Summer's Desire (2 page)

That was the answer she wanted but somehow she still
felt insulted. “Well good. I’d like to see the house now.”

“Matt, can you show Summer the house?”

Matt walked toward them, a smile on his face. His
dark brown hair reached his shoulders and upon closer inspection, she saw his
dark eyes had a hint of amber in them. He had the build of a young adult that
was bound to grow bigger.

“This way, Ma’am.”

*
* * *

Holden watched Summer walk toward the house. She had
long, honey blonde hair that blew in the wind, and he could tell by her
flashing blue eyes that she had a lot of spirit. Realizing that he was watching
her rear end as she walked, he quickly glanced away. He meant what he said to
Summer about no funny business. No women, except for cooking, cleaning and
looking after the boys. Hell, he’d had to uproot them all and move from Texas
to Montana because of his lousy judgment in women and he was not going to put
his family at risk again.

“Do we get to keep her?” John asked, his expression
hopeful.

“For the time being,” Holden told him. “I need to
get going. Lots of animals to see today. Stay out of trouble and make sure you
work with the horses and get the rest of the chores done.”

Mark, Luke and John all nodded and watched him
leave. He hoped Summer was still there when he came back. His brothers could be
a handful and truth be told, they were just boys. But if Summer didn’t work out,
he’d find another solution. He’d been finding another solution for years now.
They’d be fine.

He drove into the small town of Carlston, passing
Rex’s Barber Shop, Ander’s Food Mart, and Lucy’s Deli. His office sat between
the community center and a big white church with a huge steeple. The town was
much smaller than he’d anticipated, but the gossip was bigger than he imagined.
Any hope for privacy deflated the moment Beverly Rain, the town librarian,
visited his office last week.

Talk about a busybody. She didn’t own any animals;
she just wanted to know everything about him. Holden felt lucky to have escaped
with only telling her a few bare facts the first time he met her. He found out
later that day, however, she considered herself the town matron and society
leader. All he knew was that she wore too much perfume, dyed her hair a magenta
color and was a royal pain in the ass.

He was determined to make a go of
it here in Carlston. His brothers needed a fresh start after all the trouble in
Texas. Maybe if he’d hired someone to look after them then
, things would be different
. It wasn’t worth rehashing but he did it daily.

Walking into the clinic he smiled
at Mindy Sue, his veterinarian tech. Actually, she did much more than vet techs
usually did and he was grateful for it. She answered phones, did all the lab
work, and handled owner’s questions. If things worked out he was going to pay
for her to go back to school.

“Good
m
orning
, Holden.” Her bright smile was always welcome.

“Morning, Mindy Sue.” He noticed that her hair was
blonde this morning. She changed color and styles so often he began to wonder
if she wore wigs. Her light brown eyes beamed kindness and confidence. She had
some interesting ideas about nail polish too or whatever it was she put on her
nails. Always a different pattern, but he wasn’t about to ask anything the
least bit personal. He didn’t want to have to answer any of those questions
himself.

“Colt O’Malley needs you sometime today. Guess he
had to rescue another horse last night. A mare. He said it’s the usual but
needs you to come take a look.”

Holden ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.
“I guess I thought since the town was so small there would be less animal
abuse. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Mindy Sue nodded, got up and went to the coffee pot
on the counter. She poured a cup and handed it to Holden. “Times are tough. The
price of hay has gone up and plenty of people are losing their ranches and
farms.”

Holden took a sip of the coffee. “Thank God for
people like Colt. At least the horses have a place to go.”

“Have you met Stone McCoy or Jonas Barnes?” He shook
his head. “Well, you will soon enough. They take in the overload. If Colt
doesn’t have room for a horse, Jonas and Stone jump in. It’s a shame that extra
room is needed at all. Jonas takes the ones that look like they won’t make it.
He likes to make their last days happy.”

“He doesn’t—”

Mindy Sue’s eyes grew wide. “No, he doesn’t put them
down himself. That’s your job.”

“As it should be. I’m going to head out there now.”
He started to walk to the door and turned back around. “Do you know Summer
Fitzgerald?”

“Yes I do. She’s lived here all her life. There was
some trouble and I heard she got kicked out of her apartment. Why?”

“She’s working at my place.”

Mindy Sue nodded. “Good. She’s in good hands then.” He
opened his mouth to ask another question but Mindy Sue put her hand up in front
of her. “Stop right there. The trouble was not her fault in my opinion and you
know I hate gossip. Ask her yourself.”

“Fair enough. Call if you need me.” He walked out
the door. On the way to his pick-up he spotted Beverly Rain hurrying toward him
and he wanted to run in the opposite direction. That woman never had anything
pleasant to say.

“Wait, Doctor. I have news for you.”

Holden bit back a few curses. “Good morning, Mrs.
Rain.”

“Yes, well it’s Miss. If you are going to the
O’Malley place you’d better know what you’re in for.”

“What would that be?” He really didn’t have the
patience for her today.

She looked pleased with herself. “The horse was
taken from Jacob Ash. He’s one mean son of a gun. Please be warned. I wouldn’t
want anything to happen to the new doctor.”

“Have a good morning.” He bit back a smile. She did
not like his dismissal at all, but the sour look on her face made his day. She
opened her mouth and he walked away as fast as he could. Being friendly was one
thing but gossip just plain hurt.

He hopped into his truck and wondered how things
were going at home. Hopefully Summer was getting accustomed to the house and
his brothers. They could be a handful and he didn’t need her scared off the
first day.

*
* * *

Summer peered around the big house and wanted to
scream. It looked as though a storm had come through. There wasn’t one empty,
clean, spot in the whole place, with plates, cups, clothes, papers and mud spread
throughout. No wonder Holden was so intent on having her stay.

