Amy and I spend all of Saturday laying on the beach and drinking strawberry daiquiris. We sleep late into Sunday, and then board our plane, not arriving back home until Sunday night. By the time I get home, I’m so tired from all the drinking and traveling that I don’t do anything but shower and sleep.

I wake up Monday morning feeling energized and ready for the day. I look forward to getting work done, so I can go out to the ranch and find out exactly what Liam has to say. His behavior is confusing me. He kisses me, then leaves. He shows up with another woman but finds me to tell me it’s not what I think and kisses me again. It leaves me wondering if the woman he was with, really his super model girlfriend or maybe she was just a family member or someone he works with. They never really touched inappropriately. After that last kiss and having to wait days for an explanation, I’m amped up. I’ve thought of him all weekend, and at least one hundred different scenarios have run through my head.

I quickly feed Ace and head out the door. As I walk into the clinic, the waiting room is full of people patiently waiting with their pets. “Good morning, everyone. Let me set my things down and I’ll be right with you,” I say, walking through the waiting room and behind the counter toward my office.

I turn on my office light and put my things behind my desk. As I pull on my white coat, I start up the computer. Amy pops her head in. “Hey, you have several emails from people wanting to fill your position. What’s up with that?”

I pull my hair out of the back of my jacket and turn toward her. “I told Liam I would take the full-time vet position until Lucy gave birth and he could find someone else. It will only be for a few months.”

“I can’t believe you’re ready to leave your own business to help him out, Ves. What the hell!?”

“I’m not leaving. I’ll still come in and manage the clinic. It’s good money, Aims. I mean, a lot of money. I could open five more clinics by the time that horse delivers.”

She rolls her eyes and leaves my office without another word. I follow her back into the waiting room. “Okay, who’s first?” I ask, looking around the room.

A woman with short dark hair raises her hand.

“Right this way.”

She stands up, picking up a small plastic tank that holds a rat.

My eyes dilate, just from thinking about having to touch that thing.

I love animals. All animals. But some are better when I don’t have to touch them.

When the day is over, I rush out to the car and make the trip to the ranch. When I pull in the drive, Liam’s shiny red sports car is there waiting, like I hoped it would be. Instead of tracking him down, I head into the barn and over to Lucy’s stall.

“Hi, girl. How are you feeling today?” I hold out my hand and she brushes against it with her nose.

There’s a basket of carrots sitting on the hay bales. I grab one, feeding it to her while I run my hand over her head and down her mane.

“You must be Ves,” a woman says.

I turn my head toward the front of the barn and see the blonde woman from last weekend. Her long, blonde hair is straight and sleek, hanging half way down her back, and she’s wearing a tight red dress that hugs her curves and showcases every asset. Her makeup is flawless, and her body is adorned with diamonds; earrings, necklace, rings, and bracelets. Immediately, I know that she must be the supermodel girlfriend. Nobody else would be able to afford the look she’s styling.

I step down from the gate and nod my head while taking a few steps toward her. “I am. And you are?”

She smiles and holds out her hand to shake. “I’m Tessa St. Claire, Liam’s girlfriend.” She shakes my hand and my blood runs cold.

“I’ve heard a lot of nice things about the work you’re doing with the animals,” she says as she pulls her hand away.

“That’s nice. I haven’t heard a thing about you.” I know I’m being rude, but how could anyone expect me to be nice to her? I step back up on the gate and pet Lucy, hoping she gets the hint that I don’t want to talk and goes away.

She lets out a soft giggle instead of getting offended. “Well, that’s probably because Liam doesn’t talk much with the help. Plus, he’s almost never here. We spend most of our time in California.” She leans her back against the gate I’m standing on.

I look down at her brown eyes. I can see the anger and jealously burning bright in them. I want to say something else, but at the same time, I don’t want to give her any firepower, so I keep my mouth shut.

“Hopefully we won’t be here much longer anyway. I’ve finally talked Liam into selling this dump. He really doesn’t need the stress of it. He’s already got his hands full with running his company.”

I can’t keep my mouth closed any longer. “He’s selling the ranch?” I quickly look back down at her.

She smiles wide and looks up at me. “That’s right. I hope you have another job lined up. I can’t guarantee that the new owners will keep you on.”

I step down, leaning in closer to her. “I run my own practice. I don’t need this job. I was only doing it because Liam begged me several times to take it.” I step back and slide my hands into my back pockets. “He just couldn’t bear to see me go.” I smile and shrug before walking out of the barn and getting into my car.

I turn over the engine and hit the gas with a little too much force, anger surging through me. I can’t believe this. Liam is selling the ranch? Is that what he wanted to talk to me about today? If it is, I’m glad I didn’t see him. He’s been doing nothing but lying to me from day one. He never mentioned he had a girlfriend, for one. And he’s always claimed to love the ranch. Why would he sell it?

Does he love her so much that he would sell his family’s ranch? He can’t love her if he’s been making out with me. Or maybe, this is exactly what Tyler was warning me about. He is a playboy. She has his heart and I’m just some broke country girl that he plays around with in his spare time.

When I get back into town, I need to let off some steam. But I don’t go to Amy to hear her say, I told you so. I swing by the local bar and order drink after drink, in an attempt to wash him down and these past couple months from my mind.

The week passes by slowly. So slow. Every day I have to force myself to live my life. I get up, go to work, and come home to lay on the couch and ignore the rest of the world. Liam still plagues my mind endlessly. Every time he slips through, I bite the inside of my cheek to try and train myself to stop thinking about him. He hasn’t made any attempts to see me or ask why I haven’t been at the ranch to do my job. It only leads me to believe that he never had any real interest in me at all.

Anger and annoyance are the only things I’ve felt this week. And it’s heavy. It puts me in a bad mood and I’m short tempered. Nothing can keep my interest long. Not even my favorite tv shows. My mind is just an endless swirl of thoughts.

My phone rings from beside me and I sit up on the couch to answer it, thinking it’s probably Amy because she’s been relentless this week. She knows something happened to upset me, but I haven’t opened up to her about it. It’s embarrassing, and I’d rather try and forget about it than to understand it.

“Hello?” I answer, without looking at the caller ID, instead, keeping my eyes on the tv.

“Ves?” Liam asks.

I take a deep breath to try and simmer down the anger that’s boiling over. “Yes?”

“Is everything okay? I haven’t seen you all week. I’m worried.” His deep voice is sexy and causes my skin to prickle with goosebumps. My heart picks up, beating faster from hearing my name fall from his lips. In my head, I’m pissed at him. Apparently, my body didn’t get the memo.

“Everything is fine. Listen, Liam. I’m not going to be able to take that position after all. I just can’t leave my practice. But I do have several interviews lined up. I can forward you their information if you’d like to interview them yourself.”

“Oh?” He sounds disappointed. “Ves, I don’t understand. I thought you wanted the position?”

“Listen, Liam. I have to go. I’ll forward you my top picks. Okay?” Even I can hear the hurt in my voice.

“Okay. If that’s what you want, Ves.”

“Goodbye, Liam.” I hang up the phone without another word. My eyes fill up with tears, but I don’t let them fall. I’m annoyed with myself for getting in this to begin with. I didn’t want a relationship. So, why do I feel so let down? Why is this bothering me as much as it is? We kissed two times. He never confessed his love for me. He never even said that he liked me. The only thing he did was, led me to believe that there could be more between us, and kept me on the hook like Amy said. Typical playboy fashion.