20. Connecting Dots
Chapter 20
Connecting Dots
Neve sat dumbstruck. Was Reece her secret benefactor? It made sense, in a way—except for the money part. Did he have the kind of bank balance that would allow him to throw cash at her clinic? Well, he wasn’t really sweating the outlay for the rings, now was he?
Another deposit had arrived in her account only yesterday, and she had puzzled over why Leo would continue bankrolling her when they’d broken it off over that niggling little detail of her marriage to the man currently seated across from her—the one who was so obviously squirming in his seat. Was guilt making him fidget? And—a question that had been eating at her for a while—why would someone like Leo, who didn’t have pets, put money into a vet clinic? He was a highly successful businessman. It wasn’t as if her struggling practice was going to give him any sort of ROI—unless he needed the tax write-off. Furthermore, while Leo was a nice guy, she hadn’t seen any evidence of altruism in the short time she’d known him.
Reece Hunnicutt, though, was one big well of generosity, especially when it came to his time. He gave that away by the bucketfuls, so why not money too, assuming he had it to give?
She narrowed her eyes on him as she leaned in on her forearms. “Spill.”
“No, I’d rather drink my wine than spill it, thank you very much. It’s a decent bottle.” He reached across the table, plucked up the bottle, and emptied it into his glass. “Didn’t mean to finish it off. Want me to open another one?”
She covered her wineglass with her hand. “No, thanks. I’d rather be one hundred percent present. Look what having too much alcohol led to last time.”
He raised his glass to her. “Point taken.”
“You’re evading.”
“No, I’m really not. I’m just thinking of the best way to phrase this so I don’t embarrass you.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You know these walls are really, really thin, right?”
“Y-yes.”
“Well, did you also know you talk in your sleep?”
Her nerves fluttered. “What? I do not!”
“Yeah, you do. I’ve been learning all kinds of interesting things about my roommate and boss.”
Oh. Shit. If he was telling the truth and she really had talked enough in her sleep to give him an idea about her finances, what other secrets had she revealed? Oh, this was not good.
To mask her discomfort, she scoffed. Loudly. “Even if I do talk in my sleep, I can’t imagine I’d have an entire conversation about my bank account.” And please don’t let me have said anything about jumping your very fine bones.
“Well, not an entire conversation. But you definitely hollered out a few phrases that planted the idea in my head. And from what you said, it’s obvious you’re not comfortable with whatever or whoever is behind it.”
“What else did I say?” Assuming he wasn’t making all this up, of course .
He wiggled his eyebrows. “All kinds of interesting things. I had no idea, Doc.”
Her blood fizzed with embarrassment, and her face caught fire. Damn it!
Once more dumbfounded, Neve stared at him, searching his face for any trace of guile. He was the master of blank expressions, and right now he was as blank as a brand-new patient’s folder. Reece wasn’t inherently dishonest, but she’d watched him lie with the best of them, and she couldn’t tell if his regaling her with her nighttime conversations was a fabrication. She could only pray that it was.
Apparently, he was also a mind reader. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
He sat forward, bringing his nose within inches of hers. She tried not to notice the gold threads twining with the deep green in his irises. Or his thick, dark lashes. Or the way those eyes dipped to her mouth.
“Okay,” he breathed, “tell you what.” Straightening his stance, he pulled back. “I didn’t want to do this, but next time you babble during the night, I’ll record it. I was pretty sure you wouldn’t believe me, but I held off because, again, that whole embarrassment thing. Like right now. Your face is almost as red as the wine.”
The blaze in her face roared with his observation and the ensuing half-smirk. He knew her too well.
“Why didn’t you tell your mother you got married?” she blurted in a ridiculous, knee-jerk attempt to change the conversation’s course. She knew the answer. Of course she did. She just wanted to hear it from him because … damn, he was cute when he talked about this mother.
He laced his long, strong fingers behind his head. “You mean aside from the fact that she would have been planning another reception and marking dates on the calendar for the birth of our first five children?”
“Five?” Neve barked. “Seriously?”
“No. Just joking. The real reason is I didn’t want her to know what an irresponsible asswipe I can be. I want her to keep thinking of me as a reasonable adult in full control of his actions at all times. I hate letting my mom down. And if she’d found out that we got married and that we’re not going to stay that way, she’d be crushed.” The corners of his eyes and mouth creased with dismay, and Neve felt the strings of her heart being plucked. Twang! She loved a man who loved his mom, and this powerful guy brimming with masculinity didn’t mind if the world knew it.
Okay, so that change of subject didn’t help one little bit.
“Any other questions?”
“Um, no.” Actually, yes. The big question hung out there unsolved—who was her angel? It could have been Reece, but now she wasn’t so sure. “For the record, I don’t want you recording me if I talk at night.”
“As you wish.” With a wink, he polished off his wine, stood, and picked up their dishes. “I’ll clean. You go pick out a movie. You’ve been battling through a lot lately, and I think you need to take it easy.”
God, that was so … sweet. This man was driving her nuts, making her speed toward turns, only to U-turn, and race in a different direction. She was all over the map, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it. The issue would solve itself in a few weeks when he left, but that presented a whole other problem for her poor, beat-up, confused heart. Vermont was a million miles away, and the thought of a life without seeing Reece every day, whatever form the relationship took, was as bleak as the weather outside. This past week, she had fallen in love with a whole other side to him she’d never seen before. She’d had her doubts about him being underfoot in her clinic, but he had surprised her with how quickly he’d caught on and how efficient he was. He’d even streamlined a few systems for her so they flowed more smoothly—tasks she’d tried to get Lauren to take on but that the girl had somehow never gotten around to.
Besides his office skills, he was a real help to her with the patients. His experience with search and rescue really shone through and made him an excellent assistant, despite his lack of specific veterinary knowledge. When he needed to, he could also turn on the charm and calm the frazzled nerves of any pet’s owner. In fact, Neve was fairly certain a few of said owners had fallen head over heels for him, judging by the number of questions she’d gotten about his “marital status.” Little did they know …
Her heart had already melted from him being around this past week, and the puddle of goo it had become grew even bigger. He was hotness and kindness and thoughtfulness all rolled into one, with a healthy dash of spice and a whole hell of a lot of the masculinity that made men so appealing. As she watched him clear the table and walk away, she let herself indulge in the sight of his square shoulders tapering to his trim waist and lean hips, giving him that wide triangle shape that topped long, strong legs. Not to mention that perfect man butt that his jeans showcased quite nicely, like snug gloves that molded to his ass cheeks. What did thirty-two-year-old Reece’s tush look like compared to the picture she’d carried around in her head since childhood? Her mouth watered without her permission.
Ugh.
Before this past week had turned her life upside down, Neve had congratulated herself on moving on from her one-sided love affair with Reece Hunnicutt. She had been proud of how she’d finally put him in her rearview mirror and how she’d spread her wings and let herself explore a relationship with Leo Cantrell. Okay, so that foray into romance hadn’t panned out. Worse, though, was that she found herself right back at square one, caught in the thick, sticky web of desire for Reece—only now that desire burned brighter, sharpened by his presence twenty-four seven. Would she ever escape this dead end she had occupied for three-quarters of her life?
With a resigned sigh, she stumbled to the living room and began searching for the bloodiest shoot-’em-up she could find. In that moment, she resolved that tomorrow she would give her muddled emotions a workout on the ice. Exhaust her aggressions. And if she accidentally toppled the object of her angst? That might feel pretty damn good.