Flirting with Love (6 page)

“A cow’s point of balance is the shoulder area, so if you approach ahead of the shoulder area, she’ll turn away or back up. Cows see differently than we do. They can see more than three hundred degrees, while we see one hundred eighty degrees. Their blind spot is directly behind them.” He pointed behind Dolly. “So if you stand there, she can’t see you.”

“What’s the flight zone?” Elisabeth asked as she walked alongside him.

Flight zones?
She was constantly surprising him, and it made it harder for him to keep his distance. “You know about flight zones?”

“No, but I remember the term from an article or something. Maybe a documentary. I can’t remember.”

“Well, the flight zone is the area surrounding her where she’ll move to when she’s approached and feels threatened. You want to be aware of her point of balance, and the distance you keep from her body. To keep her moving forward, stay out to the side, like where I am, and at the edge of her flight zone. See how far away I am?” He waved his arm between him and Dolly. “This is about right. If she starts going too fast, then ease off a little until she slows, and if she slows too much or stops, move closer to encourage her to move.”

“I approached from the side, but closer to her shoulder, and she let me pet her.”

“You have your aunt Cora to thank for that. She spent a lot of time with Dolly.” He reached for Elisabeth’s hand. “Here, you do this, and I’ll get the gate.”

“I don’t know. What if I send her running the wrong way?”

He smiled to ease her worry and guided her closer to Dolly. “You won’t, and if you do, then I’ll go get her.” He walked beside her until they were closer to the gate. “You’re doing great. See? It’s not too difficult when you know what to do.”

She took over as he opened the gate. “I think I need to study up on husbandry.”

“Maybe we need to take a trip over to the library at some point. Callie, the librarian, is my brother Wes’s girlfriend.” He liked it better when they were side by side, but he allowed himself another greedy glance at her smile, her eyes, her shoulders, her breasts…He turned back toward the paddock and drew in a deep breath. He needed to focus on the cow and fixing the broken wood, not the rising wood in his pants.

“I was there today. Does she have dark hair? Really pretty and sort of quiet?”

He noted that she wasn’t afraid to say another woman was pretty. Sometimes women were weird about those things. Chalk another one up to the
What I Like About Elisabeth
list. He wondered how many more surprises she had in that pretty head of hers.

“Yes. That’s Callie. She’s a sweetheart. You’re doing great, Elisabeth.” He closed the gate behind Dolly and assessed the broken fence. It was a center break. The railings formed a V-shaped opening. The rails needed to be replaced. It wouldn’t be difficult to fix, but Ross wondered what Elisabeth would have done if he hadn’t come by.

“I’ll walk Dolly up toward the barn. Why don’t you ride your bike up to the house; then I’ll run out and get wood to fix the fence.”

“You don’t have to do that, Ross. I’m sure you have better things to do than fix my fence. I appreciate all you’ve done already.”

“Elisabeth, what would you have done if I hadn’t come by?”

She shrugged.

“Would you have stayed with Dolly all night?”

She trapped her lower lip in her teeth and fiddled with the edge of her hoodie. “Maybe. I couldn’t very well leave her by herself. I would have worried all night that she’d wander off.”

He knew she’d have done just that. Ross’s phone rang and Jim Trowell’s name flashed on the screen. His chest tightened. Jim was Kelsey’s grandfather, and his dog was on its last days.

“I’ve got to take this call, but I’ll bring Dolly up to the barn in a few minutes.”

“Do you mind if I take Storm with me?” She trapped her lower lip in her teeth and widened her eyes, looking too damn cute for him to even think.

“Sure.” He watched her walk away to retrieve her bike with Storm on her heels, and he wondered how long it would take for her to steal Storm’s heart.

He turned his attention to the call and spoke to Jim Trowell. Sure enough, Jim’s dog, Gracie, wasn’t doing well, and Jim wanted Ross to come check her out.

He led Dolly up to the barn and found Elisabeth sitting on the front porch holding a hammer and a box of nails, looking adorable.

“What are you going to do with those?” Ross sat beside her.

“Try to jury-rig the fence so it’ll be safe until I can get it repaired.” She knitted her brow and looked at him like he had asked a ridiculous question.

“You can’t fix it with a hammer and nails. We have to buy new rails, but first I have to go see a client. Kelsey’s grandfather’s dog isn’t doing very well and I need to stop by.”

“Aw, poor thing. What’s wrong with it?”

