Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
S tark tossed his gym bag over his shoulder before leaving the locker room. His muscles ached, and he was starving, but he didn’t regret staying late to get in a workout. Between looking after Molly last week and his work schedule this week, his daily workout had become a thing of the past, and he missed it.
He cracked his neck and checked his phone as he walked out into the main section of the gym. He really needed to… he stopped at the sound of the soft, rhythmic grunting, his gaze swiveling to the lat pulldown machine.
Rayna, wearing just a sports bra and leggings, sat at the machine, making those soft grunts every time she pulled the metal bar down. He stood completely still, barely breathing, as he watched her back muscles flex and contract. Her arms were tight with hard muscles, and her skin had a slight sheen. He studied her waist and the subtle curve of her hips, his cock stiffening against the sweatpants he hadn’t bothered to change out of.
She had the exact body type he loved - lean, toned, and athletic. It was obvious that she was a gym rat just like him, and fuck did it turn him on to see her using the gym equipment. God, he really was desperate to get laid if that’s what qualified as a turn-on for him now.
Still, he continued to watch her without shame as she finished off her reps before standing and carefully wiping the machine with a towel. He adjusted his cock, hoping his semi wasn’t noticeable as Rayna turned toward him.
She let out a small screech and staggered back, raising the towel in her hand like a weapon. “Holy shit! What are you doing here?”
“It’s my gym, Ms. Abrams.”
Her flushed face turned a little redder. “I meant… what are you doing here now? Hollis said you work out in the mornings.”
“Sometimes I switch it up,” he said.
“No, you don’t,” she said, wiping her face with the towel. “Hollis was very clear that you only use the gym in the mornings.”
“Is that why you’re here now? So you don’t have to be here when I am?” He sounded more than a little offended.
She looked away. “No, of course not.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Ms. Abrams.”
“I know.”
There was a beat of silence before she said, “Okay, well, it looks like you were leaving, so, uh, have a good night.”
“Are you enjoying the gym?” he asked.
She nodded. “I am, thank you. The equipment is the best I’ve ever used.”
More silence as he tried to think of something else to say, something that would continue to convince her he was a nice guy. He wanted to start building in the spring, and if he wanted her property before then, he needed to up his ‘nice guy’ game.
She was giving him a ‘what the fuck’ look, and he couldn’t blame her, but he still couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. Who the fuck knew it would be so difficult to be nice?
“Ms. Abrams, are you -”
Thank Christ, he was interrupted by the shrill ring of her phone.
“Excuse me,” she said and grabbed her phone out of the hoodie draped over her bag.
“Rayna speaking,” she said. “Hey, Sheriff, how are you?”
She listened quietly before sighing. “Of course, he is. How badly is the dog injured? Is Louis agreeing to surrender?”
She listened again. “I can come out there, but are you sure you want me to? You know how Louis feels about me. No, it’s not a problem. I’m not afraid of him. I’m just in town, but I can be there in about fifteen minutes. Sure. See you soon.”
She ended the call and grabbed her hoodie, yanking it on and stuffing her phone into her bag. “I have to go.”
He followed her out the door and into the frigid air. “Who is this Louis guy?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “What?”
“Louis,” he said. “Who is he, and why would the sheriff think you’d be afraid of him?”
She unlocked her car and opened the door. “Just an asshole farmer with too many dogs that he doesn’t take care of properly. He,” she paused, “isn’t my biggest fan and has accused me multiple times of stealing his dogs.”
“Seriously?” he said.
“I haven’t,” she said quickly. “Any of the dogs I’ve taken from his property, he’s willingly surrendered, and I have the paperwork to prove it. But he drinks a lot, and when he’s drunk, he conveniently forgets that he surrendered the dogs and occasionally…”.
“What?” he asked.
“He’s threatened me a few times,” she said.
A weird anxiety rocketed through him. “Then why the fuck is the sheriff asking you to come out there?”
She scowled at him. “Because one of his dogs is badly injured, and Louis has agreed to surrender it to the rescue to get vet care.”
“So, let the sheriff bring the dog to you,” Stark said.
“He has enough on his plate,” she said.
“It’s dangerous for you to go out there.”
“The sheriff will be there,” she said. “Nothing’s going to happen.”
She slid into her SUV, and he immediately jogged to the passenger side and climbed in, tossing his gym bag in the back seat.
“What are you doing?” she said.
“Going with you.” He buckled his seatbelt.
“I don’t need your help,” she said in exasperation. “Get out of my car, Stark.”
“Make me,” he said.
“Oh my God, not this again,” she groaned. She started the vehicle, clicked her seatbelt into place, and gave him a look. “Louis is dumb as a tree stump and mean as a pissed-off alligator. If you say anything that makes him angry, he will not give up the dog. If that happens, I will personally kick your ass, so no matter what he says, don’t take the bait. Are we clear?”
