Veterinarian's Vixen (Culpepper Cowboys Book 8) Read online

  “Well, good night,” he said.

  Her expression pinched to confusion, then she blinked and stepped back. “Um, good night.”

  She turned around, took a few steps away, then turned back to him. Her perfect lips dropped open as though she was going to say something. She didn’t, though. Instead she pressed those lips together and turned to jog off and into the hotel.

  Doc felt like he’d dropped a serious ball. He’d tried to be gentlemanly, but he felt like a heel instead. Had he just wrecked things?

  He kicked the pavement, thrust his hands into his pockets, then turned to go.

  “Ouch! Hey! Stop it!”

  The familiar voice of Denise Bonneville shook him out of his tangled thoughts. Several yards away, across the parking lot, Denise was struggling with someone in a convertible. Another second later, Doc recognized the man pawing her and trying to kiss her. Stu. Fury blasted up in him, and he dashed across the parking lot.

  “Hey!” he shouted. “Leave the woman alone!”

  Stu wrenched himself up from where he’d apparently been trying to give Denise a hickie. He had a hand clamped over Denise’s breast, and even Doc could see he was hurting her. Without hesitating, he yanked open the car door and reached in to pull Denise bodily out of Stu’s reach. Denise shrieked and clung to him for a second.

  “Are you okay?” Doc asked her.

  The fear in her eyes switched to rage. “I told you no!” she shouted at Stu.

  Stu shot a look between Denise and Doc. “Your lips said no but the rest of you said something else. Am I right?” He appealed to Doc.

  Doc clenched his jaw. He made sure Denise was steady on her feet, then said, “Excuse me.”

  Denise stepped back, and Doc lunged into the car. He planted his fist across Stu’s face before the man knew what was coming.

  Stu reeled back, shouting an expletive. “Call the cops,” he demanded.

  “Oh, you don’t want me to call the cops right now,” Denise barked at him.

  Stu seemed to catch her meaning. Or maybe it was the fury that Doc was sure flared all around him. Stu shrank back to the far side of his car.

  “What kind of a rat cheats on a girl like Nancy and tries to take advantage of a woman who clearly said no?” he demanded.

  To Doc’s surprise, Stu blinked at him as though he were insane. “I ain’t cheating on nobody, pal.”

  “Nancy.” Doc’s certainty shrank by the second. “You’re Nancy’s boyfriend.”

  Stu barked out a laugh that turned Doc’s stomach. “Is that what you think? Did she tell you that?” He sat a little straighter, gloating over the idea.

  Doc wanted to punch him again, but instead he pulled back. He checked to make sure Denise was still okay, and when he was satisfied that she was, he said, “I thought you brought Nancy here because she was your girlfriend.” The feeling that he was a complete and utter numbskull began to grow uncomfortably in his gut.

  Stu snorted a laugh and adjusted to sit straight in the driver’s seat of his car. “Nancy works for me, but I don’t know for how much longer. She’s a hot little tamale. I brought her out here hoping she’d see what was good for her and give me a little of the action I’ve been craving. Stupid bitch hasn’t put out once since we got here.”

  Stu had hardly finished before Doc lunged at him and punched him in the face again. This time, a trickle of blood splashed across the dashboard of the expensive car.

  “That’s for calling a good woman that name,” he growled, fist still clenched, even though his knuckles stung. “If you go near her again, you’ll get more.”

  Stu made a wordless sound of cowardice as he balled up in the seat to protect himself.

  As far as Doc was concerned, he wasn’t worth the time. He straightened, flexed his hand, tried to catch his breath and calm down, and turned to Denise. “Come on, I’ll make sure you get home safe.”

  “Thanks, Doc.” Denise smiled with gratitude.

  Doc touched her arm, and the two of them started off. He’d do the right thing and make sure Denise got home, but what he really wanted to do was turn around and run into the hotel to find Nancy. She wasn’t dating that slime Stu after all. That meant she was free.

  That meant he had a chance to set things right.

