A Cold Creek Noel

by RaeAnne Thayne

  He didn’t even have to rap softly on the door before she yanked it open, her hair tangled around her face and her eyes huge with worry.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly. I didn’t want to call you but I didn’t know what else to do.”

  He had a strong feeling that wasn’t an easy admission for her to make. She struck him as a woman who didn’t like relying on others.

  Yes. Kiss me. Just like that, Ben. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.

  He pushed away the memory of that completely inappropriate dream and did his best not to notice her faded T-shirt or the yoga pants she wore that stretched over every curve, to focus instead on the issue at hand.

  “It’s fine. I’m here now. Let’s see what we have going on.”

  The dog was clearly in distress, his respiratory rate fast and his breathing labored. His gums and lips were blue and Ben quickly pulled out his emergency oxygen mask and fit it over the dog’s mouth and nose.

  “It’s gotten worse, just in the few minutes since I called you. I don’t know what to do.”

  He ran his hand over the dog’s chest and knew instantly what the problem was. He could hear the rattle of air inside the chest cavity with each ragged breath. He bit out an oath.

  “What is it?”

  “Traumatic pneumothorax. He has air trapped in his chest cavity. We’re going to have to get it out. I have a couple of options here. I can take him into the clinic and do an X-ray first, or I can go with my instincts. I can feel the problem. I can try to extract the air with a needle and syringe, which will help his breathing. It’s your choice.”

  She paused for just a moment, then nodded. “I trust you. If you think you can do it here, go ahead.”

  Her faith in him was humbling, especially given the cold way he had treated her the day before. He fished in his bag for the supplies he would need, then knelt down beside the dog again.

  “What can I do?” she asked.

  “Try to calm him as best you can and keep him still.”

  The next few moments were a blur. He was aware of her speaking softly, of her strong, capable hands at his side as she held the dog as firmly as possible. For the most part, he entered that peculiar zone he found whenever he was in the middle of a complicated procedure. He listened with his stethoscope until he could isolate the pneumothorax. The rest was quick and efficient: cleaning the area, inserting the needle in just the right spot, extracting the air with a gurgle, then listening again with the stethoscope to the dog’s breath sounds.

  This was one of those treatments that was almost instantly effective. Miraculous, even. One moment the dog was frantically struggling to breathe, the next his airway was free and clear and his respiratory rate slowed, his wild trembling with it.

  In just moments, he was moving air just as he should through his lungs and had calmed considerably. Satisfied, Ben took the emergency oxygen mask off Luke and returned the syringe to its packaging to be discarded back at the clinic.

  “That’s it?” Caidy’s eyes looked stunned.

  “Should be. We’re still going to want to watch him closely. If you’d like, I can take him back for another night at the clinic just to be safe.”

  “No. I... That was amazing!”

  She was gazing at him as if he had just hung the moon and stars and Jupiter too. He had a funny little ache in his chest, and another inappropriate bit of that crazy dream flashed through his head.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much. I was worried sick.”

  “I’m glad I was close enough to help.”

  “I’m sorry I had to wake you, though.”

  So was he. Or he told himself he was anyway. If she hadn’t, he probably would have a great deal more of his unruly subconscious to be embarrassed about. “No problem. It was worth it.”

  “Is there anything else I need to be concerned about?”

  “I don’t think so. We cleared his lungs. If he has any more breathing trouble, we’re going to want to x-ray to see if something else is going on. If you don’t mind, I’d like to stick around a little longer to make sure he remains stable.”

  “Can I get you something? Coffee probably isn’t a good idea at three-thirty in the morning if you want to catch a few hours of sleep when we’re done here, but we have tea or hot cocoa.”

  “Cocoa would be good.”

  He didn’t want to think about how comfortable, almost intimate, it was to sit here in this quiet kitchen while the snow fluttered softly against the window and the big log house creaked and settled around them. Only a few moments later, she returned with a couple of mugs of hot chocolate.

  “It’s from a mix. I thought that would be faster.”

  “Mix is fine,” he answered. “It’s all I’m used to anyway.”

  He took a sip and almost sighed with delight at the rich mix of chocolate and raspberry. “That’s not any old mix.”

  She smiled. “No. I buy from a gourmet food store in Jackson Hole. It’s imported from France.”

  He sipped again, letting the sensuous flavors mix on his tongue. Worth an interrupted night’s sleep, just for a little of that divine hot chocolate.

  She sat across the table from him and he couldn’t help noticing how the loose neckline of her shirt gaped a little with each breath.

  “So how is the house working out?”

  “Fine, so far. But then, I haven’t even had one full night’s sleep in it.” And what little sleep he had enjoyed had been tormented by futile dreams of something he couldn’t have.

  “I’m sorry again about that, especially considering you had to stay the night with Luke last night.”

  He shrugged. “Don’t be sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just part of my life, something I’m very used to. I often get emergency calls.”

  Even without the work-related sleep disruptions, his sleep was frequently restless. “The house works well. The kids are happy to have a little more room and Mrs. Michaels is over the moon to have a kitchen again. She made her famous macaroni and cheese for dinner. You’ll have to try it sometime. It’s as much a gourmet treat as your hot chocolate. I have to admit, I’ve missed her cooking.”