“I’ll be on my best behaviour, Ms. Abrams,” he said, giving her the grin that never failed to charm.
She remained thoroughly not charmed. “Make sure that you are, Stark.”
* * *
“Thanks for driving out here, Rayna.” The sheriff was waiting for them in the front yard of the farmhouse.
“It’s not a problem,” Rayna said.
The sheriff glanced at Stark, and he held out his hand. “Hi. I’m -”
“Isaac Stark. It’s good to meet you officially.”
“You as well,” Stark said.
Sheriff Gideon Walker was a big man with a calm demeanor. He had a reputation for knowing everything that happened in Harmony Falls. Considering that the sheriff’s sister was Stark’s real estate agent, he didn’t doubt that the sheriff knew he and Rayna were fighting over her property. Still, if he found it strange that Stark was with her, it didn’t show on his face.
“The dog is in the smaller barn,” the sheriff said. “Looks like a coyote attack, but the wounds are badly infected.”
“Did you come out here because of the dog, Sheriff?” Stark asked.
Gideon shook his head. “We’re here on another matter, but Lennox saw the dog and convinced Louis to let us call you.”
“Sheriff, I’ve got - oh, hey, Rayna.” Lennox materialized out of the darkness, his nose red from the cold and a thick scarf wrapped around his neck. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Lennox. You?”
“Can’t complain.” He grinned at her. “I have my date with Jasmine on Friday.”
“That’s great,” she said.
“How about you?” he asked. “You set up the date with your big spender yet?”
Rayna glanced at Stark before clearing her throat. “Friday as well.”
“Nice,” Lennox said. “Anyway, thanks for coming out. Louis is in the barn with the dog and is willing to sign the surrender form.”
“Is he drunk?” Rayna asked as the four of them headed across the icy ground toward the barn.
“He’s been drinking,” the sheriff said, “but he isn’t drunk. Not yet.”
They entered the barn, and Lennox led them to a stall near the back. A tall, broad shouldered man with weathered skin and wearing a thick wool coat stood outside the stall, a beer can in one meaty hand.
“Well, if it ain’t the little rescue bitch,” Louis said with a sneer at Rayna.
Stark immediately took Rayna’s hand, pulling her closer to him, but before he could tell the man to shut the fuck up, the sheriff gave Louis a hard look. “Knock it off, Louis, or you’ll spend the night in a jail cell.”
The man’s immediate pout would have put a tired toddler to shame. “What the fuck, Sheriff? You can’t arrest me for calling someone a bitch.”
Gideon just stared at him, and after only a few seconds, Louis looked away. “Whatever. Just take the fucking dog.”
Rayna tried to tug her hand free of Stark’s, giving him a warning look when he didn’t release her. “I need to look at the dog.”
Instead of releasing her hand, he started toward the stall, keeping his body between Rayna’s and Louis’s. They stepped into the stall, and he muttered a curse under his breath, this time letting go of Rayna’s hand when she pulled away.
Rayna crouched next to the bloodhound, studying the massive, pus and maggot-infested wound on its right shoulder. She placed a tentative hand on the dog’s ribs. He whined but didn’t lift his head or make any move to bite her, and she gently scratched around his chin and throat. “It’s okay, good boy. We’ll get you feeling better soon.”
The dog shifted on the ground, and Stark grimaced, covering his mouth and nose with one hand as the smell of rot and infection drifted into the air. He turned to stare at Louis, his body nearly vibrating with anger.
Louis gave him a defensive look. “What the fuck’s your problem?”
“My problem is you letting the dog get to this point,” Stark snarled. “Why the hell -”
Rayna’s hand slipped into his and squeezed so hard, he was pretty sure she cracked a bone. He shut up abruptly and forced himself to look away from the despicable man in front of him, despite his very real urge to grab Louis and slam him into the barn wall until his rage had dissipated.
“You need to sign the surrender form, Louis,” Rayna said, her voice calm and even. She reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper she’d grabbed from a binder in the SUV’s back seat when they arrived at the farm.
Louis’s lip curled. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind about surrendering him. Old Red is one of my best bird dogs.”
“Sign the surrender form, Louis,” the sheriff said, “or I’ll arrest you for animal abuse.”
“The fuck?” Louis sputtered, his hand crushing the beer can he held. “It ain’t my fault he got bit by a coyote.”
“Sign the form,” the sheriff repeated calmly.
“Fine, whatever,” Louis snarled. “This dumb bitch won’t be happy until she takes all of my dogs.”
Stark bit the inside of his cheek until the metallic taste of blood dripped onto his tongue. The fucking piece of shit deserved to have his ass kicked, and he hated that he couldn’t be the one to do it. He took deep breaths as Rayna handed the pen and paper to Louis. He scribbled his name on it and flung them back at her. “Go on. Take the dog and get the fuck off my property.”
Without speaking, Rayna stuffed the paper and pen into her pocket and returned to the dog.
