Liam Read online

  As I’m pulling back into town, I glance down at the time glowing on the dash—7:05. I’m late for dinner with my family, but I assume they are used to me working overtime by now. Within minutes, I’m pulling into the drive of the white, two-story house I grew up in. The windows are brightly lit up from the inside, giving the house a warm feeling, and the porch light is on, waiting to welcome me. There is always a season themed wreath hanging on the front door. This time, it’s covered in artificial flowers and butterflies.

  I shut off the car and grab my purse before running into the house.

  “Mom, Dad, guess what?” I shout as I rush into the kitchen, to find them taking dinner to the dining room.

  Both of them turn in my direction. “What?” Mom asks, nervousness showing on her rounded face, causing the wrinkles around her emerald-green eyes to deepen.

  “I just accepted a fill-in position at The O’Connor Ranch.” I shout, excitedly. “That’s the biggest ranch in the state. Can you imagine the clientele I’ll get if they put in a good word for me? Ranchers across the state could know my name.” I can’t hold back my enthusiasm now that I’m with my family, who’s always encouraged me to chase my dreams.

  “That’s wonderful, Ves,” Dad says, placing the bowl of mashed potatoes on the island and closing the distance between us, pulling me against him for a hug. Dad is a big man, at least 6’5 and two-hundred pounds. He nearly squeezes the air from my lungs, but it feels good. I know how proud he is of me.

  “That is good news, Vesper,” Mom agrees, her green eyes that resemble mine, sparkle as her lips turn up into a proud smile.

  Dad pulls away, but keeps me at arms-length, leveling his brown eyes on me. “Are you sure you’re going to have the time that this new job requires, given the hours you’re already putting in at the new clinic?”

  I shrug one shoulder as I pick up the bowl he sat down. “It’s only one horse, and I’ll make the drive after hours. In fact-” I pull out the check and unfold it with my fingers, looking down to see many more zeros that I anticipated. My brows pull together as I study the number, confused.

  “What is it?” Dad steps closer and looks at the check in my hands. “Whoa! They paid you in advance?”

  My shoulders fall in relief. That must be it. This check isn’t for this one visit. It’s for monitoring the entire pregnancy of the horse.

  “I guess so. I thought it was for one visit, but no way could they pay this much for a one-time thing.”

  Mom leans over to view the number. “Oh my! That’s more than what our first house costs!” She looks at Dad with her wide eyes.

  A giggle escapes my lips as I slip the check back into my pocket. Now that I know how much it’s made out for, it feels as if it’s burning a hole in my pocket. People get murdered for less than this, and I’m carrying it around in my back pocket like a five-dollar bill.

  I try to push the thought away from my mind as we sit around the table eating the delicious dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and fresh steamed vegetables.

  “How’s Aria?” I ask my mom. “I haven’t talked to her in a while. She never calls me back.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You know your sister. Always too busy with work, school, parties and boys.”

  I nod, not really wanting to bring up the conversations because I see how annoyed Daddy gets when we talk about it. Aria is the wild child, very free willed and strong spirited. She makes the most out of life and doesn’t care if that interferes with her school work or grades. Dad throws a fit because he feels like his money is paying for her to party instead of getting a degree. I understand both sides of it. She wants to live. There’s more to life than school and grades, as she says.

  “Oh, Dad,” I mumble through a mouth full of potatoes, wanting to change the conversation. “I saw Mrs. Stevens today. She said she was making her famous pineapple upside-down cake.”

  His eyes lift from his plate of food and lock on mine. “Did she happen to say when?”

  A loud laugh escapes my lips. “Why don’t you just have Mama make you one?” I motion toward her with my thumb.

  She wipes the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “Nobody’s pineapple upside-down cake is as good as Mrs. Stevens,” she mocks. “According to your father anyway.” She takes a sip of her sweet tea, ice chips clinking off the glass. “I should just thank my lucky stars that he married me before he found out about her cakes. Otherwise,” she looks directly at me. “You may never have been born,” she jokes.

