Chapter 4
Over the next week, Chloe saw Jack exactly once a day when she took a few minutes to stop by the building site to see what progress had been made that day. The first day Chloe watched Jack from a distance, he was helping put up fencing for the paddock where the sheep would be held when they were at the ranch. He’d taken off his shirt and as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn’t quite make herself do it. The sight of his rippling muscles was so intoxicating she didn’t even realize that he’d stopped working and turned to look at her.
Glad that he couldn’t see her blushing from that distance, she waved as if she’d just been trying to get his attention, not drinking in every muscular inch of his body. When he grabbed his shirt off a nearby post and slipped it on, then began to cross over to her, she cursed herself. She hadn’t meant for him to come over, she’d only been, well she’d been checking him out. Taking a deep breath, she decided that it would be best to meet him half way, so with purpose in her stride she set out across the field that separated them.
When she got close enough that she could smell his sweat mixed with something she couldn’t describe but made her insides turn to jelly, she stopped. Instead of smelling bad, he smelled wonderful, an assault on her senses she hadn’t anticipated. Trying to regain control of herself, she waited for him to speak, afraid her voice would squeak if she tried to.
“How’s it going over there?” He finally asked, gesturing to the clinic.
“I guess it’s going well; I don’t really know that much about building stuff.” She answered feeling stupid. “How’s it going for you?”
“Good, we should be ready for the sheep in a few weeks.” Jack said, turning back to look at the work they’d done that day.
“Well, that’s good. I guess I better get going. I still have some patients to see today.” Chloe needed to get away from Jack and fast, the temptation to throw herself into his arms was becoming ridiculously real.
“Oh, okay. I guess I’ll see you later then.” He replied, suddenly sorry she was leaving so soon, then disgusted with himself, he turned and strode off without even saying goodbye.
Their interactions over the rest of the week were similar, a brief discussion about construction occasionally mixed with talk about the weather. Chloe never saw him in the morning since he was working by the time the sun came up while she started her day later and usually didn’t get home until well after dark. The only way she knew that he was home at night was the light in the front window and the occasional loud blast from his television. She already knew that he preferred action movies and was a fan of John Wayne, but other than that she still didn’t know much about Jack Montgomery.
She knew that there would come a time when they were forced to be together for more than a few minutes, but until then, she was content to leave Jack Montgomery alone. Hopefully, the arrival of his brothers and his son would provide even more distraction and she could put her attraction to him to rest. By the weekend she was exhausted, five days of working twelve hours a day had taken their toll and all she wanted to do was spend the weekend resting for the next week which would be equally exhausting.
Cooper had warned her that she’d have a large patient load, but she’d had no idea just how many animals there were in the canyon. Almost everyone had both a dog and a cat and many had more than that, besides pets there were barn cats to be seen to and herding dogs. Then there were the large animals, each and every one of them were now her responsibility, and she was determined to at least lay eyes on all of them at least once. By the end of the week, she knew that she’d have to have some help if she was going to keep all her patients healthy and help with the sheep.
Jack was pacing restlessly around his little cabin, knowing that his restlessness was caused partly because he was more than ready to have his son back with him, but he was also thinking of Chloe who was so close he could see her standing at the stove in her kitchen. He’d watched her there many times over the last week fighting the impulse to cross those few yards and knock on her door. He’d even made it all the way out onto the porch before he stopped and went back in the cabin and shut the door.
He’d never anticipated how difficult it was going to be to live next door to Chloe. He constantly found himself wondering what she was doing, then going to the window to see if she was in the kitchen. It was becoming an embarrassing obsession that he had to get control of before his brothers got here. They’d catch him for sure and he’d never hear the end of it; unlike him, they seemed to think that his tangle with Isobel had just been a part of life. Something to be used as a learning experience and moved on from, but he just couldn’t see it that way.
Isobel had not only broken his heart, but broken that fundamental part of him that allowed him to trust, what she had done had been so cruel it still hurt to think of her treachery. His brothers couldn’t begin to know what it felt like to have the woman you loved, the woman you told your darkest secrets to, not only throw it all back in your face but laugh while she was doing it. To have her tell you that your entire life together had been nothing more than a scam to get to his money.
