A hand clapped him on his shoulder, startling him out of his daze. Caleb was grinning at him with a knowing smile. “You okay there, Wes?”
“I’m fine, yeah.” Wes noticed the petite woman with long brown hair holding Caleb’s hand. Maya Burton. Wes remembered her, serious and smart, from high school. Caleb and Maya had been a couple until senior year, right before Wes left town. There’d been a terrible accident then, with Maya driving and Caleb’s sister killed. The accident had shaken the whole town up.
But somehow, here they were, together. Caleb had mentioned earlier in the evening that he and Maya were married, after many years spent apart after that accident.
Caleb turned to his wife. “Maya, do you remember Wes from high school?”
“I do. Nice to see you again.” Her glance seemed to appraise him. “I hear you’re working with Emily?”
“For the week. Hopefully longer if I don’t mess up too badly.”
“Was that your brother on the phone?” Caleb had been with him when Wes had taken the call.
“Yep. Calling from London.”
“You have a brother?” Maya looked incredulous. “I never knew that.”
“We were separated in the foster care system,” Wes explained.
“Wes raised him,” Caleb said. “He was telling us about it earlier this evening. That’s why he left Shelter Creek so suddenly. To go take care of him.”
Maya’s brows rose. “I had no idea. Good for you.”
“Thanks,” Wes said. “He turned out okay.”
Maya motioned toward another couple approaching them from the bar. “Wes, this is Aidan Bell and Jade Carson. Aidan has a ranch south of town.”
Wes was tall, Caleb was tall, but Aidan was taller, with striking white-blond hair. He nodded down at Wes. “Great to meet you. Nice to have another veterinarian in town.”
“Good to be here.” Wes left it at that. He didn’t want to keep explaining that he was on trial and possibly leaving soon.
“And Jade is a firefighter,” Maya explained. “You might know her older brothers. Travis was just a year behind us in school.”
The name sounded vaguely familiar but Wes couldn’t place him. “Sorry, it was a long time ago.”
“No worries,” Jade said. “I remember you. I was a freshman. You were one of the cool seniors.”
Wes smiled, just grateful she didn’t say, You were the foster boy who ran away.
“Let’s go see if we can find a seat.” Caleb led the way to their table, holding Maya’s hand the entire way. Wes followed them, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Was he nervous? To see Emily? That didn’t make much sense. They’d just spent the whole day working together.
Emily looked up when he got to the table. “Hi, Wes.”
“I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.” He slid into the chair next to hers and immediately felt like he belonged there.
“I didn’t, either, until just a few minutes ago. I blame Maya and Vivian here, for keeping me out way past my bedtime.”
Jace introduced Vivian, who smiled at him kindly. “Welcome back to Shelter Creek.”
“It’s good to be back.” He glanced at Emily. “I hope this isn’t too much time spent with your employee.”
“It’s fine. Plus, you’re not really an employee. You’re...” She faltered as if she couldn’t find a word for him.
He offered her a few choices. “Useful? Essential? Helpful? Life-altering?”
She grinned at his teasing. “You’re Wes,” she said. “Just Wes.”
Whatever that meant.
It was strange to be with her in a social setting. Luckily, Adam was there, too, so he and Emily weren’t the only ones not coupled up. And then a guy named Liam showed up. He was married to Trisha, whom Wes had met at the vet clinic on his first day. Turned out Liam had grown up on a ranch outside Houston, so they had plenty to talk about. It felt good to hear a true Texas accent again.
Eventually, Wes noticed that Emily wasn’t drinking. “Can I buy you a beer?”
She eyed his barely touched bottle with longing but shook her head. “I don’t drink much. I have to be able to drive if I get a call later tonight.”
“I’ll be your driver if that happens,” he offered. “I’m not much of a drinker, either. I’ve only had a few sips all night.” He’d never had the time or luxury to develop much of a taste for alcohol.
“Are you sure?” Emily glanced at the bar. “I sure would love a cider. It’s been a long time since I had one.”
“I’ll get it for you.” Wes stood and when she looked like she might protest he added, “Not a bribe. You can still fire me guilt-free at any moment.”
Her smile wrapped him in the warmth of their inside joke. Wes headed for the bar with his head high.
Even though they weren’t there as a couple, Wes felt like it when he returned to the table with Emily’s drink. While she sipped her cider, they chatted with Liam about Texas and his new ranch here in Shelter Creek. When Caleb and Maya challenged them to a game of pool Liam declined, so they decided to play in teams. It was Wes and Emily against Caleb and Maya.
“You know we’re in trouble,” Maya told Caleb as she picked up a pool cue. “These two are medically trained. They sew animals up. They give shots. They’re very coordinated.”
“Yeah, but they weren’t in the Marines,” Caleb reminded her. “I have good aim.”
“Where does that leave me?” Maya said, eyeing the table.
“You’re tough. You never give up,” Caleb said, and kissed her on the top of the head.
Emily racked the balls. “Who wants to start?”
“Wes should break. He’s new in town,” Caleb said.
“Go Texas,” Liam called from where he was leaning against a wall to watch the game.
