She wasn’t part of the actual hands-on design and development, though she had been able to help him figure out some of the schematic issues. He’d been right about just needing a fresh set of eyes. Her strength was in fleshing out the development and business side. It turned out she was pretty marvelous with those kinds of details. As a project to keep her brain busy, she couldn’t ask for a more rewarding diversion.
Vivi leaned down and pressed her nose to Avery’s, then straightened and winked. “Go on, shoo. You’re excused. Then bring that hunk of eye candy back with you for dinner.” Vivi batted her perfectly applied false eyelashes. “I do so enjoy the view across the dinner table.”
Avery laughed and bussed her on the cheek. “He’s pretty fond of you, too.”
“Of my cooking, you mean.”
“That, as well,” Avery said with a wink and enjoyed the flush of pink that rose to Vivi’s cheeks.
Vivi released Avery then and lightly swatted her backside. “Out with you now, before the skies decide to open up and dump more of the white stuff on us.”
Avery frowned. “They’re not calling for snow, are they?”
“When has that stopped it from happening?”
She laughed. “True. I’ll give you a shout once I know what Ben’s schedule is, if he can make it for dinner.”
“Just bring him along if you can. I’ll have plenty to go around.”
“You always do.” Avery stepped in again and gave Vivi a tight squeeze.
“What was that for?” Vivi asked, patting her arm before letting her go.
“I love you,” Avery said. “Thank you. For making this…new direction of mine, easier. I didn’t plan—”
“The best things come from the most unexpected directions,” Vivi said. “Just go and be happy.”
“I am,” Avery said. “Really happy. And I will.”
She gathered her things and headed out the door with a last wave to Vivi, who was already seated and filling the cotton pouches they had handmade at the mill with dried lavender. The little packets were for tossing in the dryer to help eliminate static and add a fresh lavender scent to the fabrics as they dried. It was a new product they would be offering starting that spring. Avery had some other ideas, too. For other products she’d been researching but hadn’t mentioned yet. She needed to work out more of the production details, first. And figure out where you’re going to find the time to make them, she thought.
As she drove out to Doc’s place, she acknowledged that the logical part of her brain had scheduled new lavender product development for February. It was a slow month, and it would also coincide with when Doc Forrester would be back in Blue Hollow Falls. And Ben Campbell would very likely not be. She’d need all the distraction she could get when that happened.
Somehow it was already late January, and in the few weeks that had passed since he’d first introduced her to his side project, they’d spent as much time as possible together, both at Doc’s place and at Lavender Blue. It had all been so seamless, so natural, so uncomplicated and wonderful. It had been easy to push aside the inevitable.
They both knew it was coming, and they had talked about it, but nothing tangible had been decided. Her life was in the Falls, and he’d already had several offers for other jobs when his time subbing for Doc was over, most of them coming through the same international network that had connected him with Doc in the first place. So far, none of the offers were in the US. Ben had put it out there that he wanted her to go with him, if she was willing. He meant what he’d said that first night, that he wasn’t looking for something short term; he was serious about seeing where their relationship would and could lead. She’d never questioned that. She felt the same. They’d been a team, true partners, right from the start.
So much so, she’d been contemplating taking him up on his offer, on heading out with him. He’d promised not to accept any offer before discussing all the options with her first, making sure it was something that would be satisfying to her as well. It was exciting and scary, all at the same time. She wanted to be with him. And had not the faintest idea what she’d do in whatever place they landed.
If she were being honest with herself, when she was back at the farm, at home, apart from Ben, she truly couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else. More accurately, she didn’t want to imagine herself anywhere else. She was where she was supposed to be, building a new life. She loved the farm, loved her found family, and she loved the Falls, and the people in it.
She also was well on her way to loving Ben Campbell. Maybe already there, in fact. And when she was with him, she was having a hard time imagining a life without him in it. It came down to one question: Which would she regret more? Leaving this new life she’d found for herself, built for herself, wanted to continue building for herself, so she could be with Ben? Or staying, and letting go of what could possibly be the love of her life?
When she was with Ben, the answer seemed so clear. But when she was at the farm, doing her work, doing what she loved, surrounded by people she loved…it seemed far less clear. She knew who she was here. What would she be with Ben? Who would she be?
She pushed all that aside for future contemplation, as she had been doing for weeks, even knowing that each day marched them closer to that inevitable final, make-it-or-break-it moment.
Ben met her in the small lot by the office door. It was Sunday, so the clinic was closed, but as always, she knew he could get called away on an emergency at any moment.
He swept her up in a hug, lifting her toes right off the ground, then kissed her soundly and murmured, “Hi there,” against her lips. I’d go anywhere with this man, she thought. That’s how it always was when they were together.
He set her back down, then took her hand and started across the lot toward the farmhouse.
“Wait, I thought since the clinic was closed, we were going to your lab.”
“We will,” he said, “but I wanted to talk first.”
She tensed almost immediately, but relaxed when he tossed her a sexy smile over his shoulder. “And I do my best talking in bed, so…”
“Ah, well then, I know how important it is for you to always do your best.”
