Redwood Ridge

Chapter 5

After Cade and his brothers had mercilessly teased Avery for the systematic changes she'd made to the clinic, she'd stopped asking to do things and just did them. Her incentive was admirable, if not scary. It's not that the office was disorganized. It's just that it was...well, yeah. Disorganized. It had been so much easier just to succumb to the chaos than it had been to take the time to change.

Cade had dubbed Avery the Nazi but, damn, the clinic was running smoother than ever. So much so that Aunt Rosa decided not to finish out her two weeks, making today her last shift. Avery had hardly needed any training at all. She jumped right in with fervor and retained knowledge with frightening skill.

Once Avery had a chart system in place, she'd moved on to the storeroom. As in they had one now instead of boxes of supplies in various spots throughout the clinic. She'd cleaned out the janitor's closet, found some old shelving units, and unpacked. There were even-gulp-labels.

It actually had taken Brent twenty minutes to find twenty-two gauge syringes because they weren't buried in a box in the boarding room. They were on a shelf now. In a closet. With a label. Cade blew out a breath and shook his head in awe.

Finished with a round of patients, he headed up front where Aunt Rosa was reading a romance book and Avery was typing away on the computer. "Whatcha doing now?"

Avery didn't glance up from the screen. "Making a supply list in Excel."

Hell. Why was that hot? She wasn't his usual type.

Okay, to be honest, any female with too many brain cells wasn't his type. It wasn't out of a sense of shallowness he sought that variety, but preservation. Until he found someone who made his heart beat like Heather used to do for Drake, he'd stick with superficial. No point in getting hurt or hurting someone else. But ever since Heather died, Cade tried less and less to settle down or find that person. He was aware of it, aware he was doing it, and damn if he ever questioned his actions until now. People rarely recovered from that kind of love. Why search for it?

Perhaps it was Avery's long legs in those black leggings, or her pink sweater the same shade as her cheeks when she blushed, or her brown hair-more chestnut really in the sun-piled on top of her head and held in place with a pencil that seized his interest. He bit back a sigh. Nope. It was her brain, her humor, and her strength.

Hot.

Aunt Rosa glanced at him over the top of her book, a knowing smirk on her face.

Busted.

"A supply list?" Bully for him. His voice sounded normal. He still had no freaking clue why, but if he wasn't bumbling like a moron around Avery, he was saying moronic things. Where the hell was his swagger?

"Mmhm." Type. "So we don't over order things or run out. Gabby and Brent can just check off what they need and I can order from the supplier." Type, type. "Did you know you had ten cases of cat litter? Insane."

He scratched his jaw. "Uh. No."

"Putting Zoe's stuff on here, too. Her shampoos and whatnot for grooming." Type.

"She's making a supply list," Rosa beamed, waving her hand like this was an epiphany. I told you I'm all-wise. I hired her!

Cade frowned at his aunt. She'd been the office manager, for Christ's sake. She should've been doing this.

Flynn came up to the desk and tapped Avery's shoulder. "Have you seen my backup bag? Gabby and I need to head out to Miller's farm."

Avery nodded. "In the supply room, stocked for you. Your new bag should be here Monday."

At Cade's questioning glance, Flynn signed, "A goat chewed my other one when Gabby was busy chasing a barn cat."

And this was why he wasn't the house call vet.

Flynn tapped Avery's shoulder to get her attention again. "Marry me?"

She laughed. "Not today, but you're welcome. Shoo, now."

What. The. Hell.

As if sensing Cade's thought train and derailing it, Avery said, "He asks me to marry him daily. Hourly, depending on what I've done." Type, type. "Relax, Dr. Cade. He's joking. Besides, I don't do office romance." Right, Flynn? she signed.

Flynn grinned, the asshole, and strode into his office, only to emerge moments later with Gabby and his travel bag.

Cade flipped him off behind Avery's back as he was walking out the door.

"Saw that." Type.

Of course she did. All moms had eyes in the backs of their heads. And that was the other thing. She had a kid. Not that he didn't like kids. He did. Maybe even wanted a couple of his own someday. But it wasn't just one person involved when dating someone like Avery. It was two.

And they weren't dating. Not even a little. He hadn't asked her out and, aside from that first day when her gaze had shown interest, she'd seemed immune to him.

That hadn't happened in...ever. He found it oddly refreshing.

With Flynn and Gabby gone, Cade glanced around. "Where's She-rah?" The cat was usually perched on top of the printer, plotting world domination.

"Avery put her on time-out. She's in the back room." Rosa's grin grew to oh s**t size, and he figured his aunt had read all his previous thoughts. Like a Vulcan mind meld. Which was never a good thing.