  3

  I stay so busy at the clinic, that my days pass quicker than I thought possible. Before I know it, it’s time to head out to The O’Connor Ranch to check on Lucy. Before leaving work, I grab a little cooler, a syringe, and vials to collect some of Lucy’s blood to test.

  Through the drive, I listen to music and enjoy the scenery, never tiring of the beautiful landscapes or the wildlife. When I pull into the drive, Tyler is standing out in front of the barn, brushing a beautiful white horse with gray spots. I exit the car, tossing my bags over my shoulder as I make my way over to him.

  “Who’s this beauty?” I ask, reaching out and petting its nose.

  “This,” He smiles, “Is Tessa. This will be her first-year of breeding, but I know she’ll make some beautiful babies.”

  I smile as I gaze up at the magnificent horse. “I’m sure she will,” I nearly blurt it out, dropping my hand back to my side. “I’m going to go do the blood draw on Lucy, if that’s okay.” I point over my shoulder.

  “Sure. I just brushed her out and put her back in her stall.”

  Before I turn away, I notice the way his dark eyes narrow on mine and the way his jaw flexes.

  “You don’t have time for men in your life, Ves,” I whisper to myself.

  I fill the vials with Lucy’s blood and put them into the cooler. As I make my way out of the stall, closing the door behind me, I run into Tyler’s hard chest, nearly falling backward.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” I mumble in my daze.

  It’s only now that I realize his hands are holding me by the hips, helping to support me. He seems to notice too because he looks at them before letting them fall back to his sides. “I’m sorry, I was just coming to check and see how things are going. Was she behaving herself in there?” His face is slightly flushed.

  I tear my eyes away from him, looking at Lucy. “She was perfect. She’s a very sweet horse.”

  He nods as he runs his hand over the scruff of his jaw. “Good.” It feels like he’s searching for something to say. Is he embarrassed about balancing me? Either way, I don’t want to stick around and make the situation even more awkward.

  “I need to get going. This blood won’t keep for too long.” I quickly step around him.

  “Ves?” he calls after me.

  “Yeah?” I spin around to face him.

  He pulls out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket and hands it out between two fingers. “For today’s work.”

  I take the check and open it to see the same number as before. My mouth drops open. “I… I thought the last check you gave me was an advance.” I hold the checkup higher. “I don’t charge this much.”

  He raises his hands, palms facing me. “The owner can afford it. And this is the going rate that he pays to all the vets that treat his animals. You’re not special. I mean, you’re not getting special treatment or anything,” he corrects.

  I shake my head, letting the hand that’s holding the check fall to my side. “I don’t feel right taking it. When will your boss be getting in? I’d like to talk to him.”

  He shrugs as he spins around and walks out the back-barn door with me following after him. “He’s not in town much. To be honest, I don’t know why he keeps this place.” He grabs a saddle off a stack of hay bales and walks it back into the barn.

  “Well, does he swing by once a month or something? I can wait. I still haven’t cashed the last check you gave me.” I don’t
follow him—it feels like he’s running from the conversation. I just raise my voice so he’s sure to hear me.

  He turns to face me now. “Look, Ves. This is what he pays. I’m only giving you want he wants me to give you.” He finally walks back over. “It’s not a problem. It’s not up for negotiation. This is what the job pays. You’re worth it. Trust me.” He narrows his dark eyes on me.

  I shrug my shoulders as my determination caves. “I don’t like it,” I claim, shaking my head.

  “I’m sorry, Ves. Maybe…” He looks up, like he’s looking to the sky for answers. “Maybe you can donate it. Or start some kind of scholarship for students who want to become veterinarians like you.” He motions toward me with his hand.

  My lips turn up with his words. “That’s actually a really good idea.”

  He offers a wide smile and his eyes light up. “So, you’ll stay. You won’t quit?”