“Exactly,” he said, as they continued, with her all but trotting behind him to keep up with his long-legged stride. She was laughing somewhat breathlessly when he paused and crouched down. “Your legs are too short,” he explained.
“You could walk slower.”
He looked over his shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows. “Or you could hop on.”
“What?” she asked on a surprised laugh. “You mean, like piggy-back?”
He waved his hands behind him and so she did as he asked and hopped up on his back, squealing when he stood and wrapped her legs around his waist.
“Hold on,” he said, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he jogged them through the tall pines and up the steps of the old farmhouse.
She knew he slept in the small barn studio as often as not, but that bed was barely more than a cot, so when she stayed over, they used the farmhouse. Though Doc had told Ben to make himself at home, Ben had opted to bunk in the large ground floor guest room at the opposite end of the house from Doc’s master bedroom. Avery was very thankful for that, too, or she’d never be able to look Doc in the eyes again, given how she and Ben spent much of their time when she was out at the farm.
He continued through the house with her still piggy-backing.
“Mind your head,” he told her, ducking down through the bedroom doorway, then finally turning and depositing her directly on the bed.
“Do not pass go,” she said with a laugh, opening her arms to him as he followed her down. “Maybe I should take off my coat first?” she said, happily accepting his weight on top of hers.
“Oh, we’ll take off all the things in a minute, if you’re of a mind to,” he promised her.
“Oh, I’m of a mind to, all right,” she said, lifting up to kiss him.
“But I have to tell you this first.”
He looked happy, excited, so she tried not to tense up, not to let fear crawl in. She wasn’t ready for this yet. She knew what was coming. Obviously, he’d gotten some job offer he really, really wanted. Her whole life was about to change. One way or the other. “Ben—”
He kissed her, only not hard, and not fast, as a way to stall her. Instead it was soft, and almost unbearably gentle, a kiss meant to reassure her, that it was all going to be okay. To trust him. By the time he lifted his head, so many emotions were swirling inside of her. Tears had gathered in her eyes and she couldn’t have even said why, except she knew, in that moment, that she wasn’t falling in love with Ben Campbell. She was already in love with him.
Her life had undergone the biggest change of all when she wasn’t even looking. It put everything else into perspective. She had no idea what was in store for her next, but she knew she wanted to be with him when it happened. “I’ll go,” she whispered, trembling with the enormity of what she was saying. Blinking away the dampness, she searched his eyes. “Wherever it is, I want to go. With you.”
In response, she saw everything she needed to see right there on his face. She wasn’t the only one who’d fallen. And just like that, the trembling eased. It truly was all going to be okay. Better than okay. Because no matter where she was, no matter where they were, or what she did while they were there, they had this. The two of them were connected, in that perfect, private space that was theirs, and theirs alone. No matter what lay beyond, no matter where they might be in the world, this space, right here, would always be there. Would always be her home base.
“I love you, Ben Campbell,” she said, at the exact same moment he said, “I love you, Avery Kent.”
They both laughed, and her eyes got a little misty again, and maybe his did, too. “Take me with you.”
“I don’t want to be anywhere you are not,” he told her. Then he kissed her before she could say anything else. His eyes were fierce and brilliant when he finally lifted his head, and it made her breath catch. “And I won’t have to be. I just got off the phone with Doc.”
Avery tensed, but it was in anticipation now. “What? What happened?”
Ben rolled to his side, pulling her in close, then lacing the fingers of one hand through hers and bringing it up between them.
“Is he coming back early?” she asked, knowing they still had a week or so before Doc’s scheduled February return.
“Actually, no. He’s not coming back at all.”
Avery’s eyes widened and she sat straight up. “What?”
Ben sat up, too. Their hands were still joined. “It turns out he has some health complications.”
“Oh no,” Avery said. “Is he going to be okay?”
Ben nodded. “It’s part genetic, part age-related, and will cause a steady debilitation. With proper care, though, he can greatly slow down the effects. Living somewhere warm and dry will help. He’s sixty-five and he told me when I first arrived that he’d no plans to retire anytime soon. He loves what he does, and he laughingly told me he didn’t know what else he’d do with himself if not this. But he admitted to me just now that he’s known something was wrong for some time now.”
“I’m so sorry,” Avery said, and shook her head.
Ben nodded. “His sister, the one he’s visiting, lives in Phoenix. She noticed he was having some problems and I guess she more or less dragged him to a doctor, then a few specialists, to be diagnosed. Her children, his only nieces and nephews, are grown and all live in the area. She’s convinced him to agree to move down there. He’ll get his own place initially, but eventually, it’s more likely than not he’ll move in with her, or some arrangement where she can care for him more directly. Or they’ll get care for him. There will be plenty of time to sort those things out.”
“What will he do?” she said. “I mean, I’m assuming he won’t be able to open a practice there or anything, given these other issues. From what I know of him, I can’t imagine him just doing nothing. That would make him crazy.”
“That’s the wonderful part of this. His sister also happens to be a vet.”
