Saranya Chapter 14 #2
My week had barely begun, and the demand for my services was high.
I was finding that I had more and more patients.
Word of mouth had people from other towns calling me up to help out with their various animals.
At the office, I had a receptionist and two veterinary technicians who assisted me, but it was becoming too much for just one veterinarian to handle.
On Monday, I told them about the chance I had to move the business and build a clinic to my exact specifications.
All three of them insisted I had to do it.
They didn’t mind the idea of the drive. They already drove a fair distance to work for me as it was, and they were technically slightly closer to St. Augustine anyway.
What fazed them was finding out I had a boyfriend, it was serious, and I was moving in with him.
The biggest shock was discovering he was a biker.
They hit me with a ton of questions. Some I could answer, others I had no idea about.
It was that which had Cowboy stopping by at lunchtime today to meet them and answer some of those questions I hadn’t been able to.
I told him about it Monday night when I got home.
It was his idea to do it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about the meeting.
I wanted those I worked closely with to like him and support my decision.
But if they didn’t, I wouldn’t change my mind about him or the way I felt.
My receptionist and one of the techs were female.
They were Olivia and Maggie. My male tech was Owen.
Maggie had been with me since I went out on my own.
Owen started a year after her, and Olivia had been with me eighteen months.
Working for me was her first and only job.
We were like a family. Maggie was a single mom in her mid-thirties, raising her young teenage son and daughter alone.
Olivia was early twenties and had a boyfriend.
Owen was the same age as Cowboy and single.
He was still having fun with the ladies.
In case Cowboy got caught up at work, I didn’t tell my people he was stopping by. However, I reminded them it was Pizza Wednesday. Every Wednesday, whether I was there for lunch or not, I had a standing order brought in. Today, I added another pizza. I knew how my man ate.
In between seeing patients, whether in the clinic or out at a ranch or farm for the large animals, I thought over the logistics of packing up my rental and moving my possessions to Cowboy’s.
I hadn’t told my parents yet that I was moving.
I knew they might find it too soon, though they liked him.
When I spoke to them on the phone last night, they asked about him, and he ended up joining the call with the four of us for a chat.
The night before, I called War to update him on how things were with Cowboy and me.
My parents had told him about the dinner.
Although he cautioned me to be careful, he didn’t shoot down my decision to move.
He was stoked by the idea of me having my own clinic.
I had to swear him to secrecy for a little bit on both of them.
He promised he wouldn’t tell Mom and Dad.
Cowboy had worn me down, and I was on the brink of agreeing to build at the compound. He had insisted they should get started soon, and it might be a good idea to get Dad’s input on setting up the clinic. I wanted my dad’s help, if only to make sure I didn’t overlook anything.
The vibrating rumble of an engine brought my head up from my charting.
I smiled. I recognized that sound. It was my man on his bike.
I envied him for getting to ride it to work most days.
He wanted me to ride with him, but since I was going out to treat patients so much, I had to drive my work truck.
What I wanted was a sweet setup like Raff had in Vegas.
If I didn’t have to spend my money on the clinic, I might be able to afford one.
It would come in handy for a variety of reasons.
Getting up, I rushed out to the front. Glancing at my watch, I saw he was right on time. The pizza should arrive any time. When I got to the front desk, Olivia spoke immediately.
“Sari, the food isn’t here yet. I’ll buzz you when it is.”
“I wasn’t looking for the food.”
“Oh, then what can I help you with?”
“Nothing. I’m going outside to…” my words faded away.
The door opened, and in came Cowboy in all his biker slash cowboy glory.
I swear, he looked so handsome and carnal, with that suggestive smirk twisting his lips and that gleam in his eyes that I swore my ovaries released eggs.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he got me pregnant at this moment without touching me.
Crazy thinking, I knew, but he was that hot.
His tight Wranglers, cowboy boots rather than biker boots, a skin-tight black T-shirt paired with his Stetson, and leather cut topped it all off.
I heard Olivia gasp, and looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw her staring at him in awe.
He never slowed down until he was standing before me.
Then, he reached out, pulled me into his arms, and laid a kiss on me that made my head whirl.
He kissed me as if he hadn’t seen me in days.
