Then Comes Love

by Candice Poarch

  Then Comes Love

  CANDICE POARCH

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Prologue

  The last thing Dr. Drake Whitcomb wanted to do was have this confrontation with Jasmine Brown. Her stepbrother, Steven, should have been the one to talk to her, but the coward had left it in Drake’s hands. Of course, the antipathy between Jasmine and Steven was so severe that if she even knew he’d had a hand in it, she wouldn’t be there. Since Drake was Steven’s frat brother and friend, he wondered why she had agreed to accept the position at the Avery Veterinarian Clinic knowing Drake worked there and must have played some role in them offering her the position in the first place.

  Drake and Jasmine were both vets. It was Sunday and she’d just moved near Middleburg, Virginia, a few days ago. He hadn’t called her, but simply decided to drive over to her new home. Fortunately, she was out in the yard talking to the neighbors. They waved goodbye as Drake drove into her driveway and parked. She seemed surprised to see him.

  “What’s up?” Dr. Jasmine Brown asked as she approached his truck.

  “Welcome to Virginia,” Drake said, getting out of his SUV and handing her a vase of flowers.

  “Thank you,” she said cautiously, clearly surprised—and suspicious. “Come inside.”

  “Let’s just talk out here. There are a few things we need to discuss,” Drake said. “Especially since you’re scheduled for an appointment at the River Oaks Thoroughbred Farm tomorrow.”

  “Okay…” She frowned, puzzled.

  “It’s about Mr. George Avery, your grandfather.”

  She sighed. “I imagine Steven has spread it around to all his friends that I’m the product of artificial insemination, and his son, Mackenzie, was my donor father,” Jasmine said.

  “Not quite.”

  “By the way, do you know how Mackenzie died?” she asked.

  “In a car accident last August.”

  “Well, what did you want to tell me about Mr. Avery?” she asked, avoiding eye contact.

  “A month ago he held a large party announcing Noelle Greenwood as his granddaughter. She was also conceived by artificial insemination.”

  In shock, Jasmine carried a hand to her chest. “Just like me,” she said in whispered wonder.

  “Yes, like you.”

  “I’ve read articles about sperm donors having many offspring, but I never expected…” She seemed to stumble for words and Drake could see the news had thrown her.

  “Oh, my gosh,” she said suddenly, her wide imploring eyes drilling into his. “Where is she? Does she live here? How old is she? Does she have any siblings? Did she just arrive on his doorstep and tell him? What happened? How long has he known?”

  Chuckling, Drake held up a hand. “Hold up. She’s twenty-six and she told him quite recently. She only moved here in January. She has one brother, but Mackenzie is not his father. Her brother was conceived naturally a few years after Noelle was born.” Drake gathered a breath. “She spends a lot of time at the farm, so you’ll probably run into her.

  “As the story goes, her mother grew up next door to Mackenzie. They were childhood friends and her parents were living in L.A. when Mackenzie was in vet school there. When they thought Noelle’s father couldn’t have children, they asked him to be a donor for them.”

  “I see.”

  “And you already know your grandfather inherited the clinic when Mackenzie died last August. River Oaks is one of our largest clients.”

  Jasmine nodded. Drake settled into the silence as Jasmine absorbed the information.

  “Drake, how did I end up with an offer from Avery Vet? I didn’t apply. They just offered me the position.”

  Drake couldn’t tell her the truth. He didn’t like lying, but Steven had sworn him to secrecy. “When I visited Steven once, I overheard a conversation between you and one of your friends. You told her you wanted to meet your biological father. Mackenzie died soon after I started working here, but he has a family. And I know George Avery will accept you just as he has accepted Noelle.”

  But Jasmine was shaking her head. “I’m a complete stranger. With Noelle, there’s at least a family connection. Mr. Avery knew her parents and grandparents. This isn’t the same. He might not accept me as readily.”

