Page 34 of For Him

I chuckled and stripped down to my pants and shirt. “It’s work, mom.”

“Why can’t it be more too? Cassidy is a very handsome fellow and an eligible bachelor. His mom and I are great friends, and she thinks you would be perfect together.” She winked, mischievously telling me that she wasn’t as serious about setting me up as she’d previously been.

My soggy socks plopped on top of the pile I’d left for my mom as I placed my hands against my hips with a chuckle. “Mom, we talked about this.”

It was my father sitting beside me who interjected for my mother. “Then why do you smell like a man?” he wheezed out.

My mom dropped the knife, shocked. Her eyes shot up as she squealed. “You do?”

“I was snowed in at the Duke Ranch without my toiletries. Obviously, I am going to smell like a man when I had to use his soap.” I purposefully left out the detail that it was Weston’s. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure why I was avoiding that specific detail, but part of me wondered if it was because I didn’t want them getting the wrong idea about him too. Having them pressure me about Cassidy was more than enough already.

“And now you’re going back.” She clapped her hands in glee while I rolled my eyes and headed towards the stairs.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it. “I know, I know. Just for work,” she teased me, and I smiled. “Well, at least have fun while working!”

“Thanks, Mom,” I replied and quickly disappeared into my bedroom.

Leaning my back against the door as it clicked shut behind me, I inhaled deeply. I really did smell like Weston, and there was a part of me that didn’t want to shower and lose that scent. It was calming and comforting, it was familiar. But I did want to give myself a fresh wash after wearing the same musty clothes from yesterday, so I grabbed another pair of thick cargo joggers, and then stared at my shirt options.

Normally, I opted for a baggy sweatshirt that hid my body. The joggers fit like a glove and allowed for flexibility, so they worked with my job. The sweatshirt hid my insecurities and fulfilled the need for something warm. But this time, as I stared at the clothes on the hangers, I hesitated. Weston hadn’t looked away when he’d seen me without my sweatshirt yesterday. In fact, he seemed to have even lingered on me for a moment.

Shaking my head, I chuckled to myself. Weston had nothing to do with this odd twinge of confidence that I was beginning to feel. I felt a little more confident and freer simply because I was finally settling into a new place. That was it. That had to be it.

Pushing a few hangers aside, I pulled out a thick, dark green sweater that hugged my frame a little tighter. Not a super nice outfit because I knew it would get dirty due to the nature of my job, but something a little more flattering and feminine.

A quick shower later, my hair was braided back once more, and I had a light layer of mascara across my lashes. Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I snagged another black, winter coat from the hanger, checked the pockets for gloves and a beanie with a pom-pom on top, and headed back up the stairs.

Sitting on the couch, I chatted with my parents for a little bit, listening once more to them pestering me about my love life. I let them and never got angry with them, slowly having understood why they cared so much the more I paid attention to what they were truly saying. Taking into account the loneliness that my mom would soon be experiencing, I couldn’t blame them for any of this.

A vibration came from my back pocket, and I slipped my phone out to find a text on my screen from Weston.

I’ll be at the clinic in about fifteen minutes. Since you have still neglected to get that tire changed on your car, I can’t let you drive it out to the ranch again. Too dangerous.

That was it. No room for discussion or argument. “I need to get going. Love you guys.” I said, giving both of them a quick kiss on their cheeks then quickly heading out the door. Tying my still damp hiking boots, I slid into the driver's seat and found Weston’s contact. He wasn’t allowed to tell me what to do. It was ringing before I turned the engine over.

He answered by the fourth ring. “What?”

“Rude,” I replied, and he chuckled.

“Not rude, because I know you’re calling to argue with me about me picking you up.” His response came with a crackle.

“Obviously. I am perfectly capable of—”

“No. This ain’t happening. You’ve been lucky so far to not be driving when the storms have hit. You keep pushing that, and next time you might find yourself in a ditch. I’ll see you in a minute,” he sharply replied, and the line went dead.

“Butt-face,” I muttered, but wasn’t really that upset about it. He wasn’t wrong. The spare tire really was a hazard on these roads, and I should be more proactive about getting it changed. A problem though was time—something I didn’t have much of outside of work.

Turning off of the road, I pulled into my usual parking spot and killed the engine. The bright blue canvas stretching above me held not a cloud in sight. It had been such a beautiful drive through town, everyone bundled up and wandering through the snowy escape. Winters here were not mild like back in Colorado during vet school or California growing up, and I found myself realizing more and more that I was falling quickly in love with this deadly wonderland.

The door tinkled as I stepped inside the clinic and pushed some hair behind my ear. Carly and Elena stared at me with large grins on their faces, the lull between appointments giving them ample time to gossip.

Both were wearing bright pink scrubs today and had ponytails, although the styles looked different on each girl because of the stark differences in hair type. Carly was the first one to speak as I leaned against the counter, waiting for Weston.

“So, your schedule says you’re headed back to the Duke Ranch. Can I come with you?” She leaned back in her chair and stars filled her gaze.

I chuckled. “Yes, I’m headed back, but it’s once again, something that I can handle on my own,” I answered, sliding a couple paperclips into a pile.

“Cassidy’s growing on you, isn’t he?” Elena added, spinning in her chair to face me.

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