Wait. A time-out? He looked at Avery. "You put a cat on time-out?" He didn't know whether that was cute or genius.

Avery never stopped typing, which was beginning to infuriate him. "Yes, she was scaring Thor."

Cade looked down, just noticing Thor's head in Avery's lap from the other side of her chair. The Great Dane looked at him as if to say, Neener, neener. "Dust bunnies scare that dog."

"Well, the cat needs manners. Plus, Thor and I are working on his courage. Aren't we, boy?"

Thor barked. And not in fear. Yes, my liege.

Unsure what to make of Avery, he scratched his jaw. She'd done more in one week on the job than Aunt Rosa had in twenty years. She was prettier to look at, too. Aunt Rosa caught him staring at Avery again, so he shook his head.

"Do I have any more patients this afternoon?"

"Drake has one more surgery and you have two patients-a terrier who chewed its way through a crate, thus cutting his gums, and strangely..." She trailed off and brought up her schedule. "A cat that's feeling 'off.'"

Cade groaned. He was so not in the mood for-

Rosa set her book down. "It's Jeffery Harrison's cat."

Well, that made no sense. Jeffrey had gone to high school with Cade, did not want to date Cade, and he didn't have a cat. Why make an appointment at all?

Rosa's brows lifted. "It's not just the pretty females worming their way in for appointments anymore. Avery's getting popular." She tilted her head, her expression saying, whatcha gonna do about it, boy?

So men were making fake visits to his clinic just to see his new office manager? Hell, did Jeffrey buy a damn cat just to ask her out? This wasn't a dating service. Had people never heard of a cell phone? When his temples started to throb, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Type, type. "Maybe Jeffrey is batting for the other team now. Or the cat really is feeling off?"

Rosa laughed, high-fiving Avery, who never looked up from her computer.

Screw this. Cade turned on his heels and went into his office.

* * *

Avery looked over the front desk at her mom and Rosa-who were scrolling through Pinterest pictures on Rosa's phone-when they hemmed a third time. They'd been trying to goad her into looking, too, but Avery was on to them. They weren't even trying to be suave.

They were matchmaking, so she ignored them. Mostly. She did not need to be set up on a date. Especially not with her new boss. Any of them, for that matter. Avery had sworn off men, and besides, hello awkward? And Cade had more women hanging on his arm than the desert had sand granules. If she did date, it wouldn't be a man who loved women that much.

What had Cade called these ladies? The Battleaxes? Suiting. Seemed his mother and aunts were trying to recruit Avery's mother into their muah-ha-ha fold. The memory of one picture of Cade from last summer in board shorts and nothing else had her clenching her thighs together.

"Look at those biceps. Oh, he's cuddling a kitten. Avery, have you seen this?"

Avery closed her eyes and covered her ears. Lead me not into temptation...

Who was she kidding? She hadn't been in church since her wedding nine years before.

Finally, Cade's last patient of the day came out of an exam room. She blew out a breath.

Jeffrey seemed like a nice enough guy, if not a little obvious in stripping her naked with his eyes. He set the cat crate on the floor by his feet as Cade walked up front, followed by Brent.

Ready to cut Jeffrey off at the pass-literally, he'd made several passes at her-she pasted on a smile and stood. "That was so nice of you to bring your mother's cat in for her."

Cade snorted and handed her a list of services. Depression?

Avery gave Jeffrey the total and he squared the bill. "You have a great weekend. Thanks for coming in."

Jeffrey shoved a baseball cap over his receding brown hair. "About that. What are you up to tonight? Maybe we could get some dinner?"

"Oh, that's so nice of you, but-"

"She's got plans."

No one moved for a fraction of a second. She was pretty sure the earth stopped rotating. They all slowly turned to face Cade. Yeah, that proverbial pin drop? They'd all heard it.

Cade froze, his eyes wide as if shocked he'd said anything, pen poised over the open chart in his hand.

Brent took in Cade's distressed face and straightened. "Um, yes. We're all headed to Shooters tonight. Avery's...spoken for?" He looked at her as if to confirm.

"I am?" Not that she was going to take Jeffrey up on the offer. She had no interest in dating, but still. Couldn't she just nicely turn him down? Why lie?

Brent fixed her with a go with it glare and then grinned at Jeffrey. "Sorry, big guy."

Rosa and her mom's head whipped back and forth between the patient, Cade, and Brent. Their avid interest in Pinterest was gone and replaced by the live floor show.

Cade muttered a quiet curse.

Jeffrey's confused gaze scanned the room. "Okay. Maybe I'll meet up with you later." He picked up the crate and left. Fast.

