“You all must know each other, right? Everyone in this town knows each other.” Presley laughs innocently.
As much as I want to see her, despite her rejection, I wish she wasn’t here right now. Because it would mean Bowen wouldn’t have to face the girl whose heart he crushed to smithereens, and who did the same to him.
“You could say we know each other.” Bowen’s voice is deadly calm, and it has the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention.
Lily looks like she’s about to cry, and I don’t need Bowen doing something stupid. He’s got his life in order, he doesn’t need one mistake to throw it off track.
I get up abruptly, because I can feel the tension about to reach a boiling point. “We should go. You ladies enjoy your coffee. Presley, I’ll … see you later.”
What? God, that was a stupid thing to say.
Presley looks surprised, and I watch as Lily lets out a long, relieved breath. Bowen exits before I can even move from the table, and at the last second, my hand finds hers and squeezes.
The smile that spreads her lips is genuine, and a flutter of hope passes through my chest. Maybe, just maybe, I have one more chance with this woman.
14
Presley
“What was that all about?”
I’m genuinely confused at what just went down between Keaton, his brother, and Lily.
We sit at their recently vacated table and I take a long pull from the latte I ordered. The sweet vanilla and creamy milk give me energy I wasn’t aware I needed, and suddenly I’m so hungry I don’t know how I lasted so long without food. I put down the coffee and dig into my egg sandwich, sighing as the first bite hits my tongue.
“We might need to bring snacks to yoga next time.” Lily smiles at my cavewoman antics, but I still see the sadness lingering in her big blue orbs.
“Do you want to talk about Bowen?” I can be a bit nosy.
She blinks at me. “No one ever just comes out and asks me that in this town. It’s actually kind of refreshing … both that you know nothing about our history but also are here if I really want to talk about it.”
And now I’m super curious what the heck happened between those two, because if the whole town knows … it must be pretty bad. But Lily and I are just forming a friendship, and I don’t want to pry.
“Listen, I’m not going to make you tell me if you don’t want to, but I’m just letting you know I’m here for you.” I pat her hand.
Look at me, the city girl turning into a country bumpkin … I’m touching strangers and offering up shoulders to lean on. Who am I? In the months since moving to Fawn Hill, I’ve asked myself that question more times than I can count.
And I’m kind of surprised that I feel the most like myself, whoever that is, since I’ve been here. The small-town life suits me more than I ever thought it would.
“Bowen and I were high school sweethearts. I don’t know how much you know about the Nash brothers … but Bowen was much like Fletcher when we were in high school. Dangerous, rambunctious, a risk-taker. We were young and in love and felt invincible. And it led to … a horrible accident. We were involved in a car accident and both almost died. It … ruined both of our lives in several ways.”
She looks so upset that I think she might cry, and I move to sling an arm around her shoulder and hug her close.
“I am so sorry, Lily.”
Blowing out a shaky breath, she nods a thank you at my comfort. “The worst part is, it ruined our relationship. I thought I was going to marry Bowen, we might have been in high school but I knew that I knew. Since the night of the accident, he won’t speak to me. Won’t even look at me … but I still love him.”
This last sentence is whispered, and I see the tear trail down her olive-skinned cheek. Her pain is palpable, and in that moment, I wish I could take it away.
Lily clears her throat. “Jeez, I didn’t mean to unload my life story on you.” She wipes a tear and moves out of my embrace, so I swing my chair back around to the other side of the table. “How do you know Keaton, anyway?”
It’s my turn to grin uncomfortably and have nerves wrack my body. “We, uh … we went on a date.”
Her blue eyes go wide. “You? You went on a date with Keaton Nash?”
I’m slightly offended at the tone of her question. “Yes, me. Why, am I totally out of his league?”
“No, if anything, he’s out of yours. It’s just that Keaton doesn’t date, not since his ex, Katie, left him two years ago.”
