BLURB
One thing I know about Terry O’Connor—the man has complicated relationship written all over him, something I’ve avoided for pretty much forever. One thing I know about Terry’s hometown, Painted Bay—it’s a long, long way from my life as a Mackenzie Country veterinarian, and dedicated, carefree bachelor. All of which should be good news.
No reason to look twice at the gorgeous man currently staying at Miller Station with his daughter.
No reason to daydream about his soft lips, quirky sense of humour, sexy smile, or the way he blushes whenever he catches me staring which is far too often.
No reason to second guess my future plans or reconsider the no-strings lifestyle I’ve worked hard to perfect.
And absolutely no reason to feel disappointed that Terry is even less interested in a relationship than I am. I should be relieved.
Then why can’t I stop thinking about him and how right it feels when we’re together? Why does my heart spin at the very mention of his name? And why does the thought of moving on without Terry and his daughter in my life feel like the loneliest decision in the world?
EXCERPT:
“There’s the welcoming committee.” Luke indicated directly ahead, where three tiny figures stood next to a red-roofed hanger, a group of dogs sitting quietly to one side. “I’ll have you down in a jiffy.”
A minute or so later, the chopper’s skids set down gently on the grass, and I immediately recognised the dog trainer, Zach, from his website. He wore a green checked shirt and light-wash jeans tucked into leather cowboy boots—handsome and wholesomely country. I glanced at Luke who was wearing a broad grin, his attention locked on his husband. The other two men had to be the station owners, Gil and Holden, although I wasn’t sure who was who—one blond and one with a head of messy dark curls.
When the chopper powered down, Zach jogged across and opened Hannah’s door, wearing a dazzling smile that had me warming to him immediately. “Well, hello there, beautiful girl. You must be the one and only Hannah O’Connor.”
Hannah beamed. “I am. Nice to meet you, Mister Lane.”
Luke snorted. “Just call him Zach. We don’t want to give him any ideas.”
“Too late.” Zach threw his husband a cheeky grin. “I think I like the sound of Mister Lane.”
Luke laughed. “Yeah, right. In your dreams, sweetheart.”
“And you must be Terry.” Zach offered me his hand. His website photo had really done zero justice to those stunning green eyes.
“I am.” I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Right, let’s get you out of there.” Zach offered Hannah a helping hand, which she accepted while I stared at my daughter in amazement. Hannah hated being helped to do anything if she could possibly avoid it.
Hannah turned to grab her elbow crutches and shot me a don’t-you-dare-say-anything look. Like hell. I wasn’t that brave. But it was a good start to the week if my daughter already trusted the trainer, so I took it as a win.
With Hannah on the ground, Gabby swept past my knees to join her while I grabbed our bags, Hannah’s canes which she used on her better days, and her wheelchair which she needed for longer distances.
“Here, let me take some of that.” Luke took our bags and popped the canes under his arms before making his way back toward the other two men.
“Well, hello there, girl.” Zach dangled his hand for Gabby to take a long sniff but made no move to touch her. The retriever eyed him suspiciously before finally nudging his hand with her wet nose in grudging approval. That done, she scoped out her surroundings, her gaze lingering uncertainly on the other dogs.
Zach instructed the group of three to stay where they were. “We’ll let Gabby settle in before they meet properly. Right now she’s understandably nervous. Was that her first flight?”
“First time in a chopper,” Hannah corrected. “She flew to Wellington with us last week and then down to Christchurch.”
Zach nodded. “Helicopters are scary beasts. Looks like she did well. But these surroundings and all the smells are new, and she won’t feel safe leaving your side for a while.”
Hannah nodded. “She’s a good dog.”
Zach smiled approvingly. “I can see that. Now come and meet the others.” He led us across to where Luke stood chatting and waved a hand at the curious canines as he passed. “Get away back.”
Every dog walked a good ten metres away and sat.
“This is a beautiful place you have here,” I commented as we reached the others.
“Not mine, unfortunately.” Zach nodded toward the two men. “Holden here is owner. I just have the privilege of living and working here.”
I kept my surprise under wraps as the younger of the two—mid-thirties at a push—stepped forward to shake my hand, his dark brown eyes scanning my face. “Nice to meet you, Terry. And you, Miss Hannah.” Holden shot Hannah a wink. “Call me Holden.”
Hannah smiled brightly. “Nice to meet you, Holden,”
“And this is my partner and much better half, Gil.” Holden extended his hand toward the blond man who was maybe in his forties with shrewd hazel eyes that seemed to look right through you. The man took it without hesitation, allowing himself to be pulled forward. “Gil manages everything around here that doesn’t have four legs. He’s also a psychologist and is responsible for the station’s wellness retreat programme.”
Gil chuckled. “Well, Holden’s right about the four-legged part, at least. Those critters are definitely not my superpower. Nice to meet you, Terry. You too, Hannah.” He shook hands with both of us.
The two men made a handsome couple, but when I shot a sideways glance to where Luke and Zach were sharing a quiet moment, I amended that thought—make that two handsome couples.
“And while we’re doing introductions . . .” Gil indicated the large huntaway sitting off to one side with the others, his gaze locked on Gil. “That’s Spider. You might say he’s my self-appointed and self-trained assistance dog. Where I go, he goes.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. “Self-trained?”
Gil winked. “I’ll tell you about it one day. The dog next to Spider is Batman, one of Holden’s dogs, and the girl at the end is Nina. She belongs to Zach.”
A car horn blasted, and I turned to see a ute, barrelling down the road beside the air strip, with Oakwood Veterinary Clinic stamped on the driver’s door. As it drew alongside, the ute slowed and the driver stuck his head out the window. “I’ll need to come back to finish the others later in the week. And I want to check that bull again if you can bring him in. I’ll let you know when.”
Holden nodded. “Sure. No problem.”
The driver’s gaze slid sideways to me and a warm smile stole over his face. “So, who do we have here?” He looked me up and down. “A set of fresh victims—oops, I mean guests.”
“Hardy har har,” Gil mocked. “You think you’re so funny.” He shot me an apologetic look. “Excuse our friend here. He’s off his medication.”
“Terry and Hannah, this is our vet, Spencer.” Holden swept a hand toward the ute.
Hannah gave the man a wave. “Hi, Spencer.”
“Hi to you too.” Spencer shot Hannah a sunny smile. “That’s a good-looking dog you’ve got there.”
Hannah practically glowed. “Thanks. Her name’s Gabby. She’s a golden retriever and she’s my service dog. I have juvenile idiopathic arthritis.”
I rested a gentle hand on Hannah’s shoulder. I loved that she was always so open.
“Is that right?” Spencer leaned out his window for a closer look at Gabby. “Well, she sure is a beauty. She must be a big help to you.”
“She is.” Hannah nodded enthusiastically. “But Dad calls her a lovable drain on our bank accounts.”
Everyone laughed, including Spencer.
“Wow, thanks for that, sweetheart.” I walked over to shake Spencer’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
The vet’s warm hand wrapped around mine. “The pleasure is all mine.” His gaze lingered and heat raced into my traitorous cheeks. I smiled faintly and quickly stepped away as he added, “Don’t let these guys boss you around. Before you know it, they’ll put you to work and have you thinking it was all your idea.”
“Ignore him.” Holden slapped the ute’s roof a couple of times. “Go on, get out of here. I’m not paying for your idle chit-chat.”
Spencer laughed. “You wish.” He shot me another quick smile and then disappeared in a cloud of dust.
AuthorInfo
Heart, humour and keeping it real.
Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.
She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She's travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel
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