy is taking pictures for the website and one of the signage boards I rented on the freeway. To promote the practice. He’s doing it for free because he thinks this place is beautiful and worth sharing. He’s going to help us spread the word in exchange for putting his name on the photographs and advertising.”
Her lungs deflated like a balloon and her breath whooshed out. Oh. She hated that his ideas were so good. But she wasn’t entirely in the wrong.
Giving him back the same attitude he shared with her, she straightened her shoulders and glared at him in a way that hopefully made him feel like the short one. “No matter how good your ideas are, do not blindside me with anything. Or we won’t have a partnership. This is still my place, Zach. Even when we draw up a contract, I’ll own the bigger share. Don’t make decisions about the practice or this farm without talking to me. That’s nonnegotiable. Don’t ever go behind my back again.”
His breath didn’t whoosh out, but his shoulders lost their stiffness. “Fair enough.”
“That’s it?”
He shrugged. “What else is there? We were both wrong. End of story. We move forward.”
“Fine.”
They stared at each other, neither one moving. Zach’s lips quirked, and she held her breath.
“You’re drawing up a contract?”
Rolling her eyes, she did her best not to laugh. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
He poked her shoulder and any residual worry or anger she had melted.
“Admit it, Doc. I’m growing on you.”
She wouldn’t admit it. Not to him or herself.
Kurt cleared his throat behind them, and they turned in unison.
“Uh, should I come back?”
“No,” Zach said, shooting Stella a glance.
She’d lectured him on professionalism. Best to follow her own words.
“No. It’s not necessary. We appreciate you coming out. I have to feed my own animals, so I’ll let Zach show you around to get the photographs you need. Thank you for doing this for us.”
“My pleasure. You remind me of your dad,” Kurt said.
The words stole her breath. “You knew him?”
When was she going to stop being surprised by the amount of people who did?
Kurt nodded. “I came out once to ask if I could photograph the bluff at the far end and he…well, he told me it was private property and to…um…put my camera in an awkward place.”
Stella laughed. “That sounds exactly like him.”
Zach caught her eye and smiled.
“And for the record, I was told the real estate company had spoken to you first. I’m sorry about last year, about showing up without permission. It was foolish not to make sure first that you’d actually given it.”
The past was the past. That’s what Zach said. He might drive her a little nuts, but he was making her realize that embracing the future didn’t erase the past; it just meant you’d learned from it. Accepted it so you could carry on.
“Thank you. I look forward to seeing your photographs.” She looked at Zach and swallowed the rest of her pride. “I’ll see you later. And thanks.”
His grin messed with her balance. “For what?”
With a smi
le and a lighter heart, she gestured to the fence. “For fixing the fence.”
Zach’s laughter followed her into the house, and for the first time in too long, she didn’t feel as alone in the big, rambling space, as she usually did.
Chapter Eighteen
For the second time in a month, Stella was able to leave work early. The last patient of the day wasn’t hers, so she left to pay bills and grab a few groceries. Since she had time, she’d texted Megan to ask if it was okay to drop by. Excited to have a little free time to visit some of her favorite people, Stella turned the jeep down a tree-lined drive. Similar style homes dotted both sides of the street—a picturesque example of American suburbia at its finest.
At one time, Stella had thought she’d live on one of these streets. She’d wanted to work with her father, but she hadn’t expected her husband to want to live with her father. Maybe there is something to Megan’s whole theory about things working out as they should. Because, truthfully, she didn’t want to live anywhere else. Being at the farm made her feel closer to her parents. It made her feel more herself.
Here and now. Which, compared to even a month ago, was a much better place to be than she’d have thought. The practice was doing well. She received less casseroles every week. Smiling at that, she turned in to Megan’s driveway and grabbed her purse. When Megan hollered to come in, Stella did.
Megan was in the kitchen when Stella let herself into the quaint little house where the family of three lived.
“Hey,” Megan said, finishing off what looked like a peanut butter sandwich.
“Hey back. How’s it going?” Stella hung her purse on the back of a chair and went to the countertop island and slid onto a barstool.
“It’s great. I had a really good day.” Megan was beaming, and it made Stella smile.
Her friend had wanted to be a teacher for so long. They’d only known each other for the last year, but there were some people who just clicked into place like a missing Tetris piece.
“No weird things up noses or climbing the walls?”
Megan put her plate in the dishwasher. Laughing, she shook her head. “Not today.”
Megan grabbed a couple of cans of soda before sitting beside her at the counter. “You want something to eat?”
“Nah. Thanks though.” She opened the soda Meg passed over and took a sip.
“How’s the hot-shot vet? Any more kisses?”
Way too hot. Stella choked a little on some soda that went down the wrong way. “No. That was a one-time thing. We talked about it, and both of us agreed that we want the business piece to work. He’s really good, Meg. He’s excellent with animals and really knows his stuff. He has a unique perspective—I guess from army training or working overseas, but it’s almost like he scans the situation first, does some sort of mental checklist, and then gets started on what needs to be done.”
Megan arched her brows. “Sounds very thorough. Probably the type of man who would be just as…comprehensive in any job he undertakes.”
Stella stared at her a moment. “I think the innuendo there is that you’re saying he’d be good in bed, but does that make me the job he’d be undertaking?”
Megan laughed. “Over, under…however you’d prefer.”
Stella laughed but did not want those images to enter her head. If the kiss was impossible to forget, she couldn’t even imagine how she could stir herself up with a little daydreaming.
“While any of those sound appealing, it’s the after I’d be worried about.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t worry so much. Things worked out for me and Adam.”