All eyes slid back to Cade. He opened and closed his mouth several times before tossing the chart aside, running a hand through his thick blond hair, and glancing heavenward. "Right."

Flynn and Gabby walked in the door at the same time Drake chose that moment to come up front from the back.

Drake's gaze swept over each of them in a millimeter of a second. "Are we having a moment of silence?"

Rosa's eyes narrowed. "Actually, we're trying to figure out why Cade just blocked Avery from accepting a date."

"I did not-"

"Ooh, a date?" Gabby stepped forward and set her bag down before adjusting her long, blond ponytail. "With who?"

"Jeffrey Harrison." Brent waved his hand dismissively. "Dodged a bullet with that one, doll. I'd thank Cade."

"I did not-"

"What time should I be over to watch Hailey?" Mom interrupted, earning a nod of approval from Rosa. "I'm glad you have plans to go out. You need to have a little fun."

Avery shook her head. "When did fake plans become real plans?"

Flynn's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"Does seven o'clock work for everyone?" Brent c****d a hip.

"I'm in," Gabby said. She picked up her bag and headed for the hall. "Shooters?"

Avery rubbed her forehead. "I didn't agree to-"

Rosa huffed. "Now, now. Cade asked you out, and you're new in town, so this'll be a good opportunity to meet a lot of people."

"I did not ask her-"

"Semantics," Rosa said. "Justine, dear, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll walk out with you. Avery, I'll be over at six thirty to watch Hailey."

Flynn shrugged. "I'm in." He looked at Avery. "Drinks on me for your awesome first week." Deserting her, too, he went into his office.

Drake crossed his arms, looking like he wanted to kill Cade for some reason or erase the past five minutes from his memory. "Have fun tonight, kids."

"Wait." Brent pouted. "You have to come, too."

"I don't." Drake turned to go.

The tech was undeterred, using a teasing singsong voice. "Avery cleaned out and organized the surgical room."

Drake paused mid-step, back still to them, and sighed. "One drink and I'm out. And...thanks, Avery."

Brent clapped his hands like a giddy child and sauntered off, leaving Avery and Cade alone up front.

Silence stretched for one minute. Two.

Slowly, she turned in her chair to face him. "What just happened?"

He was leaning on the back counter with his chin down and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't look up when he answered. "We just got railroaded."

Yeah, she got that part. "For the record, I didn't have any plans for tonight."

"Okay."

"I was going to take a hot bath and read."

He didn't move. "Got it."

"Now I do have plans."

"Yep," he said tightly.

"Because of you. I believe your exact words were, 'She has plans.'"

His shoulders tensed. "I remember."

She strummed her fingernails on the desk. "What if I wanted to go out with Jeffrey?"

For that, he lifted his head. "Do you?"

He pinned her with that blue gaze of his, rife with interest, curiosity, and something that made her belly heat...then her chest...and her cheeks. All flaming. There were some serious mixed signals or crossed wires in the two feet between them. Why would he step in like that if he wasn't...jealous? But that was ridiculous. He was a Trojan god, and she was a divorcee with a kid who'd gotten way too soft around the middle.

Except he was still staring, waiting for an answer as if it were of utmost importance. She hadn't done this dance in so long she was certain she was reading him wrong.

He shoved off the counter and made his way over. Backing her chair up to the desk, he leaned down, placed his palms on either side of her to cage her in, and brought his face within inches of hers. The scent of fabric softener and animal fur followed him as he looked in her eyes.

She stopped breathing. Was pretty sure he did, too.

"Do you want to go out with him?" he asked, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

He had the start of a five o'clock shadow, which added to his devil-may-care attitude. The gray flecks in his eyes were more noticeable this close to him and the wide, almost bow shape of his mouth was only inches from hers. s****l tension coiled in her gut, made drawing in air impossible. The heat from his body engulfed.

Crap on a cracker. "No."

He didn't move, but his lids lowered to half-mast when his gaze dipped to her mouth. Lazily, he brought it back up to her eyes. One corner of his lips quirked. "Good."

He straightened and headed toward his office. "I'll pick you up at seven." He was halfway there before she blinked and recovered.

"I can drive myself."

"Never said you couldn't." He kept right on going.

She bit her lip. "This isn't a date."

"Never said it was." He stopped in his office doorway and turned to face her. His gaze leveled on her and held her captive. For a second, he seemed uncertain, but it was gone before she could react. Slowly, he drew in air and palmed the doorknob. "If we do ever go on a date, you'll know it's a date. And we'll be alone."

She shivered.

He shut his office door.