Rock Star Kisses (Romance on the Ranch Book 6) (6 page)

After leaving Tessa at the vet booth and sparring
words with Preston, Sean had walked around the park, but he'd soon been swamped
by females, young and old, wanting his autograph. The girls who had tried to
get a bodygraph were part of the group and once again started lifting their
shirts. Even a couple of grandmotherly types began raising their blouses. He'd
been appalled and reiterated what he'd told the girls before. "Sorry,
ladies, I can't touch you. It's part of my contract. I'll be happy to sign on
paper, but not your bodies."

That had elicited moans and groans and pleadings
from his fans, but he'd remained firm. After he'd escaped, rather than go
through the same thing again, he'd returned to his beater truck and taken off.
A drive in the country had mellowed his anger at Preston. Heck, the guy was just
crazy about Tessa, always had been, and who could blame him. Sean was crazy
about her, too.

At one o'clock he returned to the festivities
that were now in full swing so he could just meet the guy who wanted to adopt Lucky,
and then get the hell out of Dodge. Maybe he
should
have worn his hippie
disguise.

As he approached Tessa's booth, he saw her
talking and smiling with Fannie Levinworth, the woman who had once been his
father's neighbor before he'd moved to the outskirts of town. She had a gruff
manner, but he knew from experience that she was a sweetheart. Why, she'd even helped
him and his dad plan a Christmas party several years back when his dad needed
to grovel to get Cecelia back in his life. It had worked and his father had
been given a second chance at happiness with a second family.

He stepped up beside Mrs. Levinworth and she
said, "My, my, if it isn't our local movie star."

Sean rolled his eyes and the woman laughed.
"Were you planning on coming to see me, or has the big time ruined your
manners?"

He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"Nothing could keep me away from you. You're at the top of my visit list."

The old woman punched his arm. "You just
made my heart go pitter-patter, but I don't believe a word of it. Anyway, come
over tomorrow morning and I'll make you coffee. That is, if you're not headed
out to church."

"I'm not. And I'll be there. What
time?"

"Nine. And I'll be sure to have some
Fluffy-Puffys from Dixie's Cuppa Joe."

While Sean was talking to Mrs. Levinworth, a
heavyset, middle-aged cowboy had stepped up to the booth and was talking to
Tessa. He could hear them discussing Lucky and when Mrs. Levinworth walked
away, he turned his attention on them.

Tessa said, "Mr. Robard, this is Sean Barfield,
the owner of Lucky." The cowboy smiled and stuck his hand out for a shake.
He seemed pleasant enough, and Sean watched his eyes for signs of shiftiness. The
man appeared jovial and friendly.

Finally, the cowboy said, "Well, son, are
you ready to let me adopt Lucky? I'll give him a good home and train him to
work with my cattle. He's a smart dog. I checked him out good. And my other
dogs are friendly and would welcome him."

The man's eyes remained clear and friendly.

Sean glanced at Tessa and could see that so far she
approved of Mr. Robard.

"Ah, well." He started over.
"Well, the fact of the matter is I've decided to keep him myself." He
glanced back at Tessa's surprised expression.

Toby, who had walked into the booth halfway
through the conversation, also looked surprised.

Mr. Robard shrugged. "I understand, son.
He's a wonderful dog. Call me if you change your mind. Tessa has my number at
the office."

Sean wondered when he'd lost his mind, but replied
smoothly, "I won't change my mind, but thank you for offering to adopt
Lucky."

The cowboy reset his hat, lifted a brochure off
the table, and sauntered away.

Tessa exclaimed, "You're going to keep him!"

Sean answered sheepishly, "Yeah. I sure
hope your dad doesn't mind. If he does, my dad will probably take him on until
I leave."

"But I thought you didn't want a dog
traveling on the road with you."

"I'm not crazy about it. But I don't want
to give Lucky up to just anyone. With me, I know he'll have a good home."

"But we could have gone to Mr. Robard's place
and–"

Toby interrupted. "Close, but no banana,
huh, Sean?"

