Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
ADDY
N o means no. Like, it literally should. And to every single other person on this planet, it most likely does. Only not to Adam Hervey. Respect has never been something he is big on with women. I should know, after three years of whatever it was I had with him. It definitely wasn’t as a girlfriend or partner.
I have had more respect and felt more wanted in the few weeks I have spent with Hudson than the entire three years I spent with Adam. And it crushes me to think I wasted three good years on that asshole. And yet here I am, telling him for the umpteenth time that under no circumstances is he to come visit. Ugh, like we are friends or whatever. I stare at yet another text. Different words, same questions. All crafted by the manipulator extraordinaire.
I tap his name and scroll down, hitting the block button before tossing the phone back into my bag under my desk. There once was a time that I would feel bad for doing that to Adam. I’d tell myself he needed me or some other bullshit that I used to justify not seeing him for what he really was. A womanizing, cheating prick.
Now, I no longer suffer from such compunctions. I’m sure Hudson has had some sway with that. Not because he’s a fine-ass cowboy who gets my panties wet in a heartbeat, but because his grounded and quiet ways let me know where I stand and how much he cares. The epitome of a gentleman. Albeit a grumpy one...
I flip the chart in front of me over and glance up at the tabby who is currently hissing at me. Horses and dogs, I have a kindred spirit with. Cats, not so much...
“So, how many Rawlins boys did you have to sleep with to weasel your way back onto the equine roster, Howard?”
Turning back, pulled between shock and disgust, I find Justin’s scowl-lined face. What the hell? “I beg your pardon?”
I drop the clipboard to my side and tilt my head as my anger flares, sending fire through my veins.
“You heard me. You’re back on the equine roster, permanently. Must have been a hell of a favor you did him or them. Who knows with you city girls.”
I ignore my heart flinging against my ribs and step toward him. He sinks on the desk, one leg bent over the edge as he leans back on the wall.
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? This may be a small town, Justin, but you don’t go around shooting your mouth off to employees about your business partners.”
His brows furrow for a second before he pulls a red apple from his pocket and bites into it. He chews for a while before swallowing. “It was Hudson, wasn’t it?”
I have never wanted to smash someone’s face with my knuckles as much as I do now. I stalk to where he still sits with a ridiculous smirk plastered over his face. “Watch your mouth. Or next time I’ll either let Sally hear your little rant or I will shut it for you.”
“I’d like to see you try, Howard.” He drops his gaze to my chest. He must be bitter about co-owning the practice. Does he want one hundred percent ownership?
Who knows, but he picked the wrong employee to take out his frustrations on.
“Maybe I will,” I say lightly.
“Oh yeah, what you gonna do for me?” He stands up and stands over me, so close his breath hits my face.
“Oh, I don’t know, perhaps I’ll stab you with propofol and then wire your jaw shut. Creep.”
I shove past him and make my way back out to Sally and the full waiting room. Right now, that’s the only place I feel safe. From now on, whenever he is around, I am going to have Sally with me and press record on my phone. When I slide into the empty chair behind the front reception desk beside Sally, my hands are shaking.
“Oh, honey, are you okay?”
I shake my head no.
“I heard what he said, love. Did you want me to call someone? The police?”
“It’s fine. Do I have any other appointments for today?”
“No, nothing until tomorrow. Then you have three equine visits. You’ll be out all day. You want me to blank out the rest of today so you can leave?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll grab the mace from my bag.”
She gives me a sympathetic frown before forcing a smile. I push up from the desk and make my way back to my treatment room. Not actually having any mace in my bag, I bypass the staff room and grab up some charts. I have three more patients to check up on before I can leave.
And I don’t want him to think he’s won. If he lays a hand on me, I will break his fucking nose. Miss Congeniality was my all-time favorite movie growing up. Justin might get a singing lesson yet...
I chuckle to myself and walk to the back where the little overnight and short-stay ward is.
I am greeted by soft barks and meows. I do a set of vitals on Oscar, a German shepherd, before moving onto Squiggles, a ginger cat. He growls at me. “Calm down, buddy. Only here to make sure you’re okay.” When he relaxes a little, I pull him from his cage and pop him on the small metal table in the center of the ward. I need to check his stitches.
I run a hand under his belly, and he hunches up, growling low and steady at me. “Alright, almost done.” I lean down and lift his closest leg. His stitches are fine, the surrounding skin only a little pink. No slough or infection present. Excellent. I take him back to his cage and head to my last patient.
