Page 4 of The Mountain Man's Christmas Bride
It hurts giving up on that dream, but I’ll be better off for it.
It’s time for my own adventure, and it doesnotinclude romance.
The first coupleof weeks at the clinic go by like a dream. Mr. Ashby isn’t as agile as he used to be, so he relies on me heavily to do the tasks he can’t. Like lift heavy freaking dogs up onto the table.
I might be a big girl, but damn, I’m not strong.
As the last pooch is sent home, I wipe my brow and close my eyes. The rush of the last couple of days have been...a lot. A distraction. I’ve been pulling nearly ten hour days because of an uptick in surgeries. Sterling Ranch has needed extra sets of hands, and for the life of me, I seriously don’t understand what the hell is going on here. Is it the mountain air? Have I entered an alternate dimension?
How the hell is one mountain town busier than the city?
I blow out a long breath until I feel my chest loosen. All my muscles are tight and tense, and it’s not because of the work.
I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like this new, perfect little adventure I’ve started will come to an end.
A bad ending, if I had to guess.
At the thought, my stomach gives a warning churn from the anxiety. I’m safe here. I know I am. He won’t come looking for me. He doesn’t care anymore.
He stopped caring a long time ago.
I push off the bench and start wiping everything down with disinfectant, making note of different things that need to be refilled, as well as all the tasks that make the end of the day overwhelming.
That’s one thing I have to give to Mr. Ashby. He runs a tight ship.
With my focus on the task at hand, I almost don’t hear the rattling of the front door. My heart stops in my chest as I listen closely. Someone might be trying to break in. But come on, it’s a vet clinic. We don’t hold anything of value. Unless it’s the small amount of cash Mr. Ashby left behind.
Shit. My hands start to shake, and my palms become clammy. I want to slap myself for how ridiculous I’m being, because I used to basicallyrunthe vet clinic back home, and the crime rates there were much, much higher than here.
Maybe it’s a local and there’s an emergency. If it were, they’d ring the bell. Or call. Or do a number of things that really scream:I come from a small town!
Heart in my throat, I leave the surgery room in the back and make my way through one of the treatment rooms used for consultations and stop short in the waiting room.
It’s not a local trying to break in.
It’s Scott.
THREE
RHETT
Well, now I understand why Shadow was so intent on checking out the bushes.
The new momma cat whines in the box I have her in. She’s birthed maybe three kittens that I think are alive, and there might be a few more to come. I’m more a dog kind of person, and Shadow herself never had a litter of puppies, so I’m unequipped to deal with...this.
But from what I know, the clinic should still have someone inside.
I pull off of main street and into the small cul-de-sac of old houses where the clinic sits at the end. The small parking lot out front has two cars in it; a beat up sedan that looks like it might fall apart at any moment, and a SUV with tinted windows.
I frown as I pull in beside the SUV and cut the engine to my truck. The door to the clinic is wide open, and from the sounds of it, there’s shouting.
Fuck. My hackles rise as I gingerly scoop up the cardboard box with the cat and her kittens. I’m hissed at, but the momma isn’t capable of moving. From the corner of my eye, I watch her stomach clench as she attempts to push another kitten out.
As I get to the door, I slow, the urge to jump in nearly overtaking me. But from here I can listen to what’s going on.
“You think you can just fucking leave me like that? Like I wouldn’t find you?” A male’s voice, slurred and full of anger. My body stiffens. I’ve known men like that my whole life. Men who treat women like shit.
“Please, Scott. Not here. Not now.” A tingle of reverence runs down my spine at the sound of her voice. She sounds exhausted, but not terrified. Like she’s used to his bullshit.