Wes wasn’t sure he should be representing Texas here. He hadn’t played much pool. His life hadn’t really involved a lot of leisure time. More like work and more work to make sure he and Jamie could get the education they wanted. He lined up his cue and thankfully managed to scatter the balls and get a striped one in the side pocket. Emily gave him a smile that made him feel way more capable at this game than he really was.
They played for ten minutes, pretty evenly matched, but somehow Wes and Emily pulled ahead. Wes couldn’t remember a better night out. Every time they sank a ball, he and Emily high-fived. She was laughing, her cheeks flushed. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. She was different from the serious, hardworking daytime Emily, and Wes liked seeing this side of her. Especially when he called the corner pocket, sank the eight ball into it, and she flung her arms around him for a quick hug.
It was all he could do to keep it casual, to return the brief embrace and act like it meant nothing, that they were just two colleagues having a fun night out. In reality it meant everything. It wasn’t just that she was a beautiful woman, it was that she was Emily. His hope, his dream. She was smart and brave and funny and he wanted this. Nights like this, hanging out with friends, with other couples, and with newly divorced Adam who was leaving now because he had to go relieve the babysitter.
But he couldn’t have it just because he wanted it. Wes still had so much to prove to her. As the game ended, he busied himself putting their cues away, joking with Caleb and Maya. No way could he let on that this night meant anything more to him than a casual gathering of friends. If he scared Emily off, he’d lose everything he wanted.
Back at the table, she picked up her purse. “That was really fun, but I have to get home. Knowing my luck, I’ll get an early-morning call.”
Wes’s protective instinct kicked in. She wasn’t used to drinking and she’d had a lot of cider. “Let me drive you.”
“I live pretty close by. I can walk.”
“It’s February. It’s cold out there.”
She shoved her arms into her black wool coat
and rolled her eyes. “It’s almost March and I have a coat.”
Wes couldn’t keep from teasing her. “Stubborn, much?”
“Fine,” she huffed. “You can drive me. All five blocks.”
They said good-night to everyone and walked out into the night air. It was just after ten but it felt later to Wes. They’d had a busy day and he wasn’t much of a night owl.
“This night is beautiful,” Emily said. She raised her arms to the stars as if she were trying to touch them. “It’s not that cold. How about you walk me home, instead of driving me.”
A walk under the stars with Emily? “Sure.”
They strolled down the sidewalk, side by side.
“Where’s Rex tonight?”
“Home with his toys, watching Animal Planet.”
She laughed. “I wish I could see that.”
“You’re welcome to come by and visit him anytime. I think he likes you.”
She was silent and Wes cursed himself for stepping across a boundary he should have seen. She didn’t want to come by his house. She hadn’t wanted him to come back into her life when she’d first seen him less than a week ago.
“Thanks for letting him hang out at work.”
She glanced his way. “I’m impressed. He’s so well-behaved. Even when we go out to a ranch or stable.”
“He’s been going out on calls with me since he was a puppy. He knows the ropes.”
They seemed to be walking farther out of town. The streetlights had ended and the only light was from the stars arched over the open field around them. “Where do you live, exactly?”
“Having second thoughts about walking me? See, I knew it would sober you up.” Emily gestured around them. “I like the peace and quiet out here. I rent an old farmhouse right at the edge of town. It’s got a few pastures and a barn. One of these days, when I have some time, I’m going to get a horse or two. That’s why I rented it.”
“How long have you lived there?”
“About five years.”
“You rented a place for horses five years ago and you still haven’t gotten a horse?”
She shrugged. “You’ve seen my work schedule. Plus, I got involved with the wildlife center. I help Maya bring injured animals in for care, I’m involved in their rehabilitation plans and their release... That on top of my regular work keeps me very busy.”
Wes was silent, thinking about it. They’d both kept themselves busy all these years. He out of necessity, she out of choice.
“What was it like?” Emily put a gentle hand on his forearm for a brief instant. “All those years raising your brother. Were you lonely? How did you get by?”
He was silent, unprepared for the shift in topic, not sure how much he wanted to say.
“I don’t mean to pry. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”
“No, I want to. It’s just a lot of years, you know?” Wes tried to think about how to sum up so much time. “At first it was really scary. We got to Houston and had nowhere to stay, we didn’t know a soul and we had to stay under the radar. I was so worried someone would take Jamie from me and send him back to our uncle.”
“That must have been terrible.”
“I was pretty stressed. But I found work at restaurants. A lot of those businesses don’t ask questions as long as you’re willing to do the dishes and clean the restrooms. Once I was able to earn some money, some of the panic went away. But it was touch and go for a long time, figuring out how to pay the bills, and how to make sure no one caught on that I didn’t have true legal custody of Jamie. It was such a relief when he turned eighteen and we realized we’d made it.”
“I can’t imagine,” Emily said. “What a journey. You must be really proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
“Sometimes,” he admitted. “But mostly I’m just glad to have those days behind me.”
They’d reached a driveway with a well-lit house at the end of it. “This is where I live,” Emily said.
As they walked down the driveway, Wes studied the house. In the porch light he could tell that it was a simple box shape, with a peaked roof and old-fashioned, paned windows. “It’s funny, but all these years, I pictured you living with your parents.”
