Page 54 of Forget That Guy
He was livid.
He’d left a note on my door this morning telling me about the town council meeting at Hopp’s, and that I needed to be there if I wanted to be a part of this new venture.
I had a feeling that he was fully capable of getting anyone, anywhere to back down and do his bidding.
More so, I figured if they didn’t back down, he’d play hockey with their eyeballs.
He was so tall and manly, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him in ways that I definitely shouldn’t be feeling about my landlord.
“Hey, you okay?”
I smiled at Gena. “Oh, yes. Sorry. I was thinking about something.”
Gena gave me a knowing look that clearly said she knew what—or who—I was thinking about.
Since I wasn’t ready to admit to myself that I might actually like Denver, I chose to ignore that and everything else and get started with my day.
I did that with my coffee in one hand—four shots of perfection—and a Danish in the other.
I found Boone staring at the board in front of him with a small frown on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I think we might need another vet here,” he grumbled. “This is getting to be even more work than we can do. And, just sayin’, but I’ll be having a baby soon. I’m taking time off. And I’m not letting you overwork yourself to cover me.”
I looked at him in surprise. “You won’t?”
“You think so little of me?” he asked, his eyes going to the drink in my hand. “Denver’s not a bad guy. Neither am I.” He leveled me with a look. “You know why he kicked you out of that house, Holly?”
I blinked. “What?”
“That house that you were living in with your dad,” he said. “You know why he really kicked you out?”
I was already shaking my head. “Because he wanted the land…”
“He didn’t want the land,” he countered. “Would it have been nice for him to get it? Sure. He likes making sure his cows have enough water. But what he does not like is hurting women. Denver is the biggest supporter of women you’ll ever meet. And he most certainly wouldn’t have hurt you if he could help it.”
I swallowed. “What don’t I know?”
He looked away from me and studied the board again. “Your dad owed years and years and years in back taxes. He had a shit ton of fines on top of those back taxes. But your daddy was able to work something out with the tax assessor. He was able to finagle a way for him to stay until he died. Then he made a deal with Denver. He gets the land. He pays the back taxes. And he makes sure that you don’t stay there and drown yourself in land that has done nothing but take from your family.”
Stunned silence followed his announcement.
“How much were the back taxes?” I asked.
“More money than you and I make in three years,” he said. “Denver all but drowned his savings in the middle of a divorce to keep this property from going back. The last thing he wantedto do was kick you out. But that place wasn’t safe at all, and you know it.”
I looked down at my feet.
“And to answer your question,” he said after a while. “Yes, you mean something to me. I like you, Holly. So no, I do not want to see you drown in this place. I want you to get to live your life. I’m already interviewing vets as we speak.”
I blew out a breath. “I’m sorry.”
He flicked my cup. “Forgive him for making an impossible decision.”
With that, he walked out and left me staring at the board of appointments that were in store for us that day.
Or, more importantly, him.
