I smile softly and shrug again. “It’s my job.”
Theo’s hands are on my shoulders, squeezing softly and urging me to look up at him. “Well, you’re very good at your job,” he asserts.
I can feel the blush spreading across my cheeks, and once again, I’m caught up in the blue of Theo’s eyes, how tall he is, how broad his shoulders are, how he just jumped in and helped me with one of the scariest deliveries of my life.
Just then, Mabel snorts loudly, getting both of our attentions. I step back, chuckling softly. “Let me check their vitals and clean up a bit, and we can head out,” I say.
Theo nods and quietly exits the stall while I check out Mabel and her newborn foal. Then I clean up the area and make sure that horse and baby are situated and doing fine before grabbing my vet bag.
It’s only then that I realize how, well,grossI am. Theo too. Aiding an animal delivery is never exactly a clean job, especially considering what I’ve just gone through. “I think I’d like to take a shower before getting into your car,” I say, staring down at my stained clothes and thinking about Theo’s pristine truck. He loves that stupid thing. Good thing the clinic has showers. It’s not unusual to need one after a long day of work here.
“I wasn’t going to say anything …” Theo starts. I shoot him a mock dirty look, and he laughs, throwing his head back.
I snort. “Look at you, going on about the miracle of childbirth, but when it comes to your truck …” I wave my arm in the air.
Theo shakes his head as we walk along, leaving the barn and heading back to the clinic. “What can I say? Leather seats and afterbirth don’t go well together.”
I grimace. “Ew.”
“You’re a vet!” he goads.
“Which means I’m the only one who’s allowed to say ‘afterbirth.’”
“Didn’t know there were rules about that sort of thing.”
Theo and I tease each other all the way back to the clinic, complete with small shoves and smacks on the arm. “It’s alifesaver that the clinic has showers,” he says as we walk through the front door. “I think I might take one too, even if I wasn’t as up close and personal as you were.”
I laugh, setting the vet bag down. But it isn’t until I glance in the direction of the bathrooms that I realize I don’t have a change of clothes with me.
“Damn,” I mutter.
“What?”
“Normally, I’d just run to my cabin to get clothes, so I never leave any here …” A shower isn’t going to do me much good if I have to climb back into the same dirty clothes.
“I have extra clothes in my truck.”
The offer stops me in my tracks. It’s logical, practical, but somehow so incredibly intimate. “Oh,” I state. “Yeah, I guess I could … wear those.”
“Great.” There’s a pause that goes on just a tad too long. Or maybe I’m just imagining things. “I’ll go get them.” Then he turns on his heel and is out the clinic doors.
I stand there for a moment, the events of the day slowly sinking in. Mabel’s birth, the complications, saving that foal, Theo’s support, and now … wearing his clothes.
I shake my head. I don’t know why I’m so stuck on that. It’s clothes. Just clothes.
I shrug off my jacket, leaving it on a metal chair in the entryway before heading to the bathrooms at the back. The whole space is somewhat locker room style, albeit with a bit more privacy for each toilet and shower since the space is co-ed. Each is behind its own door while the shared open space houses lockers and sinks.
I slip off my shoes, leaving them by the lockers, and then purse my lips and wait. It’ll probably take Theo about ten minutes to walk down to the Village where he normally keeps his truck, and then another five minutes to drive up here. I shouldprobably wait. See what kind of clothes he has before fully committing to wearing them.
But the smell is really starting to get to me, and the longer I just stand here, the ickier I feel.
So I grab a towel from the nearby rack and head into one of the two showers. The shower room is large enough to change in, with a bench and towel hook near the door. I quickly undress, turning on the water and waiting for it to heat up.
Once it’s warm enough, I stand under the spray, closing my eyes and simply letting the hot water rush over me. Then I get to work with the body wash and shampoo, lathering myself up and washing away the day.
The sound of the bathroom door creaking open grabs my attention, and I momentarily freeze.
“Cora?” Theo calls.
