Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (28 page)

Matt brought over Aiden’s beer and shared a look with his other guest. Both men laughed.

“Sorry, wrong guy.” Dr. Croft’s doppelganger held out his hand. “I’m Tanner Croft. Taylor is my brother.”

Aiden shook his hand. “Wow. I never knew the doc had a twin brother. It must drive you crazy to be mistaken for him all the time.”

Tanner shrugged. “I’m used to it. We used to drive our parents insane. When we were little, they put us in different colored shirts, and by the time we were three, we figured out we could switch shirts and no one would catch on all day.”

Aiden sipped his beer. “So are you a vet too?”

“Nah, Ambulance Corps. I’m an EMT. Got a rare night off, and my girlfriend is out with Matt’s girlfriend at some cupcake tasting party.”

“Aiden is Bailey’s brother,” Matt explained as he slid a beer across the bar to Tanner.

“Oh, okay. I see the resemblance, now. You two have the same eyes.”

“Yeah, we could never fool people by switching shirts, though.”

Tanner laughed, then turned slightly serious. “Hey, Matt, should we be worried that the girls are trying mini-wedding cakes tonight?”

Matt winced. “Is that what they’re doing? I thought it was some kind of cooking class.”

“Evie said her friend Cassandra is catering weddings now, and she wanted to try out new recipes. I’m a little nervous.”

“Hey, guys, can we stop talking about weddings?” Aiden stared into the depths of his beer. “That kind of talk could make me spill my drink.”

“Oh, yeah. Tanner, meet Aiden. He’s a heartbreaker, according to Bailey, but he’s found the perfect solution to avoid the ‘big talk’ with a woman.”

Tanner turned a curious gaze on him, smiling into his beer as he took a sip. “Oh, this I have to hear. Are you bottling this solution?”

Aiden shook his head. “I would, if it worked, but I don’t think it does.”

“Trouble in paradise?” Matt asked, leaning on the bar. “This guy found himself a girl who totally agreed to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. In fact, it was her idea.”

Tanner raised his hand for a high five. “Dude. Congratulations. Not that I would trade Evie for anything, but how did you manage to find a girl who isn’t into commitment?”

“I just lucked out.” He lowered his head again. “But like I said, I’m starting to think it was a bad idea.”

“Oh. She changed her mind?”

“No. I think I did.”

Matt crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels. “Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. I don’t know…you tell me. I’ve never been in love with anybody. Well, maybe Ms. Gilmore, my fifth grade teacher, but she was married, so that never went anywhere. But since then, like my wise sister says, I’m a serial dater. I don’t want to be tied to one woman.”

“Haven’t found the right one,” Tanner said.

“Oh, now he has,” Matt added.

“No.” Aiden drained his beer and handed Matt the glass for a refill. “Don’t get me wrong, Samantha is…” What could he say? She was beautiful, not just pretty, but stunning. Her blue eyes held him mesmerized; her skin was flawless. She had so much heart and soul. She was funny and smart, she adored Barkley, and she made Aiden feel like…he’d never need anyone else. “She’s great.” That was an understatement. “We have a lot of fun together.”

“I don’t see the problem,” Tanner said.

“She isn’t into commitment, and neither am I. I don’t want to change the game on her. I know how that ends because I was on that end of it before. I was always the one who wanted to keep things simple, just like she does. And as soon as the other person wanted more, I ran like hell. If she finds out how I’m starting to feel, she’s going to take off.”

“So, you’re in love with her?” Matt asked.

Aiden cringed. That information would get right back to Bailey, and he’d be in for a lecture. “I don’t know. She’s all I think about. But…”

“You’re in love with her.”

Tanner nodded. “Sounds like it.”

Matt handed him another beer. “Cheers! Not like Bailey and I didn’t see it coming.”

“No, it’s not love. Lust, yes. God yes, lust. But I’m not a falling-in-love kind of guy. I don’t need that kind of complication in my life.”

Tanner chuckled but said nothing. He just sipped his beer.

“You’re sitting here in a bar on Friday night, losing your mind over a girl. That’s a complication, dude.” Matt walked away to tend to other customers.

Aiden wanted to argue, but he really couldn’t. His life had become very complicated since the day he’d asked Samantha out. He was spending entirely too much time thinking about everything they did together, everything he wanted to do with her, what to say to her, how to please her. This was exactly what he hadn’t wanted, and he knew what the future held. Eventually it would happen. If she was like he had been, she’d start to resent him and feel smothered by the time they spent together. She’d begin to feel obligated to call him and start inventing plans that didn’t include him so they could spend more time apart. She’d start looking for other men.

The thought of her getting tired of him filled him with dread. This was his fault. He should have known better than to get involved with a girl he had so much in common with, someone who shared his beliefs. He’d thought that would make the relationship easy and carefree, but all it had done was make him see that if he found the perfect person, he wouldn’t need that personal freedom he’d coveted for his entire adult life. He wouldn’t want it.

Before Matt returned to their end of the bar, Aiden had made up his mind. He couldn’t mislead Sam, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her letting him down gently when she realized his feelings were stronger than hers. He had to end this now before either one of them got hurt.

The Clinic was so busy Saturday morning Sam barely had time to think about Aiden. When she finally had a chance to check her phone around noon, she found a text from him.

Call me.

On her break she took a stroll around the Clinic parking lot and called him. “Hey, what’s up?” she said when he answered.

“Hey. How’s work?”

“Busy. Taylor’s running registrations for obedience classes, so it’s a puppy parade this morning. Actually it’s fun. Where were you last night? Colette’s?”

“Yeah, I got into a dart game with Taylor’s brother, Tanner. I didn’t know they were twins.”

“Oh, yeah. They look exactly alike.”

“Listen, I was thinking later…maybe we can go for a walk in the park. With Barkley.”