I tap the side of my coffee cup. “Ah, the dreaded baggage. I think I hit a nerve when I asked about that on our date last weekend.”
Lily makes a sympathetic face. “Putting aside my association with the Nash brothers … I’ll just say that Keaton is an absolute sweetheart. He’s down-to-earth, clearly you can see how attractive he is, and he’s got a great gig going here taking over his father’s practice. But, about two years ago, things really went south for him. He had been dating Katie, who grew up here too, for a long time. They were Fawn Hill’s young golden couple; they bought a house together, she brought him bagged lunches to the office, and it was just kind of a known fact that they’d get married and give birth to the next generation of Fawn Hill’s popular kids. But then, one day, she just packed up and left. Broke his heart, from the gossip spewed around town. And then, about three weeks after she left, his father passed away. It was a horrible, horrible time. I don’t know if he’s ever quite recovered.”
This new information changes the light I see Keaton Nash in. From first glance, I thought he was a hot animal doctor. After talking on different occasions, I know he’s a small-town boy with a big heart and speaks honestly. But with this new download from Lily? I get a glimpse of the hurt lingering around Keaton Nash.
Thinking about it now, his whole aura is tinged with sadness. He might not show it, but it’s there, buried under the surface. I’d nicked it once, and he’d snapped at me for it. Having the woman you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with up and leave you? That changed a person. It said to me that Keaton wasn’t as put together as he tried to appear, that he had demons and heartbreak lurking close by.
But losing your father, the man who groomed you for your career, pass away shortly after that? It altered a person. Tragedy would always warp the soul and take just a little piece of humanity away from the body.
“Wow, I … I had no idea.”
Lily tilts her head. “No, you wouldn’t, would you? No outsider would. That’s the thing about living here … everyone knows your secrets. Maybe Keaton thought you could be his clean slate.”
And I’d dirtied his slate right back up again with my refusals. I’d basically told him that I thought he was too … small for me. Too pure. Too good.
I had a feeling, now, that I knew very little about the man.
“Maybe he was.” I pondered, looking out the cafe window and across the street at his office.
15
Presley
Apparently, Fawn Hill moms and twenty-somethings can spread news faster than a viral meme.
Within three days, my next yoga class was the talk of the town, and Lily had booked my next Friday class to the max. She’d had so much interest, that she’d asked if I would be open to hosting a Saturday morning class as well. Both paid for by the attendees, and I had, hopefully, found myself a new gig.
I thought life in rural Pennsylvania was going to be slow and boring, but between learning the ropes at the bookshop and planning my weekly yoga classes, I was pretty damn busy.
In New York, I’d worked double waitressing shifts and taught five yoga classes a week. I was burnt out all the time, rarely went out with friends, and had zero direction. When I was in it, I thought I was happy. That I was hustling, grinding as a twenty-something and living my life my own way. I would never be the professional career person that my brother and sister were. I reveled in the fact that I was the family’s black sheep. It was my spiteful cross that I bared and I wore my scar
let letter proudly.
But now, I wondered, for what? I wasn’t working toward anything. If I had to be honest, I was miserable.
Pulling out clothes now, in preparation for tomorrow, my Saturday morning class, I can’t seem to find my favorite sports bra. Pale pink, crisscrossing straps in the back, keeps my girls in place and supported.
“Where the hell …” I muse as I rifle through drawers.
And then I hear it. The burp from the other side of my bed. Rounding the queen frame, I look down.
Right into the guilty face of Chance, my grandmother’s bad, meddling dog.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Both hands fly to my hips as if giving this creature attitude will force my bra to magically appear from his stomach.
Shit. Well, I have other bras, but the dog should probably get checked out.
I walk down the stairs of my grandmother’s house. It’s a two-story colonial with three bedrooms. The design is old, but she keeps it neat, and there is a certain charm about living in a home with so much history and character. There is even one of those old ironing boards slash desks that flips down from a wall in the kitchen.
