Chapter 4
Archer
By the time I pulled up to the curb at the vet clinic, occasional light whimpers interrupted Marlowe’s panting. It was still early in the morning, so I hoped the place wouldn’t be too busy yet and they could see him right away. Knowing he was in pain made me feel helpless—a feeling I did not enjoy.
After quickly turning off the engine, I pocketed the keys and pulled Marlowe into my arms to start up the sidewalk. As I did, Ms. Keystone turned into the parking lot, her old Buick squealing. I’d barely looked away when there was a loud thunk followed by a rubbing sound.
I turned back just in time to see the back tire drop off the curb she’d clearly driven over. Unfazed, the woman drove on, swinging wide into a parking spot and ending slightly off-kilter between the white lines.
The second the car was stationary, a small white head popped up in the window, paws on the glass. That would be Cupid, Ms. Keystone’s sidekick. The second he saw me and Marlowe, he started barking like his tail was on fire, but he wasn’t one-quarter the size of my Aussie.
Growing up in Winterbury meant knowing everyone—and their dog—even if I did prefer keeping to myself out on the farm.
And I also knew that I needed to get inside the clinic first because if Cupid got seen before Marlowe, I’d be at the mercy of a woman who liked to tell stories about when she was a ballerina in New York City.
Thing was, Ms. Keystone was never a ballerina in NYC. At least outside of her imagination. Come to think of it, she probably shouldn’t be driving…
My footsteps quickened as I watched her slam the car door and hoist Cupid and his underbite into her arms.
Juggling Marlowe, I let myself inside, calling out before the door closed all the way. “Hello.”
Why the hell wasn’t anyone at the counter? Why was the place empty? It was early but not that early. Impatient, I went to the bell on the counter and tapped on it. Three times.
A bang followed by a low groan echoed from somewhere in the back.
So someone is back there. Why didn’t they answer right away? I had an injured dog!
“Hello,” I called again but was too impatient to stand around and wait. Ms. Keystone would be here any minute. Pulling from the counter, I started toward the open archway that led into the back.
“Coming!” someone called, but I was already in motion.
We collided seconds later, our bodies smacking together and bouncing back. Marlowe jolted and bucked, nearly leaping out of my arms. Scrambling back, my boots scuffed the floor while I tried to keep from dropping him.
“Easy,” I assured him, regaining our balance. “It’s okay.”
Marlowe whimpered again, and I ran my hand over his soft fur to soothe him.
A low grunt from the floor had me cursing under my breath, and I shifted Marlowe’s weight to reach down to help the older man to his feet. A jolt of something moved through me the second our hands clasped, but I brushed it off instantly, too worried I’d hurt him.
“So sorry, Dr. Thomas. Are you okay?” I asked, pulling him easily to his feet. After falling like that, I expected him to need more help.
Again, that something in the atmosphere made me pause, and I fully focused on the doctor. The second our eyes collided, recognition shot through me like an emergency flare in a dim sky.
“You.” An accusation. Perhaps a snarl. Definite shock.
The hand still clasped in mine spasmed, and on instinct, my grip tightened, which kept him from pulling free.
We froze, two people in the present as the past held us hostage with an assault of memories and a dueling mixture of friendship and betrayal.
“Archer,” he said, his voice exactly as I remembered it but also… different.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded as my heart tried valiantly to regulate its beating.
He bristled instantly, the look of superiority he’d mastered years ago pinching his face. A face that had once been so familiar but now was also different.
“This is my father’s clinic,” he retorted, ripping his hand free of mine.
Oh, so haughty. “This is my town.”
“Oh?” His dark brow arched. “I didn’t know you owned it.”
I gritted my teeth. God, he was infuriating. He knew what I meant! “You don’t live here.”
He lifted one shoulder. “I’m visiting.”
“You never come home for Christmas.” My words were a sharp punctuation, bursting the tense bubble sucking all the oxygen out of the room.
With it gone, the words hung in the air, crackling with implication and history we never acknowledged.
Why did I say that? Why? Now it looked like I was keeping track of all the times he didn’t come home. Which was absolutely ridiculous because who had time for that?
Not me. I was busy running a farm.
Toby didn’t acknowledge the words, though. Instead, his eyes whipped around like he was searching for an exit to flee through, something it turned out he was very good at.
Marlowe let out a loud whine.
Toby’s eyes snapped to the dog, the panicked look dissolving instantly to turn his brown eyes the color of freshly whisked hot chocolate. “Oh, who is this?” he asked softly, immediately moving closer to the dog.