Sometimes he wished that he hadn’t discovered her affair, but part of him was also convinced that she wanted him to find out. If that had been the end of it, he could have paid her off and walked away broken but done with her, but she’d become pregnant at the same time he’d discovered the affair and wouldn’t say if he was the father or if the other guy was. He knew that there was the possibility that the baby was his and he couldn’t just walk away, so he supported her through the pregnancy like any responsible man would have done.
But Isobel’s pregnancy became difficult almost immediately and she became impossible. Screaming at him one minute then crying uncontrollably for hours. Part of him was suspicious that she was playing games with him again, but he took all her moods with good grace until she started spreading rumors around town that he’d been the one cheating not her. Before long he was the bad guy and she was the victim, and her boyfriend had conveniently disappeared from town.
Jack endured her screaming fits and the crying until he couldn’t stand it anymore and moved into one of the guest cottages on the ranch which only made things worse, but he’d nearly hit her one night and knew that he had to get away from her. Any time he went to town, he knew that people were talking about him, which didn’t bother him that much, but made it difficult to get any business accomplished.
When Isobel finally went into labor, he gleefully drove her to the hospital, while she screamed obscenities at him from the back seat. By the time she was in a room, it had gotten so bad that the doctor was afraid she was going to have a stroke so he gave her a sedative, but minutes later she had a terrible reaction to the drug. They had to take the baby by caesarian section and only a few minutes later Isobel died from anaphylactic shock, the drug killing her before they could do anything but save the baby.
Jack walked out of the hospital a few days later not only a single father to a baby that might not even be his, but a widower. In all the chaos after Isobel’s death, his name had been put on the birth certificate, then filed by a helpful nurse. He was the boy’s legal father whether or not he was his blood parent, and at that time no one thought to suggest any other course of action but for him to take the baby home. It was weeks before he came out of his stupor and discovered the baby in his arms, almost instantly he knew that blood or not he was going to raise this child as his own.
Now a year later, he’d never regretted his decision, and here in America there wouldn’t be anyone giving the boy suspicious looks as he grew up. Secretly, Jack hoped that the boy was his, but he knew deep down that he couldn’t love him anymore than he already did, knowing the truth wouldn’t change that. Thinking about Josh finally let his eyes become heavy, tomorrow he’d have his son here with him and then life would become much more difficult even with the daycare. But he wouldn’t have it any other way, the boy was a part of his life, his family, probably the only family he’d ever have.
He left early the next morning to meet his brothers and Josh at the airport, their flight didn’t land until later that afternoon, but he had some shopping to do before he picked them up. They’d be spending the night in LA so that his brothers could pick up the trucks he’d bought for them, a necessity in the mountains. Josh would also probably be cranky and tired from the trip. It was a long flight from Australia and even he had felt the jet lag of crossing the world, he couldn’t imagine what it would do to a baby.
When he finally saw his brothers and his son walk through the door at the airport it was all he could do not to cry, but instead he grabbed his son and buried his nose in his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of milk and baby powder. It took Josh only a second to realize whose arms he was in and his laughter could be heard all over baggage claim. Having his son with him again reminded him just how much he loved the little guy and how something so wonderful could come from something so awful.
Chloe was lying in the lounge chair she’d pulled off the porch into the sun when she heard not one four wheeler but three. She’d been enjoying the absolute solitude of the morning, knowing it wouldn’t last since Jack and his family were due to be back later that afternoon. Company was the last thing she’d expected this early on a Sunday morning, so she’d put on her skimpiest swimming suit thinking that no one would see her. She’d bought the suit on her one and only vacation, a trip to the Caribbean where the suit fit in perfectly, but here it was a bit risqué.
She heard the vehicles park behind her in front of Jack’s cabin and her heart sank; they must have come home early. Frozen in the chair she reviewed her options, she could run into the cabin and pretend she hadn’t heard them, or she could brazen her way through the situation. The sound of the men’s voices reached her and she knew that they were approaching her so she stood up and slowly reached for her cover-up, which didn’t do much to cover her up. Plastering a smile on her face as if she spent all her time in a barely decent swimming suit, she put her chin up and crossed the field to meet them.
If she hadn’t been so embarrassed, she would have laughed at the look on the three men’s faces when they saw her. They’d obviously not been able to see what she was wearing when they pulled up, but as it was she’d used all her bravado on just standing up and her cheeks were burning, so she waited for one of them to speak. This was not how she’d planned to meet Jack’s brothers.
