Page 16 of The Cowboy's Miracle Baby

“That’s brilliant!”

His grin, that completely unaffected Hollywood-level grin, did something to her insides. As if he’d suddenly become a coconspirator with her in this baby caper. But more than that, he stirred some long dormant awareness in her… awareness not only that it had been eons since she’d felt any kind of flutter around a man, but that this man, in particular, was someone she wanted to get to know.

“What do you think of this one?” he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

He stood beside a perfectly sad little Charlie Brown tree with a crocked top and bare spots in the branches. He straightened the top for Eloise, whose eyes widened with delight.

“That’s it! That’s the one!” she said.

“Okay then. This tree it is.” It only took a few minutes to cut the little tree down and he handed the saw to Cami and lifted the tree up on his shoulder.

Eloise ran down the hill in front of them, intent on petting the goats and special reindeer penned near the entrance of the lot.

“Thanks for coming along,” he said, walking beside Cami down the hill. They passed dozens of other tree hunters wandering through the nursery in search of their own perfect tree. “You really made Ella’s day.”

“I have to admit, this is the first Christmasy thing I’ve done this year, outside of the pageant—which is sometimes more like cat-wrangling than directing a play. So, thank you for inviting me. Even though Shay did kind of foist me on you.”

“There was no foisting involved. And we probably would have had to settle for a puny grocery store tree if you hadn’t shown us this lot. It’s amazing.” Down the hill, Eloise already had her fingers sunk into the nearest goat’s fur and was talking to it through the fence.

“She must have inherited her love of animals from you,” Cami said.

He nodded. “I’ve been an animal person all my life. People…”

“Which makes you the vet I’ve heard you are. But you can’t have one without the other. Humans are inextricably attached to their animals.”

“Yeah.” He shifted the tree on his shoulder. “I do my best to work around them. That’s probably TMI about me.”

She gave him a sideways look. “Hmm. Which hardly explains how Liam and all the clients gushing at you at Sage’s seem to really, really like you. I’m pretty sure you’re underestimating your people skills.”

“It’s all a ruse.”

She laughed, watching Eloise cuddle a goat through the fence, trying to avoid allowing her gaze to linger on him as he carried the tree down the hill. He had a naturally sexy walk. Maybe it was because of his tall, athletic build but she guessed it was just something innate. Maybe it was a veterinarian thing.

She cleared her throat. “So, Liam says you’re from back East.”

“You asked him about me?” A grin tipped his mouth.

“No.Well… your name came up in conversation.”

He nodded. “Originally? Virginia. But I specialized in large animals at Cornell and ended up practicing in Upstate New York for a few years. Lots of dairy farms. Lots of horses. Left there a couple of years ago and Ella and I have moved around a few times, doing what I’m doing here.”

“Working with Dr. Anders.”

“Well, filling in for Dr. Anders while he’s on medical leave. Knee replacement.”

Disappointment threaded through her like an unexpected jab. “So… you’re not here to stay then?”

“No. That was never the plan.”

“Ah.” A silent sigh escaped her. Why had she even imagined—

Ella came running toward them. “Daddy! Did you see the reindeer? He let me pet him!”

“He’s a beaut.”

Cami blinked and shook off her thoughts with a wink at Ella. “He must be one of Santa’s reindeer, don’t you think?”

Eloise slid a look at her father. “Santa Claus isn’t real. He’s just a story parents tell their kids.”

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