When I find my grandma, she is sitting in the recliner she’s laid claim to, no one else can sit there, watching a rerun of The Golden Girls.
“Your stupid dog ate another piece of my clothing,” I whine.
Her eyes flick up. “Another thong? That dog is such a hornball. You’d think I never cut off his balls.”
Gross. “No, he ate … one of my sports bras this time.”
She chuckles. “Ah, the matching set. At least he knows what to pair things with. Well, call the vet.”
Her finger hits the volume button on the remote, turning it up a few notches.
“Can’t you call? It’s your dog, and I took him last time.”
Grandma turns to me, her green eyes full of sass. “I’m not the one who can’t keep my room clean. Don’t blame this all on the dog. Plus, aren’t you knocking boots with Dr. Nash? I’m sure he’d take much more kindly to an after-hours call from you than he would from me.”
“Why does everyone assume we’re knocking boots?” I throw my hands up. Goddamn this town and its rumor mill. “We’re not, by the way. Nor are we seeing each other. So can’t you just call him?”
This time, she doesn’t even spare me a glance. “No can do, darlin’. Your bra, your mess. Call the man. And go out with him again, you’re wasting a perfectly handsome face on your commitment issues.”
Heated, embarrassed blood fills my cheeks. How dare she pinpoint the exact thing I’m afraid of and call me out for it? It sucks having a mirror shoved in your face.
“I don’t have his phone number.” I throw out another reason.
“It’s on the notepad by the fridge, along with all the other emergency numbers. You should probably learn those. And take Chance out to pee before you put him in the car, would you?”
It’s a miracle steam isn’t billowing from my ears as I pull out my cell phone on the way to the kitchen. Who actually kept a pad by their fridge anymore?
The number listed is for the veterinary office on Main Street, and I know it has to be closed at eight p.m. But I call anyway, listening to the phone ring over and over. Then the call clicks over and the ringing sounds different, and I’m surprised when someone picks up.
“Hello, this is Dr. Nash.”
That crisp, manly, good-natured voice has a small smile spreading across my lips. Of course, all the after-hour calls are transferred directly to him.
“Hi, Keaton, it’s Presley.” I shuffle my feet nervously. Thank God no one can see me.
A beat of silence. “Presley? Sorry, I answered like a stuffy doctor, I thought this was my work line transferring over.”
“It is, I’m calling because Chance ate something. Again. I wanted to see what you thought I should do?”
A gruff chuckle. “God, that dog is something else. Has he eaten tonight? Gone to the bathroom?”
I try to think. “Um, well he ate dinner before he ate my clothing. And I haven’t tried to take him out yet …”
As I finish the tail end of filling Keaton in, Chance walks into the kitchen and starts making gagging noises.
“Oh, crap. Now he’s making those horrible dog vomit noises.” The sound makes my skin crawl. It’s akin to nails on a chalkboard.
Keaton sighs, and I can hear him moving or shuffling on the other end. “Better bring him in. Can you meet me at my office in fifteen minutes?”
“Yes. I’m sorry to have to make you come in after-hours.” I genuinely feel bad for this dog’s crap timing.
“Don’t worry, it’s all part of the job,” he responds, hanging up after a goodbye.
A tiny pang of wishing moves through me.
Part of me kind of wished he were doing this because it wasn’t part of his job. And how twisted is that?
16
Keaton
Twenty-five minutes later, and my arm is fist deep in Chance’s rectum again.
The things you think you’ll never say … and then you become a vet.
“I don’t feel anything yet, no tangling or irregularities.” Removing my hand, I snap off my glove and throw it in the trash.
Being on-call all the time is pretty much part of the job description. I’m the only veterinarian in town, and in most of the rural surrounding towns. I’d say I see an animal after I close up shop about three out of the seven days of the week. I don’t mind really … what else am I doing? I’m a bachelor who eats mostly frozen microwave meals and watches whatever sports game is on television that night.