  6

  “Do you ever get the feeling that there’s something going on you don’t know about?” Nancy asked Faith a few days later as the two of them ambled through the crowds gathering for Culpepper’s Fourth of July celebrations.

  “Sort of.” Faith shrugged and handed one of the “Getting to Know You” fliers of interviews Nancy and Sly had put together to a passing older gentleman. “There you go, Mr. Flint,” she smiled. “Learn all about new citizens of Culpepper, including Miss Nancy Tilson here, the writer.”

  Mr. Flint stopped to take a flier, smiled at Faith, looked Nancy over, then smiled at her too. “Pleased to meet you, miss.” He marched on, heading for a small group of children that jumped up and down…probably his grandchildren.

  “See, that’s what I mean.” Nancy elbowed Faith. “I never said anything about moving to Culpepper, and here you’re acting like I announced it the other day but can’t remember a thing.”

  Faith laughed. “If I told you that you had and we’re all just humoring you for your memory loss, would you believe me and stay?” She winked.

  Nancy rolled her eyes, but she didn’t say no. At this point, after her…interesting dinner with Doc the other day, she wasn’t sure she wanted to say no.

  The streets of Culpepper were already filling up with locals who had come out to watch the parade. They brought lawn chairs and staked claim to spots along the road where they thought they’d get the best view. Nancy put on her best smile and handed out fliers. Everyone seemed happy to get them and to read the interviews. Sly had told her that was the first step to starting a real newspaper in town. Nancy and Faith had more or less a captive audience of townspeople as they waited for the festivities to begin.

  First there would be a parade, which would include all of the horses and riders entered into the Culpepper Stakes. Then there would be a flagpole ceremony with speeches and the local Boy Scout troop raising the flag. Then came a bunch of races and activities for the kids. The horse race would happen after that, then a picnic and fireworks. Nancy was looking forward to all of it. Although she was looking forward to running into Doc again even more.

  “Looking for something?” Faith caught her standing in place, scanning the growing crowd.

  Nancy played it cool. “Oh, not much, not really.”

  “Uh-huh.” Faith shook her head and laughed.

  “No, really.” Nancy grabbed her arm, and they moved on.

  “So you’re not looking for the handsome vet you went on a date with the other night?”

  “It was not a— How did you know?” Nancy stopped and turned to face her when they reached the corner of the main intersection in town.

  “It’s Culpepper,” Faith answered. “News travels fast.”

  “I guess that’s why you don’t have a newspaper.” Nancy crossed her arms in spite of the sheaf of fliers in her hand. “It was not a date. Doc said so. Sly was supposed to be there with us, but he got called away to pick up their brother at the airport.”

  Faith arched a brow. “You know that was just a ploy to get the two of you alone, right?”

  In her heart, Nancy suspected that’s exactly what it was, but she feigned innocence. “I don’t know if someone like Sly O’Donnell would pull a stunt like that.”

  Faith laughed out loud. “I think there’s probably a reason why his name is ‘Sly.’”

  Nancy made an uncertain sound and walked on, crossing the street. “Speaking of which, Doc told me his name. His real name.”

  “Ooh? What is it?”

  “I’m not saying. Although anyone who grew up around here probably knows. He says everyone in the family has stupid names, so they go by nicknames.”

  “Now I really do wonder
what Sly is a nickname for,” Faith said, half to herself.

  “I think—”

  Nancy stopped short as they reached the other side of the street. Further along, past the next intersection, Doc was striding toward them. He wore a riding outfit that set Nancy’s blood on fire—tight pants and a loose-fitting, silky shirt. It was the kind of shirt she’d always thought of as a “touch me feel me” shirt. He also wore a smile, but there was something more hidden behind the tightness of his eyes. She could see it from yards away.

  “Oh look,” Faith said in a sing-song voice beside her. “Speak of the hot, manly devil.”

  “Shh!” Nancy silenced her as Doc crossed the road and made his way over to them.

  “Nancy.” Her name on his lips held all the promise of a greeting and much, much more.

