Trusting the Rancher with Christmas, page 7
Evan’s shoulders drooped as he accepted the task. Like his dad had always taught him to do. “I’ll call her.”
“Be quick about it,” Dr. Gibson launched the last of his instructions. “I’m off to physical therapy later this morning, but I’ll have all afternoon and I’ll expecting to hear from you.”
Dr. Gibson quit the call. Evan shoved his phone in his back pocket and grabbed his cowboy hat from the hook near the back door and his truck keys.
“It’s a bit early to call Paige,” Ilene said.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have her phone number.”
“You can call the general store later.” Ilene waved to the old-fashioned rotary phone still hanging on their kitchen wall. It had become a conversation piece that neither his mom nor Evan had wanted to remove. More flour dusted the air and drifted to the floor. “Or you can call Abby’s office.”
“Don’t worry, Mom.” Evan stepped over to the butcher-block island and kissed his mom’s cheek. “I’m off to the stables to get the guys organized for the day. We’ve got range checks to make, more stock to observe, and brakes on the tractor-trailer to repair. After that, I’m going to do you one better than a phone call to Paige.”
“What’s that?” She eyed him.
“I’m going to go get the vet.” Evan grinned. “Like Dr. Gibson told me to.”
CHAPTER SIX
“THE LAST ONE is free.” Abby raised her arms over her head and cheered from her spot outside the general store.
Paige and Abby had been untangling dozens of strands of sparkly globe lights for the past few hours. Paige had her pumpkin muffin half-eaten and hadn’t even started her search for the silver coin when Abby had burst into the store. Her cousin had announced a major Christmas light fiasco and pleaded for immediate backup.
Tess’s list for last-minute special-order gifts had been steadily growing the past few days. Paige had left Tess at her computer and followed Abby outside. Tangled bunches of lights had been dropped like breadcrumbs along the sidewalk, extending the full block.
Now Cliff and Roman, Abby’s town maintenance duo, picked up the strands Paige and Abby had unraveled and carried the lights to hang in the town square. The globe lights were an essential piece of the Christmas wonderland her cousin envisioned for downtown.
Abby draped the last strand over her shoulders like an untied scarf. The lights dangled across her stomach and settled near her boots. “How do I look?”
“Like you’re all caught up in Christmas.” And it suited Abby. Her cousin seemed even more energized than yesterday.
“I really am.” Abby laughed and touched her stomach. Delight sparked in her eyes and broadened her smile. “We’ve got a baby kick of approval. I think the baby likes all this Christmas too.”
Paige liked knowing her cousin was happy. Truly, soul-deep happy. Paige wanted the same for her sister. And for herself. Unfortunately, hanging glittery globe lights and singing along to the holiday music Abby had Tess turn on inside the store wasn’t going to get Paige to her own personal happy place.
That place was Windsor Haven Animal Clinic in Chicago. Her grandparents had given her the money to invest in her dream, allowing her to own a small stake in the clinic. Now she wanted an equal share. She’d earned it. Thanks to her, in part, the clinic had become one of the leading pet-care providers in the city. She just needed the other three partners to agree. Then she would have what she wanted. Then she would be happy.
“I’m off to get this last strand hung so that Cliff, Roman and I can move on. There’s so much to do before the Christmas tree lighting in the square next weekend.” Abby gathered the ends of the light strand in her arms. “You should head over to the Owl, Paige. And tell Wes that your lunch is on me.”
“I can’t believe it’s that time already.” The day was half over.
Calling and pressuring the partners wouldn’t benefit her and most likely irritate them. That left two items on her agenda: identifying the herbs in her grandmother’s ornament and locating the silver coin.
The silver coin was supposed to be her gift to Tess. An apology, an olive branch and a new start for the two sisters. It was also the very same silver coin no one here had located after months of searching. She refused to be deterred. Besides, the distraction would do her good. At home, she always worked. And never quite understood what to do with her free time other than fill it by working more.
