gravel drive, he sighed. In the past, no matter where he landed, he always had one foot out the door. For the first time, the urge to pack up and leave hadn’t struck.
He headed back to town and pulled into the garage just as Jason was beginning to shut the shop down. Glancing over at Samantha’s truck, he thought for a moment, having not considered that she had an emotional attachment to the old hunk of junk. “Hey, Jason, tell Troy to do what he can to really get it going. The works. Make it like new as much as he can. I’ll cover the cost.”
Jason lifted a brow and grinned. Chuckling, he said, “You just might stick around after all.”
Flipping him off, he pulled around to the back and parked at the bottom of the steps leading to his apartment. Climbing the stairs, he let himself in, placing the helmets on the counter.
Grabbing another beer, he opened the paper sack on the counter. He’d stopped at a fast-food place on the highway heading into town, grabbing a couple of burgers and fries. Not bothering with a plate, he sat at the counter and wolfed down his food.
He looked around, scanning the space. He hadn’t bothered decorating, not unusual for him, but couldn’t help but compare it to Samantha’s small camper. Hers was neat and yet he’d seen a few family pictures pinned to the refrigerator. The sofa had two pillows in swirls of blue, green, and yellow. Her bed covering was blue and green. Curtains in the same colors hung over the windows. Hell, even her dog’s blanket was bright blue.
She essentially lived in less than two-hundred-fifty square feet. He, on the other hand, was living in a large, two-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen and dining area, large bathroom, and living room with a wide picture window that overlooked the town. Snorting, he shook his head as he walked over to the refrigerator. And I’m supposed to be the one who travels light.
He later sat on the sofa with a book in his lap, but the words blurred on the pages. Finally admitting his thoughts were on Samantha and not the story, he snapped it shut and tossed it to the coffee table. Dragging his hand through his hair, he sighed heavily. She makes me want to take a chance… but am I worth a chance for her?
11
Annette picked Samantha up the next morning and they drove to the clinic together. She stifled a yawn. Sleep had not come easily after Joseph left with his delicious woodsy scent still wafting throughout her home. She didn’t know what it was about him that made him more interesting with every encounter. There was something mysterious about the normally quiet man, and the fact that he had now given her glimpses into the man he was made her want to continue delving deeper.
“Sam?”
Jerking her head to the side, she rushed, “Sorry! Trouble sleeping last night. What did you say?”
Annette laughed, shaking her head. “I’m glad it’s not a surgery day for you, or you’d be falling asleep over the patients! Anyway, I only asked if you were ready for me to sign off on the orders. We’re getting a little low on several things.”
She opened her mouth to reply, then pretended to yawn again in an effort to gain a moment to try to think of an answer. She’d been trying to keep an eye on the pharmaceutical stock, fearful that something may have gone missing. The canine vaccinations were still off by a few even with the new orders that had come in. Glancing to the side, she hated to keep Annette in the dark considering Annette had been the administrator for a long time. Susan? Tonya? Brentley? They were all employees that she trusted and liked. Is it just miscounting? Clerical error? While neither of those would make her happy, at the same time, it would be much better than thinking somebody had stolen drugs. Stolen… shit. That was the first time she’d allowed herself to think of the possibility. But it’s vaccines… not pain meds or something worth stealing to put on the black market.
Scrubbing her hand over her face, she knew she had to give Annette an answer. “Things have been so nuts lately I didn’t look over the order very carefully. I promise to get that done so you can order before I have to go to the meeting with the local law enforcement.”
“What’s it about?”
Shrugging,