A punch of jealousy hollowed out my middle, and for a few endless seconds, I grappled for breath to fill up the sudden pit.
“Aren’t you just beautiful?” He went on as though I wasn’t even there and stroked his fur.
Marlowe’s tail beat against my side, and frankly, it stung with betrayal.
“He hurt his leg,” I said, gruff. “I brought him in to see your father.”
Toby tensed slightly but didn’t change the soft way he treated my dog. “My father is at home this morning. But I can take a look.”
“Can’t you call him?”
Toby straightened. The look in his eye turned snowy. “Not unless you want to deal with my mother. Feel free to drive to the vet in the next town over if you don’t like it.”
My eyes narrowed, and his did the same. We regarded each other stonily, waiting to see which one would look away first.
“Yoo-hoo,” Ms. Keystone called from the front.
“I’ve brought Cupid for his appointment—oh, is that you, Tobias?
” she said, coming around the side of the counter to the doorway where we hovered.
“Well, my goodness. I haven’t seen you in years.
Your mother told me she was trying to convince you to come home for Christmas.
I’m glad to see you made it. Christmas just isn’t the same without our babies. ”
Toby cleared his throat and smiled at the older woman. He never smiled at me.
“Ms. Keystone, it is so nice to see you again. You haven’t aged a day. All that dancing in New York City sure kept you young.”
I made a sound, and he gave me a warning look out of the corner of his eye before turning back to her.
He was just as infuriating as ever. It was just like him to come in here and do whatever he wanted, feed Ms. Keystone’s delusions, and then leave the rest of us to try and bring her back to reality.
“Oh, you remembered,” she said, her blue eyes lighting. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was a Rockette and performed in the rain at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?”
“I don’t think so, but I can’t wait to hear about it.” He lied. He was convincing too. What a kiss-ass. “I’m actually seeing patients instead of my father, so I’ll be looking at sweet Cupid today if that’s okay. I have my license in the back if you would like to see it.”
“I don’t need a piece of paper to trust you with my baby,” she said instantly.
Toby slid a smug look in my direction as the woman went on.
“Your father is so proud of you. We all know what an accomplished vet you are down in Boston. I know my Cupid will be in good hands.” Covering the dog’s oversized ears, she leaned in. “He’s been having some foul gas at home. He’s real embarrassed about it.”
I grunted, and it earned me a death glare.
“Nothing to be embarrassed about at all.” Toby assured her. “Why don’t you have a seat out in the waiting room, and I’ll have Brandy get you all checked in. She walked across the street for a few peppermint mochas. I had no idea Babs upped her coffee game. She’ll be just a minute.”
“Well, with all the tourism Archer here has brought in with the farm, Babs had to keep up. It’s good for business, you know. Reminds me of the early days in New York City.”
Toby slid me a look, and I raised my brows.
She went on. “If I didn’t have to watch my figure for all that dancing, I’d enjoy one of those mocha concoctions too.”
Toby turned back to her. “Your dedication is impressive.”
“It’s all about willpower.” She corrected him and then went on to tell him the best kind of diet for a dancer as he escorted her to a seat in the lobby.
The front door opened, and Brandy, the clinic receptionist, stepped in carrying a drink holder with two red paper cups and a small white paper sack. “I got the eggnog cream puffs!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, Brandy,” Ms. Keystone said. “You’ve got to be careful with those pastries, dear. A minute on your lips is a lifetime on your hips. That’s what I always say.”
“Yes, ma’am, you’re right.” She held up the bag. “These are for Toby. I mean, Dr. Thomas.”
“Toby is fine,” he told her, and she smiled.
“Such a handsome face,” Ms. Keystone said. “But he could use a little meat on his bones.”
Toby cleared his throat. Brandy pointedly looked between me and him.
“Brandy, could you get Cupid checked in, and I’ll get the room ready?”
Brandy handed him one of the red cups and the paper sack. “Of course.”
He turned to go, and I cleared my throat. “What about me?”
He pivoted back around. “I thought you were driving to the next town over.”
“Why on earth would you do that, Archer?” Ms. Keystone wondered. “Tobias here is a fine vet.”
He gave me another of those smug looks that made my teeth grind.
“Well, he is bleeding.” I hedged.
Toby’s face fell, and he crossed quickly. “What’s his name?” he asked quietly.
“Marlowe.”
“Hey Marlowe,” Toby crooned. “What a good boy. How about I look at this?” he said, gently taking his leg so he could examine it.