  I turn away with a grin on my face. “I never said I was going to quit.” I look over my shoulder at him. “I’ll see you soon, Tyler.”

  All I can hear is the crunch of the gravel beneath my feet, but I swear I hear him say, “I hope so.”

  I don’t turn around to ask him to repeat himself. I can’t. He’s cute, cares about animals, and he’s sweet. If I wasn’t so determined to stay single, I may have fallen for that line, the line that would reel me back in, but I refuse to get off track right now. I’m too busy. I have too many things on the back burner already, and my career isn’t going to be one of them.

  When I get back to the clinic, I set out to run the tests on Lucy’s blood. I’m in the lab when I hear the phone ring, but Amy hasn’t left yet, so I leave it to her to answer.

  Seconds later, she pokes her head into the back room. “Ves, a man named Tyler is on the phone for you.”

  “Oh?” I set down my work and remove my gloves as I make my way to the office, thinking it must be something to do with Lucy. I sit down at my desk and hit the speaker button on his line.

  “Hello, Tyler? Is everything okay with Lucy?” I start picking nervously at the skin around my nails.

  “Yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I just…” his words drift off.

  “You just…what?” My eyes jump to the phone like they would to his face; trying to find the answer I’m looking for.

  “I just… I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you showed up here the other day, and…umm, I was hoping… that maybe, you’d go out with me sometime?”

  My mouth drops open. Speechless. This has never happened to me before. I’ve always had something to say, a witty come back, a retort of some sort. But now, I have no idea what to say. Do I want to go out with Tyler? Hell yes, I do. He’s cute and sweet and good looking, but my career—my dreams. I’m torn.

  “A-are you still there?” he asks, fear dripping from his words.

  “Yes! Yes, I’m here. I’m sorry,” I laugh out. “I was… I was just thinking.” I shake my head, hoping to clear it of confusion.

  “Oh,” is his only reply, obviously feeling a little let down.

  “Look, Tyler… It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that we’re working together now, and that may be strenuous. You know?”

  Amy quietly knocks on my door, giving me wide eyes while mouthing the word yes and nodding her head excitedly.

  “It’s just one date, Ves. I’m not going to ask you to marry me or anything like that. We can just meet up somewhere. Have some dinner, drinks, whatever.” He pauses. “Just as friends,” he adds on.

  Amy and I are now in silent, meme mode. I’m shaking my head no while she’s nodding her head yes. All the while, she’s taking turns pointing her index finger at me and giving me the praying hands.

  “Fine!” I accidentally say out loud. “I mean, yes. Yes, I will have one dinner with you… as friends.”

  I can practically hear his smile. “Thank you,” he breathes out. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight?”

  I’m gritting my teeth, but I manage to grit out a solid, “Sounds good.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Ves.”

  “Bye, Tyler.” I jab the button on the phone with a little too much force just as Amy breaks out in loud cheers and dancing.

  “You’re such a pain in my ass, you know that?” I ask, standing up and walking past her to finish my work in the lab.

  “Oh, come on. You haven’t been on a date in for-ev-er.” She says each syllable to make it sound dramatic.

  “Of course, I have,” I argue, pulling on a fresh set of gloves.

  “Really?” She gives me attitude by leaning her shoulder against the wall and placing her hand on her hip. “When? When was the last time you went out on a date?”

  I quickly think it over. “I went out with Travis Sneer, remember? He took me to that horrible movie, then he bought me a hot dog for dinner.” I roll my eyes at that horrible memory.

  She laughs. “You do realize that was two years ago, right?”

  I feel my brows draw together. “Really? Two years?” I look away from my work and at her.

  She nods once. “Yep.” Her mouth makes a popping sound with the P.

  I swipe my hand through the air and dismiss the whole conversation. “Well, you got your way. Now, I have to go out with a cute cowboy that loves animals. Are you happy?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t see why that’s a bad thing, Ves. I mean, how horrible can it be to date a cute guy that loves the same things as you.” Sarcasm is thick in her voice.

