LITMIR.BIZ

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and Liam exchanged a quick look, both of them understanding that to make any more denials that they weren’t an “item” would only give the sisters more fodder for their gossip. So they both just nodded and smiled, and let the conversation naturally drift in a different direction.

      The speeches given by the staff at Dr. McGee’s clinic were emotional; even though Kate didn’t show it on the outside, she felt such sadness that this amazing man was leaving the profession before his time. Mrs. McGee spoke and then by unanimous applause, Dr. McGee agreed to say a word or two.

      “I don’t know what’s wrong with all of you,” Dr. McGee said in a gruff voice laced with an unusual undertone of emotion. “I’m not dead yet. But since y’all are probably the same folks who might make it to my funeral one day, this gets you off the hook for that shindig.”

      That was the entire speech. That was Dr. McGee. After that brief speech, everyone started to leave. Liam stood, pulled out Callie’s chair first, and just as she was pushing back her own chair, she saw the vet reach out his hand to her.

      Kate looked at that hand for a split second; it was such a small thing, taking an offered hand, but it seemed like a big deal to her.

      Her hand slipped so easily into his—his hand, strong, rough from clinical work in the field, was a perfect fit for hers. She had big hands for a woman, and whenever she held hands with a man, as rare as that was, she always felt like the “dude.” With Liam, she felt like a woman holding the hand of a man.

      They walked out together, the three of them, and Kate hated the feel of curious eyes on them. It was such a small town that no doubt word had gotten out that Liam had sat at her table two nights in a row and now they were sitting together at Dr. McGee’s retirement party. Gossip was a pastime for some in their town.

      “You like Mommy, don’t you?” Callie asked Liam when they reached their truck.

      Liam, as he always did, took Callie’s questions seriously, answered them directly. “Yes, Calico. I do.”

      Kate sighed at her daughter’s question. Callie was Callie, and no matter how many discussions they had about “polite questions,” there were just some things that her daughter wasn’t going to be able to change.

      Callie giggled at Liam’s response, turning her head and covering her mouth with her hand.

      “Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?” Her daughter threw out of invitation before she got into the truck.

      Liam looked directly into Kate’s eyes before he said to Callie, “I really appreciate the invite, I really do. I’d love to eat some more of your good cookin,’ but the next time I come over for dinner, it’s gonna have to be your mom who invites me.”

      That could have been a moment for her to invite him, but she just wasn’t ready. She was feeling things for Liam—she was—and he hadn’t been subtle about his attraction to her. But this was territory that hadn’t been explored in over a decade! Kate wasn’t the type of woman to make drastic changes in her life; she was a tugboat, not a speedboat.

      “It was nice spending lunch with you,” Kate said, after she climbed behind the wheel.

      “Likewise.” Liam had a way of looking at her in a way that no other man had in a very long time. Maybe not ever. It was as if he liked everything he saw when he looked at her face.

      “I’m sad about Dr. McGee,” she admitted to him.

      “So am I.” Liam had one hand tucked into a front pocket and the other holding her open door. “I could work a lifetime and not feel like half the vet that man is.”

      “I don’t know about that,” Kate objected. “I was really impressed with how you handled Visa.”

      Liam nodded and then shut the door for her. “I appreciate that. I hope to see you again real soon. You too Calico!”

      They said their goodbyes then, and she drove away. In the rearview mirror, she saw Liam still standing in the parking lot watching them as they left.

      “Mommy! Why didn’t you tell him he could come over for dinner?”

      “I don’t know.” Kate told her daughter. But that wasn’t entirely true. There was something there between them—she felt it and she could tell that Liam could feel it too. It was something real, something tangible. And it genuinely scared the crap out of her.

      * * *

      A couple of days after Liam had seen Kate and Callie at Dr. McGee’s party, he had really struggled with his next move. He could tell that Kate felt the same attraction to him that he did with her. But he could also see that she wasn’t ready to jump into a relationship. If he wanted to explore his feelings for Kate, he was going to have to be strategic. Instead of calling, which he wanted to do, he decided to just give her some time to mull over the lunch, and the kiss, they had shared.

      “He-llo!”

      It was Kate King on the line.

      “I can’t believe I forgot about this,” the trainer told him. “But I have a prepurchase vet check scheduled for tomorrow. The woman’s coming in from Helena, and she’s already called several vets...”

      “I think she may have called me already,” Liam told her.

      “She did. I know this is a big ask—but I’m really in a bind. The prospective buyer has no flexibility in her schedule.”

      When he first got the call from the woman out of Helena, she had mentioned the King Ranch, but his scheduled was still overflowing because of Dr. McGee’s sudden retirement. Thankfully there were a couple of other vets in the area who were able to step up their game.

      “I just can’t get out there today, Kate. I would if I could,” he said, and then added in the silence that followed, “I hope you know that.”

      “No. I know,” Kate told him, her disappointment obvious to him. “I appreciate it.”

      After another moment of odd silence, she asked, “Could you come out tonight? I know it’s a lot to ask, but the indoor riding ring has lights. We ride at night here all the time.”

      She continued in a lowered voice. “Please, Liam. She’s a really big connection for me. If I get this deal done, there could be so much business for the Triple K.” After another pause, she added, “I really need this.”

      The worry he heard in her voice convinced him that he had to find a way to help her. “Okay.”

      “Okay?”

      “I’ll be there. As soon as I can. It won’t be until six or seven. I already know that for sure.”

      “Whenever you can get here. I’ll let the buyer know,” Kate said. “And, Dr. Brand... Liam...I can’t thank you enough.”

      * * *

      He was already exhausted when he parked his truck in front of Kate’s barn. The prospective buyer, a rather fancy-looking woman with platinum hair who was originally from Oklahoma, greeted him with Kate at her side. He was lucky that the exam was uncomplicated—the horse was sound, had good hooves, and had negative flexion tests and X-rays. Although a prepurchase vet check could take up to four hours, this exam went smoothly and he was wrapping up with the potential owner after two hours.

      “You shouldn’t have any difficulty using this horse for the purposes you’ve stated,” he said to the client. “I should have a report to you by tomorrow afternoon. I won’t be able to get it out tonight.”

      “Tomorrow will be just fine.” The woman with the heavy Oklahoma accent smiled at him.

      Liam packed up his equipment, while Kate showed the woman to her car. They met back at his truck just as he was finished loading.

      With a sigh, Kate, in cutoff shorts that showed off her long, slender legs, muscular from years of riding, leaned against the truck.

      “Long

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