“Umm,” Jack had to swallow a couple of times before any words would come out. “These are my brothers and my son.” He finally managed to say.
Chloe thought she’d managed to find her voice until she looked at the three men standing in front of her, they were all handsome in their own way, but it was Jack that made her heart stop, especially with the baby in his arms. She’d always been a sucker for animals and children, and Jack’s son was the spitting image of him right down to his blue eyes, and for a moment she wanted the two of them to belong to her. Then she came back to reality, knowing that they expected her to say something she took a deep calming breath.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Chloe Barton.” She said, holding out her hand, conscious of the wind fluttering the cover-up around her body.
She saw Jack grit his teeth, then he pushed one of his brothers forward. “This is Owen, he’s the youngest.” Owen shook her hand, then stepped back his mouth practically hanging open.
His other brother managed to close his mouth before he stepped forward, “I’m Flynn, the middle brother, and it’s really nice to meet you too.” He said, with a wink, which got him a dirty look from Jack.
Chloe didn’t think she could blush any deeper, but she felt her cheeks get even hotter. Hoping to distract them, she asked, “And who is this little guy?”
“This is my son Josh.” Jack said, proudly the love in his eyes when he looked at his son unmistakable.
Chloe watched amazed as Jack nuzzled the baby neck making him squeal with laughter, the smile of Jack’s face when he did so brilliantly he looked like a different man. She realized then that what she was seeing was true happiness from both the little boy and the man holding him. It made her look at him a little differently, but her new feeling of appreciation for Jack didn’t last long, in fact lasted only until he opened his mouth again.
“Dr. Barton is our veterinarian here in the canyon.” He said, then let his eyes roam over her body, “Although she doesn’t look much like it now, I hear she’s pretty good at what she does.”
The first thing she felt when his eyes swept over her was desire, but that was quickly followed by anger. Thrusting her chin up in the air, she said, “Well, if you’ll all excuse me, I think it’s time for me to go inside since.” Then she smiled at Owen and Flynn, gave Jack a dirty look and slowly sauntered over to the cabin and went inside.
Once inside she leaned back against the door, her heart hammering in her chest. Jack had to be the most frustrating man on the planet, one minute he seemed like a human being, then the next he was a jerk. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way she was dressed, she’d obviously been sun bathing, not going to work. If it wasn’t for the last little bit he’d added at the end, she would have thought that he was questioning her abilities, but then he’d said something nice, well almost nice.
Deciding that her quiet day at home had been completely ruined, she decided to take Marissa up on her offer to spend the day at Honey Hills. Taking off the swimming suit she considered stuffing it in the trash as her cheeks flamed again at the thought of the encounter out front, but then decided that she wasn’t going to let some man dictate what she wore. Now it would be the only suit she wore, out of place or not. Throwing on a pair of shorts and one of her favorite tops, she stepped into her sandals and headed out the door.
There was no one outside much to her relief, so she was able to drive away without having to talk to Jack and his brothers again. As she rode down the trail, she couldn’t help but think about Jack and the smoldering look in his eyes when he’d looked at her earlier. It had been beyond thrilling to see the desire in his eyes, he covered it quickly, but she’d seen it, which made the way he treated her even more confusing. Even more concerning was the fact that seeing him standing there with the baby in his arms had shown her another side of Jack, a side that made him even more attractive to her.
Cursing herself for the idiot she was, she resolved to put Jack out of her mind. Besides all the obvious reasons she couldn’t get involved with Jack Montgomery, the biggest was still herself and the fact that men just couldn’t be trusted. She’d learned that the hard way more than once, and the last time had shown her that not only men couldn’t be trusted, but neither could she. Anyone else would have seen through Brandon’s lies, but she was so happy to be in love that she never questioned the plans they’d made together.
Even worse, she never imagined that he was only using her to get through vet school, nor that he had a fiancé just waiting in the wings. It had all come pouring out one day a few months ago when she’d found out that she’d been invited to Coldwater Canyon for an interview and Brandon hadn’t been, even after Dr. Morgan’s recommendation. Now she understood that it was because of Brandon’s privileged background that he hadn’t been chosen, but then she’d actually felt guilty.