She glanced at Matt. “Pigs live better.”

“Now, Miss Summer, that’s debatable with them living
mostly outside and all.” His lips twitched as though he was trying to contain
laughter.

For a second she was tempted to wipe the grin off
his face, but he was so darn cute. “Very funny. Now who usually cooks around
here?”

It took him so long to answer she thought he hadn’t
heard her.

“Which day?”

Shaking her head she grinned. “I think I get the
idea. No one cooks and no one cleans.”

Matt shrugged his shoulders. “We do, when
necessary.” He shifted from one foot to the other staring at the mud caked
floor.

She felt bad for him. Maybe he was really the shy
type inside. “Go on to the horses and whatever else you men do. I will try my
best to make a dent in this mess.”

A smile swept his face as he glanced at her. “Start
in the kitchen. I’m starved.” He was out the door before she could answer him.

First, she’d have to clear a path to the kitchen.
They hadn’t unpacked from the move, so there were boxes everywhere. Holden said
he’d pay her double, but now that she thought about it, she still had no idea
how much the original pay was. A lapse of judgment on her part. She really didn’t
have anywhere to go, but if she didn’t like it here she could wait until she
got just enough money to put gas in her car and run for it. That was the big
appeal of being a bartender. You could find a job anywhere. Just not in
Carlston, not anymore.

It’d been hazardous and time consuming moving boxes
and making a clear path to the kitchen. It was not what she expected. The
cabinets were polished maple, the stove and refrigerator were stainless steel.
Summer chuckled and shook her head. She’d almost expected some kind of wood
burning stove. It would be worth cleaning up here just to see what it all really
looked like.

Hearing footsteps, she turned. The youth before her
appeared just old enough to start shaving. He was well toned, probably from
working the ranch. She tilted her head to look into his eyes. “You must be
Mark.”

He nodded as a shy smile crossed his face. “Is it
true? Are you going to cook?”

Summer laughed. “If I can get this kitchen cleaned,
that’s the plan.”

“Oh boy!” The excitement on his face warmed her.

“Mark, how old are you?”

“I’m sixteen, Ma’am.” He stood a bit taller.

“How old is everyone else? And you don’t have to
call me Ma’am. Summer will do.”

His smile was boyish and a bit lopsided. She liked
him instantly. “Holden is twenty-six. Matt is eighteen, Luke is fourteen, and
John is twelve.”

“I see. I thought you all to be older.”

“That’s because we work as hard as any man and we’re
strong.” His pride was unmistakable.

Summer nodded. “I believe you. Now I need to get
back to the dishes, so you should get going unless you want to help.”

His eyes widened in alarm. “No thank you, M—Summer.
I have plenty to keep me busy.”

He practically fled the
house. They were just boys after all, except for Holden of course. Maybe she
could do some good here.

Long hours later, she finally
glanced around the sparkling kitchen, proud of her hard work. The kitchen was absolutely
beautiful. Everything from the floor to the faucets looked brand new, and
during her deep clean she’d been lucky enough to find enough ingredients to
make spaghetti and meatballs. Jarred sauce but it would have to do. There was
even a biscuit mix she could use. Good thing she had a good teacher. The
kitchen was her comfort zone. When she’d started as a bartender at The Carlston
Bar and Grill, she didn’t know much but the owner Paul had patiently taught her
to cook and make a damn good martini.

Rest
in peace Paul.
A tear threatened to fall but she sucked
it up.

“Done is done,” her mother always said. There was no
time to feel sorry for herself. She was still alive and able to kick where it
counted.

The door opened and Holden walked in. She had a
great view of him from the kitchen. Her stomach clenched and a shiver went up
her spine. He was one fine specimen of maleness
and her boss. This attraction needed to
stop immediately. There was no sense admiring her boss when her focus needed to
be those boys.
She dried her hands with a clean towel, apparently
the only one in the house.

“Wow.” Holden’s dark eyes reflected his appreciation.
“You have been busy. This kitchen hasn’t been this clean since we moved in.” He
made his way through the path she’d made in the great room. “I’m sorry the
place is such a mess. I’m constantly on call and the boys…”

Summer smiled. It was nice to be appreciated for a change.
“It’s a beautiful kitchen. The Clarks owned this place, didn’t they?”

Holden seemed caught up in admiring the kitchen.
“Yes. I guess the father is in a home and the son wanted to sell. He upgraded
the whole house, but I would have taken it anyway. The land is prime.”

“It is a beautiful view.”

“Sure the view is great but I’m talking about ponds
and streams and lush grass.” He had a faraway look in his eyes as he stepped
toward her.

His shoulders were wider than she thought and he was
much taller. His hips were slim and his legs appeared solid under his Wranglers.
She stepped away from him and walked to the other side of the kitchen, putting
the large table between them. “You’re right by the way. Your brothers are
really boys.”

“That’s why I need someone. I can’t be everywhere
and you can see what a disaster I’ve made of the house. Truthfully, my practice
has three times the patients than I was told.”

“You call the animals the patients? What about the
humans?”

“They are just the owners. Some should be hung out
to dry.” Sighing loudly, he sat down and ran his fingers though his thick hair.

“Bad day at the office?”

“Something like that. Colt had a mare named Yo-Yo he
rescued. The poor thing’s ribs and spine were showing. She has severe rain rot,
dental problems and overgrown feet. Not good at all.”

“How the hell does that happen?”

Holden gave her a sad smile. “Unfortunately it’s not
an isolated case. Happening a lot more these days. Do you know Colt O’Malley?”