The problem with bad decisions is you never stop wanting them.I used to be the rebellious girl from the wrong side of the fenceline. He was the local hellraiser nobody could tame. While our families carried on a feud older than indoor plumbing, we fell for each other.
Then my vicious father found out. To save Timothy’s life, I broke his heart and disappeared.
Now over a decade later, I’m back as a large-animal veterinarian, working at his brother’s clinic and treating everything from prize dairy cows to Timothy’s homicidal llama. Avoiding him should be easy.
It isn’t.
He’s a single dad running two businesses, still infuriatingly irresistible, and determined to make me pay for every year he spent hating me.
The problem? I never stopped loving him. But if he learns why I really left, I could lose him forever.
Timothy stood there, staring at me and making my body burn for an indefinite period of time. I flushed the wound a few more times and applied the poultice before the bandage.
Finally, I blurted, “For the love of God, say whatever it is you’re dying to say before you burn a hole in my back.”
He remained silent.
I glanced up, wondering if he’d stroked out while I finished the bandage. “I’m not on your land, so you can’t accuse a McClary of poisoning your soil. I’m fully clothed, dry, and wearing a bra this time, so my boobs aren’t going to launch a sneak attack on you.”
His lips twitched upward. Then he drawled, low and rough, “I don’t think they were attacking me.”
My hand stilled on the bandage. I glanced up.
His eyes dropped to my chest, which was fully covered by the coveralls, before lifting back to my eyes.
“I think,” he said, voice dark as midnight, “they were inviting me to attack them.”
Heat slammed through me so hard I nearly dropped the wrap. My mouth went dry. My brain, apparently concussed by lust, offered nothing useful except: Well, he’s not wrong.
I swallowed.
His eyes dropped to the bruises on my wrist. All lightness dropped from his body.
“How’s my cow?” Mr. Almond boomed into the barn.
“She’s good,” I called out, falsely cheerful. “Just finishing up.”
Mr. Almond cuffed Timothy on the shoulder. “So, what do you think? You want to buy her?”
“I’ll take the tractor, Keith, but I can’t pick it up until later in the week.” Timothy’s voice was professional and no longer that dark-as-midnight tone.
“Excellent.” Mr. Almond waved at me. “Have you met Dr. Stevens yet?”
“She works for my brother. So, yes, we’ve met.”
“That’s right. Josh Hurst part owns Vision Veterinary. Well, you should get Gia out to your place. She’s magic with the cows.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
Timothy’s gaze met mine. “Perhaps I will sometime.”
Then he left.
Josh Hurst was supposed to be my forever. Instead, he became the villain in my origin story.
USA Today bestselling author Zoe Forward is a parent, wife, veterinarian, and unapologetic chocolate lover. She writes spicy paranormal and contemporary romances that blend action, adventure, humor, and a touch of magic.
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