  “You must feel very lucky that she was willing to come with you from California.”

  “Lucky doesn’t begin to describe the half of it. I would be completely lost without her. Since Brooke—my wife—died, Anne has kept us all going.”

  “Of all the places you could have bought a practice, why did you pick Pine Gulch?” She seemed genuinely interested and he leaned back in his chair, sipping at his drink, enjoying the quiet conversation more than he probably should.

  “Doc Harris and I have known each other since before I graduated from veterinary school. We met at a conference and had kept up an email correspondence. When he told me he was retiring and wanted to sell his practice, it seemed the perfect opportunity. I had...reasons for wanting to leave California.”

  She didn’t press him, though he could see the curiosity in her eyes. He wanted to tell her. He wasn’t sure why—perhaps the quiet peace of the kitchen or the way she had looked at him with such admiration after the thoracentesis. Or maybe just because he hadn’t talked about it with anyone, not even Mrs. Michaels.

  “My wife has been gone for two years now and I think the kids and I both needed a new start, you know? Away from all the old patterns and relationships. The familiar can sometimes carry its own burdens.”

  “I can understand that. I’ve had plenty of moments when I just want to pick up and start over.”

  What would she want to run from? he wondered. He had a feeling there was far more beneath the surface of Caidy Bowman than a beautiful cowgirl who loved animals and her family.

  “So you just packed everybody up and headed to the mountains of Idaho?”

  “Something like that.”

  She sipped at her hot cocoa and they lapsed into silence broken only by the dog’s breathing, comfortable and easy now, he was gratified to see. She had a little dab of chocolat
e on her upper lip and he wondered what she would do if he reached across the table and licked it off.

  “Is it rude and intrusive for me to ask about your wife?”

  That was one way to squelch his inappropriate desire. He shifted in a chair that suddenly felt as hard and unforgiving as a cold block of cement.

  “She...died in a car accident after slipping into a diabetes-related coma while she was behind the wheel.”

  He didn’t add the rest, about the unborn child he hadn’t wanted who had died along with her, about how angry he had been with her for the weeks leading up to her death, furious that she would put him in such an untenable position after they had both decided to stop once Jack was born, when doctors warned of the grave risks of a third pregnancy.

  He hated himself for the way he had reacted. The temper he had inherited from his grandfather, the one he worked constantly to overcome, had slipped its leash and he had been hateful and mean and had even taken to sleeping in the guest room after she told him she was pregnant, just days after they had decided he would have a vasectomy.

  Caidy gave him a sympathetic look, which he definitely did not deserve. “Diabetes. How tragic. She must have been young.”

  “Thirty.”

  Her mouth twisted. “I’m sorry. Really sorry.”

  Yes. Tragic. Something that never should have happened. He blamed himself—and so did Brooke’s parents, which was the reason they were trying to poison Ava and Jack against him.

  “You must miss her terribly. I can understand why you wanted to make a new start away from the memories.”

  He did miss her. He had adored her when they first married, until the rather willful, spoiled part of her he had overlooked as part of her charm when they were dating began to show itself in difficult ways.

  Brooke had selfishly believed she was stronger than her diabetes. She didn’t deserve to have it, thus she shouldn’t have to worry about taking care of herself. She was cavalier to the point of recklessness about checking her levels and taking her insulin.

  She had been a loving mother, he would never say otherwise, even if he sometimes wondered how a loving mother could risk her own health when she already had so much simply because she wanted more.

  “What about you?” he asked to change the subject. “Ever been married?”

  She was in midsip with her hot cocoa and coughed a little. “Me? No. I date here and there but...nothing serious. The dating pool around Pine Gulch is a little shallow. I’ve known most of the unmarried men around here my whole life.”

  You haven’t known me.

  The dangerous thought whispered through his mind and seemed to move right in. No. He definitely didn’t want to go there. She was a beautiful woman and he was very attracted to her—he only needed to remember that dream if he needed proof—but he would never do anything about that attraction but sneak those tantalizing glimpses at her and wonder.

  He had his children to consider and a new practice he was trying to build. He could see no room for a complicated woman like Caidy Bowman in that picture anywhere.

  Why did she hide herself away here in a small town like Pine Gulch? Why hadn’t she become a veterinarian? He had the same strange thought of earlier in the day when he had seen her standing on the River Bow porch with her brother and her niece. She was lonely. He had no idea why he thought so, but he was suddenly certain of it.

  “So why not dip your feet in other waters? It’s a big world. You could always try internet dating.”

  “Wow. You’re a veterinarian and a relationship coach. Who would have guessed? It seems an odd combination, but, okay.”

  He laughed gruffly, only because that was absolutely not his usual modus operandi. Usually he was completely oblivious to the interpersonal dramas and entanglements of other people, except when it came to their relationships with their pets.

  “That’s me. I’ll fix up your dog and your broken heart, all for one low fee. And I offer monthly installment plans.”