  “Hi, Doc.” That was it. She couldn’t figure out what else to say to him. ‘Can I throw you down, hump you, and have your babies’ didn’t seem appropriate, given their current location.

  Doc stared at her for several long, heated seconds. The light in his eyes was beyond anything she’d seen there since…well, since the spring. It made her feel wiggly from head to toe.

  At last, Doc blinked himself out of his reverie and glanced to Faith with a nod. “Hi, Faith.”

  “Oh look,” Faith said with barely concealed laughter. “They’re selling balloons.”

  She dashed off before Nancy could stop her, heading down the street as fast as a mildly-pregnant woman could. Nancy flushed with awkwardness and desire, and turned a shaky smile to Doc. “Balloons,” she fumbled.

  “Balloons are nice.” Doc didn’t seem to be paying attention to what he was saying. He shifted his weight, leaned in closer, and said. “I’m really sorry about the way I’ve been acting since you got here.”

  The heat filling Nancy’s face took a turn for the embarrassed. “I…well…um…”

  Doc shook his head and held out a hand. “It’s my fault. I was upset about the phone number.”

  “Phone number?” She blinked in confusion.

  “Yeah.” His expression pinched into embarrassment too. “I know you probably had your reasons for giving me a fake number.”

  “Wait, fake number?”

  “I didn’t think. It could be intimidating for a woman to give a guy her number right off. I totally understand why you would give me a wrong one.”

  Something prickly and hot slipped inside of Nancy, like awkward pieces clicking into place. “I gave you my real number, Doc. You didn’t call.”

  He froze, mouth half open. Then he shook his head. “I called it. You gave me the number for Mario’s Plumbing Supplies.”

  Nancy stared at him, unsure whether she was on Cloud Nine—he had called her after all!—or whether she wanted to smack him for his stupidity. “Show me your phone,” she said. “Let me see the number.”

  Doc reached into the back pocket of his tight pants and took out his phone. He tapped the screen a few times, then showed it to her.

  In an instant, Nancy knew exactly what had gone wrong. She laughed. “You mixed up the five and the three. You transposed the numbers.”

  “What?” Doc yanked his phone back as if it was the phone’s fault and frowned at the screen.

  “It’s eight five three two, not eight three five two.”

  Doc’s mouth went slack as he stared at the screen. He muttered something under his breath that both shocked and made Nancy giggle.

  “Doc.” She rested her weight on one hip. “When you tried to call me and got Mario, why didn’t you try Googling my number to see if you had it right?”

  “I…” He blew out a breath and raked his fingers through his hair. “It didn’t dawn on me to try. I figured you gave me a wrong number on purpose.”

  “Why would I do that?” He looked so distressed that whatever ire the whole situation had raised in Nancy, she was ready to let it go and give him a hug. He seemed to desperately need a hug just then.

  Doc shrugged. “Elvie used to do it all the time. She says it’s so hard to meet guys who genuinely care about you and not your money or your c— Okay, I’m not going to repeat that part of what she said.”

  Nancy snorted and clapped a hand over her mouth. She had a feeling she’d like Elvie.

  “Anyhow, she says it’s easier than saying no. Some guys just wouldn’t take no for an answer.” He lowered his head a fraction. “I was worried that I was being that kind of guy. Too forward.”

  “No!” She reached out to him, resting a hand on his muscled arm. Gosh, he had great arms! “You weren’t that kind of guy. I don’t think you could ever be that kind of guy.” She stopped, thought, then added. “Stu is that kind of guy.”

  “That’s the other thing.” He put his phone back into his pocket, then reached for Nancy’s hand. “I tried to stay away from you because I’ve been thinking this whole time that Stu is your boyfriend.”

  “Hell to the no!” Nancy balked. “He’s my boss, and a slimy one at that.”

  “Yeah, I found that out the other night,” Doc admitted.

  “The other night?”

  “After I walked you back to the hotel from the diner. I caught him, uh, mistreating a local girl.”

