Summer Rose (8 page)

Hunter bolted to his feet. “You what?”

“In my defense, I didn’t know what their problem was, and I was just trying to shut them up so I could get some work done, and they were very quiet after I . . . put . . . them . . .” She dropped her face to her hands. “Oh, crap. I am so sorry.” Then she raised her gaze to him. “Are you going to fire me?”

Her abject remorse coupled with the reminder that she’d never been around animals before and couldn’t be expected to know the warning signs of a cat in heat, served to cool Hunter’s anger. “No, I’m not going to fire you. Just please, talk to me before you do anything like that again.”

“There is an upside.” Rose smiled weakly. “Pansy will be a mom, and we’ll have a cute little litter of kitties around here.”

His anger began to surface again. “Maybe Pansy doesn’t want to be a mom and have the responsibility of caring for babies. Maybe she just wanted to go on being a loner and having a life of her own, catching mice and—” He stomped from the office, slamming the connecting door behind him, and leaving Rose to stare wide-eyed after him.

She frowned. What on earth had brought that on? One minute he’d seemed to have been cooling off, and the next he’d erupted like an active volcano. All she’d said was that Pansy would be a mom. For some reason, that had set him off again. And what a strange choice of words. The way he’d ranted on about it, anyone would think he’d been talking about a human and not a cat.

By the end of the day
Hunter had not come out of the backroom, so Rose finished up her chores and had started to get ready to close the office. She’d just clicked on the answering machine, when Hunter emerged from the back. Fearing another eruption, she busied herself straightening papers and pretended not to notice him.

He cleared his throat, forcing her to acknowledge his presence. “Rose, I want to apologize for my totally irrational reaction to Pansy’s pregnancy.” Then he smiled, and, as if by magic, the man she’d called Hunter appeared.

“No problem. We all have our moments.”

“Well, be that as it may, it wasn’t fair to yell at you. I should have spayed Pansy when I took her in, but I kept putting it off. So this is just as much my fault as anyone’s.” He stared at her for a long moment. “Let me make it up to you by cooking you one of the thick steaks I have in the fridge.”

Rose knew she should say
no
. Her equilibrium couldn’t withstand being near him in a casual setting away from the office. But she wanted so desperately to say
yes
. These past few weeks of formal conversation had been the longest of her life. She longed for the relaxed atmosphere that had existed between them on that first day. But did she dare?

“I’d love to.” Good grief! Where had that come from? Oh well, in for a dime, in for a dollar . . . or however that saying went. She couldn’t back out gracefully now.

“Great. I’ll start the grill, and that’ll give you time to freshen up before dinner.” He opened the front door for her.

As she stepped into the doorway, their gazes locked. His warm breath feathered across her hot cheeks. She became way too aware of the width of his chest and the deep smile grooves around his full lips.

Dragging her gaze away, she hurried through the door. “I’ll make a salad,” she called as she dashed toward the garage and the emotional safety of her apartment. Hopefully, she could get herself under control before she had to sit across a table from him.

Showered and dressed in white shorts and a pale salmon T-shirt, Rose finished throwing the cut-up salad vegetables into a large wooden bowl she’d found among the kitchen utensils that Hunter had said she could use. She added dressing, and then tossed the veggies thoroughly. Firming up her resolve to keep this dinner on a friendly basis, she picked up the bowl and descended the stairs into the yard connecting the garage to the main house.

Still unsure about the prudence of spending the evening with Hunter, she covered the distance slowly. One of the main reasons she’d agreed to have dinner with him had been because she’d grown tired of her own company. Since the incident with Davy and the wolf weeks ago, Hunter had become a different person from the man who’d hired her. He’d closeted himself with patients and then closed up shop at the end of the day and disappeared inside his house. She would retire to her apartment and watch TV or read.

She hadn’t expected life here to be a never-ending action adventure, but she had hoped for at least a friendship with the handsome vet. Something on a neighborly level.

Liar!

The word shot through her brain like a Fourth of July rocket.

Ever since you first saw him, he’s been on your mind. Admit it! You want far more than a
neighborly level
with this man.

But that can’t be. Rose ran her hand over her flat tummy. She could no longer think in
me
terms. It was now
us
. Her and the twin lives she carried inside her. How could she even consider a future with any man until she’d settled her own life? Until she discovered if she had any mommy genes in her or if she had inherited those of the mother who had walked out on her claiming she
just couldn’t do this
.

Rose shook away the troubling thoughts. Hunter had done nothing to make her think he had any interested in her. Nothing besides giving her a job, a place to live and an income to support herself and eventually the babies. There had been no hint of anything beyond a very strict employer/employee relationship, and she planned to keep it that way. Still, they could be friends. Couldn’t they?

As she grew closer to his house, she skirted the front and headed toward the backyard where, having seen him cooking on other evenings, she knew he kept the barbeque grill. The smell of cooking meat enveloped her. If nothing else, the vet evidently had some cooking skills. She hadn’t smelled anything half as mouthwateringly enticing in a very long time.