“Sure, that sounds great.”

“When are you done at work?”

“I get out at two.”

“How about right after that.”

“Sure. Pick me up?”

“Ah, then you won’t have your car. How about we meet at the park?”

Sam thought that seemed a little odd, but she agreed. She wanted to ask him once again if anything was wrong, but she’d been doing that a lot lately, and she realized she was starting to sound like a girlfriend, reading some hidden meaning into everything he said. She had to stop that. From across the parking lot Gillian called to her, and she waved to her co-worker. “We’re getting busy again, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at the park around two thirty.”

“Okay, see you then.”

She hung up and jogged back to the Clinic. Gillian met her at the door. “Can we squeeze in an emergency check-up? Someone just called with a stray they found on the highway.”

Sam headed for her computer, glad for the distraction to clear away her worry about Aiden. “Sure, tell them to bring the dog in right away. I’ll let Taylor know, and I’ll get a rescue pack ready for them.”

“Great, thanks.” Gillian went back to the phone and told the caller to come right in with the dog, and Sam prepared a collection of items Dr. Croft usually gave to people who brought in strays, such as a supply of food, a new leash, and plastic food bowls. Most people who brought strays to the vet planned to keep them, and Dr. Croft encouraged those types of rescues, so he made it as easy on the new owners as possible.

“They’ll be here in a few minutes,” Gillian said. “I’ll tell Taylor. I’m headed in the back anyway. Why don’t you keep a lookout for them and direct them to the back entrance?”

“Okay. I’ll buzz you when they get here.” She headed for the back entrance which they used for animals who might be sick or seriously injured to keep them away from other patients. While she waited for the stray dog’s arrival, her thoughts naturally turned to Aiden. She had to stop herself from analyzing everything he said or did. They’d agreed to be honest with each other, and she had to expect that he was keeping up his end of the bargain, even if she wasn’t keeping up hers.

* * * *

At two forty-five Aiden checked his phone for the fourth time. He sat on the fender of his car, Barkley waiting patiently next to him, desperate for the promised walk in the park. Samantha should have been there fifteen minutes ago. She was never late. And she hadn’t answered her phone when he’d called. Of course, she might be driving and couldn’t answer, so he trained his gaze on the entrance to the park, willing her car to appear.

Another ten minutes went by and nothing. He thought of calling the Clinic’s main line to find out if there was some kind of delay. Maybe she hadn’t been able to leave on time.

He tapped his foot, sighed, gave Barkley a vigorous belly rub and tossed a small stick for him to retrieve to work off some of his pent-up energy. Still no Samantha.

It would serve him right if she stood him up. He was being a complete coward by inviting her to the park to end their arrangement. He’d figured, out here in the open, she could yell at him if she wanted to, and she could walk away and leave. He fully expected her to be angry when he told her he couldn’t continue like they were going. She’d think he was an idiot for getting involved in a relationship he wasn’t mature enough to handle.

He hated himself for being so stupid. She deserved better. She deserved someone who wouldn’t hurt her in the long run.

At three ten he started to worry. Why couldn’t he contact her? He dialed the Clinic, and there was no answer, just a canned recording of Sam’s voice asking patients to leave a message and telling them to call Taylor’s cell phone in the event of a dire emergency. He considered calling that number, but if Sam had left work on time Taylor would probably have no idea where she’d gone afterward.

Deciding to ride by her apartment and see if he could find her, he loaded Barkley back into the car. Before he pulled out of the lot, his phone rang, and he scooped it up absently, assuming it had to be Sam.

“Hey, where are you?”

“Uh…Aiden? It’s Tanner…”

“Oops, sorry. Listen, Tanner, I’m just on my way to find Samantha. She was supposed to meet me at the park and—”

“Aiden, it’s about Samantha. My rig just took her to the hospital.”

Blood rushed out of Aiden’s brain, leaving icy-cold fear in its wake. The muscles in his arm turned to rubber, making it hard for him to hold the phone to his ear. “What happened?” His hoarse whisper was barely audible.

“Someone brought a stray dog into the Clinic, and she was helping them get it inside. The dog bit her…pretty badly.”

“Is she okay…Tanner—”

“Her arm is in bad shape. Fortunately it didn’t bite her face. She shielded herself, but she’s going to need a lot of stitches. She was bleeding a lot, but she was stable when Quinn and I got her to the ER. She’s going to be okay, but she asked me to call you and tell you she was sorry she couldn’t meet you.”

“I’m…I’m on my way.”

“Drive safe.” Tanner hung up, and Aiden rested his head on the steering wheel, still holding his phone in one shaking hand. Something inside him had knotted up so tightly he could barely breathe. He wondered for a second if this was what a heart attack felt like, but at his age and state of health, he didn’t think he was having a heart attack.

He took several long, deep breaths and concentrated on slowly dialing his phone. He couldn’t take Barkley to the hospital with him, and he couldn’t leave the dog in the car while he went inside looking for Samantha. Thank goodness he had Bailey’s number on speed dial, and she answered her phone on the first ring.

“Hey, brother dear. What’s—”

“Samantha’s hurt.” His voice cracked like a schoolboy’s, but he didn’t care. “Bailey, I have to go to the hospital. Can I stop by your place and drop Barkley off?”

“Sure, sure. My God, what happened?”

“At the clinic, a dog attacked her.” His throat closed up, and he had to take a second to get control of himself. This was out of hand. Tanner said she would be fine. She needed some stitches, but she’d be okay. Why was he on the verge of crying like a child?

“Where are you now?”

“I’m at the park…I was going to meet her. I was…I was going to break it off with her.”

Bailey was silent for a second, and in that silence Aiden heard all the doubt he’d heaped on himself. What was wrong with him? How could he have been thinking of letting Sam go when he cared about her so much?