Moving around Chance, who lies lazily on the table in front of me, I feel his abdomen and throat. They both feel fine, no obstructions or bloating.
“Just keep an eye on him and monitor his bowel movements. You should see most of the … I’m sorry what did he eat, again?”
Presley flushes a deep pink, and I’m reminded of the first day she walked into my practice. “He ate one of my sports bras.”
I run a hand through my hair, blowing out a smiling breath. “He’s a randy bastard, isn’t he?”
“That he is.” She laughs.
It’s … strange having her here. In my office, just the two of us, an exam room light the only thing burning the midnight oil. Well, I guess we have Chance the undergarment eating dog here as well, but he’s about ready for bed. Whereas, all I can do is try to look anywhere but at the beautiful vixen standing on the other side of the table.
“Just monitor him for the next few days, but he should be fine. And try to keep him gated off until Hattie takes my advice on those training courses. One of these times, he’s really going to hurt himself.”
She nods, looking guilty. “I’m a bit of a slob, so I guess tidying up is part of his treatment, too. Thank you again for coming in for this. I really apologize if we interrupted your night.”
My laugh is a quick hoot. “If by my night you meant a Hungry Man on the couch with the baseball game on in the background, then yeah, you ruined a lot. I’m not exactly the one painting the town red if you hadn’t noticed.”
Presley toys with the cardigan she has on, and I wonder if she’s hot in it. The thought of stripping her out of it has my blood heating. Jeez, maybe my brothers are right. It’s been a long time for me.
“Something I admire about you is your honesty, Keaton.” The words out of her mouth surprise me.
“Okay? Thanks?” I’m not sure if she’s trying to pad my wounded ego from what happened between us.
She toys with the hem of her jean shorts, which only draws my eyes to those mile-long legs. “Full disclosure, because I’m trying to be a better person since moving here, Lily told me a little bit about your past.”
My first reaction is to move away from her, which I do. I step back, almost in self-preservation. I don’t need to talk about this, especially to a woman I’m crushing on that also rejected me.
Presley holds her hands up. “No, I’m sorr
y, I didn’t mean for that to come off as … like I was prying. Lily simply wanted to know how we knew each other, and, again, in all honesty, I wanted to know more about you. You intrigue me, Keaton. And if I’m being completely up front … I’m attracted to you.”
This has my head whipping straight forward, eyes pinned on her. “Could have fooled me.”
My tone is both sarcastic and accusatory, so unlike my usual demeanor. But, Presley, she brings something out in me.
She shrugs. “Yeah, I’ve been hot and cold. Blame it on my complete life upheaval and the fact that the draw you have scares the crap out of me.”
I scare her? What alternate universe had I stepped into?
“This has got to be some kind of joke.” I run my hands over my face, laughing. “Do you even know how intimidating you are? You’re this gorgeous, big city, worldly gypsy who is instantly lovable but cold and aloof at the same time. I’m a small-town vet with a mortgage. I’m not even a real doctor, which would make me a little more interesting.”
“Hey, don’t talk about Keaton Nash that way.” She scowls at me, teasing. “The only thing you’re highlighting is how different we are, which I’ve never had a problem seeing. But, talking to Lily, it opened my eyes to the side of you I wasn’t aware of. All of that shine has some grit underneath. Obviously, I don’t wish bad upon you … but, this sounds so bad. I thought you were just this perfect, goody-two shoes. I misjudged you, and I realize that’s something I do often with a lot of people. I apologize. When you’re ready to tell me, I’d like to hear more about what makes you, well, you.”
Her confession both relieves me and puts me on edge. Knowing that she judged me on our initial meeting is hard to swallow. But, I’m almost glad Lily outed my past, because I don’t know how forthcoming, or when, I would have been with Presley. I won’t lie, I put on the good boy front to protect myself. Knowing she wants to hear about Katie, about my father … that unnerves me.
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