“Old age. I’m afraid she doesn’t have much time left.” He pushed to his feet. “Why don’t I pick up the wood on the way back? Dolly’s fine in the barn for the night. I’ll come by before dawn and fix the fence.”

She rose to her feet and followed him to his truck. “I can call someone to fix the fence.”

He arched a brow.

“Okay, maybe they wouldn’t come out right away, but you can tell me who to call.”

“I’ll fix your fence,” he said too adamantly. If Ross didn’t fix her fence, the only other option was Chet Daily. Chet was Mr. Fix It around Trusty. He fixed fences and barns, and handled other farm and ranch repairs. Chet was known in high school as the virgin slayer—and in the years since, his reputation hadn’t changed. There was no way Ross was going to let a guy like Chet go anywhere near sweet, beautiful Elisabeth. “I’ve got it. Really.” He opened the truck door.

“Okay, well, then, can I go with you to see Gracie? I do massages for terminally ill pets.”

Massages for pets.
He thought about that for a minute. His cousin Rex’s fiancée, Jade, did equine massage. Maybe it wasn’t too far-fetched of an idea. He dropped his gaze and leaned against the doorframe. “I may have to put her down. You don’t want to be there for that.”

She stepped closer. “Maybe not, but I can help her feel better. It’s only a five-minute massage, but it may really help.” She stepped closer. “Please? I promise I won’t interfere with what you have to do.”

It would be so easy to kiss her. Lean down, kiss her, done.

Done? Yeah, right. Lean down, kiss her, make love to her until dawn.

“Please, Ross?”

He shook his head to clear his head. “You sure you want to do this?”

“I have something to offer her, and I haven’t felt very useful lately. I can help ease her pain and help her relax and feel loved; that has to count for something.”

“You’re really something, Elisabeth. You’ve got your own issues here to deal with and you’re willing to drop it all and help a dog you don’t even know.”

“You’d do the same thing. Let me just get my house keys.”

THIRTY MINUTES LATER they stood in Jim Trowell’s sparsely furnished living room. Gracie was sprawled on the futon Jim bought for her. When his son first gave Gracie to him, he hadn’t had the heart to teach her that she wasn’t a lapdog. Gracie was a mutt. The only heritage they were sure of was that she was part chow. She had a partially blue tongue and until recently, she’d had thick chow fur. Now she was rail thin, her fur was falling out in tufts, and she wasn’t eating. She lay on her side with her spindly legs bent at the knee. Her big head was propped on a pillow that Jim must have placed there for her. After examining her, Ross concluded what he’d already known. Gracie was nearing the end of her natural life.

“Go ahead, Elisabeth,” he said quietly. Ross approached Jim, who was staring out the living room window into the darkness.

Jim’s wife had passed away a few months before Kelsey’s father had given him Gracie. Gracie was supposed to be a replacement for the void his wife had left in his life, and she’d filled the space nicely, giving Jim a sense of purpose and someone to love. Thanks to Gracie, Jim had found his way back into the life he let drift away in the weeks after his wife’s death. Ross wondered how the white-haired man in his midseventies was going to adapt to losing another loved one.

He placed a hand on Jim’s back, and as Jim turned, his eyes went directly to Gracie. Elisabeth was massaging Gracie’s leg, holding it between both hands as she squeezed gently, and massaged away the ache. Gracie closed her eyes and Elisabeth began humming a soft tune. Every few seconds, she’d slow her movements and stroke Gracie’s fur from between her brows to the base of her head.

“You’re okay, sweetie,” she said softly, then went back to massaging Gracie’s other front leg and then each of her back legs and her hips.

All the while Jim watched in silence, with damp eyes and a heart so heavy Ross wished he could help him carry it. Elisabeth smiled as she hummed and eased the dog’s pain. She looked happy, even though they all knew Gracie wouldn’t live much longer, and Ross could see by the way Jim’s lips had the slightest upward curve when he watched Elisabeth that seeing her treat Gracie with such respect probably helped Jim as much as it helped the dog.

Elisabeth massaged Gracie’s back and neck and rubbed her behind the ears before wrapping her arms gently around Gracie’s body and embracing her.

“Thank you for allowing me to pet you, Gracie. You’re a beautiful girl.” She kissed her on the snout and Gracie opened her eyes.