“Are you kidding? I’m thirty-two years old. That would be weird. This way I can visit them and keep an eye on them, but I get my own space.”
“Keep an eye on them? Is everything okay?”
“My dad had a heart attack last year. He’s doing well now, but I like to get over there and help out whenever they decide to take on some big project around the house.”
They’d reached her porch steps. Wes looked at her in admiration. “So you run the vet clinic, you’re the veterinarian for the wildlife shelter and you take care of your parents. Do you ever have a day off, just for you?”
“I had tonight off,” she countered. “And it was fun. I’m glad we ran into each other.” She went on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Thanks for walking me home, Wes.”
His hand went to the spot she’d kissed him, almost unable to believe it had happened. “My pleasure. See you tomorrow.”
Wes watched her jog up the steps and open her front door. When she waved goodnight and disappeared inside, he started back to the bar, resenting the night air for cooling the spot where she’d kissed him. A spot touched by hope and possibility. Emily wasn’t the same Emily he’d left. There was so much more he wanted to know about her. But now he knew what her warm kiss felt like on a cold night. And he knew that no kiss had ever meant so much, or felt so good.
CHAPTER TEN
EMILY LIFTED HER head from her pillow and flopped back down again with a thud. She tried again. Thud. Her alarm was buzzing, so she groped for the nightstand and managed to find her phone without lifting her head to look. She hit the button to snooze it and sank back into the silence.
Why was she so tired? Images from the night before percolated through her mind. She’d had a glass of cider at the bar, and she rarely drank. It had been fun but she hadn’t felt safe driving, so she’d walked home with Wes. He’d been funny and sweet and he’d told her a bit about what he’d been through. And then she’d kissed him.
Emily sat bolt upright in bed. She kissed him? Images flooded back, of his face shadowy in the dim porch light, the bristly feeling of the stubble on his jaw brushing her skin before her lips made contact with his cheek. What was she thinking? The man was technically her employee. He was auditioning for a job with her and she’d kissed him?
Heart thumping in her chest, Emily shoved the covers off and ran for the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face and pulling her hair back in a ponytail. It was getting late, she had to get to the clinic, but she had to talk to Wes first. In moments she was dressed. Grabbing her car keys and an apple from the bowl on her kitchen counter, she set off down the road to collect her truck from Dex’s parking lot. It wasn’t until she was in her truck, driving into town, that she remembered. She had no idea where Wes lived. She must have his address at the clinic but she didn’t have it with her now.
Emily pulled over to the side of the road, put her forehead to the steering wheel and closed her eyes. It wasn’t just that she’d kissed Wes. It was just a kiss on the cheek, after all. Nothing too offensive. No, the worst part was that after she’d kissed him, she’d wanted to kiss him some more. Was she really such a fool? This man had walked away from her and never looked back. Never made any effort to reach out and let her know he was okay. She’d kept her heart locked away ever since, and now, just because he’d come back into town, she was going to risk him shattering it one more time? What was wrong with her?
All this time she’d imagined that Wes’s leaving had made her tough, strong, immune to falling head over heels for any man. He’d been back in Shelter Creek for less than a week and he’d proved her wrong.
She couldn’t
be this weak. She had to get stronger. When people wanted strength, they worked out, or practiced a sport, and their muscles grew. She just needed to practice being immune to Wes. If she worked at it every day, pretty soon it would be second nature.
She’d have to wait to talk to him at the clinic. But since she was out of the house and it was still early, she’d get some coffee at the café and maybe something sweet to nibble on, as well. Though it was going to take more than caffeine and sugar to fix the mess she’d made last night.
By the time Emily got to the clinic, Wes’s truck was already there. He’d been making a point to arrive well before eight, as if to show her how seriously he took the job. He’d be the absolute perfect employee if he wasn’t Wes.
Taking a gulp of her coffee to bolster her courage, Emily climbed out of the truck and went inside. Lily was already at her desk and Emily tried to mimic the bright greeting her receptionist offered. She read the messages Lily handed her, but nothing sank in. She was useless. She wouldn’t be able to think about work until she talked with Wes.
She found him in the back, going over the files of the clients scheduled for today. He glanced up at her as she walked in. “One of the Hendersons’ sheep had quadruplets last year? Is that the sheep we’re seeing today?”
“Good morning to you, too,” Emily said. “And yes, that’s the ewe we’re checking on at eleven.” She eyed Wes warily. He didn’t seem upset about the kiss. That was good, but she still had to make things right.
Rex sat up from his favorite spot in the corner and wagged his tail. Emily went to say hello, shaking his paw and running her hands over his fluffy ears. “You ready to go, big guy?” she asked the dog. “We’ve got a lot of clients this morning.”
Molly, her head technician, was working today and she emerged from one of the exam rooms. “Wes, the early bird, has most of those files memorized, I think.”
“Good morning, Molly.” Emily glanced at Wes. So he’d charmed Molly, too. Lily had already made a point of pulling Emily aside yesterday to tell her how much she liked him. “Are you okay holding down the fort until we get back here after lunch?”
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