Sean shrugged and Toby continued, "I think
Sean is making the best decision for the dog. Lucky is crazy about him, and
vice versa. It'll work out."

Tessa studied Sean's face. "I think you're
right, Toby."

A squeal interrupted their conversation and Sean
grimaced.

"It's Sean Barfield!" a young female
voice shouted. Sean rolled his eyes skyward and he could see Tessa and Toby
stifling smiles.

Toby called, "Come on over, ladies. Sean is
ready and willing to sign autographs. In fact, if you don't have a pen and
paper, we do."

Sean glared at Toby before turning around to
face his fate.

At dusk, Sean was in the barn bedding the horses
when he heard a car drive up. He was surprised when Tessa entered the barn. He stepped
out of the stall he had been working in and walked toward her. "Hey, how
did the rest of the festival go, and why aren't you staying for the fireworks.?

"It was great. The mayor gave his speech
and there was a sack race and wheel barrel race and a pie eating contest, and
lots of other things going on. I decided to pass on the fireworks because I
need to study. You should have stayed, though."

"Yeah, and miss everything because I was
signing autographs."

She cocked her head sideways. "You know,
most guys would envy you, but you really don't like the limelight, do
you?"

"Not really."

"So what is it you
really
want?"

Sean was tempted to blurt out, "YOU!"
but knew that would scare the hell out of her and she'd hightail it out of the
barn. He knelt and lifted a straw to his lips before glancing up at her.
"I'm not sure. What about you? What do you want?"

She shuffled her feet. "I'm pretty
satisfied with the way my life is right now. I have a good job. I'm saving
money so I can maybe buy a small house in town. I have my animals." She
shrugged.

"What about a husband and kids?"

A pained expression crossed her features.
"I think I'll pass on that."

"Because of Jared?" he asked.

Her eyes shifted away from him and back. "I
don't want to talk about it. Besides, it's none of your business."

He rose and walked toward her, stopping only
inches away. "Maybe I want it to be my business."

Her eyes grew huge. Slowly, he bent and touched
his mouth to hers. She inhaled sharply but seemed paralyzed. Gently, he grazed his
lips back and forth across hers and then lifted away from her, holding her gaze.
She blinked and he saw a tear.

"Please don't do that, Sean. I'm broken and
I can't be fixed." With those words she turned and fled the barn.

Sean watched her go and more than ever he was determined
to heal his sweet Tessa.

At breakfast the next morning, Sean broached the
subject of bringing Lucky to live with him at the ranch.

Dirk grinned. "I had a feeling he'd get to
your heart."

Sean met Tessa's gaze and she quickly glanced
sideways. "Yes, sir. He sure did. Tessa found a great home for him, but I
just couldn't make myself say yes to the guy. So do you mind if I bring him
here?"

Dirk's laugh was a deep rumble. "Hell, we
got so many animals, what's one more. Bring him on home."

With a sigh of relief Sean said, "Tessa,
when do you think he'll be ready to leave the clinic?"

She paused in lifting a bite of scrambled eggs
to her mouth. "Um, he's getting around pretty good now. He's adapted to the
apparatus that allows his broken leg to roll when he walks on three legs. I'll
check with Toby, but Lucky can probably be discharged any time."

Sean sipped his coffee, black and strong, the
way he liked it. "I'll call you at work later and verify he can leave. If
so, I'll pick him up at lunchtime."

"Or I can bring him home when I get off
work."

Sean considered her offer but decided against
it. "No, I think I need to be the one to bring him here and introduce him
to his new home."

"Okay. I can understand that."

Just as Tessa had surmised, Toby said Lucky was
ready to leave their care. At one, Sean showed up to pick up his dog. Shaking
his head as he got out of his truck, he couldn't believe he was doing this, but
it was too late to go back on his decision.

He had arranged his lunch hour to fall after
Tessa returned from hers and the waiting room was full when he walked in. Since
working as a ranch hand, he looked like a full-fledged cowboy with his Stetson,
jeans, chambray shirt, tooled belt with a large buckle, and worn out boots.
Most of the outfit was clothing left in the small closet by whoever the
previous occupant of his room had been. Dirk had given him a pair of old boots
he said he wasn't using.

