Grace
Sweating like a pig.
The sentiment wasn’t one typically used by a woman. We perspired with glistening beads creating shimmers across our naked skin.
Not this girl.
My tee shirt was clinging to my body, my bra driving me insane, and I had to constantly stop what I was doing and wipe my face before the sweat pooled in my eyes. It was at least a thousand degrees under the hot sun but thankfully, I’d managed to keep a smile on my face.
I hadn’t realized just how much need there was in Missoula for reasonably priced veterinarian services. Granted, most offices had been gobbled up by nationwide chains, jacking up the costs to twice what they’d been. That’s why my little tent had a line already formed even before I’d opened up shop.
Maybe the upcoming Fourth of July holiday had something to do with the long line. Now, at a little past noon, I could finally grab a bottle of ice water, half of which I guzzled while considering pouring the remainder over my head.
While Ellie May had expressed her displeasure by not eating her breakfast after I’d told her she wasn’t coming with me, I was thankful I’d put my foot down. She would require me to make it up to her later, including taking a swim in the river.
At least I’d yanked my long hair into a ponytail before stepping from the truck. Which meant I probably looked disheveled, a perfect match for a sweaty stink.
“Forty-two people,” Tammy said as she crowded my space. “That’s a record.” My assistant was a recent hire, her enthusiasm pitted against her macabre look with dark hair, black eyeshadow, and all black clothing, but she’d been a magnificent hire.
“Since we’ve only been doing this for four weeks, I can’t call the numbers breaking the trend.”
She laughed, as bubbly as ever. Maybe because even in pitch black clothing, she hadn’t broken into the same clothes-staining sweat. Right now, with the mood I was in from another sleepless night, I wanted to rip her hair out. But that wouldn’t be very polite of me. Besides, it wasn’t her fault the fawn had dropped into my sacred little world.
Or the man.
Shit. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t think about the mysterious, gorgeous, yet stupid man.
Again.
I gritted my teeth as images of the hunk of a man from the night before popped into my mind for the tenth time.
Try one hundredth.
My inner voice never allowed me to get away with anything. Sadly, the inhumane bitch was right. His stunning good looks had caught me completely off guard. For insane reasons, I’d expected some old dude had locked his pup in the truck given the rusted appearance. Why I didn’t mind going full action hero with a local yokel versus a guy who appeared as if he’d stepped out ofBaseball Spring TrainingMagazine was beyond me.
One foot in mouth followed by my entire leg.
Sighing, I finished off the water, hoping the sexy mystery hunk didn’t make a surprise appearance searching for the perfectly ripe tomato.
“Do you mind if I go grab a soda?” Tammy asked.
“Go right ahead. We’re slow.” I loved my job, every bit of helping to save little furry lives. I’d lived and breathed becoming a veterinarian since I could remember dissecting my stuffed animals for the sole purpose of learning their anatomy. Finally, after I destroyed dozens of toys, my parents had started purchasing me software programs and games aimed at enticing kids into the medical profession.
But I’d always felt more connected to animals than people.
I had my reasons and learned late in life.
Which was why every single case of abuse hit me so hard. You might as well take a baseball bat to my face. That’s how painful the situation was in my mind. Even while I tried shaking off the ugly thoughts, which had no place on this beautiful day, a singleshot of high-tension, pure adrenaline-boosting, core-igniting electricity rushed into my system. Being breathless had nothing on the mainline feed of my bloodstream.
“Are you okay?” The question sounded ghostly, forcing me to blink to try to focus on any of the millions of synapses in my brain.
“Um. Fine. Peachy keen.”
“Maybe you need to stay out of the sun for a little while. You’re flushed.”
I touched my face, sensing an overload to my bloodstream. “I’m perfectly fine and we only have an hour left. Go.”
Tammy’s face lit up and I sensed her sudden thirst had more to do with the blond rodeo star who’d been stalking our booth all morning.
