Deflated, she sighed and shook her head. “Thank you, no. With only one shovel there’s little I can do other than watch. But I can report to Lizzie that I saw this to the very end.”
Something passed through his eyes, an emotion she couldn’t define. But before she had a chance to think further on it, he flipped the sunglasses back down, shuttering his thoughts and any chance she had of divining more of the mysterious Joseph.
She grabbed one end of the tarp, and if he had planned on arguing that he could do it himself, she was ready for him. But he remained quiet, lifting the other end, and they made it to the hole, albeit somewhat staggering on her side. A trickle of sweat ran between her shoulder blades, and she wiped her forehead to keep the sweat from her eyes. Repeating their actions, they lowered the second goat into the shallow grave.
She knelt, her hand resting lightly on the tarp for just a few seconds, emotion moving through her. Poisoned. Who the hell would have poisoned these innocent animals? A heavy sigh left her lips as she stood. She stepped back, lifted her gaze to Joseph, grateful that he had waited patiently to give her a moment of grief. With a nod, she watched him shovel the loose dirt, covering the two carcasses.
Their task complete, they climbed back into the tow truck, silent as ever. Catching a glimpse of her head in the side-view mirror, she spied hair sticking out at odd angles around her face from the sweat. A smudge of dirt was on her cheek. Her hands and knees were dirty as well. She had no energy to attempt conversation, and while he was gorgeous, noticing that sweat and dirt only made him more sexy while she felt like a wet, dirty mop, she remained quiet.
He pulled past the sign for the veterinary clinic after she gave him directions and parked in front. She climbed out after retrieving her satchel and turned to look up at him behind the wheel. She hesitated, wondering if a tip was proper… or insulting. “Thank you, Joseph. I really appreciate the extra help.”
“No problem,” he rumbled. “Jason will call you about your truck.”
The dismissal felt final, so she shut the door and watched as her beloved truck was towed away by the elusive Joseph. Get a grip, girl. A great ass doesn’t make up for an aloof, brooding personality. She snorted as she walked into the clinic. Okay, it almost does.
Fatigue pulled at her, making every muscle ache, but she couldn’t go home. Walking inside, she gave a quick rundown to her staff about the morning, then went back to the room where they had a large washing machine and dryer and small shower. Stripping, she jumped into the shower and in only a minute had washed off the dirt, sweat, and smell of goats. Changing into spare scrubs, she tossed her clothes into the wash. Heading directly to their small lab next to the surgical room, she prepared the blood samples to be sent out. She completed an initial toxicity screen before she had other client appointments scheduled.
When she got a break in the afternoon, she called Lizzie to give her an update. “It’ll be several weeks before we get a definitive answer, but my examination was definitely plant toxicity.”
After more reassurances from her that the goats would have died quickly, she was surprised when Lizzie asked, “Did you get your truck fixed?”
Samantha snorted. “The grumpy bear took my truck to Jason’s, and he’s working on it. I should be able to get it back tomorrow.”
“Grumpy bear?”
“I know I shouldn’t call Joseph that because he really was very kind this morning. But throughout the entire ordeal, he barely said a word to me. I think if he could talk only in single words or grunts, he would.”
They said their goodbyes, and Samantha leaned back in her chair, scrubbing her hand over her face. Annette poked her head through the doorway, a sympathetic expression on her face. “You need to go home. Susan and Brentley can handle everything else this afternoon. Tonya is ready to leave, and she’ll take you home. I can pick you up in the morning.”
Nodding, she agreed. “You’re right.” Brentley was the veterinarian intern, and he’d jumped in, easily joining their team. Standing, she placed her hands on her lower back and stretched.
It didn’t take long to get home, and she turned toward Tonya, who waved away her thanks. “Sam, you’re there for everyone… the least we can do is take care of each other.”
Frodo began baying, and she hopped out of the car, waving goodbye. She laughed as she let him out of the pen. He ran around, sniffing all around her pants and boots. Even with a shower, she knew the large dog would be able to ferret out new smells. “I was at a farm today, boy. You’re going to pick up lots of scents.”
Hours later, exhausted, she’d had dinner and finished a book she’d been reading. Turning off the lights, she let her hand drift to the side of the bed, rubbing Frodo’s ears.
The events of the day moved through her mind like competing movie scenes… Lizzie’s distress and the anger when examining the goats mixed in with the image of Joseph gently carrying the deceased animals. Baytown and the Eastern Shore had no shortage of handsome men who were also kind, and it seemed as though most of them were happily married or engaged. What about Joseph? Is there someone special waiting for him? Remembering his earlier dismissal of her, she sighed. Probably… a tall, long-legged, beauty… the opposite of me. It wasn’t false modesty. She knew she was passable in the looks department, but as a petite woman, she’d often wondered what it would be like for a man not to have to bend to kiss her. Not that I have any men lined up to kiss me, anyway.
As tired as she was, she chuckled at the image and wondered if she’d be able to sleep but soon drifted off, images of a muscular, green-eyed, handsome man filling her dreams.
5
Joseph woke the next morning, his cock hard and aching and his mind full of the dark-haired, dark-eyed, natural beauty that he’d spent time with yesterday. A veterinarian. How the hell was I supposed to know who ‘Sam’ was? Considering the fact that she looked more like a young college student, he’d assumed she was there helping on the farm or with the vet. While he lay in bed trying to forget his disastrous meeting with the beautiful Samantha, his cock wasn’t about to let him.
He had noticed her as soon as he’d approached Scott. Hell, who wouldn’t notice her? The top of her head would easily tuck under his chin. She was petite but had curves. Curves that were evident in the fit of her jeans across her ass, and the T-shirt that stretched slightly across her breasts, the words ‘Hoofs and Paws’ drawing his eye.
Tossing back the covers, he stalked across the floor and into the bathroom, hoping a shower would do the trick. Normally, his morning wood was something he could ignore. Just pure biology and anatomy. But today, the image of Samantha Collins stayed with him, and his cock wasn’t going to listen to anything his mind said.
He scrubbed his body and washed his hair, but his dick still ached. Closing his eyes, he could imagine her kneeling in front of him, her luscious mouth taking him deep. He palmed his erection, sliding his hand up and down its length, wishing it was her and not his hand. It only took a moment before his release blasted out, washing down the drain. He came so hard he saw stars bursting behind his tightly closed eyelids and couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he was deep inside of her. Snorting, he opened his eyes. Like that would ever happen.