Rosie, a dalmatian who by anyone’s count should be long gone. She’s old. Almost eighteen years old, and for a big dog, that’s a long life. But her owners adore her, and she passed the kidney stone last night. I check her temperature and other vitals before checking her chart for urine count and records. As good as we can hope for this spotted geriatric. No more blood or ketones. So I give her a pat, and she wobbles on her feet to lick my hand. Such a sweet girl.
I return the charts to their home and grab my handbag. My phone lights up with a text. Ruby.
Okay, so don’t kill me, but I’m kind of at your house. xx
OMG! Your timing is perfect, I really need someone to talk to today. Be home in an hour.
Yay!! See you then.
I clean my treatment room as fast as my routine allows and head out. I don’t bother saying goodbye to Justin. He can go and screw himself as far as I’m concerned. I have no idea how Sally has worked here for so long with that twat. I close the door and head to the waiting room. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sally.” I wave and make my way to the front door.
“Oh honey, is everything alright?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Did you want to take your kits for tomorrow with you?” She waves to the storeroom behind her.
Excellent idea, then I don’t need to deal with Justin first thing tomorrow. I walk back and collect two kits—one with supplies, the other with equipment.
Sally leans on the doorframe. “I’ll forward your appointments and their addresses?”
“You’re a lifesaver, Sally. Yes, please.”
“Done and done, my love. You have a good night, hon.”
She gives me a mischievous smile as I back into the glass doors to open them with my ass. She laughs and shakes her head. Outside, the warm breeze tangles in the stray strands of my hair as I load the kits and my bag into the car. I head home, desperate to see Rubes. It has been far too long.
The first thing I find when I round the street corner toward my house is the long, lean legs of Ruby Robbins. Her tan pantsuit is finished with red heels, and her perfect straight blonde hair sits over one shoulder as she taps furiously on her phone. She may be out of the city, but her work never stops. Nor does her wardrobe.
Fully engrossed in whatever is going down on her phone, she doesn’t notice the car pull up, or the door slam. She looks up when my feet appear beneath her phone, almost between hers. With a gasp, she leaps up, wrapping me in a hug. I drop my bag and squeeze her back. As my best friend for the last ten years, she is practically my sister.
“Damn, have I missed you girl,” she groans.
“You have no idea. Please tell me you’re staying the weekend?”
“Of course, as long as you need me. My office is right here.” She waves her phone in my face, and I step around her and unlock the door. We file inside, and I give her the tour. She spins around in the huge living room and holds her arms out. “Wow, Adds, all this for one girl. Geez, I should have been a vet.” She laughs.
“Ha! You would be fine until there was blood or poop, Rubes.”
“Ugh, you can keep it. I’ll visit lots and soak up the country living and wide-open spaces.”
“Speaking of wide-open spaces, I have visits tomorrow for some of my equine clients and then I’m off to Rosewood Ranch for another riding lesson.”
“Oh, yes, how is that going? Come here and tell me.” She flops on the couch and pats the seat beside her. I roll my eyes at her, but it’s playful. I can’t wait to hash this out with her. Hudson, the ride along with the roundup, Adam, and now the shithead boss I can’t stand. So, I curl up on the sofa beside her and lean back before turning to face her.
“Wow, that bad, hey?” She studies my face, her body mirroring mine.
“Hudson and the coaching are going well. Better than I expected. Work is okay, but my boss is a douche. Absolute asshat. But what has me the most stressed is Adam. He keeps calling and texting, even though I told him to stop. We are not happening anymore. We’re done.”
“Fuck.”
“Have you seen him around? He needs to move on. What’s going on with him?”
She chews her bottom lip, much the same as I do. “Yeah, I saw him last week. He was freaking out that you up and left. I told him you can go wherever you want. And then... ”
“What? And then what?”
“He kind of got weird. Saying things like you belong together and if you don’t come back after the end of your contract, he’s coming to take you back to the city. I tried to tell him that’s not okay, and not happening. But he stormed off. I’m sorry, Adds, I think I kind of made it worse.”
“How?”
“Told him you and the cowboy were a thing...” Her face is pure cringe, as if that was the biggest lie on the planet.
