Disarming My Destiny: Sulfur Springs Book 5

by Taylor Rylan

  “We were, and I won’t need you to go this week. I’m not sure I’m supposed to say anything, but Deputy Jones is going with me for work-related reasons.” I took another sip of my coffee, determined to wake up and get rid of the lingering headache that was my own damn fault.

  “Whoa. Oreo’s dad? You mean the guy Ezra calls Deputy Hunk?”

  “Yeah, him,” I said as I cringed a little, I didn’t want to relive what I’d done last night.

  “How’d you get so lucky?”

  “Get lucky about what?” Ezra asked as he came sneaking up behind me. I jumped a little, not expecting him to be there.

  “Your hunky deputy is spending the day with Dr. G here,” Rick said before he turned around and went back to restocking supplies.

  “He’s not his hunky deputy, and I’d appreciate it if you would start referring to him in a professional manner,” I snapped. I didn’t like the idea of two of my employees being so disrespectful to one of our clients. Especially Deputy Jones.

  “Whatevs. But speaking of Deputy Hunk, he’s out front with Oreo. Should I send him back?”

  I sighed. It was going to be one of those days. I could just tell. Things were going to go to shit all day. That was karma for ya.

  “Yes, please,” I said and quickly took off for my office so I could put my coffee down before I greeted my shadow for the morning.

  I glanced up just in time to watch his tall form walk by my office door, and then he was gone. That was probably a good thing though because the glimpse I’d gotten let me know I was in trouble—big trouble because Bishop was wearing jeans that molded to his perfectly rounded ass and thick thighs.

  I stared up at the ceiling, hoping that I had enough strength to not make an even bigger ass of myself where Bishop Jones was concerned.

  “Hey, Doc. You got a minute?” that hard-on-causing Texas twang said from behind me. I sighed and turned to look at Bishop Jones as he closed my office door. Fuck, I was definitely in trouble.

  I turned, expecting him to stop a few feet away, but he didn’t. Nope. He got right up in my personal space, causing me to retreat until I felt my desk behind me and I could go no farther. I leaned back, hands on my desk the same time Bishop did, effectively caging me in as he whispered in my ear.

  “Your texts got me so hard last night before I got worried. And I’ll let you fuck me anytime you want, Doc. But you have to buy me dinner first,” Bishop whispered, causing shivers to go through my entire body. When his hips mated up with mine, I couldn’t stop the groan I’d been holding in. Fuck, I was in so much trouble. Especially when Bishop stood up and smiled at me. Was he for real? There was absolutely no way I could do the things I’d dreamed about doing to him. Could I?

  Bishop — 11

  I couldn’t help it. I’d been attracted to Dr. Dreamy since I’d first laid eyes on him a year ago. Did I think I had a chance with him? Not at all. But when he’d showed up at my place last night with pizza and scrubs, I’d been confused but more than willing to spend the evening with him. Too bad he fled as if his ass was on fire when he tried to help me get the too-tight top off my head. After his obviously drunk texts last night, I figured I at least had the right to tease him a bit. Right?

  I’d never really been one to be overly forward or bold. And despite what my looks would lead one to believe, I didn’t normally pitch or have a whole lot of experience sexually. I’d simply been too busy. In the Marines, I’d hidden my sexuality. Now it didn’t matter. Adrian was gay. It was obvious that Alex and Kirk were as well. Not that it really mattered because they’d be going back to Colorado once the case was over. But the point was, they wouldn’t have any issues with my sexual preferences.

  I smiled at Dr. Dreamy, and he shuddered again. This was certainly going to be an interesting day. We needed to get started on it though. It was already half past seven, and the feedlot was in Sulfur Springs.

  “You ready to go, Doc? We have a bit of a drive ahead of us, and my team is expecting us to be there around eight or so.”

  I watched as Xander shook his head and then picked up his travel mug.

  “Ready. We’ll talk on the way over,” he said as he walked past me. I was sure I had a verbal lashing coming for being so forward, but it couldn’t be helped. He’d texted me and told me he wanted to fuck me. Even if the man was drunk, he’d still most likely thought about it at one point.

