Wishing for a Cowboy (Wishing River #3) - Victoria James Page 0,21

one-sided dimple that women love for some reason that’s always escaped me, because it’s essentially a defect in your face. Come on. That’s you. Second, you never told me Maxi had a sister like that…let alone who was going to be a vet and is probably the most gorgeous woman I’ve met in a long time.”

Aiden walked over to the horse feeders, disappointed they were full. He needed to do something with his hands. He pulled his hat lower so Logan couldn’t comment on his “brow furrowing,” which he realized he was actually doing. Why was he getting bothered about Logan’s comment? It was a normal response. He felt the same way.

“Hello? Did you hear me?” Logan asked, walking over to him.

Aiden lifted his head and forced his eyebrows into their normal state. “Sorry, I have a lot on my mind—like the fact that I might have a teenage kid. I’m not really thinking about how hot his aunt is.”

Logan smirked. “Oh, so you did notice.”

“I have eyes. It’s a fact, not a statement confirming interest.”

Logan leaned against the stall door, and Aiden half wished Maple would give him a strong shove. “You don’t need a paternity test to know he’s yours, man. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

Aiden stared out the open barn door, his eyes going to Janie and Will, who had almost reached the back door to his house. They could possibly be the most important people in the world to him. Will could be the only living relative he had. But more than all that, they were people he owed. People he had to do right by.

He finished off his coffee before looking at Logan to answer his question. “I’m going to figure out how to make up for fifteen years of being nonexistent.”

…

Janie brewed a cup of coffee and stared out the kitchen window. She hadn’t managed to shake off the chill of the damp March air and was hoping the hot drink would warm her up. Wind was blowing snow around in thin, swirling patterns. There was something so ominous about the wide-open land, the pristine snow that went on forever until it met the mountains. Yet at the same time there was peacefulness to it. Of being inside, warm and toasty and safe.

Aiden hadn’t come back inside yet. He’d looked completely at home out there in the barn with the horses. And everything Logan had told them about the rescues made her trust Aiden a little more. Her sister never would have done anything selfless like that.

Will was busy watching TV, so Janie would go over some banking to see exactly what she had left, then look up Logan’s veterinary practice online. That was a lucky break she hadn’t anticipated. Any bit of hands-on experience would help. Any bit of extra money would help, too.

Janie poured her coffee into a forest-green pottery mug and sat down at the small kitchen table. Her gaze wandered the room, her mind drifting to Aiden. There were so few personal touches in his house that it was hard to get a glimpse of the man’s personality. He was nice, though. And after their awkward conversation in the dark the other night, when she’d spilled coffee all over herself, she’d felt slightly more at ease with him.

Even if she’d made a fool of herself. Even if she’d seen him without a shirt on and had been completely overwhelmed by…him. She hadn’t been able to get the image out of her head—the way his muscles had rippled when he moved, or his tight abs, or the way his low-slung jeans fit him perfectly. She needed to burn that image from her mind now. Feelings like that weren’t going to help her with the budget.

She took a sip of coffee and picked up her phone, typing in Logan’s clinic name, and then quickly read through the information pages. The size of the clinic alone was impressive. They helped large and small animals, which was great, because the places she’d volunteered in the city had mainly domestic animals and not farm animals. This would be an excellent learning opportunity to further her veterinary experience.

The side door opened, pulling her attention, and a moment later Aiden walked into the kitchen. “Hey,” he said, removing his hat. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair before placing the hat onto one of the kitchen chairs. Aiden looked like a man who worked hard, from the athletic lines of