“We’ll make it happen.” Andrew made a right turn, leaving Main Street, then a quick left. Less than a minute later, a gorgeous three-story building with wraparound porches and white columns came into view. The deep blue Pacific Ocean added color in the distance. Hanging ferns and the American flag decorated the B&B, as did a traditional sign in the shape of a pine tree with the words, The Owens House Inn & Guest Ranch.
Andrew parked the car in a designated spot for check-in. Gazing out the windshield, he said, “I think one night here is just what the doctor ordered.”
She shook her head. Like she hadn’t heard his “just what the doctor ordered” cliché a hundred times before. She quickly slid out of the car, more than ready to stretch her legs after the six-hour drive from home. The first thing to hit her was the quiet. The peacefulness. She took a deep breath, the scents of mountains, the ocean, and flowers all filling her nose.
One night away, even on a ranch, would be good for her soul. Provide a nice distraction from thinking about the job in Boston.
Andrew came to stand beside her. “Okay, so our cover is we’re boyfriend and girlfriend here for a night to celebrate our one-year anniversary. You’ve never been to a ranch, so I surprised you.”
She was pretty sure she was allergic to ranches, being that the one time she’d visited a farm, she couldn’t stop sneezing. (It may have been a cold, but either way, she’d felt miserable.) But here they were to help Reed if he needed it.
“Let’s hope we don’t have to fool anyone before I find Reed. You know I’m a terrible actor,” she said.
“But you’re excellent at small talk and putting people at ease. You did it every day in the ER with your patients and their families.”
“I guess,” she said, her heart squeezing at his use of the past tense. She’d finished her residency two weeks ago and said goodbye to the hospital she’d originally planned to work for. No way could she accept their job offer when her ex-boyfriend slash future brother-in-law worked there. Please, please let me get the job in Boston.
“And you’ll do it again somewhere bigger and better.” He gave her a quick side hug, which she gratefully reciprocated. Andrew always knew just what to say.
“Thanks.” They walked toward the inn. As they got closer to the curved staircase, boisterous voices punctured the quiet.
“Someone’s having a good time,” Andrew said just before a group of people spilled out the glass front door. At the sight of Reed with Elle on his arm, Kennedy stopped mid-step. Maybe if she didn’t move, no one would notice her.
Too late. Reed’s eyes widened in…surprise? Horror? She couldn’t decide.
“I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute,” he said, gently extricating himself from the group. He marched toward her and Andrew, meeting them in the middle of the staircase. “Kennedy?”
“Hi, Reed.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you’re okay. After your phone call last night—”
“I was drunk.”
“Is what you said true, though? You don’t—”
“Reed?” Elle stood at the top of the stairs, her brows furrowed. Her gaze jumped from Reed to her to Andrew and back to Reed.
“Stay in town,” Reed whispered to Kennedy before turning and bounding up the stairs to his fiancée. “Hey, sorry about that.” He took Elle’s hand and led her away.
Kennedy let those words sink in. Her friend did need her.
“I’ll go check us in,” Andrew said.
While he did that, she took a deep breath and let her gaze wander. Lost in concern for Reed and why he wanted her to stay, she found herself walking down the stairs and across a large expanse of grass, her four-inch heels sinking every so often in the soft ground. Straight ahead stood a brightly colored rose garden with a pond and small, white-painted bridge. Beyond it, a large barn with a brown patina roof. To her left and right were dirt walkways lined with ginormous trees.
“George! Get back here!” someone shouted.
An adorable someone about three feet tall, wearing a T-shirt with a Disney princess on it, shorts, and bright yellow rain boots, was chasing a miniature horse. Or maybe it was a donkey. Whatever the animal was, it definitely did not want to be caught.
“Don’t be afraid,” the young girl shouted, just as George stopped about an inch from Kennedy.
Kennedy didn’t move a muscle. She didn’t blink. Or breathe. She’d faced cardiac arrests, severed limbs, gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, and baby deliveries without so much as flinching, but this seemingly harmless animal had her at a loss.
She had no idea what to do. Except freeze, apparently.
Just as the little girl reached them, George took off. “Sorry, lady!” the child said, taking off, too.
Kennedy watched them run across the bridge, their game of chase one they’d obviously played before. The tension in her shoulders lessened. Jeez. It’s not like the animal had wanted to take a bite out of her.
There should be a P.S. on the inn’s sign: Beware of wildlife.
Turning to walk back toward the inn, she bumped—oomph—right into a man. She teetered, her heels stuck in the grass so she couldn’t take a step back, arms flailing to catch her balance. Mr. Brick Wall placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
Then he stepped back, blocking the sun with his height. He stood well over six feet, considering she found herself eye level with his broad chest.
“Sorry,” she said, tilting her head to look up at his face. “I didn’t hear or see you.”
He lifted an eyebrow and stared down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She almost fell flat on her butt. No, no, no. It couldn’t be. “Maverick?”
“Hello, Shortcake.”
She ground her teeth together at the nickname he’d tortured her with in college. “Please tell me this isn’t your family’s ranch.”
He smirked down at her as he crossed his arms. “When have I ever lied to you?”
Great. Not only was she crashing her ex’s wedding, but she was on his property. Maverick Owens. The bane of her small, private undergrad existence.
He’d played the part of Captain Obnoxious annoyingly well while they tried to best each other—always jockeying for the number one and number two spots—whenever they were in the same premed class, or even in the same vicinity. One of their favorite games was who got to the campus coffee shop first and snagged the leather armchair by the window. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what had started their animosity toward each other, but his constant teasing about her small size contributed. She was a doctor, for goodness’ sake, not a shortcake.