Stepping around the corner of the house, Rose came to a sharp halt in the shadow of a large maple tree shading the patio. Hunter stood at the grill, his hair still shower-damp, his broad shoulders encased in a lemon-yellow T-shirt, his feet bare and his tanned legs exposed by snug denim shorts. All her good intentions to keep this on a friendly basis threatened to sail right off into the twilit night.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the shadows onto the patio stones. “Salad has arrived.” She held up the bowl.

Hunter swung around. For a moment he stared at her as if he’d never seen her before, then gave his head a slight shake and grinned. “Great. Looks wonderful,” he added after peeking into the bowl. Then he gestured toward a table he’d already set with plates, silverware, glasses and citronella candles, which infused the night air with an exotic aroma. “Put it over on the table. The steaks should be ready in just a few minutes. There’s a bottle of wine cooling in the ice bucket. Why don’t you pour us each a glass?”

Rose placed the salad bowl on the table, then filled one glass half way with the chilled white zinfandel, and carried it to the grill for him. He glanced at her other empty hand. “You’re not having any?”

How did she tell him that she didn’t want it because pregnant women don’t drink alcohol? She opted for a vague refusal. “I’m not much of a drinker. Got any soda?”

He nodded, laid the tongs on the side of the grill and disappeared inside. Moments later, he emerged with a can of Coke. “Here you go.”

When she took it, his fingers slid over hers, and the resulting tingle traveled all the way to her shoulder. The unexpected sensation totally unnerved her. Quickly, she retreated back to the table and sat in one of the chairs. She stared at his broad back and wondered how she’d ever get through this night without grabbing him and seeing if his kisses would be as sweet as she’d imagined.

Hunter felt Rose’s gaze burning into his back. Doing his best to look casual, he flipped the steaks and concentrated on the task at hand. Not easy while still trying to recover from the unexpected sight of her luscious tanned legs and all that long, auburn hair spilling over her shoulders and onto her breasts . . .

He shook himself.
Steaks. Cook the steaks. She’s just another woman.

But that was the problem. She wasn’t
just
another woman. She was Rose, the woman who’d been living in his head since the day she walked into the clinic. The woman that threatened to make him forget all his resolve about family.

Keeping away from her this past week had been torture. He’d lain in bed at night, knowing she lay in her bed only a few hundred yards away in the apartment. He worked in the back of his office all too aware of the scent of her perfume that wafted into the back room every time he opened the office door. How could he possibly keep his emotions under control with the temptation of having her close, yet not nearly close enough?

The sun had gone down
and a soft breeze blew up through the valley. In the distance, the silhouette of Hawks Mountain loomed against the deep purple night sky. Hunter couldn’t remember when he’d felt more relaxed and content.

“You’re some kind of chef, Dr. Mackenzie.” She saluted him with her soda can.

He returned the salute and took a drink.

Rose traced circles in the sweat on the can, and then tilted her head. “May I ask a question?”

A bit anxious about what the question would be, he lowered the glass and nodded. “Sure.”

Rose hesitated, looked down at the can, then met his gaze with her own. “Why did you get so upset about Pansy’s pregnancy?”

Knowing he would eventually have to offer some rational reason why he’d acted like a jerk, he put his half-empty wine glass on the table and leaned toward her. “Rose, about that . . . I am really sorry for my attitude this afternoon. I know you haven’t had much experience with animals, and you couldn’t have known what would inevitably happen between Pansy and Thomas.”

She nodded and smiled. “Apology accepted.” Then she looked as if she wanted to say more.

He tilted his head. “But?”

“Well, it just seemed . . . I felt it was . . . a little over the top.” Rose spit out the last words as if afraid she’d lose her nerve. “I mean, you seemed to take it personally.”

Stalling for time, Hunter refilled his glass. Then he stood and walked to the edge of the patio, his back to Rose, his face lifted to the sparkling night sky. In retrospect, he agreed with Rose. His reaction had been over the top . . . and personal. But having a family thrust upon Pansy seemed to have brought back the painful memories of the days when he had fought for a life of his own. The days of laundry, grocery lists, homework, sports schedules, and curfews and two semi rebellious teenagers who needed a parent figure. None of which Pansy would have to contend with, but nevertheless a grim reminder of how his own life had been stolen from him by a man who’d had too many beers and not enough sense to stay out from behind the wheel of his car.

“Hunter?”

Rose’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He sighed and returned to the table.

Taking a sip of wine to stiffen his backbone, he began his tale. “When I was twenty, both my parents were killed in a car accident with a drunk driver, leaving me to raise my sixteen-year-old sister Janice and seventeen-year-old brother Kenny . . . alone.”

Rose’s hand closed over his. “I’m so sorry.”