  I followed the blond doctor out the office door and down the hallway that led to the back of the clinic. Rick handed him a bag, and it sounded like Xander grunted before he started walking again, this time to a location I’d never been in the clinic.

  I followed Dr. Garrison through another door and into a shorter hallway, and then we were outside in the cold again.

  “Should I move my SUV? I parked it in the front lot.”

  “It’s fine. I promise we won’t tow it, and nobody will bother it. There will be someone here all day, and there are security cameras inside and out,” Xander said as he stopped next to a large black truck. Nice. The doc had a pickup. I walked around the bed and over to the passenger side before I climbed in.

  “Nice truck. I traded mine when I got here. It didn’t have heated seats,” I said, trying to break the ice once we were on our way to Sulfur Springs.

  “If you want the seat on, it’s on the side, on the bottom of the seat,” Xander told me. I peered down and sure enough, there was the button. I pushed it and waited.

  “I’m from Texas and we don’t really have heated seats in Austin. And leather is cold in the winter here,” I told him. I offered another smile, but he wasn’t really having it. I couldn’t get him to even glance my way, so I simply studied him.

  Xander had a nice profile. His hair was blond, his eyes brown. His nose wasn’t overly large, and his lips were most definitely kissable. Like me, his skin looked sun-kissed, but his natural tan looked to be slightly lighter than mine. No matter. It wasn’t like I’d ever get to see more than his face, neck, and hands anyway.

  “What?”

  “Huh?” I asked, coming out of my perusal of the older man.

  “You’re staring.”

  “Am I? Sorry. You weren’t really talking much, so I figured I’d just sit here and study you,” I told him honestly.

  “Really? And what have you come to?”

  “Doesn’t matter really. So the elephant in the cab, as it were. You were drunk last night,” I said, hoping he’d come clean.

  “Yes. I hadn’t eaten much, my own fault, and I ended up downing a six-pack while watching TV. I promise, it won’t happen again. I do apologize. It was unprofessional and I don’t know what came over me, honestly.” Xander quickly looked my way before turning back to the road.

  I heard his unspoken message loud and clear. Did I necessarily agree with it? No. Could I change his way of thinking? Probably not. But he did seem genuinely apologetic, and I needed to let him off the hook.

  “Okay. Apology accepted. So it’ll be okay with you showing up today?”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll just let Paul know I have a patient I have to see tomorrow morning. He’ll understand,” Xander told me. He was determined to not look at me, though, because he’d only glanced at me the once since we’d left Jackson.

  “Good. Adrian, Alex, and Kirk are waiting for my call. I need you to point me in the right direction if you would.”

  “You lost me. What direction?” Xander asked, and finally, I got another quick look.

  “You mentioned you’d seen the horses. Can you point me in the right direction once we get there?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “Oh, yeah, sure. So what’s the plan this morning?”

  “Nothing much. I’ll go snooping around while you do your thing, and if I spot the horses, I make a call. It’s that simple.”

  “You’re not staying with me?” Dr. Dreamy asked, a worried look on his face.

  “Should I? I can if you’re uncomfortable.”

  “There are stolen horse
s at a feedlot that I’m going to be wandering around on. Someone put them there. Right? How do we know who’s dirty and who isn’t?”

  “All right. Valid point. I’ll make sure to stick glued to you. But I need you to take me in the general area where you saw them. Understood?”

  I watched as Xander’s shoulders relaxed. What was going on? He was quite stressed about something.

  “I understand. Besides, Rick usually sticks with me when I’m there. You said you needed it to seem natural. Well, if my new tech isn’t with me, that’s not normal.”

  “Okay. I’ll stick to ya, Doc.” I got to thinking about sticking to the sexy doctor in other ways but quickly shut those thoughts down. We had a job to do, and I couldn’t let my dick start thinking.