  I snicker at her jokes. “I don’t have time for this kind of thing, Aims. I mean, look around you. I need to get this place up and running.”

  “We are up and running.” She stands up right and walks closer. “We will grow with time. It doesn’t mean you have to put your life on hold.” She bends down, placing her forearms on the table to lean on. “If you do, the next thing you know, you’ll look up and be fifty-years-old. You may have a nice clinic, but you’ll be old and lonely. You don’t want that, do you?”

  I roll my eyes and take a deep breath. “I’ll go on the date. Now back off, so I can get some work done.”

  She laughs as she gets off the table. “I’m heading out. Do you need anything before I go?”

  “Yes, set the phone so all calls go to the machine. I’m getting this done, and I’m getting out of here. No extra work tonight.”

  “Yes, captain,” she jokes as she pushes out of the swinging door.

  I lock the door behind me, then climb behind the wheel of my SUV. It’s going on eight p.m., so the town is already dead. All the shops on main street are closed, and the only lights visible are coming from the glowing neon of the only bar we have in town. It’s always packed during nights; seven days a week. But I guess since it’s the only place open at this time of the night, it’s the only thing to do.

  I, however, am too tired to want to drink and socialize. I head straight to my apartment. When I walk in, Ace, my fifteen-year-old cat brushes up against my leg, meowing. I drop my things on the kitchen table and bend down, picking him up against my chest.

  “Hi, Ace. Are you hungry again or did you just miss me?” I ask as I rub my hands down his head and his back, causing him to purr loudly. I sit down on the couch, mindlessly petting him over and over while my mind drifts away into a million directions; work, the ranch, Tyler, the things Amy said. Will I really turn out to be an old lady who’s all alone? If I do, will that be enough? I always just assumed that there would be time for it all. But there won’t be—not if I don’t make any.

  I guess Amy is right. Even if things fall through with Tyler, at least I can say I tried. Right? I’ll never find the right person if I don’t put myself out there and try new things. Internally, I laugh. Dating is on my list of new things to try. What kind of weird twenty-six-year-old am I?

  I’ve never had a serious boyfriend. Never. In high school, I was too busy with my studies and planning my future. In college, I dated and slept around from time to time with
some guys, but it didn’t mean anything. I knew it wouldn’t ever become anything and so it didn’t. But Tyler could become something, unless of course, he completely blows the date. It’s been so long now, that I don’t even know the difference between a good date and a bad one.

  Pushing it all away from my mind, I place Ace softly on the couch beside me. “Come on, fatty. Let’s get some dinner. Then we can hang out on the couch and watch old re-runs of The Bachelor.” I stand and walk into the kitchen to whip up something quick.

  After pouring more food into Ace’s dish, I grab my leftover Chinese takeout from the fridge and plop down on the couch to eat my leftovers and watch mind-numbing tv, hoping to forget all about my problems.

  4

  Saturday morning rolls in and I push myself out of bed. I stumble straight to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and feed Ace. While the coffee brews, I take a quick shower and get ready for the day.

  Every Saturday, I volunteer at the local animal shelter. I offer them quality vet care and help the workers with anything they need done; baths, cleaning out the kennels, feedings, walking. You name it, I’ve done it.

  I pull on a pair of jeans and my, adopt a stray t-shirt that I wear every week when I volunteer. Instead of messing with my long, strawberry-blonde hair, I pull it into a messy bun on the top of my head. I apply a little mascara and lip gloss before stepping out of the bathroom.

  By the time I get back to the kitchen, Ace has emptied his bowl and is fast asleep on the couch. I giggle to myself and shake my head, ahh! the life of a spoiled, old cat.

  I pour my coffee into a thermos, grab my purse and keys, and rush out the door. I’m pulling up to the animal shelter only minutes later. As I’m climbing out of the car, my phone rings and I glance at the screen to see a text.