Ross was sure he saw the dog smile. Gracie had developed diabetes a few years earlier, and she’d gone nearly blind two years ago. As hard as it had been to see her struggle, she’d had a positive attitude, and Jim had chosen to keep her with him, when others might have put her down. About two weeks ago, Jim had called Ross because he’d noticed a difference in Gracie’s energy level. Ross had known then that the time was near.

“Jim?” Ross waited until he had Jim’s attention. “The blood you saw in her urine is likely from her kidneys going into failure. It’s your call.” This was the most difficult part of the end of an animal’s life, helping the owner make the final decision to continue living without their beloved pet.

Jim nodded and rubbed his eyes with his finger and thumb.

“I know what the right thing to do is, Ross, but I need another day with her.” Jim turned pleading eyes to Ross.

“I understand.” Ross hadn’t become a vet to judge the way animal owners said goodbye to their pets. Some needed it over quickly, while others eked out every moment they could.

Ross and Elisabeth drove away in silence, and when they reached the center of town, Ross reached for her hand. He wanted the connection, and somehow it felt right.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I was just thinking about how lucky Gracie is. Jim loves her so much. She must have had a great life with him.” She looked down at their hands. “How about you? Are you okay?”

“Sure, of course. I feel bad for Gracie and Jim, but it’s all part of life, right?” He squeezed her hand.

“Thanks for letting me go with you.”

“Thanks for coming along. I liked having you there with me, and I think Gracie liked having you there, too.”

Elisabeth gazed out the window. He could feel her sadness from across the bench seat and wished he knew how to comfort her. He was better with animals than sad women. He turned the conversation away from Gracie with hopes of taking her thoughts to a better place.

“I just remembered that my brother Luke has fencing at his place. Why don’t I take you home, and then I’ll head over and pick it up. The stores are closed now anyway. I’ll swing by in the morning to fix the fence.”

“Are you sure? I feel like such a burden.”

“You’re not, and yes, I’m sure.”
Damn sure
. Chet Daily wasn’t coming anywhere near her if he could help it.

“Elisabeth, are you going to be okay tonight?” he asked.

She smiled, but it never reached her eyes. “Yeah, but do you mind if I move closer? It’s one of those times when a hug would help.”

He patted the seat beside him and she unhooked her seat belt, then belted herself in beside him and settled in beneath his arm. Ross didn’t think, or hesitate, when he pressed his lips to the side of her head, and it felt natural when she rested her head on his shoulder. They drove like that the rest of the way to her house, and when Ross pulled into the driveway, he did so reluctantly. He’d much rather keep driving, keep holding her.

Elisabeth’s house was pitch-dark. She must have forgotten to turn on the porch light when they left. Ross parked in the driveway and helped her out of the truck. He kept a hand on her arm as they walked to the porch.

“You don’t have a motion-sensor light?” he asked as he scanned the property. There wasn’t much crime in Trusty other than the occasional cow tipping. Trusty crimes cut deeper, like slanderous gossip and sideways glances. Neither of which he wanted to imagine Elisabeth having to endure.

“I guess not.” She had her back to him as she tried key after key. “I can’t see well enough to find the right one.”

Ross stepped behind her and covered her hands with his. His lips grazed her ear and he felt her body shudder. “Let me help you.”

“Okay.” A whisper.

She turned her head, moving her body a fraction of an inch. Her ass grazed his zipper. Their lips were an inch apart. Desire flooded Ross’s body. He couldn’t take the wanting any longer. He needed to at least feel her against him, if only for a minute or two. He leaned forward and pressed his thighs to the back of hers, wanting to turn her in his arms and feel the pillows of her breasts brush against his chest.

“It…” She licked her lips.

Jesus, she was sexier than hell.

“It’s got a square top.”

“What?” His thoughts were tangled, conflicted. He bit back his hunger and tried to focus on the goddamn keys, but her ass was brushing against his hard-on, and her lips were slick where she’d licked them. Holy hell, if he wanted her this much when she wasn’t trying to get his attention, he could only imagine what he’d be like if she ever tried.

“The key.” She touched his hand again. “It has a square top.”

“Right. I’ve got it.”
The hell with it
. He rocked his hips against her ass and unlocked the door. He wanted her to know what she was doing to him. She had to sense his desire, and if she didn’t, then at least now she’d feel it, hard as steel, against her. Putting them both in this position was either the stupidest or the smartest thing he’d ever done, and since they’d both stopped breathing, he didn’t dare make the call.