Paige watched her cousin stroll toward the town square. Cliff and Roman met up with Abby and took the last light strand. Abby pressed her hands against her back and continued her slow walk. The trio’s unrestrained laughter drifted back to Paige, tempting her to follow and join in. Instead, Paige reached for the door handle of the general store. She could be carefree and merry later.
Once her career was rerouted for success.
Paige checked on Tess, got her sister’s lunch order and headed over to the Feisty Owl Bar and Grill. She opened the heavy door and stood inside the entryway. A handful of diners were already seated in the dining room, which filled half the space. An impressive bar, an empty dance floor and an idle mechanical bull completed the other side of the interior.
Wes greeted her first. He sliced lemons on a cutting board in quick succession, set the wedges in the condiment tray, then handed her a menu. “I can guess what Tess wants, but I’m not sure if you’re going to try Boone’s special potato-and-bacon soup, the grilled cheese with avocado, tomato and bacon. Or the bacon-wrapped onion rings.”
Paige grinned. Last night over dinner, they’d debated the best recipes for bacon. The conversation had been lively and entertaining. The consensus was that bacon deserved to be its own food group. The one recipe that showcased bacon in all its deliciousness was still up for grabs. Paige scanned the menu. “There’s also the Texas chili and the loaded chicken nachos.”
“Tess wants the chili, doesn’t she?” Wes typed the order onto a computer screen.
Paige nodded. “I’ll take the chicken nachos.”
“That’s a customer favorite.” Boone stepped through a swinging door behind the kitchen and smiled at Paige. He set individual bowls of guacamole and salsa on the bar top. “It’ll become one of your favorites too.”
Boone and his buddy, Sam, had quickly become two of Paige’s favorite people. The pair of cowboys had endless stories and boundless enthusiasm. They’d spent yesterday afternoon beside Paige, digging through boxes in the general store basement. They’d added color commentary to many of the stories her grandpa Harlan had told her about his own childhood growing up in Three Springs alongside Boone and Sam. Paige would’ve looked to her sister for a friend like that. And she would again. She just had to find that silver coin.
As it turned out, every item Paige uncovered had its own history attached to it. She’d unwrap an item. Boone would smooth his fingers through his beard. And one or the other of the guys would say, “Did you know, that’s a...” And her history lesson would begin. Fascinated, Paige had wanted to hear about the antique oil lanterns and the cast-iron well-water pulley. As a result, they hadn’t gotten through too many boxes. But somehow, she’d left feeling even closer to her grandparents.
Sam came through the doorway, carrying two baskets of chips. “We’re having appetizers while we wait for Nolan to finish the samples of his newest item for the menu.”
“Does this new menu item involve bacon?” Paige glanced at Wes.
He shook his head and laughed. “I’m not taking your bacon-wrapped jalapeno popper recipe in exchange for my secret coffee blend.”
“It was worth a try.” Paige had badgered Wes last night about his coffee, then changed tactics and tried to bargain. He hadn’t budged. She slid onto a stool near Boone and Sam at the end of the bar. “How can I get Wes to tell me what makes his coffee so good?”
“Not sure you can.” Sam scooped salsa onto a chip.
“You have to find Wes’s weakness,” Boone suggested. “Everybody’s got one.”
Paige eyed Wes across the bar. She wasn’t sure he had one. Wes was clearly devoted to her cousin Abby—he’d held her hand most of the evening. Watched over Abby and checked on the baby—just a soft press of his palm against Abby’s stomach. Wes wasn’t the biological father, but he was already the baby’s dad. Wes was one of the main reasons Abby was soul-deep happy. Paige would’ve claimed love was a weakness. But for Wes and Abby, their love made them stronger. “Sam might be right. There might not be a way to get the secret coffee bean blend from Wes.”
“You can’t just throw in the towel that quickly.” Boone squeezed a lime wedge, sprinkling the juice over his guacamole. “Your grandfather raised you to have more resolve than that.”
She’d boasted to Evan the other day that she would’ve found a way to Macybelle’s pasture with or without him. She’d been serious. And he’d believed her. Then he’d dismissed her. Too bad his stunning blue-gray eyes and slow but charming smile weren’t as easy to forget.