When Sean saw several people in the waiting room,
he acted like he was resettling his hat so he could partially cover his face.
He didn't recognize anyone and breathed a sigh of relief. He stood in line
behind an elderly woman holding a tiny cage with a hamster in it and waited for
Tessa to finish helping her.

Tessa said, "Now, Miz Doolittle, I assure
you that Toby and Preston know all about hamsters and they'll take excellent
care of Peewee. Hopefully, they'll be able to find out why he doesn't have an
appetite."

"Okay, dearie, if you say so. But if the
Tanner boys can't figure out what's wrong, maybe your pa can do his whispering
magic on Peewee."

Sean could see Tessa was stifling a grin when
she replied, "Let's just take things one step at a time."

"Okay. How long until they can see
him?"

"Why don't you take a seat and I'll work you
in as soon as I can?"

Mrs. Doolittle nodded, started murmuring
comforting words to her hamster, and turned around. Sean slid out of her way
and then stepped up to the counter. Tessa met his gaze, but wouldn't hold it.
She said, "Come on back. Lucky is ready to go."

Sean stepped to the waiting room door and opened
it. As he followed Tessa down the hall, he flashed back to kissing her the
night before. It had barely been a kiss, but it was enough to ignite the flame
that was always there for her. That slow burn had turned into a torch. He
whooshed a breath. He needed to get his mind on the task at hand, which was to
get Lucky signed out, sealed, and delivered to his new home. Tessa entered the
room Lucky shared with about a half dozen other dogs.

When Lucky saw Sean, he barked and his tail
wagged like a windshield wiper. Tessa opened his cage and Lucky hobbled out.
She reached for the brace with wheels and gave it to Sean.

"You go ahead and put it on him, just so we
know you know how."

Sean had no problem getting the dog strapped
into the contraption which allowed him easier mobility.

Tessa attached a leash to Lucky's collar and
reached for a large paper sack. "There's a bag of food in there, some pain
pills in case Lucky looks like he's hurting, and his favorite squeaky
toy."

Sean accepted the bag. "Got it. Do you
think he can make it to my truck, or should I carry him?"

"He gets around pretty good. He can
probably make it to the truck with a little help around objects."

The door opened and Preston and Toby walked in.
Toby said, "I couldn't let Lucky leave without saying goodbye." Lucky
heard his name mentioned and started wagging his tail crazily. Toby squatted
and patted his head and haunches. Preston even gave the dog several strokes.

Tessa said, "Preston, Mrs. Doolittle is
here with her hamster and she's very concerned about him. She's a walk-in. Do
you have time to look at Peewee now or should I tell her it will be awhile?
Your scheduled appointment is here. It's Mr. Mercury with Finn."

Preston said, "Send Florence Doolittle back
to room one, and put Mr. Mercury in room two. He's a nice man and I know he
won't mind if I look at Peewee first."

"I'll do it right now." She glanced at
Sean and a smile tugged at her lips. "Good luck with Lucky."

Tessa's dimple blinked in and out and Sean's
heart melted. Preston cast him a sour look and left the room.

On his way out of the library, after picking up
some books on hold for his mother, Preston paused to look at the bulletin
board. He enjoyed seeing what was going on around his community. In high
school, many of his friends couldn't wait to move out of the quaint town to big
cities, but he'd never had that desire. He loved his family, his home, animals,
and his town, in that order. The love he and Toby had for animals had begun
early on with passels of dogs, cats, horses, cows, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets,
and an odd assortment of other animals living at the ranch. They'd even loved
the occasional mouse or rat they'd seen scurrying for cover. Although some
twins went their separate ways when grown, he and Toby never had. Their desire
to become veterinarians had been sealed at a young age.