As if he were afloat in unfriendly waters and her hand was a life preserver, he curled his fingers around hers. “Thanks.” He took a deep breath and continued. “As the oldest, the responsibility for keeping the remains of our family together and taking on the responsibilities of both mother and father fell to me.” He dropped her hand and leaned back in his chair. “Unfortunately, that meant putting my life on hold until my siblings had theirs in order and stretching what little money my parents left us to cover college expenses”

“That must have been very hard on you.”

Hunter laughed derisively. “I didn’t mind . . . at first. Thank God, both of them were reasonably good kids so I never ended up at the police station at four in the morning bailing them out. But it got harder and harder as the months went by. There never seemed to be enough money for everything. Janice did what she could around the house, and Kenny got a part-time job after school.”

“What about college? You obviously have a degree in veterinary medicine, but what about your sister and brother?’

“Janice won a scholarship, and Kenny worked his way through.” He shrugged. “After they were on their way, I started college and financed it with part-time jobs. It wasn’t easy, but we managed.” He paused and stared off into the night. “What finally got to me was the responsibility of all of it.”

Suddenly, it all came rushing back. The weight of the burden he’d assumed for his dead parents, the underlying, nagging knowledge that if he messed up, two lives could be ruined. He’d lain awake many nights wondering if he’d done the right thing, wondering if his decision would come back to bite him and Janice and Kenny.

“So where are Janice and Kenny now?”

He smiled. “Janice is teaching school in upstate New York, and Kenny holds a master’s degree in business and owns a couple of hotels on the West Coast.”

 Rose again covered his hand with hers. “Sounds to me like you did a pretty good job.”

He shrugged. “I suppose. But I’d never do it again. The strain of all that responsibility was a lot more than I could stand, and something I don’t want to experience again.” He sat up straight, shedding the troubles of a life gone by, picked up the wine bottle and then paused and asked Rose, “Another soda?”

Rose placed her hand on top of her can and shook her head. “No, I’ve had my limit, thanks.”

She watched Hunter as he poured a small amount of zinfandel into his own glass. She was finally coming to understand Hunter Mackenzie a bit better, and what she’d found out tonight explained a lot. Hunter didn’t want a family . . . ever.

An empty feeling settled inside her. She hadn’t expected anything to come of their tenuous friendship, or so she’d been telling herself. Now she had to admit that there had been a tiny glimmer of hope. Otherwise, why would she feel so overwhelmingly disappointed, so utterly alone? Suddenly the star-studded heavens and the balmy night that had lulled them both into a state of contented relaxation seemed to be mocking her with promises of other nights like this, nights that could never be. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out at the injustice of it all.

She smoothed her hand over her tummy. Obviously Hunter loved his job and the animals. But the one thing Hunter didn’t care for was the responsibility of a family. If there had been any hope of a relationship before, the two tiny lives inside her and her promise to their mother had effectively extinguished it.

The following day,
Rose breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed that Hunter had returned to his good-humored self. He no longer closeted himself in the back, and he chatted with her amiably between patients.

Around three, the office door opened, and a woman with gray hair and a cheery smile entered with a shaggy gray dog in tow. Rose glanced at the appointment book. Josephine Hawks and her dog Jake.

“Hello, Ms. Hawks.”

“Granny Jo will do nicely. It’s what everyone calls me.” The friendly tone of the woman’s voice flowed over Rose like warm water. She knew nothing about Granny Jo, but she liked her already.

“Jake’s here for his rabies booster and heartworm check.” She patted the old dog lovingly on the head. He leaned his shaggy body against her leg, forcing her to clutch the edge of the desk to keep her balance. “Well, glory be, Jake. Knock me over why don’t you.” She made a
tsking
sound, and then centered her sharp gaze back on Rose. “And who might you be?”

Rose smiled. “I’m Rose. Rose Hamilton. Dr. Mackenzie’s new assistant and receptionist.”

Granny Jo nodded. “That’s right. I heard Donna ran off to get married.” Then she grinned wider. “Seems to be a lot of that goin’ round these days. My granddaughter Becky will be tying the knot come the end of summer. Matter of fact, she just picked out her gown last week.”

The pride and love in the old woman’s voice and face made Rose wonder what it would have been like to have grown up with a family around her, a blood family. A family that would have loved and protected her, encouraged her in her career choice, and been there when life got too tough to handle alone. But, by the luck of the draw, she had no idea who her father was and had ended up with a mother with no mothering genes.

“Granny Jo!”

Hunter’s entrance drew both women’s attention.

He gave Granny a hug, then patted Jake’s head. “How’s his leg doing?”

“Good as new. You did a fine job patching him up. Spends most of his days out chasing anything with four legs around the woods.”

Rose handed Hunter the dog’s chart. “Jake is here for his booster and a heartworm check.”

Hunter took the file and gave her a smile. Her heart jumped. She returned his smile, then quickly averted her eyes. Unfortunately, not before Granny Jo caught the exchange. The old woman raised one eyebrow, but said nothing.