Paige drummed her fingers on the bar. “Grandpa Harlan would’ve purchased different coffee beans and already started blending them to figure it out himself.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Boone nodded, approval in his voice.
“Hey, Wes,” Sam shouted. “Paige here is going to blend her own coffee beans and discover your secret herself.”
Wes grinned. “I’ve got extra coffee beans in the back if you want to start now.”
“You don’t think I can figure it out, do you?” Paige leaned across the bar.
Wes lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. “I think that you are just like your cousin. Abby doesn’t know how to back down from a challenge either.”
Paige accepted that as a compliment and grinned.
Boone slapped the bar top and laughed. “Cousins got that trait straight from Harlan.”
One more trait the cousins had gotten from Harlan—when they accepted a challenge, they usually won. Paige opened her mouth, ready to agree.
“You’re hard to track down, Paige Palmer.” Evan lifted his cowboy hat off his head, ran his fingers through his short hair, giving the black strands a rather appealing disheveled look.
Speaking of challenges. Her cowboy was certainly one. And Paige wasn’t certain if she was glad about that or not. “I can’t believe I was that hard to track down. After all, it’s a small town. You said it yourself.”
Evan tapped his cowboy hat against his leg. “Can we talk?”
Wes came closer to wipe down what Paige was convinced was a permanent stain not far from her. Boone and Sam scooted their stools toward hers. Paige kept her smile in check and patted the empty stool beside hers. “Sure. My nachos should be ready soon. I have it on good authority they’re going to become my favorite.”
“Any chance you’d be willing to take those nachos to go?” Evan’s voice skimmed the edges of a plea.
She spun and faced him fully. That was her first mistake. “Where are we going?”
“Back to Crescent Canyon Ranch.” Doubt disrupted his confidence, pitching his tone slightly higher.
Her brows lowered. The second mistake: locking her gaze on his.
How was it possible his eyes looked even more piercing blue inside the bar? No one should have eyes that color. His were the kind of blue that haunted. That invited her to dive in. That hinted at unknown depths. Ones she wanted to discover. The shock of attraction she absorbed and acknowledged. He was entirely too handsome.
Yet it was the connection she felt to him that rattled her. Connections weren’t immediate. Trust wasn’t instantaneous. She and Evan were all wrong. From two different worlds. A rancher and a city veterinarian. She drank instant coffee, rarely took breaks, and thrived when her already fast-paced workload pushed her to think even faster. He watched the sunrise, preferred unrushed mornings, and moved leisurely and gracefully as if there was enough time for everything.
The longer she held his gaze, the louder one single whisper became inside her: Trouble. But she already had enough trouble without being attracted to this guy.
“I’m sorry about the other day. Really sorry.” Evan’s words rolled together. “I don’t have a good excuse for my behavior. Stress and worry aren’t always a good combination.”
Neither was an appealing cowboy and a sincere apology.
“You should ask for a do-over,” Sam suggested and chomped down on another salsa-loaded chip.
“That’s exactly what you need.” Boone waved a chip over the bowl of guacamole and dunked it in. “Fresh start.”
Evan’s gaze, deliberate and gentle, swept over Paige’s face. “Can we have that?”
Paige broke the link, glanced over Evan’s shoulder, then back to his chin. Anywhere but his intriguing eyes. “That depends. Are you still worried and stressed?”
“Even more so.” His cowboy hat tapped an agitated beat against his leg. “More of the herd has fallen ill.”
Not more sick cows. Evan was supposed to have gotten help by now. Supposed to have been following a treatment plan for his cattle.
Sam and Boone quieted as if taking in the grim situation. Even Wes’s face shuttered into neutral. Their worry for Evan surrounded her, joined her own unease.
The cowboy hat stilled against Evan’s jeans. When he spoke, his words were calm and serious. “Dr. Gibson had surgery yesterday, but he wants your eyes and ears.”