Avery’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know that. Not that I knew him all that well, but Chey does, she never mentioned it. I wonder if she even knows. That’s wild. Veterinarian siblings.”
“Her specialty is horses. She doesn’t have a regular practice; she’s employed by a wealthy race horse owner, and works exclusively for him.”
“Wow. Sounds kind of amazing.”
Ben nodded. “In her spare time, she volunteers her services at the local shelters, and they always need all the help they can get.”
Avery’s eyes widened. “Ah! So will Doc be able to do the same? I don’t know how licensing works, but could he volunteer his services in that way?”
Ben nodded. “Given his participation in the global initiative community, this seems like it would be right up his alley.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“He can work as much as he’s able, and as that ability diminishes with time, he can adjust the kind of care he’s able to give, and then focus on his own health as time goes on.”
Avery wiped away another tear. “That’s really—I’m so sorry this is happening to him, but that sounds like as good a path forward as he could possibly hope to have.”
Ben nodded again. “I agree. He’s still in major adjustment mode, but from what I learned in my time knowing him, he’s a very pragmatic, practical man. He’s not really given to spending a lot of time worrying or wallowing; he’s more a man of action. So, I think he’ll do okay.”
“He’ll be happier having his family around him as time goes on,” Avery said. “I’m so glad his sister was able to give him guidance and support.”
“I am, too.” Ben took a short breath, then looked directly at her. “So, he called to tell me about all that, and to ask me if I wanted to buy his practice. Well, the whole place, actually, but he was mostly concerned that Blue Hollow Falls wouldn’t lose its one and only vet. He’s practiced here for thirty-seven years, so that was of deep concern to him. He didn’t care if I wanted to open a clinic elsewhere in town, but he wanted to know he’d taken care of his clients, his friends, and the animals he’s been looking after their whole lives.”
Avery had clapped her hand over her mouth the moment he’d mentioned Doc wanting him to buy the place, but let her hand drop now. “Are you? I mean…do you want to? Because…I have a lot to tell you, too, and this—Ben—this would be so perfect, in ways you don’t even know. But only if you want to.”
Ben chuckled at her enthusiasm, but she could see the excitement and anticipation in his eyes, too. “I’ve got to put a call in to my accountant back home, and I want to talk to my parents as well, and to you, but…if I can make the numbers work, or hell, even if I can’t—”
Avery didn’t let him finish. She launched herself into his arms, pushing him flat on the bed. “You’re staying then? Here?”
He nodded, and his eyes were shining, too. “There will be the occasional side trips to other locations around the globe as part of the initiative—you’re invited to go along on those, by the way—but one way or the other, you’re looking at Blue Hollow Falls’ permanent veterinarian.”
Avery squealed and kissed him, then kissed him again. “Wait until you hear what I found out from Dr. Farrell today. We can make your prosthetic development dream work, Ben. I had an idea, a bunch of them actually, and I didn’t want to say anything, because you didn’t know where you were going to go so it might have all been for naught, and I didn’t want you to feel pressured, but I think you—we—could launch a full-time facility here. Eventually. If you’ll let me help you do it, I know I can—”
He rolled her to her back
and silenced her excited babbling with a hard, fast kiss, followed by another longer one, then progressively softer ones, ending with slow, sweet, promising kisses.
“I’ve found my thing, Ben,” she said, when he finally lifted his head. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can help you establish a prosthetic development movement, deal with fundraising, and grants, and getting you the kind of help you need, so you can focus exclusively on research and development in the spare time you have away from running the practice, just like you always have. We’ll be doing something so good, helping so many. I know I have the lavender farm to help run, but together—”
“We’ve both found our thing,” he said, smiling at her breathless excitement.
She laughed, nodded, and kissed him again. “I think we have.”
“Being with you is the only thing I really need,” he told her. “The rest is just a happy bonus.”
“I feel like I just won the life lottery,” she told him with a laugh.
He chuckled, nodded, then started unbuttoning her coat. “Agreed. If it’s okay, I’d like to unwrap my prize now, enjoy my winnings.”
She started to work on his fleece-lined flannel jacket. “I think I’d like to take my lottery winnings in the weekly, lifetime installment plan.”
They made short work of divesting themselves of all their clothes, then Ben pushed her slowly to her back. “We could probably work out a daily payout schedule.”
“Mmm, I’ll make a chart,” she said as he lowered his mouth to hers. “So many charts,” she said with a sigh, as his kisses trailed along her chin, and began their way south.
She felt him chuckle as he reached the skin of her inner thigh. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”
Please read on for an excerpt from Donna Kauffman’s upcoming novel, Under a Firefly Moon.
Chapter 1
“You’re breaking my heart, Buttercup.” Cheyenne McCafferty buried her nose in the gelding’s mane and smiled when she heard him snuffle, even as she tried to blink away the moisture that continued to gather at the corners of her eyes. “Yeah, well, you might think the name is an indignity.” She straightened and rubbed her palm gently over the horse’s cheek, looking him straight in his weary, lackluster eyes. “But we both know it’s perfect for you.”
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