As for their personalities, however, they were
as different as night and day. They may have looked identical, but that's were
the semblance ceased. Whereas Toby had always been the happy-go-lucky life of
any party, Preston was reserved. Toby just spoke aloud whatever he was thinking,
but Preston weighed his words and considered the consequences. Toby loved
dating lots of women. Preston had always had his heart set on one woman—Tessa.

A yellow hand-printed advertisement caught his
attention.

HOUSE AND ANIMAL SITTER.
VERY EXPERIENCED. REFERENCES AVAILABLE.

Below that was a hand-drawn picture of a smiling
dog and a cat. The bottom of the sheet had small tear off sections with a name
and phone number.

ASK FOR FRECKLES (555) 551-0111.

Preston grinned and tore off one of the
sections.
So, your name is Freckles. I should have guessed.

The next morning Preston was the first to arrive
at work and frowned when he saw a small enclosed box on the front step. He
figured someone had left a puppy or kitten. Squatting beside the box he
gingerly opened it and sighed. The puppy couldn't have been more than a few days
old and looked very weak. He gently lifted the box, unlocked the door, and made
his way to ICU to check on his new patient.

Midge came in not long after him and he said,
"We picked up a new patient last night." She peeked over his
shoulder. "Ahhhh, he's so tiny. Have you fed him or do you want me to mix
up some formula."

"I fed him a little to see if it stays
down. So far, so good. He seems to be holding his own. We'll see what happens
over the next few days."

The rest of the crew showed up and their day
began.

At noon, Preston sat at his desk and fingered
the tiny piece of paper with Freckles' phone number. Although his staff would
care for the newborn pup, he knew it would only add to their already heavy
load. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Freckles' number.

"Hello." She sounded breathless.

"Ah, have I caught you at a bad time? I can
call back."

"No. I'm just running with my greyhound.
Who are you and what can I do for you?"

Rather than say his name, Preston said, "I
have a newborn pup that looks to be a Yorkshire terrier that was left on my
doorstep. I need someone to care for him round the clock. I pay well."

He heard her say, "Rocket, heel."

Preston grinned. So she was caring for another
of his patients.

She still sounded out of breath. "Who would
leave a Yorkshire on a doorstep?"

"Beats me. People do strange things."

"Do you know where Dixie's Cuppa Joe is?"

"Yes."

"Meet me there at three and bring the pup.
That's the only free time I have today."

"Why can't I just bring him to your house?"

There was a pause. "Because if you're a
weirdo you'll end up dead. I don't do weirdos. I always meet prospective
clients in public places. Those are my rules, take 'em or leave 'em."

Preston grinned into the phone. He'd never met
such a caustic woman. "Okay. I'll be wearing a black Stetson with a blue
band."

"Figures," she said.

He hung up before she could ask his name.

Preston went in search of Toby and asked him to
cover his appointments from three to four and his brother frowned. "Only
if you have a hot date. I'm beginning to think you're a sainted monk."

"Not exactly," was all he said and
shifted his eyes to Tessa. She looked beautiful today. He'd always loved the
curves of a woman with meat on her bones, and Tessa had plenty of curves. Half
the time he just wanted to blurt out how he felt about her, the other half, he
cringed at such a notion. He figured things would have to change soon because
it wasn't healthy to keep pining away for her if he hadn't a chance of
garnering her affection. Toby saw him glance at Tessa and rolled his eyes. He'd
been telling Preston for years to sample the female population, but Preston
wasn't a player like Toby. He'd been saving himself for Tessa.

At ten to three, Preston drove to Dixie's with
the orphaned dog wrapped in a blanket inside a small pet carrier, along with a
hot water bottle to give warmth to the baby. He'd also filled a paper bag full of
formula, teeny bottles, vitamins, and stuffed toys. He arrived five minutes
early for his appointment and ordered a Happy Zappy with extra whipped cream.
He hadn't indulged in a fancy coffee in a long time.

Some gals he had gone to high school with saw
him and came over to his table by the window. Jilly, who had been the head of
the yell squad, said loudly, "Are you Toby or Preston?"

He cocked his head sideways and replied, "I'm
the better looking one."