“I don’t know what Hudson and I are, honestly. If I let my heart decide, I would stay here and have his babies. But I know myself better than that. I need to be busy, and have goals and work, you know. Hudson, he’s like?—”
Her mouth gapes and her eyes widen with delight. “Hold on, this calls for wine!”
Ruby jumps up and runs to the fridge, pulling a bottle of white from the freezer at the top. She knows everything about me, even where I keep the wine I don’t share with anyone else but her. Glasses clink and the wine glugs. She drops onto the sofa a moment later with two glasses, handing me one. She kicks off her heels and sweeps her blonde hair to one side of her neck.
“Thanks, Rubes.”
“Okay, don’t leave out a single thing.”
And I tell her everything, from that first moment in Louisa’s kitchen when I met Hudson and his family, to our camping trip. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops further and further with every detail. When I finally finish, she stares at me for a heartbeat.
The look on her face is pure cheek. Her hand rests over her heart like a shocked Beverly Hills housewife. “Oh my god, Adds. I can’t believe you got back on a horse!”
I smack her arm. “Yeah, that’s the most important part, Rubes.”
She loses it. After a bout of stomach-clutching laughter, she recovers and grabs my shoulders, leaning in. “I cannot wait to meet him, Adds.”
The love and excitement in her eyes send a prickle to the bridge of my nose and my heart into a frenzy, promptly flipping my stomach.
Ruby’s head swings from side to side like a kid in a toy store who has never seen one before. The Montana countryside is breathtaking. And I was just as captivated on my first drive out to Rosewood Ranch. Her brown eyes are saucers, taking in the mountains, the fields, the horses, and homestead as we pass.
“You’re going to hurt your neck, babe.”
“I can’t believe how amazing this place is.”
“You have no idea. Wait ’til you see the ranch. Some of the places Hudson has taken me. So stunning.”
“How have you been living here and not sent me pics? Rude, Adds. Just rude.”
I turn off the road and we roll underneath the Rosewood Ranch sign. Ruby is like a kid in a candy shop. It’s adorable. When we finally pull up beside the white homestead gate, I hop out and open her door. Hanging around Huddy for weeks has his thoughtful ways rubbing off on me. Ruby steps out. Her capri-length jeans and boat-necked, ribbed white-and-navy striped shirt are vastly out of place. But she is beaming. And she grabs my arm with a gasp when Hudson trots over to the car on Rocket, bringing with him a saddled-up Sergeant.
“Oh wow, you must be Hudson!” Ruby grins, waving a hand.
He tips his hat, giving me a happy but somewhat confused glance.
“Hudson Rawlins, this is Ruby Robbins, my best friend.”
“Hey, Ruby, it’s a pleasure to meet you. This is Rocket, and this here is Addy’s current loaner, Sergeant.”
“Hello boys,” Ruby gushes.
“Why is he all saddled up and looking like he is about to head some place wide and open?”
“’Cause he is, Howard. Sorry, Ruby, I didn’t realize you were coming, otherwise I would ha?—”
“Addy! How’s it going?” Reed swings an arm over my shoulder and tips his hat to Ruby. When his brows shoot up and his mouth gapes, he removes his arm from me and shoves his hands into his back pockets. Okay . . . Her face slackens and she raises an eyebrow. Reed clears his throat and holds out a hand to Rubes.
“Ah, Reed Rawlins. You must be Addy’s friend from the Big Apple?”
“Ruby. Nice to meet you.”
He takes her in, with a breathy huff, as if not believing what he’s seeing. “If these two are off into the sunset, I can give you a tour of the Montana mountains. If you’d like.”
“Um, is that okay with you guys?” Ruby asks, eyes widening in my direction, a cheeky smile on her pretty lips.
“Sure; apparently, I have plans.”
Hudson chuckles and adjusts his hold on the reins.
“Huddo, I’ll be taking your truck,” Reed says, ushering Rubes toward the barn.
“Smooth, Rawlins. You two are hilarious, really.” I laugh.
Hudson’s gorgeous mouth splits with the happiest grin. God, who could deny that face. I walk to Rocket’s shoulder and look up at him. “Well, then, hand over my boy.”
He drops the reins into my waiting hands, and I swing into the saddle. “So you know, I’m still not confident with big spaces.”
“I’ll be right next to you. Soon you’ll be begging to lope off into the sunset by yourself.”