She smiled at her friend, pleased with the happiness that overtook Megan’s eyes at the mention of him. No one had ever looked at her like that. Maybe if someone had, she’d be more willing to leap.
“Yes, they did. But that doesn’t mean it would work for everyone else. Certainly not for Zach and me. I mean, can you imagine if you had to stay and work with Adam if you hadn’t gotten together in the end?”
Megan frowned, which didn’t suit her. “It almost didn’t work out for a minute there. And it was horrible. But again, how do you know where things will end if you don’t let them start?”
Stella shook her head. “I’m finally able to breathe. That’s enough for me. I’m happy. I’m not looking for sunshine and flowers.”
Megan bumped her shoulder with her own. “A little sunshine is good for you.”
Stella slipped off the chair. Her friend was a relentless romantic. “Then I’ll spend more time outdoors. He’s on my off-limits list. No dating employees.”
Realizing what she’d said, just as Adam walked into the room, Stella wished she had the ability to vanish into thin air. It would seem her true special talent was being able to fit her whole foot into her mouth. Megan had worked for Adam for five years, caring for Charlie. When Megan had finished her teaching certificate, she’d planned to move out and move on. Instead of asking her to help him find a new nanny, he’d asked for help finding a wife. When it all went down, Stella had wanted to tell Adam what an idiot he was not to see what was right in front of him. She wasn’t the only one either. He’d almost lost her, but eventually, he’d smartened up and got the girl. A little piece of Stella had worried that he wouldn’t be all Meg deserved but watching them now, she knew, if there was a meant to be, it was them.
Adam gave Megan a sweet smile and winked at her. Uptight, rarely chatty, almost-always-in-dress-pants Adam, winked at her friend. And Megan giggled. Good God. It was almost nauseating, but mostly adorable.
“Normally, I’d agree. But every now and again…there’s a loop hole,” Adam said. He walked to Megan and kissed her cheek, whispering something in her ear that led to a breathy sigh.
“I’m going to shower, then I’ll head over and pick Charlie up at his friend’s. Bye, Stella.” He lifted an arm in the air as he walked out of sight down the hallway.
Stella closed her eyes and breathed through her nose before facing her friend. “Oh my God. I’m sorry, Meg. You know what I mean. I love that things are great for you two, but my own frame of reference didn’t end quite the same.”
Megan waved off her concern and got off her stool. “Don’t worry about it. You know I would normally agree, too. But sometimes, life does what it wants, and you just go along for the ride. Want to sit outside?”
“Sure. And I think you mean hormones do what they want, and you go for the ride,” Stella said.
Megan led the way through the patio doors onto the small concrete pad that was set up with a bistro set and BBQ. Sitting with their drinks, they caught up on some of the local gossip. Who was seen leaving Declan’s bar with whom. What hair dye color Letty Steiner bought this month—the orange had been a nightmare on the eighty-five-year-old woman, but she was switching to light blue.
“One of the teachers at Brockton Point Elementary is pregnant,” Megan said.
She heard the touch of wistfulness in her friend’s tone. “Nice.” She didn’t ask who. Their town was small enough that Stella knew some of the long-term locals or the more colorful characters around, but the population had been increasing steadily for years. While it was still typical to run into someone she knew when she was out, it seemed there were new faces all the time.
Stella set her can down. “Is that making you think about being pregnant? Oh my God—are you?”
Megan’s face scrunched up and she laughed. “No. I’m not. And maybe. I like the idea that we’re a family, the three of us, but I want more. I’m just not sure if it’s too soon, or if I should work for a few years first.”
Stella couldn’t really speak to that. “Have you talked to Adam?”
Megan took a sip of her pop. “Not yet. We’ve got the wedding. I don’t want to send him into a panic. Best to go one step at a time. Actually, he probably has a spreadsheet somewhere with a timeline.”
Laughing, even though it could be true, Stella tried to imagine having her life that perfectly laid out. No spreadsheet coul
d account for the kinks life threw without warning.
Megan leaned over with a smile. “Tell me more about Zach.”
She sighed. It surprised her to realize there was a lot she could tell. They’d become friends somewhere along the way. “He’s charming, but not arrogant, which I misunderstood at first. I thought he was just overly confident, but he can back himself up whether it’s with animal care or marketing. His ideas for the clinic don’t have me cowering, but they’re making a big impact.”
Megan scrunched her brows. “Can he back up his confidence in his kissing skills?”
Stella stared at her, doing her best to keep her lips from tipping up into a smile. “Aren’t you getting some on the regular? If you are, then shouldn’t you be able to focus on something else? If not, Adam did say he was jumping in the shower.”
Megan’s eyes glazed over a little at that and Stella belly laughed. The sensation was almost forgotten. Funny how different the world looked and felt when she didn’t feel like it was sitting on top of her.
Because she knew Megan wouldn’t give up and because she’d want the same details, she gave in. “His kissing skills are phenomenal. I almost wish he’d been bad at it. Then maybe I could forget and move on rather than reminding myself that we’re keeping things professional and platonic.”
Megan started to speak but Stella pointed at her. “No more. Platonic and professional.”
Her friend’s lips turned up in a stubborn smile. “Boring and boring.”
Boring was safe. She liked safe. Especially where her heart was concerned. “He’s got his own things going on. He doesn’t need complications any more than I do.”
Megan leaned in, more serious now. “Everything okay?”
She nodded, not wanting to over confide or break Zach’s trust. “He came back with the intention of working with my father. He’s got this attitude that makes you think nothing gets to him, but I don’t think that’s true. Little things do. Things that suggest to me that maybe he’s not as over the past as he says he is.” She thought again of his reaction to Colton.