  Steven had told Drake that Jasmine’s mother was completely against her moving there and strongly opposed any connection between Jasmine and her donor family. Her own father had abandoned her after he and her mother divorced. Drake wondered if her reluctance to reveal her identity to Mr. Avery had more to do with her own history than with the older man.

  He knew Noelle had been reluctant to tell him, too. “It’s been a pretty hectic year for him. After Mackenzie died, his nephew tried to pass off an actress as Mackenzie’s daughter.”

  “How awful. The poor man’s grieving and his own relative is grabbing for his money.” She shook her head. “Does anyone in the office know I’m Mackenzie’s daughter?”

  “No.”

  “Please don’t tell anyone.”

  “I don’t enjoy keeping things from others, but I’ll keep your confidence.”

  Chapter 1

  Performing an ultrasound on a horse might be an indelicate procedure, Dr. Jasmine Brown thought, but after years of vet school she took it in stride. She wore a plastic sleeve covering her completely from her fingertips to her shoulder, and said hand was stuck up the horse’s ass, so to speak.

  It was a good thing she wasn’t squeamish. Of course, by the end of her first year of vet school, all possible squeamishness had been ruthlessly eradicated.

  This wasn’t just any horse, though. No, indeed. Maggie Girl was a thoroughbred, the bread and butter of River Oaks Thoroughbred Farm. And horse people loved and took excellent care of their animals. They were patted, groomed and their meals were chosen with precision after years of study based on meticulous scientific research. There was nothing an owner wouldn’t do for his horses. From pristine stables that offered better accommodations than many people’s homes, to top-of-the-line medical care. The room where Jasmine stood held state-of-the-art equipment from one end to the other.

  It was clear the woman standing farther back with men on either side of her hadn’t been exposed to this particular procedure very often—if ever. Her face had puckered up an hour ago the moment Jasmine began examining the first horse. She’d examined several horses since, checking to see whether the mares were pregnant. Maggie Girl stood obediently, as if she was accustomed to the procedure.

  Chuckling, Burt Taylor, the head trainer, held the animal’s reins to steady her. “Better you than me.”

  “Very funny.” Jasmine scowled as she repositioned the probe.

  Burt’s face was a road map of wrinkles that deepened when he laughed, which was often, as the man was endowed with a keen sense of humor.

  This time of the year, ultrasounds were done practically every day. Jasmine manipulated the instrument until the gray image of the fetus displayed on the monitor. And then she smiled. Everyone smiled. Oh, but there was something special about hearing that little swish of a heartbeat and the slight movement that appeared with it. A large-animal vet, Jasmine specialized in equestrians.

  “She’s definitely pregnant,” Jasmine said. They studied the monitor as workers went about their daily routine, preparing a colt for his maiden race, filling feed tubs and mucking stalls. On a thoroughbred farm there were always a million chores.
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  This was horse country, near Middleburg, Virginia, and Colin Mayes and George Avery, River Oaks’s owners, stood nearby.

  Colin, a drop-dead gorgeous male in his late twenties, had an arm slung around the attractive female’s shoulder. She had long auburn hair and her complexion was darker than Colin’s nut-brown. “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled behind her hand.

  He chuckled. “How does it feel?” he asked, squeezing the woman slightly. “Knowing the foal is going to be yours?” He regarded her closely. She finally uncovered her mouth.

  “Mine?” Squealing, Noelle Greenwood forgot about the stench and carried both hands to her cheeks before she turned in Colin’s arms and kissed him, then looked for confirmation from Mr. Avery. Her grandfather beamed down at her in an indulgent avuncular way.

  Jasmine couldn’t help it. Her insides burned like acid. She turned away from the scene. It didn’t help. Whether she looked or not, it hurt like hell.

  “Yes. She’s all yours,” Mr. Avery concurred.

  “Thank you, Colin, Grandpa. I can’t believe it! My very own horse.” Jasmine faced them in time to see her hug Mr. Avery with such unexpected enthusiasm the older man swayed back before he caught himself. He chuckled out loud and patted her on the back.

