Page 30 of New in Town

Beside him, Laurel continues as he pulls into the road, headed back to Hayes Ranch. “He told me you have the hots for Maddie, but you think it’s fake.”

He huffs, “Brett doesn’t say things likehas the hots.”

“I’m paraphrasing,” she says with a shrug. “But I think you need to tell her that you actually like her. Stop this faking arrangement and date for real.”

He runs his hand along his jaw. “I’m not ready yet. I need more time with her, for her to see that we are great together.”

“Did you see her pounce on you at the vineyard tonight?”

He smiles at her question. “Would we call that a pounce?”

She rolls her eyes in response, and he thinks she may be done pressing the subject. But after a few minutes, she speaks again. “Whatever you decide, this was started to help her get a solid patient base at the animal hospital, right?”

He nods in confirmation.

“Then I have a plan to get her hundreds more patients.”

He turns to her in surprise. There’s a mischievous glint in her eye. Whatever she has up her sleeve, he can count on it being good.

15

MADDIE

The wooden box beckons to her from its spot on her coffee table. It had been a while since she’d read a Henry letter. The truth was, the more she felt for Grey, the harder it was to open the box. She didn’t want to be reminded of the hurt that comes when a cowboy goes.

Her phone vibrates on the kitchen counter, giving her an excuse to turn away from the box. Crossing the room, she sees Laurel’s name flash across the screen. Laurel had mentioned while at the winery that she was heading out on a weekend-long ride with Brett, Grey, and a few other ranch hands.

This had been Maddie’s first weekend in town without Grey. And she had spent it missing him and feeling pathetic about it. It was absurd to miss her fake boyfriend, she told herself. Nonetheless, the ache for him remained.

She reaches for her phone to find a new text message awaiting her.

Laurel

I have been dying to tell you my plan all weekend.

Maddie

Should I be nervous?

Laurel

Grey says you need to hit 30% of the clients. Is that right?

Maddie

It is…

Laurel

We have a lot of cows. Want to add them to your caseload?

She raises her eyebrows at the unexpected suggestion. From what she’s been told, and witnessed at the ranch, their operations were extensive. She would fill a significant chunk of her time with ongoing vaccinations, health checks, and deliveries. She had assumed that most of her work would be on domestics while Arlo did the large animals. But the idea of spending time at the ranch excited her.

Maddie

I’m trained for that. But would Brett be okay with a new vet working on his whole source of income?

Laurel

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