“Don’t be silly,” Alex said, his tone light. “I’m just trying to convince Miss MacAllen to assist with a creepy crawly she doesn’t like.” Alex released her, then put his hand in the container where it gently probed the old spider. “It looks like it’s going to take more than a gentle push to convince her.”
“Not even a hard shove works,” Brenne said sheepishly. “In fact, why don’t you take over? I could use some fresh air.” She pushed her way out of the exam room, taking a deep breath. But it wasn’t the fear of the tarantula that had her mind in a tizzy.
“Damn you, Alex Parsons,” she grumbled, fanning herself. Brenne was thankful for the sparsely populated waiting room. A lone elderly gentleman sat with his long legs crossed, paging through a dog-eared magazine.
He looked up at Brenne. “Petunia all right?”
It took a minute for her brain to connect the dots enough for her to respond. “You mean the spider? He’s yours?”
The man nodded, then scratched an oversized and hairy ear. “She’s mine, yes. Has been for twenty-five years.”
Brenne shook her head, falling into the chair beside him. “What possesses a man like you to make a pet out of nightmare fuel?”
The old man shrugged. “I like the way they look. Petunia is beautiful.”
Brenne was saved from having to respond by the arrival of Emma carrying Petunia in her container. “Doctor Parsons is going to run some tests, but in the meantime, he’s prescribed this ointment. Keep an eye on her bald spot and wait for our call.”
The man unfolded his long legs and stood, retrieving his spider. He tipped his cowboy hat, collected the container and the ointment, and headed toward the door. Brenne watched him go, wondering what rock he was going to crawl back under.
Emma returned to the desk. She started to type, the keystrokes hitting in a hard staccato. Brenne frowned, doing the math on the vet tech’s change in mood. She stood, moving over to the desk and leaning against it. “How do you feel about spiders? You probably handle them all the time, right?”
Her tone was friendly and a bit self-effacing, but it took a moment for Emma to respond. She continued to stare at the screen for a beat, then turned to look at Brenne. Letting out a breath, she answered at last. “Honestly, spiders make awful pets. Most of them never learn to recognize their owners. I’m not a fan.”
“Thank goodness. Alex was acting like I was a fool for not wanting to be near that thing.” Brenne smiled, but it faded when she saw the expression on the other woman’s face. Something was eating Emma, and Brenne was afraid she knew what it was. We’re both idiots for thinking we can act like nothing happened between us, she thought. Now his employee has caught us a moment away from making out on the job.
“Your family is close with Doctor Pars—with Alex’s family, right?” Emma asked, biting her lip.
“We are, both geographically and personally. My older brother is Alex’s best friend. We all grew up together since our properties are less than a mile apart.”
Emma looked at her, and Brenne could tell she wanted to say more. Nervousness filled her, and she clasped her hands together tightly to keep them from fidgeting. Then Emma’s gaze dipped and her mouth collapsed into a frown. “He’s never been that playful with me,” she said finally. “Doctor Parsons, Alex, he’s always kept everything so professional.”
Relief flooded her. She didn’t think we were playing grab ass. She just thought we were… playing. “Oh, honey, that’s nothing. It comes from knowing each other forever. His sister used to mind me on the rare occasions my parents left the ranch.” When that didn’t seem to make Emma feel any better, she patted the other woman’s hand. “I knew him before he was Doctor Parsons.”
“I didn’t,” Emma said, “and I can’t even bring myself to use his Christian name instead of his title!”
She put her head against the desk, and Brenne realized that her relief was short-lived. This woman has a crush on her boss. The same boss I’m crushing on.
There’s a yellowjacket in the outhouse, and someone is about to get stung.
The exam room door opened, and Emma hurriedly returned to her screen, once again typing but with less vigor. Alex dropped off his clipboard. “Who called?”
“What?” Emma said, looking up and blinking repeatedly.
“When you came into the exam room earlier. Who called?”
“Right,” Emma said, shaking her head to clear it. “It was from Ryker Strong at the horse rescue. They got in a new one, and they wanted to know when you could stop by for an exam.”
Alex’s gaze cut to her, and Brenne froze, expecting to see something there, some lingering heat or even acknowledgement of their mutual brush with exposure. Instead she saw none of that, just cool appraisal. He turned back to Emma. “Call him and let him know I’ll be there tomorrow, and I’ll have Brenne with me.”
Emma nodded and picked up the phone. Alex approached her. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow around ten. We’ll take a drive out to the Strong property.” He glanced at his watch, then back at her. “Things are pretty slow for the rest of the afternoon. You can head on home if you like.”
“Thanks, boss,” she said, grabbing her coat from the line of hooks near the door. She gave him a salute, then said she’d see him tomorrow. After a quick goodbye to Emma, who waved in reply, she exited the clinic.
It took about a half hour to reach the outskirts of Whiskey River, and as she passed the sign welcoming her to town, Brenne started. She realized she’d spent that whole time thinking about Alex and didn’t remember how she got to where she was. Disturbed, she pulled into the saloon and let out a long breath.
She wasn’t going to go inside. She just wanted to catch her breath. Emma had really blindsided her today. Well, after Alex blindsided me. What the heck am I supposed to do now?
She was deep in thought when a knock on her window startled her. She jumped, clutching her chest, then turned to find a familiar face peering in. “Brenne! I’m so glad you’re here. I thought I was going to have to drink alone.”
Peyton opened her car door from the outside, and Brenne realized she wasn’t going to get away easy. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she slid out of the old pickup she was driving.
“Jim and Jameson are huddled together in Jim’s office again, so I left him a note saying I’m going into town to find a good time on my own. I figure I got as long as it takes him to come out of his office and read it before he comes and finds me. So how about a round or two?”
Peyton moved her oversized designer purse to her other arm to put her arm through Brenne’s. “Let’s go, girl.”
It didn’t take long for them to get noticed. They took a seat at an empty table, and Brenne scanned the space, realizing it was pretty full for a Tuesday evening. Peyton had barely lifted the menu to her face when a pair of college boys in matching Texas Tech sweatshirts offered to buy them a drink.
“Shoo, darlings,” Peyton said. “You’re no match for an angry MacAllen husband.”
The MacAllen name seemed to do it for them, and the two scuttled away, making Brenne laugh. “I thought you wanted a good time.”