“Excuse me?” Her gaze snapped back to Evan’s. That immediate connection snapped through her again. She ignored it. Elusive emotions were nothing she put her trust in these days. Besides, sick animals took precedence. Always had. Always would.
“Mine apparently aren’t as qualified as yours.” A trace of disbelief and hint of surprise crossed Evan’s face.
“I’m a small-animal doctor,” she stressed. And a bad bet for a relationship.
“But you’re experienced and trained.” Evan moved closer to her. “And in Dr. Gibson’s opinion you are the perfect choice to act on his behalf.”
“That sounds about right to me,” Boone agreed.
“Me too,” Sam added.
It sounded all wrong to Paige. Even a provisional license took two weeks to obtain. She learned that last night while researching bovine diseases. Evan required assistance now. And in ten days, she flew home to Chicago. “Still, I need to be licensed to practice in the state.”
“Those are details Dr. Gibson seems to have figured out.” Evan braced his hand on the bar top. “Claims you aren’t prescribing, diagnosing or setting the treatment plan. He is. You’re simply relaying information and carrying out what he would do if he were here.”
Doubt worked through her, weaving around her own bewilderment that a part of her wanted to jump right in. Agree, despite the potential consequences. Because sick animals deserved to be cared for. And worried cowboys deserved to be helped. “Dr. Gibson knows I’m going to have opinions and observations?”
A faint grin passed over Evan’s mouth. There and gone, but a lightness lingered in his words. “I’m quite certain Dr. Gibson is counting on that too.”
Paige rubbed at her forehead. She shouldn’t be considering this. Her reputation was in a precarious place in Chicago. Any allegation about her practicing unlicensed in Texas could damage her partnership chances completely.
Sam cleared his throat. His voice boomed across the bar. “For a proper do-over for this couple, this isn’t very eventful.”
“What’s supposed to happen in a proper do-over anyway?” Wes draped his cleaning cloth over his shoulder and glanced between Evan and Paige. Amusement flashed in his eyes and tipped one side of his mouth up.
Paige glared at her cousin’s boyfriend, silently urging Wes not to encourage the cowboy pair and the conversation about do-overs.
“Fresh starts should be something like dinner on the patio, just the two of you.” Boone pushed his empty bowl of guacamole aside and accepted a full soda glass from Wes. “Candles on the table. The fireplace lit. That sort of thing.”
“A walk through the million-light display at Haystack Hills Farm,” Sam suggested. His eyebrows lifted. “It’s supposed to be something special.”
“Wes, I will take those nachos to go, please.” Paige stood to address Sam and Boone. Her shoulder bumped into Evan. Phantom butterflies bumped in her chest. Nerves were reserved for tricky abdominal surgeries, not attractive cowboys. “As for the kind of fresh start you’re referring to, gentlemen, Evan and I don’t need that. We’re all good. Great, in fact. And now we have cows that need us.”
Boone tapped his chin and eyed Evan. “When you finish with the cows, do something extra nice for Paige.”
“Show her our Christmas spirit, Evan.” Sam’s smile was unapologetic, his tone casual. “Thanks to our Abby, there’s lots of Christmas things for couples in town this year.”
“I’m...Dr. Gibson’s eyes and ears...not Evan’s date,” Paige stammered. Cows, not connections, were her only focus.
“There’s no rule stating you can’t be both.” Boone watched Paige as if he too saw that imaginary connection between Evan and her.
Evan stepped beside Paige as if he intended to join her team. “Boone and Sam, you need to aim Cupid’s arrow in another direction. Paige and I have cows to heal. Nothing else.”
Boone slapped the bar top and laughed. A deep rumble of pure joy. “Then you two best be getting on with the healing.”
Wes handed Paige a to-go bag and told her he’d walk Tess’s lunch over to her at the store.
Paige accompanied Evan to his truck, climbed into the passenger seat and set the to-go container on her lap.
Evan stole a cheese-soaked chip from the container. “You’ll have to excuse Boone and Sam. They helped a runaway bride last summer and brought the couple back together. Now they consider themselves some sort of matchmakers.”