When he let go, I’d lost track of time, but it had been long enough that my other two employees had joined us.
The three of them were huddled together, staring and whispering.
Thank God there were no customers in there at the moment.
My cheeks flushed. I moved so I was standing beside Cowboy, with my arm tucked over his.
“Sorry for that, but I can’t go this long without seeing her and not get a kiss. Hello, I’m Cowboy,” he introduced himself. His tone was friendly.
“This is your boyfriend?” Owen asked.
“H-how long has it been since you saw her?” Maggie asked. Olivia remained mute.
I took charge. “Yes, he’s my boyfriend.” Cowboy’s throat clearing reminded me to rephrase it. “I mean, he’s my old man, I’m his old lady. He’s a member of the Horsemen of Wrath MC in St. Augustine.”
“And it’s been about five hours since we saw each other,” Cowboy added.
“Five hours? My boyfriend never kisses me like that, even if it’s been a week,” Olivia muttered.
“How long have the two of you been seeing each other? You never told us that the other day,” Owen asked, suspiciously.
“We haven’t known each other long. Since my trip to Las Vegas,” I answered.
“But it feels like she and I have known each other for ages,” Cowboy added.
“Let me guess. Owen, you’re easy to guess. As for you ladies, you’re Olivia, and you’re Maggie, right? Anya told me about all of you, so I feel like we’ve already met,” Cowboy said after pointing successfully to each woman.
“That’s correct, hon.”
“Did I make it in time for lunch? I hope so. I’ve been dreaming about pizza since I got to work.” Cowboy exclaimed, rubbing his stomach.
“Yes, it hasn’t arrived yet, but it should be coming any minute,” Maggie told him.
Before any more questions could be asked, which I knew they had, the door opened and Tommy, the delivery guy, rushed in. He was the same one who brought it every week. The only time it wasn’t him was if he was sick or had a day off.
“Hey gang, I’ve got your food,” Tommy said cheerfully.
Owen and Cowboy reached for the boxes simultaneously. The delivery guy gave it to Owen after casting a wary look at my biker. I held out his tip. He took it, then nodded at me.
“Thanks as always, Dr. Coleman. You all enjoy. See you next week.”
“You’re welcome, see you next time, Tommy,” I replied. He gave one last wary look at Cowboy before rushing out.
“Let me lock the door, then we can go to the kitchen and eat,” I told my shadow.
As expected, he went with me, and then we were off to the break room. The food and my three gossips had already left. The two of us walking into the breakroom halted their whispering. Maybe I should’ve warned them so that I could’ve asked their questions ahead of time.
There was basic chatter as the paper plates, napkins, and cups were gathered, and the soda kept in the communal fridge was put out.
The box lids opened to reveal a large pizza with extra cheese, mushrooms, green peppers, bacon, and pepperoni.
There were two large meat-lover pizzas. To top it off, there was a large order of garlic knots.
“Okay, you did not say you ate mushrooms and green peppers on your pizza. If you had, I might not have asked you to be my old lady,” Cowboy muttered.
I heard gasps. I glanced up to see him frowning, but I knew he was playing around. “Well, it’s better than being a carnivore. Look at those meat lovers,” I snarked back.
“Don’t knock my meat lovers. Real men eat their pizza this way, don’t they, Owen? We don’t need those pansy-ass veggies on ours.” He curled up his lip.
I worked not to bust out laughing. Cowboy was so convincing, and I knew what he was doing.
“If that’s what you think, then I guess we’re no longer dating.” I sniffed.
“Fine. I’ll take my pizza and go,” Cowboy snapped back, then whisked the box off the table and headed for the door. The silence was deafening after he left the room. My staff stared at me in shock and concern.
Suddenly, Cowboy’s head popped around the corner. He was grinning. “Did we break the ice, or should we try again?”
That’s when I lost the battle and laughed. Catching on, the others slowly joined in while Cowboy came back, put down the pizza, then wrapped his arm around me. When everyone quieted, he explained.
“I can tell we stunned you. I’m sure you never imagined her with a biker in a million years. I don’t know if you know much about motorcycle clubs or not, so why don’t we get to know each other over lunch, and I’ll give you a tutorial.”