“Gross,” I say, making a face at Otto. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Finn smiles and dips his chin. “We’ll be here.” He shuts the door and gives me a salute before turning back in the direction of the barn, where Noah disappeared. Otto tries to climb over the center console, but I push him back to his seat before I slip the key into the ignition and start the truck.
My fingers find the button to put down his window, so he’ll stick his head out the opening and leave me alone. We pass the barn and I throw my brothers a wave as they walk through the doorway, one after the other, each leading a horse to turn out in the meadow for the day.
Just another normal day at the Alder Farm.
“Are your brothers helping you to get settled back in at home?”
A smile tugs on my lips as my mother’s warm voice radiates from my phone. “Yes,” I say, putting the truck in park as I pull up along the street. “They’ve both been great.”
“Good,” she says, a smile in her voice. “I’m just so proud of the three of you. Each of you are special in your own way and have turned into such wonderful people. And successful adults,” she adds in.
Her words wrap around my chest like a vice. Perhaps my brothers are successful, but not me. She doesn’t know about my recent failure of getting into veterinary school.
“Thanks, mom,” I say in a rush, killing the engine and unbuckling my seatbelt. “I just got into town and need to get Otto into the vet.”
“Sounds good, honey. Your father and I will be back for the Harvest Festival, so we will see you then.”
“Okay, love you!”
“Love you too!” she says back before we both end the call.
Turning in my seat, I look at Otto who’s sitting there with his tongue hanging out and head cocked. “Don’t look at me like that,” I mumble, pursing my lips. “I needed to get off the phone with her to get you into the vet’s office and nothing more.”
It definitely had nothing to do with those prickling feelings of my recent rejection letter.
Letting out a sigh, I climb out of the truck and walk around the front to the passenger’s side. I open the door, hook the leash to Otto’s harness, and let him jump down. My footsteps are light and the poor, unsuspecting dog follows along with me, unaware that he’s being led to his neutering appointment.
“Goddammit, Dr. Grey. Get the hell off the desk!”
My eyebrows cinch closer as I push open the door into the clinic and the bell overhead dings. Pulling on Otto’s leash, I lead him into the waiting room, stopping in the center of the room as the door shuts behind us. The room is empty and the receptionist desk is vacant.
Commotion sounds from down the hall and I crane my neck, looking to see if there’s anyone there. Otto drops down to sit beside my foot, letting out a whining sound. I give him a little pat on the head and a reassuring, “It’s okay, boy.”
A door from down the hall opens and a flurry of grey comes sprinting down the hall. Its tail is puffed out and its legs move quickly as it rushes into the waiting room. Only as it gets close, do I realize that it’s a cat and it’s coming right at me.
My feet move before my brain tells them to and I jump to the left to get out of the feline’s way. It shifts at the same exact time, moving in the same direction as me, and collides directly with my leg.
“Oh shit!”
Otto jumps to his feet, letting out a low growl as the cat spins to face him, its back arching as it lets out a hiss. Otto dips his head, his tail wagging, but he lets out a contradictory bark that makes me jump.
“Hey, knock it off,” I scold Otto as I tug on his leash, pulling his stout body closer to my side. The cat hisses again before scurrying back behind the desk.
“What is that darned cat getting into now?”
My breath catches in my throat at the sound of his voice from down the hall. I turn toward it, my ears perked and eyes wide, as he steps out from the same room the cat came from. It’s Jace… Jace Miller.
He doesn’t notice me at first as he stares down at his hands while drying them with a sheet of paper towel.
He looks exactly as I remember him, yet older, and somehow better.
Standing at least a foot taller than me, his long, lean torso fills out his navy-blue dress shirt. The cords of muscle in his forearms flex as he pushes his rolled sleeves closer to his elbows. His hair is still the same length, brown and wavy, resting just above his eyebrows. There’s a five o’clock shadow along his chiseled jaw that seems to be new.
“Sorry for the wait. Joyce is running late, so I can get you checked in.” Jace stops short at the end of the hall as his gaze finally meets mine. His green eyes widen slightly, lips parting as his eyebrows cinch together. His head cocks to the side in confusion. “Willow?”
“Jace?”