Glad she’d finally reached Honey Hills, she parked her four wheeler and climbed the steps to the deck already feeling better. Marissa spotted her first and came over to greet her. “I didn’t think we’d see you today, but I’m glad you’re here.” Then seeing the look on Chloe’s face she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chloe wasn’t exactly sure how to explain what she was feeling. “My quiet morning got interrupted, that’s all.” She finally said, unable to put words to all the emotions she was feeling.
“I saw Jack and his brother’s drive by a while ago.”
“Yeah, they showed up at the cabins while I was out sunbathing – it was embarrassing.” Chloe found herself needing to tell someone. “I was wearing a bikini I bought in the Caribbean. I didn’t think anyone would see me.”
Marissa laughed, “Well I guess that was one way to make sure they never forget you.”
“But I have to work with them, I’m so embarrassed.”
“Of what? The fact that you’re an attractive woman. You know you can be both tough and beautiful.” Marissa said, pulling her into the house where they’d have more privacy.
Chloe had never been one of those women who had a body image issue, there had always been so much else going on in her life. She’d learned to deal with the fact that she was shorter than just about everyone she knew, and it had never bothered her that she was considered curvy by some and overweight by others. The men she’d been with had never seemed to mind her generous curves, but Brandon had created a small spot in her psyche that was now very conscious of the extra pounds she carried.
As if sensing Chloe’s self-doubt, Marissa continued, “Who ever told you that you weren’t beautiful should be shot. I see the way the men look at you even if you don’t. Don’t let what one man thinks change who you are.”
Hearing her words, Chloe suddenly felt much better and impulsively gave Marissa a hug. “Thank you, I needed to hear that.” She knew that Marissa had no idea what had happened to create the doubt in her, but she’d said the words that all women needed to hear every now and then.
Owen and Flynn waited until Chloe was in the cabin before they burst into laughter, “Wow, what was that? What have you done to her?” Owen asked, loving the fact that his brother had just been brushed off by a woman who didn’t even reach his shoulders.
“Nothing.” Jack said, and stomped into the house.
Owen and Flynn looked at each other, then followed Jack inside. “If I’d known that the veterinarians in America looked like that, I wouldn’t have fought you so much about moving here.” Owen said, looking around the little cabin.
“Yeah, so what’s the deal with Dr. Barton? Does she have a boyfriend?” Flynn asked.
Jack turned on Flynn so quickly it surprised them all, “You stay away from her Flynn, and the same goes for you Owen. We have a professional relationship with her and that’s all. We’re going to be working with her, so keep it professional.”
Owen and Flynn exchanged a look, then Owen said, “Okay, okay. But I have to wonder if there’s more to this than keeping a professional relationship.”
Jack gave them both a dirty look, the smiles on their faces telling him enough what they didn’t believe him for a second. “I barely know her, but what I do know is that she doesn’t have a clue about sheep. She’s from South Dakota, cattle territory, we have to keep a close eye on her.”
“What you think she’s going to kill you precious sheep?” Flynn asked, of the three brother’s he had the least interest in the sheep, was only here because he loved his brother and wanted to see him happy.
“Well, I don’t know about that, but.....look let’s change the subject.” Jack didn’t know how to explain how off kilter Chloe made him feel. “How about we go find your cabin.”
“I hope it’s bigger than this one.” Owen said, ducking to get out of the door.
As Jack strapped Josh into the special kiddie cart that was designed to be pulled by the four wheeler, he was glad that his brothers would be living miles away from him and Chloe. He didn’t completely trust them not to try and make a move on her, and who could blame them after today. What had ever possessed her to put on a swimming suit like that in the middle of the Sierra Nevada was beyond him. She looked like she belonged on a beach in the Caribbean, which had made it all that much more alluring when she’d walked over to them, the flimsy piece of material she’d tried to cover up with blowing in the breeze. If she’d been his, he’d have never let her wear that thing in public.
Cursing his attraction to her again, he tried to put her away from his mind, but he was still feeling the jealousy that had erupted when he’d seen the look on his brothers’ faces when she’d come strolling up to them. After she’d insulted him and walked away, it had been all he could do not to smack both of them, the only thing stopping him the fact that Josh was in his arms. Taking a deep breath, he pulled away from the cabins wishing Chloe didn’t affect him the way she did, and wondering how he was going to control the strong need he was feeling to have her in his arms.