Tailwind (Love By Design 4)

Her thick hair, inky black lay across the pillows and she reminded me of a black and white photograph. Something my grandmother would have kept framed and up on the wall in her house in Vermont.

I wished I didn’t have to do this charity fundraiser for my sister. I eyed my tuxedo from the closest still neatly wrapped from the dry cleaner. Dread settled in my stomach along with a cramp. I probably over did things last night pouncing on Winnie like a tiger.

No sooner did I think then my phone rang with a text message. It was Noah, a friend from high school and an officer at the police department here.

Noah: Chase – I need you to meet me at the vet office. I have a baby deer whose mother was struck by a car.

I hated these kinds of calls. Nine times out of ten I had to put the baby animal out of its misery if the mother was dead.

Chase: I’ll meet you there in 10.

“Winnie, babe. I gotta get up and get to the animal hospital.” I brushed hair back from her cheek. Half her face was dug deep into the pillows and I doubted she’d remember half of this conversation.

“Mmm. What?”

“There’s an injured baby deer my friend is bringing in.”

She roused herself up on her arms wobbling unsteady with a yawn.

“Wow, okay. I’m up.”

“No you’re not, but it’s cute. Stay here and sleep in. I’ll go over to the clinic and take care of this, but I’ll need you to bring me my tux so Kristen doesn’t kill me later.”

She yawned again and I kissed her forehead getting up off the bed.

“Sure. Okay.”

I kissed Winnie thoroughly this time and left her to sink back into the pillows and comforter as she watched me throw clothes on and race out the door. I made it to the clinic in record time unlocking the door and throwing the lights on. Noah was right behind me holding a small wrapped animal.

“Where’d you find the little guy?”

“Right off the highway. Poor thing was lying next to its mother bleating out these horrible sounds. She’d been hit and I had to shoot her. Legs were mangled it was awful. This little guy was a mess, but nothing’s broken I can tell.”

“Alright.”

I had Noah lay him down on the exam table and unwrap him. He was clearly in shock, dehydrated and newly born with afterbirth still matted in his hair. I checked him over and Noah was right, besides being covered in slim and blood he was a little trooper.

“Dude, wait until Rooney sees the back of his squad car I was using.” Noah chuckled helping me with the deer. I could only image the mess afterbirth made all over the backseat of a police vehicle.

“He’ll get over it. He’s a good guy.”

“You have any idea how much kids scare him?”

“I’d think any female would scare him. He asked Kristen to marry him.”

“Good point.” We chuckled and I got the baby deer hooked up to an IV and gave him some medication. I scratched him under his chin and he leaned into my hand. Vulnerable dark eyes looked back at me reminding me of similar eyes I left in my bed nearly an hour ago.

“I have a volunteer I can call to come in and check on him. My sister owns my ass for this auction tonight.”

“Sucks to be you, bro.” Noah clapped me on the back and I nodded agreeing. Kristen conned me into quite a few things over the years.

I washed up at the sink and then brought my files into the room so I could work and watch the little guy for a bit.

16

Winnie

“Wow, that really cool of you to let your boyfriend strut his stuff for an animal charity.” I rolled my eyes at the stranger who fanned herself with the cheap event pamphlet eye fucking Chase from her seat in the auditorium. I wondered if the PTO knew what was really happening under the cover of darkness on their high school stage. All manner of bad moms were salivating like Pavlovian dogs over my man’s tail. Well those bitches could go hump elsewhere. Chase was mine.