Hunter (Stud Ranch 2)

He sighed and sat down on the bed.

“Good,” Isobel said, relief clear in her voice. “Now lay down and I’ll go get you some food.”

Hunter reached for his work boots that Isobel had set beside the bed.

“Hunter!”

Isobel started to snatch the boots away from him but he jerked them back, grunting at the pain the move caused.

Isobel’s hands immediately flew up and she stepped back. “I’m sorry.”

Hunter gritted his teeth as he leaned over and slid his foot into the boot. Aw fuck, aw fuck, aw fuuuuuuuck, bending over like this was hell on his back wounds. He reached for the laces to tie them even though his breaths started coming short as he fought to breathe through the pain.

“Stop it! You’re hurting yourself.”

She dropped to the floor and knocked his hands away. She didn’t pull the boot off, though. She just took over tying them. He breathed out in relief and sat up straight. So much better when he wasn’t bent over.

She reached for his other foot and helped him slide it into the other boot. Then her fingers were tightening and pulling the laces. She yanked them extra tight. When he glanced down at her, her mouth was in a taut line.

Clearly, she wasn’t happy. But goddamn she was beautiful. And her crouched down in front of him, just like last night, Christ, it was making his dick hard. The memory was fuzzy around the edges, but he’d swear the hardest orgasm of his entire goddamned life was no dream. But how could she act so nonchalant like nothing had happened.

“The animals don’t take a day off,” he said. “Ever. This is the job.”

She jerked her head to look up at him, the sharp movement displacing some hair that had fallen over her neck. And revealing the hickie beneath. Right at the base of her neck where it met her shoulder.

His nostrils flared. He knew it wasn’t a dream.

“You think you can pull a calf in your condition?” she asked, eyes flashing. “Hunter, you can’t even tie your own shoes. You’re not going to be any help to anybody until you get the rest you need so you can heal.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to bite back that she was singing a different tune last night when she was roughly shoving his face into her pussy.

But dammit, she was right. This morning he could barely walk. The magic combo of whatever they’d given him at the hospital plus Vicodin that had let him enjoy last night’s activities without too much pain was long gone. The Vicodin alone was enough to curb the sharpest edge of it, but the truth was, he was gritting his teeth against the pain this very second.

And the thought of farm calls sounded like torture. That didn’t mean there was any getting out of them. Isobel would have to drive, of course. And it was true, most of the practical realities of being a large animal vet were physical. It was why Dr. Roberts didn’t usually do farm calls at his age.

But Hunter had something Dr. Roberts didn’t. He had Isobel.

Isobel got back to her feet after finishing with his laces and she looked at him in alarm. “Why are you smiling at me like that.”

“Do you trust me?”

Her whole body jolted at the words and her eyes cut to him, slightly widening.

It was the same thing she’d asked him last night.

Would she say something now? Acknowledge what was between them?

But she only nodded, eyes fastened on him.

Fine. She still wanted to keep running?

He supposed the real question was whether or not he was up for the chase. Was he willing to risk it all again for love?

He managed to keep his voice even as he said, “Well today’s the day you get to jump in feet first, Dr. Isobel. You’ll be the primary vet and I’ll just be backup.”

Her posture relaxed. She smiled but then quickly looked away like she was still gun-shy after the question about trust.

Should he risk his heart on such a skittish woman?