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“Cussing,” Chuck said. “Dropped a horseshoe on my foot.”
Patti’s brow furrowed. “Where’s the horseshoe, then?”
“Ughh, before. I dropped it on my foot before. I was just… remembering the pain.”
Patti looked a little confused but seemed satisfied.
“You here to show Trent your… hamster?”
God damn you, Chuck, how did you manage to make that sound dirty?
“Lulu’s not so well,” Trent said, maintaining a veneer of professionalism.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Patti said, “I heard you both talking so I thought I’d say hello.”
“No problem,” Chuck said, smiling. “I was just heading out, anyway. I’ll take Thunder out today, give Sunrise a day off. I’m leading a bunch of guests on a trek to see the alpacas. Should be a fun morning.” Then, he gave Trent a knowing look. “Be good, you two.”
“Patti,” Trent said, “I think we had better head to my surgery for the examination. Don’t want Lulu to be freaked out by the horsey smell in here. We need her calm.”
If onlyhecould stay calm when he was around Patti.
*
Patti loved spending time in the veterinary surgery. Helping Trent to deliver the hamster litters was a treasured memory for her, and being in this space again brought it all back. It was strange that such a clinical, sterile environment could make her feel all gooey inside, but there it was.
There was more to it than just good memories, of course. She couldn’t help but feel a little erotic thrill as she watched Trent work. He was so meticulous, so careful. His touch on poor Lulu was so gentle and considerate. Patti couldn’t help but wonder what it might feel like to be his patient—to be coddled and cared for by him. No doubt he had all kinds of exotic medical equipment in here. If only she could think of a way to convince the handsome doctor to use some of that equipment onher.
Patti studied Trent’s stern features as he focused on Lulu, admiring his genuine concern for the tiny animal. There was something endearing about his intensity.
And something unreasonably hot.
Do something, Patti. Say something. Otherwise you’re gonna start to get wet. And we can’t have that. It’s super, super inappropriate!
Patti coughed gently, clearing her throat. “Your workspace is so different from what I’m used to.”
Trent glanced at her, momentarily distracted from his thoughts. “Oh? And what were you used to?”
“Before coming here, I worked at a hedge fund in New York,” Patti replied, her tone sheepish. “I was surrounded by numbers and computers all day. Quite different from this.”
“Coming to Littlecreek must have been quite a change,” Trent mused, turning his attention back to Lulu. “Why did you leave it behind?”
Patti hesitated, unwilling to reveal her past mistakes. “I made a... bad decision, and it was time for a fresh start,” she offered vaguely.
“Life has a way of throwing curveballs at us,” Trent said, his voice gentle despite the worry that clouded his eyes. “Confounding us.”
She glanced at his hands. Calloused but so tender. The hands of a man who worked hard, with unspeakable skill.
“Maybe everything happens for a reason,” she said, dreamily, catching his eye. “Being here... it feels like I’m where I’m meant to be.”
“H-here?” he asked, his voice breaking.
“Littlecreek,” she clarified.
Definitely not right here. In this room. With you. No, siree. Not what I meant in the slightest.
“Of course.” A nervous laugh.
A moment’s silence. Unfortunately for Patti, the conversation hadn’t dulled her passion. If anything, it was stronger than ever. He felt it too, though. Surely. He had to.