  Anyone would want him for a grandfather. With his intelligent, aristocratic nature and warm smile even at his age, which had to be mid to late sixties, his form was erect and dashing.

  It would be perfectly normal for Jasmine to be envious of Noelle, but she wasn’t jealous for the gift of the horse. She’d have her own one day. Wealthy thoroughbred farms paid enormous vet fees. No, the anger wasn’t materially based.

  Observing the touching scene between Noelle and Mr. Avery, Jasmine felt a fist squeeze her chest. She closed her eyes briefly in an effort to ease the ache.

  In all her life, a man had never loved her. Perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration, but close. Periodically, memories of her maternal grandfather trotting her around on his shoulders with both of them laughing—emerged. But he’d died a couple of decades ago, so the mental snapshots were sketchy at best.

  Jasmine tried to make herself believe she hadn’t missed anything. But her heart never, ever listened. Her stomach muscles tightened and anger came swift and sharp, even as she tried to push it away. The horse sidestepped.

  “Easy girl,” Jasmine said, relaxing her muscles and patting the horse’s flank with her free hand. Take it easy, she admonished herself. How would you like some asshole getting tense up your behind? Examination done, Jasmine extracted her arm and disposed of the glove before she washed up. Pulling her sleeve down, she approached Burt.

  “The other four horses are ready to be shipped.

  You’ll want to wait at least a week and let me do another sonogram before you ship the last two,” she told him while she input data into her BlackBerry. The purpose of the ultrasound was to make sure each mare still held her fetus before she was shipped back to her owner.

  Burt nodded and Jasmine finished inputting data.

  “Call the office and make an appointment for next week,” she continued while surreptitiously glancing at Mr. Avery.

  “Jasmine,” said Colin Mayes as he beckoned her over. “I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Noelle Greenwood. You’re going to be seeing a lot of us.”

  Jasmine approached the couple and extended her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Noelle.” Her stomach was still flip-flopping with an excess of emotions at the unexpected introduction.

  “We’d like to welcome you to Virginia by giving a party in your honor Saturday. Please come,” Noelle said with an easy smile. “And bring a guest with you.”

  Jasmine hated parties. People stood around feeling out of place or else indulged in idle chitchat. Waste of time as far as she was concerned. Exactly the reason she worked with animals.

  She’d had enough of feeling like a fifth wheel with her own family. Damn, no sense in complaining. She was the new kid on the block, so she had to attend. “Thank you,” she said as graciously as she could muster.

  Noelle had obviously grown up in the lap of luxury, but there was something genuine about her, and Jasmine felt drawn to her effervescent personality. Besides, this woman was Jasmine’s half sister.

  She still couldn’t believe she had a biological sister—a half sister, she reminded herself. This was just too much. Jasmine regarded Noelle closely for similar features. She’d recently discovered George Avery’s son, Dr. Mackenzie Avery, had been her mother’s sperm donor. Unfortunately, he had died last August. Now she was in Virginia to learn about the family she’d recently discovered. Except they didn’t know she was family….

  Jasmine wanted to memorize everything to assimilate it all later. Her hair was dark brown in contrast to Noelle’s auburn. Jasmine was also a couple of inches taller. They didn’t favor at all except maybe the eyes. Noelle had a sweet, pleasant personality. Jasmine certainly didn’t.

  “I’ll send you an invitation informing you of the time,” Noelle said.

  Jasmine nodded but was still left with a dilemma. She didn’t have a date. The only person she knew was Drake Whitcomb and he wasn’t a person she wanted to get too close to, even though he’d been friendly enough since she arrived. She was grateful for the information he had provided about her family, and he seemed caring but she didn’t trust her stepbrother and therefore, by association, didn’t trust Drake.

  “Jasmine?” Noelle frowned at her. “Is everything okay?”

  Forcing a smile, Jasmine nodded curtly.

  “Could you tell the fetus’s sex?” Noelle asked hopefully.

