He paused, looking at her. She stopped, waiting. He knew exactly what he wanted to do—and it had nothing to do with Brook. He took her hand slowly, gently pulling her closer. Her eyes went round as he placed her hand on his chest and slid his arms around her waist. His heart was pounding like a jackhammer and his lungs were all but empty, but he didn’t stop. He bent his head, cradling one soft cheek in the palm of his hand, and kissed her. It was a soft, light, slow kiss, just enough to feel the softness of her lips, the curve of her fingers as she plucked at his shirt and the rasp of their mixed breaths.
He should lift his head, put some space between them, but she was holding on to him—not pushing him away. And he wasn’t ready to let go.
He ran his nose along her temple and jaw, his arms tightening the slightest bit as his mouth touched hers. He kissed one corner of her mouth, then the other, lingering on the fullness of her lower lip. She gasped, her lips parting just enough to let him in. The touch of her tongue, the heat of her breath, the feel of her body pressed tight against his...he couldn’t stop the soft groan that tore from him.
He pulled back, staring down at her. She looked as dazed as he felt—if that was possible.
He could tell her, right now, what he was thinking. It might cost him her friendship. It probably would cost him her friendship. Deep down he knew she wasn’t ready to hear what he wanted to say. He forced out, “That’s what I want to do.”
She blinked, her arms sliding from around his neck.
He cleared his throat, releasing her. The air between them crackled and he ached to pull her close again, to have her curves against him and her mouth beneath his. He cleared his throat again. “I think Shawn should come ride with me.” Hopefully she didn’t hear how gruff he sounded. “Get him more familiar with horses.”
“Oh.” She crossed her arms over her chest, looking lost.
“You cold?” he asked, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
She shook her head.
“What do you think?”
“About what?” she asked, her gaze lingering on his mouth. He almost reached for her then.
“About Shawn. I can pick him up when I get off work. Bring him out to ride for a while. Only if it’s okay with you. A few times, maybe.” He paused, adding, “He’ll enjoy camp more if he’s not scared of the horses.”
“Okay.” She nodded but he could tell she wasn’t listening. She headed into the barn before he could think of something—anything—to say. He ended up standing there, staring after her. He knew there was a connection between them, but that kiss had clinched it for him. What would Kylee do if she knew the truth? What would she do if she knew he was falling in love with her?
* * *
DONNA SHOWED HER how to use the patient data label machine. “I know it’s outdated, but the school will use it until there’s no way to repair it or they get some sort of money to replace it with something better.” Donna grinned. “Which isn’t likely to happen.”
Kylee watched Donna carefully. So far, she’d almost filled a legal pad with notes. And she had the operations manual to take home and study. She could do this. It was more responsibility than she’d realized, but once she figured out what she was doing, she’d be a great patient account supervisor.
If they were going to stay in Stonewall Crossing, they couldn’t keep living off the generosity of others. What would happen when she and Shawn wore out their welcome? She couldn’t let that happen. If she could take care of them, no one else had to.
“When do I do this?” Kylee asked. “At the end of the day?”
Donna checked the clock. “I normally run all the cards at four. By then most owners have called to confirm or cancel so you’re not wasting time or cards.”
Kylee nodded. So far, everything made sense. Surgeries arrived at seven thirty. Reminder calls for the next day went out after lunch and before the afternoon patients were officially registered. Appointments ran from eight to eleven, then again from one to three. Then she would preregister patients for the next days’ schedule. Admissions were a piece of cake.
Next week Donna was going to teach her the patient discharge procedures: processing payments, setting up payment plans, closing out accounts, insurance and scheduling appointments.
“You’re doing great, kiddo.” Donna smiled. “Take it slow and easy.”
Kylee smiled back. “Thanks.”
Her head was swimming with names but, thankfully, everyone wore a name badge. And scrubs. She’d never worn a uniform before, but it was nice not to have to worry about having the right clothes. The hospital gave her three pairs of maroon scrubs with white piping, deep pockets, and the University of East Texas Veterinary Teaching Hospital logo embroidered on the chest.
Donna was amazing. Knowing she wasn’t fully retiring until Christmas was a huge bonus. By then, Kylee hoped she’d have absorbed every piece of information, observation or insight Donna passed on to her. One thing Donna made clear from the beginning—know who the vet techs were. According to Donna, they were the ones “in the trenches.” And the ones Kylee needed to keep happy.
Part of her responsibilities was supervising two other clerks working the front desk. Glenna had handled admissions for several years and knew her stuff. When Kylee asked her why she hadn’t applied for the supervisor position, Glenna had said she was hoping to go back to school and didn’t want the extra responsibility.
Brad worked the discharge side, processing payments and closing out patient files. He’d been there for longer than Glenna but he, too, was a student and didn’t want the hassle of a promotion. Somehow Kylee, the only one who had no previous experience, was supposed to supervise them. Her plan was to spend the weekend pouring over the manual so she wouldn’t be quite so lost next week.
Everyone had been welcoming and professional. She knew the surgical techs already. While she wasn’t thrilled that Jarvis called her angel and was a little too flirty with her whenever he saw her, he seemed to be that way with everyone so she let it go. Mario was more soft-spoken.
Kylee hadn’t learned the clinic techs, lab techs or floating techs yet. Or the veterinarians—besides the Boones. But this was her first week. She’d dropped her application off Monday morning, been called in for an interview Tuesday morning and started working that afternoon. Even though it hadn’t been a full week, she was glad it was almost the weekend. Her brain was swimming from information overload.