  We finally pulled into the feedlot parking area, and it was nothing like I expected. I expected an open corral, full of cattle, but nope. This place was certainly high-end. There were several large stock barns in front of us.

  “Which building was it?”

  “The one on the left. They were in the back, in one of the smaller pens,” Xander told me.

  “Wow. Okay. So how do we get there?”

  “We walk into the office first, and then we wander around and do our inspection. Here. You’ll need this. And just agree with whatever I say to Peter. Okay?”

  I nodded and took the tablet that Xander was handing me. He also wrapped a stethoscope around my neck and handed me a pen.

  “Umm, Doc?”

  “Yeah?” Xander said as he stopped while opening his door.

  “Is this necessary?” I asked and pointed to the thing around my neck.

  “Yes. Rick always wears one. Even if he does nothing other than tapping the screen on the tablet. Now come on. Don’t you have horse thieves to catch?”

  I nodded and opened my own door and climbed out. We walked into the smaller version of the large pole barns, and I immediately noticed it was an office building and looked to have three main rooms: the central reception area and an office on either side. There were two doors on the back wall. One led outside and the other was open, and I could tell it was a restroom.

  “Hey, Vickie. Is Paul in?”

  “Hi, Dr. G. Neither of the brothers are in yet. Paul was taking little miss to the dentist, and Tom called and said he had to run back home because his breakfast burrito exploded down his front.”

  I watched as Vickie shook her head before she turned a too-big smile my way. “Who’s the new guy?”

  Xander smiled before he patted my shoulder. “This is Bishop. He’ll be helping me today because Rick had an appointment.”

  “Sounds good. The cattle in the west pen are the next set to be shipped, so I guess start there.”

  “Perfect. We’ll be back in a bit,” Xander said and then gave my shoulder a squeeze before he walked toward the door that led out back. I quickly followed, and when I closed the door behind us, I joined Xander after going down the three steps.

  “So…they’re not here.”

  “Apparently not,” Bishop whispered. I picked up on the fact that he was uneasy, and I ran a quick hand down his back before I looked at the tablet he’d given me.

  “Is that normal? And where are we going?”

  “No, it’s not. I mean, anything can happen, but usually one of them is here during business hours. We’re headed exactly where you need to go, so we’re in luck. But unless they’ve moved things around, the cattle in the eastern pen were the ones that were supposed to be shipping next,” Xander said as he sent me a quick glance.

  “Interesting. And that means that what I’m looking for is probably in the eastern pen I’ll guess.”

  Xander nodded and I sent a quick glance in that direction before we got to the building she’d sent us to.

  “Xander, I need to know. Do you think they’re involved? They’re going to be questioned if we find those horses here.”

  I watched as the doctor let out a sigh and glanced around the property. “I’d like to say no, but at this point, I just don’t know. Paul has a wife and two young kids. But that doesn’t mean anything. Tom isn’t married and has always been really quiet. Again, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

  I nodded and we entered the building, and I was instantly transported back to Texas. The smell was familiar, only at a more intense level than the livestock barn had been at the state fair. And I couldn’t quite remember any rodeo arena smelling quite so strong.

  “Umm, does it always smell this bad?” I asked as I fanned my face with the tablet. I quickly realized that didn’t help, and in fact, made it worse. Xander chuckled and offered me a smile.

  “I thought you Texas boys were used to cow manure?”

  “Yeah, my dad was a professor at the University of Texas. I’ve been to the fair and rodeos, but you’re looking at a city boy here.”

  Xander gave me a thorough look from head to toe and back up, stopping at my waist and again at my chest before his brown eyes met mine.

  “Trust me. I don’t see a boy when I look at you, Bishop.”

  “Hey, Dr. G. We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow,” an older man who looked to be in his fifties said as he approached us. He had a friendly enough smile, and Xander seemed at ease with him.

  “Hi, John. I have a surgery tomorrow that I can’t reschedule, so I’m a day early. This is Bishop. He’s helping me because Rick has an appointment.”