I screw up my face and poke out my tongue. But my gut is a tangle of knots. And not because I’m on a horse. Every time we’re this close, I feel overwhelmed, but in the best way possible. Like when I step into Hudson’s space, I can finally breathe. And for the first time in my life, I feel valued by a man. Worthy, and something like treasured.
“Let’s go, Huddy, before I lose my nerve.”
He pulls the reins to the side and Rocket walks on toward the northern laneway. I follow and move to the sway of Sergeant’s sure and steady gait beneath me. I push him forward with my seat until I’m beside Hudson. “Where are you taking me, Rawlins?”
“Somewhere fun. It’s the last week of the warmer weather before the cold starts to descend on us. Gotta make the most of it.”
“Oh okay, I guess I’ll have to trust you, then.”
“Yup.” He pops the p and stares ahead, all cheek. The light green t-shirt he’s wearing moves over his arms that jostle with Rocket’s movements. His Stetson firmly planted on his head, Wranglers, and boots, he makes for one ridiculously smoking-hot cowboy. “Enjoying the view, Howard?”
I chuckle, but heat flushes my neck and face. “Always.”
“Ready to pick up the pace?”
“Sure, but not too much. Maybe a slow lope?”
“Sure.” He squeezes Rocket forward, and they lope down the lane. It’s now or never, Addy. I do the same, and after the initial usual butterflies and heady feeling that have been with me in past lessons, I relax. Focusing on Hudson, I catch up, and I can’t help the smile that grows on my face.
God, I missed this.
After a twenty-minute ride, we come to a river. Tree-lined banks flank the half-full bending waterway, its waterline just over the halfway mark. It’s clear and steady. And so gorgeous. What a spot.
Hudson dismounts and hangs the reins over a low-lying branch. Before I can move from the saddle, he’s beside Sergeant, holding his hands up to me.
“I can get down myself, you know.”
“Any excuse to feel you up, Howard.”
I scoff and swing my leg over the pommel, shaking my other foot free of the stirrup. My hips give a subtle twang with the movement. Hudson’s hands rest on my hips, and he dips his head. “Addy?—”
“Uh-huh?”
“I—”
Hudson’s truck roars toward us. Ruby is hanging on to the top of the window frame. Reed has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face, like he’s busted something.
Hudson sighs. “Just great.”
Reed parks the truck a few trees down and rounds the vehicle to open Ruby’s door. Her face lights up as she watches him, his biceps flexing to shut the door before he crooks an arm, and she slides hers through. They wander to where I am still sitting on the horse.
“You okay, Addy?” Reed says, the grin slipping from his face.
“Yeah, a little achy.”
Hudson looks up, brows dropping, head tilting. I force a smile, something like a sorry I didn’t say anything , and he mutters something I don’t hear.
“Get her down, Huddo. She should stretch or something.” Reed stops at Sergeant’s head, and Ruby rubs the gelding’s face.
“You ready?” Hudson asks.
I nod and he lifts me from the saddle. I slide down his chest until my feet hit the ground. Heat pools in my belly, fire scattering through my veins at the contact.
“Better?” Hudson whispers.
“Thank you.”
He looks like he wants to fold me into his arms, but he hesitates and lets me go.
“Nothing a good skinny dip won’t fix, Addy,” Reed quips.
Ruby tracks her gaze between Hudson and me. “We should leave them be. Come on, show me your mountains. I’m dying to see them, since Adds hasn’t shut up about them the whole time I’ve been here.”
“Really?” Reed’s eyes widen.
I roll mine at him and he escorts Rubes back to the truck. Those two are getting on like a house on fire.
When they pull away and drive back the way they came, Hudson closes in on me.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your hips?” His face is pinched with worry.
“It’s no big deal. And I can handle it, Huddy.”
He shakes his head, and now he folds me into his chest. “Please tell me these things, Addy.”
I nod against the muscles of his toned shoulder, and he dots a kiss to my hair. When I think he isn’t going to let me go, I wriggle, and he unfolds with a sly smile. “Last one in’s a rotten egg, Howard!”
He flies toward the river, ripping off his shirt and hat. His boots go next, then his pants, until only his boxers remain. God, the sight of him has my core liquid. I peel off my top and jump around, pulling off my boots. My jeans hit the grass before I leap into the water after him. And when he comes up for air and sweeps his hair back out of his face, I swear my heart craps out.