Swinging open the door, I growl, “I only take patients at my clinic.”
But the girl standing on my porch isn’t clutching a beloved pet. Instead, there’s a backpack slung over her shoulder and a look of fear and pure desperation on her face. A very comely face, I can’t help but notice.
“Who are youuuuu….” I start.
Then it hits me.
Greer Silverthorn stands on my porch like a damn vision—curves that weren’t there the last time I saw her, soft and full under a shabby jacket, freckles scattered across her pink cheeks.
And those eyes—those big, green eyes—the same ones that used to follow me around when she was just Rus’s kid sister, now hit me square in the chest.
She needs a place to stay. Rus desperate request after seven years of ghosting.
But how the hell am I supposed to keep the bro-code when his little sister looks like she was handcrafted to test every ounce of my restraint?
2
GREER
“Greer?” His voice is rougher than I remember it.
I lift my chin and see two familiar dark eyes staring down at me. He looks exactly like he had all those years ago, except there’s an edge to him. A fury simmering just beneath the surface.
“Kell?”comes my brother’s voice.“You there?”
He brings the phone up to his ear, barks, “I’m gonna have to get back with you,” and pockets his phone, never taking his eyes from me.
“Hi,” I say, giving a small wave.
“What are you doing here?”
I take a step back, shoulders slumping. “I…I can go. Sorry to waste your time.” I turn and start forward, but Kellan’s big hand lands on my shoulder, sending a shiver racing down my spine that has nothing to do with the mountain chill.
“No, you can come inside. I was just about to make dinner, and there’ll be enough for two.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve had a rough day, and I ended up unexpectedly adopting a rooster, so if I’m grumpy, don’t take it personally.”
An unexpected smile curves my lips. “If it’s not a bother, I would appreciate a meal.”
The moment I step inside his cabin, an angry clucking fills the room.
Kellan grumbles as he grabs a red animal carrier and brings it to a habitat in the corner. He unzips it, and tosses some feed into the habitat to lure the squawker inside. “If you keep carrying on like this, I’ll have to return you to Miss Lackney, where you’ll most likely end up in a stew. Or, maybe you’ll get upgraded to tasty little nugget.”
I gasp. “That’s terrible! Who would be so cruel?” The fact that chicken nuggets are my favorite food is not lost on me.
The rooster clucks in agreement.
“Honestly, I can’t begrudge a woman for processing her own food. In fact, I respect the hell out of that.” He looks down at the rooster who’s gazing up at him as though expecting more treats. “But I couldn’t let Gerry suffer that fate.”
I reach inside the pen to pat Gerry’s head. “I heard you were a veterinarian. It must be nice to love what you do.”
“Some days weigh on you more than others,” he says offhandedly, then heads into the kitchen. “Dinner will take about an hour to cook, but help yourself to the fruit bowl or anything in the pantry.”
While he’s in the kitchen, I glance around the main room of the cabin, in awe of the rustic luxury he’d inherited from his father.
When they were young, Kell and Rus were thick as thieves, always making mischief together. When Kell joined the military, my brother helped keep his affairs in order at home, and whenhe returned and proposed to his high school sweetheart, my brother leaped at the opportunity to be the best man.