  “It was in the wrong position. Maybe next time.”

  “I really don’t care which sex it is as long as it’s healthy.”

  There it was again. Another avid horse lover talking about animals the way humans spoke of their babies. Jasmine heard it every day.

  “Don’t you worry. Maggie Girl is going to produce a fine foal,” Mr. Avery said.

  Colin smiled. “Especially since she’s sired with Diamond Spirit.”

  “You picked a winner there, son,” Mr. Avery said, glancing at his watch. “I have a ton of research to do. Have you had lunch, Jasmine?”

  Jasmine glanced at her watch. “No. And I have to get to my next appointment.”

  “Come up to the house. Leila has lunch ready. She always makes more than enough. Hard working on an empty stomach.”

  Jasmine’s first reaction was to say no, but she stopped herself in time. No sense in cutting off her head to spite her face. She wanted to see the house. She’d also see more of Mr. Avery, her grandfather, and be able to observe her half sister.

  Swiftly walking out of the stable, she packed her instruments and stowed them in her SUV before she climbed in. She took a long drink from her bottle of water, then started the motor and followed them to the grand house on the hill.

  She’d seen it before—from a distance. Jasmine tried to relax. It was April and flowers had already started to bloom in the yard. An entire garden of azaleas, begonias and God knew what else were bursting with color. And the mountains surrounding them were an explosion of green, even though the temperature still fluctuated considerably from day to night.

  She neared the house. It was a picture straight from Architectural Digest, Jasmine thought as she parked and exited the truck.

  Noelle was waiting for her at the back door.

  “Quite a show place,” Jasmine said, nodding toward the house.

  “I love Grandpa’s heated pool best of all,” Noelle said. “There’s nothing like a nice swim when it’s snowing outside and I can’t get out to exercise. It’s nice having an open invitation to stay here when the spirit moves me.”

  “You’re going to turn into a mermaid,” Colin said affectionately, rubbing Noelle’s back. He was obviously bowled over by his fiancée.

  On the closed-in porch, everyone pulled off their boots. Several pairs were lined up against the w
all. After leaving her boots by the door, Jasmine followed them inside.

  “Oh, so this is the new doctor,” an older woman said, looking up from what she was stirring in a pot. As the aroma hit her nose, Jasmine’s mouth watered. “She’s as pretty as can be.”

  Embarrassed, Jasmine stopped in her tracks.

  “Leila Nelson, meet Dr. Jasmine Brown.” Ms. Nelson might have gray hair splattered through thick black tresses, but her face did not age as quickly as her hair. She was a very pretty woman who looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties. Who could tell these days? Her shoulder-length hair was neatly tucked behind her ears. And she stood no more than five-feet tall.

  “Something smells good, Ms. Nelson,” Jasmine said.

  “You’re older than twenty-five, aren’t you?” the older woman said, spooning potatoes in a serving dish.

  Puzzled, Jasmine nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then call me Leila. I’m going to see a lot of you around here and I don’t plan to go Dr. This and That.”

  Jasmine smiled, instantly liking the woman.

  “Get used to it,” Colin said. “She bosses everyone.”

  “I’m blaming you for the extra five pounds,” Noelle said. “I’m going to look like a blimp in my wedding gown.”

  “I’ll still love you, baby, even if I have to roll you down the aisle.”

  Noelle hit Colin on the arm.

  “You needed fattening up, and so does Jasmine.” Leila looked Jasmine up and down. “I’ll have you healthy in no time.”

  “You’ll scare her before she settles in,” George Avery said, coming in the door.

  Leila waved a hand. “She made it through vet school, didn’t she? She’s tough. Bathroom’s through there,” the older woman said. “You’ll find towels in the cabinet. Time to eat.” As she talked she narrowed her eyes on Jasmine.

  Puzzled, Jasmine started to the powder room when Leila’s words stopped her. “You look familiar. Do you have family in the area?”