Page 2 of Nate

“And how old is she?”

“Ten.”

“So, she’s still relatively young. Let me take a look and see what might be causing the problem.” She sat back on her heels, pulled on two long-sleeved plastic gloves from her medical bag, and turned to Nate. “Can you hold her head for me? I don’t want her kicking me.”

“Sure thing.” Nate opened the gate and made his way over to the horse, kneeling by her head. He gently rubbed her nose and ears while speaking to her in a soothing voice.

****

Markie found it difficult to focus with Nate Jefferson so close. He was undeniably attractive, with his brown hair and a hint of gray in his sideburns and scruff. And those blue eyes were simply captivating. She had thought Tess’s husband had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, but Nate Jefferson surpassed him by far, in her opinion. With his tanned complexion and crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, he appeared to be in his early to mid-forties. As her aunt would say, he was one handsome devil.

As Markie reached inside the mare to check on the foal, she couldn’t help but smile as she heard Nate murmuring to the horse. She wouldn’t mind if he whispered in her ear.

But she quickly shook these thoughts away, knowing that the last thing she needed was a man in her life. No matter how tempting he may be. She didn’t trust men very much, if at all.

“Anything?” Nate asked.

“I can feel the legs and it’s trying to come out but being stubborn for some reason.”

“It must be a filly.” He grinned at her, causing her heart to skip a beat. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. No man should be that good-looking in her opinion, and she suspected he used those looks to his advantage.

“Whatever,” she snapped.

When he raised an eyebrow at her response, she shook her head and focused on helping the foal enter the world.

Once the foal finally arrived, Markie saw that it was indeed a female and shook her head in disbelief.

“I figured as much,” Nate said with a chuckle, as he stood.

“Do you assume all females are stubborn?” Markie quipped as she stood up and jerked off her gloves.

“Only the ones I’ve met. I haven’t lived to the age of forty-three without encountering a few women.” He folded his arms across his chest, and they locked eyes.

Markie shook her head and went to grab her bag but stumbled a little. Nate quickly reached out to steady her, but she immediately pulled away.

“Thank you. I think she’ll be fine now. The filly is healthy, and mama is happy to see her. She’s already trying to stand so she’ll be able to nurse soon. If you have any issues, please call our office.” With that, Markie headed toward the gate.

“Not you though,” Nate said.

Taking a deep breath, Markie turned to face him. “Your call will be routed to whoever is available. Have a nice day, Mr. Jefferson.”

“Yes, ma’am. You too, Dr. Russell.” They couldn’t seem to break their gaze, and when a smirk tugged at the corner of Nate’s lips, which were far too tempting, Markie finally looked away and made her way toward her car.

As she climbed into her SUV and drove down the winding two-lane backroad, she muttered to herself, “Damn man. Who does he think he is? Cocky is what he is.”

He was undeniably attractive, but he was all too aware of it. Just as she suspected, he probably used his looks to get what he wanted.

She parked her car in the hospital’s lot and entered through the back door. A smile lit up her face when she saw Tess walking toward her.

“How did the surgery go?”

“Very well. How was your trip to the McCallister ranch?”

“It was fine. A foal was having a bit of trouble being born, so I helped out. I met Mr. McCallister as he was on his way out, but the manager assisted me.”

“Nate?” Tess grinned. “He’s quite a handsome man. I know Sam has those striking blue eyes, but Nate’s are just as captivating. He’s also very kind.”

Markie shrugged. “I guess so. He seemed a little too full of himself for my liking.”

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