Page 7 of The Vet's Unconditional Love
"He'll be as excited as I am.He loves dogs."She waved a hand at him."But you should get going.Whatever you're up to, make the most of having the weekend to yourself.No cleaning, no sorting.Napping only.Maybe a beer with the guys — you deserve it."
"Maybe," he said, turning toward his truck."Have a good weekend."
He was still questioning the wisdom of what he was about to do.If he had any real choice, he'd probably back out.But it was too late now — he'd said he would do it, and he was going to see it through.
Hopefully he'd feel a little better once it was over with.
Although as he pulled out onto the highway, he was well aware that he might end up feeling a whole lot worse.
Chapter Two
Harper thanked the flight attendant as she exited the plane and then hurried up the walkway into the terminal building.She needed to make a quick stop in the ladies' room before she went down to meet Shelley.She wanted to freshen up—and between waiting for her bag, grabbing a coffee, and driving home, it would be a while before they got back to the cottage.
She checked herself over in the mirror as she washed her hands.She didn't look too bad considering the taxi had dropped her off at JFK at six-thirty this morning, and she'd been on a plane for the last five hours.She fixed her makeup and ran a brush through her hair before heading back out to follow the crowd toward the baggage claim.
The sight of all the cowboy hats made her smile.She'd seen a few while she was back in the city, but they were fashion statements, not an integral part of daily life like they were here.
She gripped the strap of her purse a little tighter as an image of Emmett flashed into her mind.He wore his hat well—and looked sexy in it, if she wanted to be honest.But she loved the way he looked without it just as much.His mostly gray hair was thick, and he had a habit of running his hand through it when he was stressed.
She picked up her pace to join the line at the top of the escalator.She didn't need to be thinking about the man.What she needed to do was plot her schedule carefully so that she could still keep playing taxi driver for the girls without ever running into him.
If she wanted to feed them dinner again, she could do it at her place and drop them home afterward.That way, even if he were home early, she could just wave at him as they climbed out of her truck.Then again, if he was out on a date this weekend, she might not need to worry about running into him at all.
If that were the case, she'd just have to hope that whoever his new lady turned out to be wouldn't mind her hanging out with the girls as much as she did.
As she stepped onto the escalator, she determinedly put all thoughts of him out of her head.He was a background character, she reminded herself.She'd like for Tanya and Alana to still be a major presence in the life she was building here, but Emmett didn't need to be.
She swallowed.No matter how much she might want him to.
There—that was it.She'd admitted it, and now she could set the thought aside.
She was about to see Shelley again, after all.She smiled and peered down at the area around the bottom of the escalators.It seemed that the big fireplace there was a popular meeting spot.She could see people stepping forward to greet friends and family members.
She smiled as she watched a young cowboy rush forward to greet his girlfriend with a hug.She chuckled to herself when he swept the girl off her feet and spun her around.It made her happy to know that young people were still falling in love out there in the world.
She straightened her shoulders at that.Love wasn't on her radar—not the romantic kind, anyway.She loved her best friend Shelley and couldn't wait to see her.
She frowned as she neared the bottom of the escalator, still unable to spot her.She searched the faces in the waiting crowd, but there was no sign of Shelley.She walked slowly toward the fireplace.Perhaps she'd hit traffic or had trouble finding a parking spot.It'd be no hardship to hang around and wait for her.
The crowd thinned as the passengers from her plane dispersed, and she continued to look around.It wasn't like Shelley to be late.
There were only a few people still waiting.An older lady peered up the escalators, no doubt waiting for one of the stragglers.A young mom and two kids with balloons waited eagerly.
Harper glanced toward the baggage claim area, wondering if Shelley might be over there—but there was no reason that she would be.She'd specifically said she'd wait here by the fireplace.
A man was striding toward her—a rancher by the look of him, complete with cowboy hat, waxed jacket, jeans, and cowboy boots.
She let herself appreciate the view.Broad shoulders, confident stride, the kind of rugged good looks that she'd discovered she had a weakness for since moving to Montana.He was quite a looker.
When he nodded at her, Harper smiled and turned away, her pulse picking up just a little.Perhaps she shouldn't give up on the idea of finding a date of her own after all.
"Harper."
The voice stopped her cold.
She knew that voice.
Her brain went into freefall, scrambling to make sense of what her ears had just told her.She spun back around, and the world seemed to tilt sideways.
