Chapter 1
ONE
TULLY
Present Day
“Concealer. You’re going to need a lot of it today,” I say into the mirror.
The woman looking back at me is tired. No, she’s not tired, she’s exhausted.
I’m the low man on the totem pole when it comes to working for Herbert Veterinary Clinic.
Add in the fact Arrowleaf is a small town, I’m the new girl in town, and, well, some of the old-time ranchers do not like fresh meat.
I’ve smiled through it all, kept as much banter up as I could, and still, I’ve had to prove to them I can do my job.
One of the farms I was at yesterday nearly had me crying uncle.
The farmer, Mr. Boyd didn’t believe me when I said one of his heifers wasn’t pregnant and never could become pregnant either.
He took his hat off, beat it along the length of his thigh, went on a tangent, and then proceeded to call the clinic.
There was nothing I could do to convince him otherwise.
Luckily, another farmer was around besides the owners I asked a few questions, one being if she was a twin.
When the answer was yes, I asked if a bull was the other part of the twin.
Two and two equals four. The lightbulb went off in the ranch hand’s head—a freemartin cow.
Twins must have run in the bloodline, and the rancher had the luck of the draw.
This being one of them, the heifer would never be able to reproduce.
She was improperly developed in the reproductive system, which sucked.
I hated delivering the news. I also hated how he treated me.
The owner of the ranch called the clinic, asked for someone else to come out, and I was stuck staying there.
That’s how I met the Boyd’s. What a rotten luck kind of day I had.
Talk about awkward. All I could do was clean up, document, and wait.
Thankfully, the other vet didn’t take forever.
He nodded his head with a grimace at me.
David Mathers has a few more years of experience under his belt.
I watched as he did the same thing I did while I worried my bottom lip with my teeth that I may have made a mistake, then breathed a sigh of relief when he delivered the same news.
Yesterday was a doozy for sure , and I’m hoping today will be much better.
Though I highly doubt it. Did I mention I’m fresh blood, which also means I’m on call for the middle-of-the-night calls?
You guessed it. I no sooner got into bed last night than my phone was going off.
Luckily, this patient and owner were much easier to deal with.
Colic in a horse is always scary, but we caught it in time, and a couple of hours later, I was back home.
Still, interrupted sleep isn’t fun, especially when you have to be back at the clinic at eight o’clock in the morning.
I finish putting on my concealer under my eyes before adding foundation to my cheeks, forehead, and nose.
I go through the motions of blending it all together before adding a setting powder.
A few swipes of mascara on my eyelashes, and I call it a day.
I’ve still got to make a cup of coffee, scarf down some yogurt and strawberries, grab a protein bar, and shove my feet into shoes.
The easiest part of my day is getting dressed.
My choices are black or blue scrubs, never mixed.
Today I’m choosing black, allowing myself to have a moment of pity. Okay, fine, a day of pity.
“One more day, Tallulah Alexandria Jennings. You can do this. You can get through this day, come home, take a hot-as-hell bath, open a bottle of wine, and maybe persuade Dean to come over.” I look at myself again.
My makeup does absolutely nothing to hide the fact that I am well and truly run ragged.
The dark circles are still noticeable, my skin is screaming for a drink that isn’t doused in caffeine, you know, the water variety, and I’m noticing my clothes are fitting looser even in scrubs.
I really need to work on making sure I don’t miss any more meals or living on protein bars.
My pep talk will have to do. It’s time to get this show on the road.
I haphazardly throw my makeup in the drawer, wash my hands, and then head out of the bathroom, making sure the light is off.
Ellie does not allow me to pay nearly enough rent on the greenhouse, a fact we’ve talked about multiple times, but she won’t listen to me.
So, I make sure everything is off—television, lights, not so much as leaving the faucet running.
I’m on a well, so I do what I can to conserve anything, electricity-wise.
Now that the house is silent and only lit up by the rising sun, I head to the kitchen, nabbing my phone off the sofa table.
“Fuck.” I look down at my phone and find three missed calls from my mom as well as two texts.
Mom: Don’t worry. Call on your way to work. I kept hitting the same button over and over. I swear this new phone hates me.
A laugh escapes me, one that was well needed.
Mom runs all of the computer and networking at the clinic back home.
Her phone, though, that’s a whole other story.
I don’t bother replying. I’ll be on the phone within a few minutes as it is.
My eyes are on the screen as I walk into the kitchen.
I stop in my tracks when I see Dean’s name.
Dean: Good morning, sunshine. Are you on call tonight?
Are we keeping this under wraps? Yes.
Is it my idea? Yes.
Am I also giddy and trying to stop myself from jumping up and down? Yes.
Me: Good morning. I’m not, thankfully.
Dean: Fucking perfect. I’m coming over and cooking dinner.
My insides tingle in delight. Time with Dean is always a good thing, and not only when we’re naked. My stomach flip-flops, dropping to my feet. I want that so bad, but I’m scared to death word will get out. The last thing I need is more ranchers like yesterday. Jesus, take the freaking wheel.
Dean: I can hear you thinking from here. I’ll be discreet. Leave the key under the mat. I’ll drop the food off on my way into town and then walk over later tonight.
He puts my mind at ease, except I know one day, it won’t be enough. Dean will want more, and I’m going to have to face facts before I’m well and truly ready.
Me: I don’t deserve you, but I’m going to keep you anyways.
Dean: Ditto, sunshine, ditto.
Guilt eats at my gut, and I’d stand here and work through me being a shitty human being if it weren’t for the fact that I have to get this show on the road. I’ll deal with my conscience later. Right now, I’ve got shit to do.