  “That bastard!” Nancy blinked, new thoughts smacking her. “Wait, that was more than twenty-four hours ago. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  He puffed out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “I tried to. Well, I wanted to. I had to walk Denise home that night to make sure she got there safely. Then I figured it was too late. Then I tried to catch you for breakfast yesterday morning, but Arch really did get into town late that night, and Sly insisted we all go out for breakfast together. Then I started getting calls for people who are entering their horses in today’s race. And then—”

  Nancy held up a hand to stop him. “It’s okay. I get it. Life gets in the way.” She smiled, a new world of possibilities opening up in front of her. “It’s not in the way now, though. Not unless you consider this life.” She held up the sheaf of fliers that she still held.

  “I would say that’s definitely life.” A hopeful look came into Doc’s eyes. “It might be a reason for you to stick around this old place? I think I know someone who would love to date you formally, get to know you better and all?”

  Nancy’s heart fluttered and jigged in her chest. “Yeah, maybe.”

  “Good.” Doc took a step closer to her. His hands reached for her waist. He bent closer, mouth going soft. “Because I think that guy might like to kiss you right now to seal the deal, if that’s okay with you.”

  “I wouldn’t mind at—”

  “Doc!”

  He was mere inches away from laying a big, wet one on her when a man called out from behind them. Nancy clenched her teeth in frustration as Doc straightened and turned away from her.

  “Ryan?” He took a step closer to the man as he reached them. “What’s wrong?”

  The man, Ryan, was panting and looked upset. “It’s Jesse and Valerie’s horse.”

  Tension swirled up around Doc. “What about her?”

  “There’s something wrong with her foot. You need to come take a look.” Ryan gestured for Doc to come with him.

  Doc sent a regret-filled look over his shoulder at Nancy.

  “You go ahead,” she told him. “I need to finish handing out these fliers anyhow, and then I have to find a good seat for the parade.”

  “Are you sure?” Doc asked.

  “That I want a good seat? Of course! My boyfriend is riding in the parade.”

  Her words had the effect she wanted. Doc grinned from ear-to-ear. “He sure is.”

  With a quick nod, Doc rushed off, leaving Nancy feeling as though she was dancing on air.

  Doc rushed up the street with Ryan toward the warehouse that was being used to house the horses before the race. Underneath the concern he felt for Jesse and Valerie’s horse was a grinding frustration. Finally, he and Nancy had gotten to the bottom of their misunderstanding.
And yeah, he felt like an idiot for transposing her phone number and then not bothering to check online to make sure it was right. But that was all behind them. The moment she’d smiled after correcting his mistake, he’d known that not only would everything be okay, he’d known he was going to marry that woman. Hopefully someday soon.

  So being dragged away from her just as everything fell into place made him want to punch holes in things.

  “What seems to be the problem?” he asked as he jogged into the warehouse and over to the makeshift stall where Jesse and Valerie stood with their horse.

  “I don’t know.” Valerie stepped forward, her voice full of worry. “Roxie was okay when we brought her here first thing this morning. Jesse and I walked out to see the town’s decorations. When we came back, she was crying and in a lot of pain.”

  A short man dressed in riding clothes stepped forward to add, “I was watching her, but I had to, uh, make a trip out to the port-a-potties.”

  “And you are?” Doc asked, trying not to let his irritation over being dragged away from Nancy and his concern over the injured horse make him sound too mean.

  “Sam.” The man held out his hand. “Sam Tremaine. I’m riding for Jesse and Valerie.”

  Doc quickly shook the jockey’s hand, then continued on to where the horse was still huffing and dancing gingerly around her makeshift stall. “Whoa, there. Easy girl.”

  Doc smoothed his hand along the horse’s back, uttering a few soft words of encouragement to her. He’d treated Roxie before, out on the Savoy ranch, so he knew that her behavior was anything but normal. It didn’t take much to figure out what was wrong. Roxie was heavily favoring her back left foot.

  As carefully as he could, conscious of the danger of being kicked by a horse in pain, Doc crouched to take a look at her hoof. It took some doing and a bit of muscle to get Roxie to trust him and lift her foot. Lucky for them both, it only took a glance to see what was wrong.