  She smiled, the right side of her mouth just a bit higher than the left to create a sweetly pleasing imbalance. The quiet, companionable silence wrapped around them like the trailing tendrils of a woolen scarf.

  He wanted to kiss her.

  The hunger for a taste—just one little sampling—of chocolate and raspberry and soft, warm woman was intense and bewitching. He needed to get out of there. Now, before he did something completely insane like try to turn his midnight fantasies into reality and received a well-earned slap for it.

  The dog snuffled softly and that was the excuse he needed to leave her side and return to the cozy little warren she had created for Luke.

  Unfortunately, she followed right behind as he crouched down to check the dog’s breathing with his stethoscope.

  “How does he sound?”

  “Good. Breathing is normal now. I think we solved the problem.”

  “Thank you again, for everything. I’m not sure Doc Harris could have done the job as well.”

  Her words seeped inside him. He was inordinately pleased by the compliment. “You’re very welcome.”

  “I hope I don’t need to call you in the middle of the night again.”

  “Please don’t hesitate. I’m just down the lane now.”

  She smiled. “Ridge said it would be like having our own veterinarian-in-residence. Just to put your mind at ease, I promise not to take advantage.”

  Please. Take advantage all you want. He cleared his throat. “For what it’s worth, I think the guys around here are crazy. Even if you did grow up with them.”

  He wasn’t quite sure why he said the words. He was no more a player than he was a relationship coach, for heaven’s sake. She flashed him a startled look, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly parted.

  He might have left things at that, safe and uncomplicated, except her eyes suddenly shifted to his mouth and he didn’t miss the flare of heat in her gaze.

  He swore under his breath, already regretting what he seemed to have no power to resist, and then he reached for her.

  Chapter Six

  As his mouth settled over hers, warm and firm and tasting of cocoa, Caidy couldn’t quite believe this was happening.

  She was being kissed by the sexy new veterinarian just a day after thinking him rude and abrasive. For a long moment, she was shocked into immobility, then heat began to seep through her frozen stupor. Oh. Oh, yes!

  How long had it been since she had enjoyed a kiss and wanted more? She was astounded to realize she couldn’t remember. As his lips played over hers, she shifted her neck slightly for a better angle.

  She splayed her fingers against his chest—that strong, muscled chest she had seen firsthand just that morning—and his heat soaked into her skin, even through the cotton of his shirt.

  Her insides seemed to give a collective shiver. Mmm. This was exactly what two people ought to be doing at 3:00 a.m. on a snowy December day.

  He made a low sound in his throat that danced down her spine and she felt the hard strength of his arms slide around her, pulling her closer. In this moment, nothing else seemed to matter but Ben Caldwell and the wondrous sensations fluttering through her.

  This was crazy. Some tiny voice of self-preservation seemed to whisper through her. What was she doing? She had no business kissing someone she barely knew and wasn’t even sure if she liked yet. If she kept this up, he was going to think she kissed every guy who happened to smile at her.

  Though it took every last ounce of strength, she managed to slide away from all that delicious heat and moved a few inches away from him, trying desperately to catch her breath.

  The distance she created between them seemed to drag Ben back to his senses. He stared at her, his eyes as dazed as she felt. “That was wrong. I don’t know what I was thinking. Your dog is a patient and...I shouldn’t have....”

  She might have been offended by the dismay in his voice if not for the arousal in his eyes and the way he couldn’t seem to catch his breath. Because she w
as having the same sort of reaction—dismay mixed with lingering arousal and a sudden deep yearning—she couldn’t very well complain.

  His hair was a little rumpled and he had the evening shadow of a beard and all she could think was yum.

  She cleared her throat, compelled to say something in the strained moment. “Relax, Dr. Caldwell. You didn’t do anything wrong, as far as I can see. I didn’t exactly push you out the door, did I?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “No. No, I guess you didn’t.”

  “It’s late and we’re both tired and not quite thinking straight. I’m sure that’s all this was.”

  A muscle flexed in his jaw. He looked as if he would like to argue with her, but after a moment he only nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “No harm done. We’ll both just forget the past five minutes ever happened and go back to our regularly scheduled lives.”

  “Great idea.”

  His ready agreement sent a hard kernel of regret to lodge somewhere in her sternum. For a moment, she had felt almost normal, just like any other woman. Someone who could flirt and smile and attract the interest of a sexy male.

  He wanted to forget it ever happened, whereas she was quite certain she would never be able to erase these few moments from her memory.

  “I should, uh, go.”

  “Yes.” Or you could stay and kiss me for a few more hours.

  “Call me if anything changes with the dog.”

  She drew in a breath. “I hope we’re past the worst of it. But I will.”

  That last was a lie. She had absolutely no intention of calling him again in the middle of the night. She would drive Luke to the vet in Idaho Falls before she would drag Ben Caldwell out here again anytime soon.

  “Good night.”

  She nodded, not trusting herself to reply, just wishing he would go already. He gave her a long, searching look before he shrugged back into his ranch coat and left through the side door.

  A blast of cold air curled into the room from that brief moment he had opened the door. Chilled by more than just the winter night, she shivered as it sidled under her T-shirt.