Jilly and her friends giggled and Jilly asked,
"Do you like to party?"

"Nope."

"Okay, you're Preston."

Just then, he glanced out the window to see
Freckles loping Rocket's rein to the bike rack. She was watching him through
the window with an unhappy expression. When her eyes shifted to his blue-banded
black Stetson tossed on his table, they widened and she grabbed Rocket's rein
back off the rack and started walking away.

Preston grabbed his hat and Zappy drink and
said, "Excuse me, ladies. I have an unexpected emergency."

Jilly and the others glanced around. As he
rushed toward the door he heard Jilly say, "What emergency? Damn it,
Preston, I almost think you don't like girls."

Preston inwardly groaned, paused, turned around,
winked at Jilly, and said, "I'll catch you later, gorgeous." He
didn't wait to see the effect his lame attempt at flirting had had on her.

Rushing out the door, he called, "Hey,
Freckles, wait up."

She stopped and jerked around. Rocket looked
from her to Preston and started wagging his tail. "Hello, Rocket," he
said as he approached.

Freckles gave him an exasperated look.
"Another one of your patients?"

He shrugged. "Just about every animal in
town is either my patient or my twin brother's."

She narrowed her eyes. "You mean there are
two
of you?"

He shrugged again. "Identical."

"Are you stalking me?" She had one
hand on her hip, the other patting Rocket.

"No, ma'am. I meant it when I called and
said I needed full time help for a newborn pup." He motioned toward his
truck. "Just give me a minute and I'll prove it." Slowly, he started
backing toward his cab parked in front of Dixie's.

Freckles pointed and said with disdain,
"The monster truck is yours. Right?"

He nodded. "What's wrong with my truck? I
live on a ranch and if it was low to the ground, I'd never make it through the
mud and potholes."

She ignored his question and watched as he
opened the passenger door. He waved her forward and when she hesitated, he
said, exasperated, "Look, lady, you're not my type. I like lots of flesh
and at least one dimple, so I'm not going to stuff you into my truck and kidnap
you. Geez, gimme a break. I found this pup on the office doorstep this morning,
and since my staff is already overworked and I saw your flyer at the library, I
thought you might like the work."

She had stepped forward until she was next to
him. He moved out of the way, but he could still see her in profile. As soon as
she saw the baby, her face went all soft and she started cooing at the poor little
mite. She glanced up and her eyes had turned jade green. He felt
pole-axed…until she opened her mouth.

"It'll be expensive 'cause he needs to be
fed every couple of hours and he's gonna have to be cuddled a lot. He's gonna
keep me up nights whining–"

"I get the picture. Send me a bill and I'll
pay you a month in advance."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't you want to know
how much I charge?"

"Not really. Just send the bill."

"I guess vets make a lot of money."

Again he responded, "Not really."

Her eyes narrowed even more. "Are you a
rich cowboy?"

The woman was unbelievable. "I make good
investments. Are you satisfied or do I need to send you a resume?"

She straightened her shoulders and stood tall,
or rather short, to maybe five feet. "I screen all my applicants, so you
don't have to get huffy about it. I've been stiffed before and I don't take
chances."

Preston could feel his blood pressure hitting a
record high, but he said calmly, "If you'll get in the truck, I'll take
you home. Rocket can ride in the bed."

"What if you have an accident and Rocket
gets hurt. I don't think your insurance will cover him and then I'd be stiffed–"

"–with the bill," Preston finished her
sentence. "I don't imagine we're going far, so I promise there won't be an
accident. But if you're afraid of me knowing where you live, you can carry the
carrier to your house and I'll go back to work. We'll communicate via
phone."

"You don't scare me."

His ploy had worked. He grabbed Rocket's rein
and led him to the back of the truck while the redhead mumbled and tried to
hoist herself onto the seat. His bad mood suddenly vanished at the funny sight
and he came around behind her, grabbed her under her armpits, and easily lifted
her onto the seat next to the puppy.

"Damn monster truck," he heard her say
under her breath.