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Giving her the stink eye, I said, “I knew y’all were up to something. What do you mean your plan backfired?”
“I can answer that one,” Waylynn stated.
She handed me a clean Liberty whom I gladly accepted. I glanced down at the baby and my heart melted once again. I lifted her and took in a deep breath of her smell. There was something about the way babies smelled. It was like a happy pill.
“We had this grand plan to get y’all together and I thought maybe we could make you a little jealous. I introduced Harley to Toby, and well…now they seem to be hitting it off. They’ve gone out a few times.”
“Yeah, and Maebh has gone out with Jackson a few times, as well. So much for getting Cord to notice her,” Corina added.
“Trust me, Cord has noticed Maebh and is not too happy about her and Jackson.”
Waylynn looked at me with a dumbfounded look. “Then why doesn’t he ask her out?”
I shrugged. “Cause he’s Cord.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand men. Especially my brothers.”
Clearing my throat, I asked, “So Harley and Toby are dating? As in exclusively?”
They turned to look at each other again and shrugged.
“What was that?”
Waylynn did it again. “It’s called a shrug. I have no clue what’s going on with them. I know she said she enjoys his company and he makes her laugh.”
Fucker.
“Paxton and Harley talk every day. If you want the scoop, you’ll need to ask her,” Waylynn added.
I let out a scoff. “I don’t want any scoop. It’s none of my business.”
A sadness settled into Waylynn’s eyes. “Yeah, I guess so.”
I spent the next two hours at Waylynn’s helping with Liberty while Waylynn and Corina cut up a bunch of fruit for trays they were making for Mrs. Johnson. Something about a luncheon. I tuned them out and played with Liberty most of the time until she finally crashed out on me for her nap.
Before I headed out the door, I turned back to Waylynn. “Do you know about Doc Harris’s brother trying to take the clinic away from Harley?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Pete’s trying to help her, but I think he’s in over his head with this one. Harley is getting ready to find a lawyer in San Antonio. Someone with a bit more experience.”
Guilt hit me right in the gut. “I’ll stop by the clinic and see if there’s anything I can do. Besides, I owe Harley an apology for acting like an asshole.”
A wide smile took over her face. “It’s about damn time you realized that.”
Kissing her on the cheek, I pulled back and winked. “I’m a man. What did you expect?”
“Touché.”
The drive over to the vet clinic took about thirty minutes from the ranch. When I pulled in to park, I noticed an older couple walking out of the clinic. Harley was behind them, holding a cat carrier. She was dressed in jeans, a white blouse, and cowboy boots. Her hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun that was piled on top of her head. I was left breathless by the sight of her. That was never going to change. She held a piece of me that would always be attracted to her. Guilt ate me up inside as I thought about my feelings for Harley, and the fact that I was with Mallory.
When she turned and saw me getting out of the truck, she smiled. And my knees damn near went out from under me. After the way I’d treated her, she still rewarded me with a smile.
I’m such an asshole. Maybe if I think it enough times it will sink in.
“Thank you so much, Harley. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been able to figure out what was wrong with Snuggles.”
I tried like hell to cover my chuckle.
“No worries at all, Mrs. Poteet. Now that we know she has a food allergy, she should be feeling better soon.”
The older man took the cat carrier and set it in the back seat before shutting the passenger side door to his car. “Thanks again, Harley!” he called out before climbing in and pulling off.
As I walked over, our eyes met. Her green eyes sparkled when the sun hit them just right. An urge to pull her into my arms hit me, causing me to pause for a moment before I continued on.
“Snuggles, huh?”
She nodded while pressing her lips together. “Yep. A six-month old calico kitty who is the apple of Mrs. and Mr. Poteets’ eye.”
We both grinned.
“Do you have any more clients waiting on you?”
“No, I’m finished for the day. I was about to head into San Antonio.”
A hard squeeze in my chest reminded me what I was here for. “May I talk to you first? Before you leave?”
The hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth offered me a bit of hope. I didn’t deserve this, not after the way I’d stormed out of here the last time.
