Her fingers settled on the keys of the keyboard, and she looked back up at me, disregarding Liam. Alex’s gaze seemed to search my face as though trying to understand where I was going with this. “I’m well qualified to work here, Grace. While I may not have specialized in large breed care, I grew up helping my father. I’m also aware that King’s Ranch has a contract with my father, and I am happy to complete the remaining term. If they want to renew, which I believe they will, and I am comfortable managing both the clinic and the ranch, then I will gladly do so.”
I nodded. Dr. Brooks must have been made aware of how thorough the Kingstons were when researching new employees and was trying to address our potential concerns. And while she was fairly open about her personal life, there seemed to be aspects that she deliberately left out. Not that I could blame her. We were only acquaintances.
We finished out our meeting discussing what requirements needed to be met for the horse’s upcoming physicals until Dr. Brooks had to get to her next appointment.
“It’s wonderful you can step in and take over your dad’s practice. I wish you all the best,” Liam said as he stood and shook her hand.
On the way back to the ranch, Liam mentioned his concern that the Kingstons might be worried about Dr. Brooks’ lack of experience working with large animals until this last year. Declan’s longhorns were his pride and joy. He wasn’t going to let just anyone handle them. Which was one of the reasons he had the twins specialize in large animal veterinary care.
Gavin shared the same concern when we met up with him back at the ranch, but Blake was optimistic and thought the Kingstons should give Dr. Brooks a chance. Liam also agreed we should give her a trial run before making any decisions. He also pointed out she did have experience assisting her father and that might make the difference.
I thought Dr. Brooks had a lot of potential, too.
Blake ended her day early and joined me for girls time with Jessie before dinner.
“Should I be expecting a pattern with you two cooking with me on the nights that one or both of your men are away on rotations?” she teased.
I discreetly glanced at Blake.
“Don’t look at me like that. I gave up on trying to keep you from them. You made it clear yesterday you weren’t going to listen to me anyway, so why bother? Just don’t let them distract you. We need to keep you trained for when we finally get a lead on a new team.” Blake gave me a pointed look.
I nudged her with my shoulder. “I got it. Thank you for giving me space.”
“Okay, well, now that we have that settled, tell me about your hotties.” Jessie wagged her eyebrows, and we all laughed.
“They are so dreamy. What is in the water here? I mean, are all of them ripped like that?”
“Hard earned ranch muscles. Trust me, I grew up around it. You would never expect it with how much these guys eat.” Jessie fanned herself.
“I just hope I didn’t mess everything up this morning when I ran out on them. I was starting to think I was getting Scott to open up. I keep feeling like he’s holding back.”
“He’s been like that for a few years, ever since his fiancée died,” Jessie said sadly.
“What?” My eyes grew wide. No one had mentioned a fiancée. “What happened?”
“I’ll let him tell you that. Just be patient with him. He’s a good guy.” Her voice was soft. “He needs someone like you—someone who will break down the walls he’s been building.”
I nodded. I wanted to be that person for him. “He’s so sweet and such a gentleman. Now I feel like maybe he’ll be mad that I left in such a hurry this morning. I need to figure out a way to say sorry when they get back. Any ideas?” I looked at the two of them.
They both looked at each other and then back at me and responded in unison. “Cook.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Cooking wasn’t exactly my thing without some kind of supervision. I was better as a helper. “Uhhh. Cook what?”
“Ooo, good question.” Jessie thought for a minute. “Ty is easy to please. Scott is where we need to focus.”
“Well, he doesn’t like wine, and he wasn’t thrilled with your picnic.”
Jessie laughed. “I didn’t think he would be. I was just trying to get him out of his comfort zone.”
“Something that shows them you care, and you understand them,” Blake said, tapping her finger to her chin. “What about breakfast?” She looked at Jessie.
“What time do the guys typically come home from their rotations?” I asked Blake.
“Later in the afternoon. Then they usually just crash until the next day, which is their off day.”
“What if I surprised them on their day off and had breakfast ready for them?” I suggested. “Except I’d need to sneak into their house before they woke up.” My heart dropped a little. Would they think it was a sweet gesture?
“Girl, you know no one locks their doors around here. We aren’t in the city. We all know each other. You can just let yourself in.”
A point for Jessie for saving the plan.
“Okay, now what do I cook?” I looked at Jessie hopefully. She was the one with answers here, and she knew the guys better than I did.
“Don’t worry. We have two more days to create a menu. Let’s work more on this barbeque first.” She tossed Blake a head of cabbage and me a jar of mayo.
“Do you guys really think I can do this? I really want to make the guys happy, but especially Scott after hearing about his fiancée. Does that make me crazy?”
“I don’t think I’ve seen Scott smile so big since I’ve been here.” Blake pointed her knife at me and smiled. “And that was directed at only you.” She gave me hope he would let me in, and maybe, I could give him a little happiness before I had to leave.