“Here, we’ll carry him,” Lennox said, glancing at Stark. “He’s awfully weak, and I don’t think he can walk with his shoulder like that.”
Moving carefully, Stark and Lennox picked up the dog. Its whines of pain tore at Stark’s chest, and he glanced at Rayna as they carried the dog out of the barn. Her face was pale and grim, and she gently petted the dog’s head once they’d placed him in the back of her SUV on a bed of soft blankets.
She closed the back of the SUV and gave the sheriff a thin smile. “Thanks for calling me, Sheriff.”
“Thank you for taking the dog,” he said. “Let me know if Louis gives you any trouble over it.”
“I will.” Rayna turned to Stark. “Can you drive?”
He nodded and slid behind the wheel as Rayna climbed into the passenger seat. She was already dialing a number on her phone as he drove down the long driveway toward the main road.
As he headed toward town, Rayna put her phone on speaker and grabbed the surrender form. She scanned it as the phone rang. Expecting to hear Nathan’s voice, Stark was surprised when a woman answered.
“Harmony Falls Vet Clinic.”
“Hi, Dr. Felton, it’s Rayna Abrams.”
“Hi, Rayna,” the vet said. “How are you?”
“Doing okay, but I have an injured dog. It looks like a coyote attack, but the wound is badly infected. Any chance you could see him tonight?”
The vet hesitated. “I’m on call this evening, but the rescue’s bill with the clinic is very high, and it’s past due.”
“It is,” Rayna said, “and I apologize for taking so long to pay it.”
“We have an agreement that once the account is a month overdue, we hold off on assisting the rescue until the bill is paid,” Dr. Felton said.
“I know, but I’m hoping you can make an exception this evening. The dog really needs to be seen,” Rayna said.
There was another long silence, and Stark’s stomach clenched when the vet said, “I’m sorry, Rayna. I can’t.”
“I understand,” Rayna said as defeat washed over her face. “Thank you, Dr. Felton, and I promise I’ll have our bill paid off soon.”
She ended the call, and Stark said, “You don’t want to take him to Nathan?”
Rayna rubbed at her forehead. “He’s my preference, actually, but our bill is even higher at Brandt Vet, and I don’t want to take advantage of Nathan’s generosity toward the rescue.”
“I can’t believe this other vet won’t help the dog,” Stark said.
“I understand why she won’t,” Rayna said. “Running a vet clinic is expensive, and she needs to be paid for her services.”
“So, you’ll try another vet?” he asked.
“There are three vet clinics in Harmony Falls,” she said, “and the rescue uses all of them, but PawPrints Vet clinic isn’t on call tonight. The three clinics share the emergency calls so that each clinic has every third month off, and it’s their month.”
She dialed the number anyway, grimacing when the call went straight to voicemail, and a robotic voice advised them to try the Brandt Vet Clinic or Harmony Falls Vet Clinic if their pet was experiencing a medical emergency.
“Call Nathan,” Stark said. “I’ll pay for the dog’s bill.”
“No,” she said sharply. “I don’t need you to pay the bill.”
“You kind of do,” he said.
She glared at him. “No, I don’t. Nathan will treat the dog and allow me to add the cost to the rescue’s bill. I know he will. I just hate to ask him to do it.”
“Then let me pay for the dog’s treatment,” he said.
She shook her head as her phone rang. “No, thank you. The money coming in from the fundraiser will allow me to pay off the vet bills. Especially since your cousin bid so much for -”
She stopped abruptly, giving him a look he couldn’t interpret as the phone stopped ringing, and Nathan’s voice said, “Dr. Henshaw speaking.”
“Hi, Nathan, it’s Rayna,” she said. “I have a badly injured bloodhound from Louis Hapson’s farm that he’s surrendered to the rescue. Looks like a coyote attack, but he’s let the wound get infected. It’s bad, Nathan. Maggot and pus bad.”
“That fucking guy,” Nathan said with genuine anger in his voice. “Christ, I hate him.”
“Me too,” Rayna said. “I hate to ask because I know our bill is high, but -”
“Bring him in,” Nathan said. “I’m still at the clinic, and so is Dr. Yale. She’s working on a blocked cat, but she’s almost finished, and I know she’ll stay to assist if I need help.”
“Thank you, Nathan,” Rayna said. “I appreciate your help.”
She ended the call and leaned back in the seat, rubbing again at her forehead. It was only a little after seven, but she looked exhausted. Stark ignored the niggle of worry in his guts as she said, “Head to your office first. I’ll drop you at your car before I go to the clinic.”
He shook his head. “I’ll go to the clinic with you.”
“You’re not paying the bill,” she said, giving him a stubborn look. “I mean it, Stark.”
He glared at her, but she didn’t back down an inch, and he sighed loudly. “Fine, but I’m still going with you. The sooner we get that dog to the vet, the better.”