  “Whatever works. The cattle will be just as ready today as they will tomorrow, so I’ll leave you to it. Just find me if you have any questions.”

  “Will do,” Xander said and then walked off. I nodded at John and quickly followed. Once we were alone again, Xander took the tablet from me and opened the program he needed.

  “So what do you need me to do?” I asked, curious as to why I’d need to be here if he was going to do everything.

  “Here.” Xander handed back the tablet, and I saw the program was open. “They’re the correct cattle according to the ear tags, which means they’ve done a lot of moving in the last week. We need to figure out how to get you over to the east building.”

  I nodded at that and tucked the tablet under my arm, then quickly pulled out my phone and fired off a text to Alex.

  “Everything okay?” he whispered. I nodded and held the tablet, pretending to type on it, inputting the info that the doctor was giving me.

  “Do you do this a lot?”

  “What?” Xander asked, looking up at me from his spot where he’d kneeled down to get a closer look at something.

  “Inspect cattle.”

  “Only for Grady’s. I am a large-breed vet though, and at times I’m really busy out at the ranches. Did you call for the troops?”

  “Sort of. They’re on standby, and Alex went to get the papers he needs,” I told him.

  “Okay, these look good. Want to go take a walk around? I have an idea.”

  I nodded and followed Xander as he headed back toward John, who was busy filling a feed bin.

  “Hey, John. They look good. Mind if I show Bishop here around? He’s new and he’s just starting out as a tech.”

  “Go on with ya, Dr. G. The cattle in the central building should be ready in a couple of months. The ones on the east side are new, and they’ve got until summer, so they’re on the small side.”

  “Yeah, well, they have to start somewhere, right?” I asked, trying my best to seem like I fit in. I must have said something right because John smiled and nodded before he went back to filling the feed bin. Xander turned and walked off, touching my back on the way by.

  “Starting with the new ones?” I asked once we were outside.

  “Yep. Do you know how much work it takes to move five hundred or so cattle from one pen to another?” Xander asked as we walked across the yard, between buildings.

  “I’m going to guess a lot?”

  “Yeah,” Xander said as he pushed open the door to the eastern building. We were met with the same setup, only these cattle were definit
ely smaller. “They were supposed to have let me know within a few days that they got new cattle in. Look in the back right corner,” Xander said under his breath before he smiled at the approaching man. “Hello, Sam. When did this shipment arrive?”

  “Doc,” Sam said in greeting. “They got in late last week. I guess Friday? You here to do the inspection?”

  “I wasn’t. No. I didn’t know new cattle were in, so I didn’t bring enough supplies. I’ll come back after I go back to the clinic and get what I need. How many in this group?”

  I did my best to listen and look like I was paying attention, but in reality, I was trying not to stare at the thoroughbreds that were in the back corner. Xander and Sam were still chatting, and I bent down to look at a young steer before I stood back up. The horses we were looking for were in a pen with several other horses, but they stood out. Bingo. I needed to get Xander out of here. And quick.

  “Hey, Doc, since this is going to be a bigger project, why don’t we wait until Rick is back? I’m not sure I’m up for something so big on my first week. I mean, I’ll help as much as I can, but this is intimidating,” I said with what I hoped was an intimidated look on my face.

  “Newbie?” Sam asked and offered me a smile.

  “Yep. I’m Bishop. I’m the new vet tech that you might see from time to time. But this is definitely not something I experienced in college,” I said, playing along.

  “No problems. Yeah, you know we’ll be here. Is Rick going to be out long?”

  “No. He just had to get his teeth cleaned this morning, and then he said he’d be in,” Xander said. I nodded, more than ready to leave.

  “Well, just come back whenever. I know Paul was going to the dentist with his little girl, but Tom should be here.”

  “He had a breakfast accident, but he’ll be back later, I’m sure,” I said with a smile.

  “So will we. I’m going to drop off the paperwork for the cattle that are leaving, but we’ll be back with Rick later,” Xander said as he extended a hand and Sam shook it. I did the same, hoping to keep things appearing normal.