That Perfect Place Read online

  He didn’t say another word, and neither did she. He dropped her off and nodded when she said thanks.

  Jill ditched her finery and donned some shorts. She sat on her back porch trying not to think. But a certain earnest vet kept popping into her mind’s eye. She could picture his profile and see his wicked smile when he teased his sister. She could feel the gaze of his warm brown eyes on her. She shook her head. Damn it. I do not want to fall in love right now. Not even with Jake. She sent a text message for Tina to call when she had time.

  About an hour later, her sister pulled in the drive alone. “That text was a call for private girl talk if I ever saw one. Make it quick though. Jim and I plan on practicing making babies tonight.”

  “Tina, be serious. I think I need to leave. Things are just too complicated here, and I’m not ready for another man in my life just now.”

  “Jillian, if you’re talking about Bob Mattson, of course not. But if you’re talking about Jakob Gundersen, you need your head examined. You two are a match made in heaven. And don’t hand me crap about now not being a good time. You let yourself be miserable with Tom for five years. You haven’t dated since you left the jerk. How much longer are you going to wait?”

  “Tina, you’re not making things any better.”

  “All right then, you go to him tomorrow and tell him you’re not interested in the partnership, but be honest and tell him you’re leaving because you’re infatuated with him and it just doesn’t suit your fancy to be so just now. Then you can spend the rest of your life working somewhere else, alone and unhappy.”

  “It would be foolish of me to get involved so soon again. How would it look?”

  “What matters is how you feel, and I think your brain and your heart are on different plains of reality—as usual. You need to think this through carefully.”

  “If I did get involved and it didn’t work out I’d have to leave.”

  “Maybe not. It would be tough and awkward, but hey, it passes. I worked with Michael for two years after we broke up—and Jonah, too, for that matter.”

  “Tina, I’m not like you. I don’t think I could do that.”

  When Tina left Jill threw herself on her bed and cried. She couldn’t allow herself to think that there could be a happy-ever-after with both the job and Jake. It was too risky.

  When the Gundersen clan and friends gathered for Sunday dinner, Jill was conspicuously absent and Jake conspicuously out of sorts. Jeanine asked Tina what was up.

  “I think my sister has hit the wall on her preconceived notions. Let her think it out.”

  “Well, I certainly hope she comes to a good conclusion for all concerned.” She looked pointedly toward the patio where her brother was nursing a whiskey.

  On Monday, Jake had already left for the day before Jill arrived. Jeanine didn’t say much to her all day unless it pertained to the business. Jim came in at lunch and took in the silence for a few minutes before saying, “I’m out of here, can’t take all this joviality today.”

  When Jake returned from his calls he noticed Jill sitting on the picnic table in Havecare Hollow as he passed. He knew she was unsure as to whether or not she should accept the partnership, and he was afraid he was the reason. He parked his truck and strolled down to where she sat. The dogs ran ahead to greet her. She looked up, and her expression was wary.

  Jake pulled up a long stem of prairie grass and sat beside her. “Jill, about this partner thing. I think you’re feeling too much pressure. If you want to continue the way things are, just say so. I thought it would make you happy to have a little more autonomy. I want to be fair to the talent you and Jim have shown,” he said without looking directly at her.

  “It’s not just that,” she said. “Something’s happened between us, something that scares the crap out of me.”

  He looked long and hard at her then, a mixture of hope and despair on his face.

  “It’s my fault,” he said. “Christ, Jill, I tried not to fall in love with you, but you are just the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. I failed and fell hard. I’ve tried to hide it, but I’m no actor.”

  “When I was a student, I threw myself at my anatomy professor. Fortunately, he had better sense. Then there was my boss at the emergency service. We were pretty hot until his funding was cut and he dumped me. Tom, you know about. What’s wrong with me that I think I need to shack up with my boss to keep a job?”

  “I dunno, maybe you have a thing for authority figures,” he teased, trying to lighten the conversation. “I do know you are a first-class vet. I guarantee nobody you’ve treated animals for thinks you’re anything but.”

  “But I run to you all the time for a second opinion.”

  “Everybody consults because we care enough to get it right. It makes you a better vet not an incompetent one. That’s why I talked Jeanine into the corporation thing. You’re not just an employee, you’re my equal. You and Jim are tops at your jobs and great people. Either of you could run this place quite well without me.”

  She studied his face as if unsure as to whether she believed him.

  “I won’t press you and neither will Jeanine. Take your time and think it through. And about the other thing,” he said, standing up and leaning close to her, “I promise not to make a move unless and until you are ready. If you decide I’m not the guy for you, I’ll never say another word about it.”

  He called the dogs and headed for the truck, swishing the stem of grass at the dandelions as he did. I may be the one to leave if she turns me down. I don’t think I could live this close to her and not act on it. Then again, I’d be miserable never seeing her again.

  He couldn’t remember ever feeling such anxiety as he fed the dogs and headed for the large-animal treatment to dress a leg wound on an Appaloosa.

  Jake was cleaning up the bandaging supplies when Jill entered. He stopped and sat on a convenient stool but said nothing. He hoped she couldn’t hear his heart thudding in his chest as he waited for her answer.

  “This is the best place I’ve ever worked, and I really want to stay but I know if I do I’ll give in and try the relationship thing too. It’s way too soon after my divorce to get involved again, so I want you to know we’re taking things really slowly.”

  Jake started breathing again, but his heart rate soared. “Deal. My name will be molasses.”

  “Good. Great.”

  “Well, welcome aboard. Do we shake hands or what?”

  “I think a hug would be OK.”

  He wrapped her in a bear hug, and Jill’s knees turned to jelly. When he was this close, she wasn’t sure she could handle the go-slow thing.

  He could feel her heart beating wildly against his chest and felt her tremble. Gingerly he leaned down to kiss her, gently at first, then more deeply as she responded. Jill’s hormones kicked into high gear. It was all she could do not to rip his clothes off and explore right then and there. This is so wrong of me. I say one thing, but my body does another.

  Jeanine opened the door, wondering where everyone had disappeared to. When she saw her brother wrapped in a very passionate kiss with Jill, she snuck quietly out and gave a little fist pump. “Yes,” she whispered triumphantly.

  She intercepted Jim and said, “I think Jill and Jake need to be alone. I think he’s closing in on the partner thing with her.”

  “Finally. I was hoping he’d push the issue some. It will be easier to keep Tina here if Jill stays. Well, I’m going home to my little Maitland woman. Put me down for a yes on the partner deal. Tina thinks it’s great.” He left whistling.

  Before closing up, Jeanine called Brad and told him to text his dad and say he was having dinner with her family and staying the night.

  “Sure. Why?”

  “I think he needs some alone time to work things out with Jill.”

  “Do you mean work or maybe the reason he mopes around sighing stuff?”

  “Bradley, sometimes you’re too smart for your own good.”

  ill woke up
in the four-poster bed in the master suite of Jake’s cabin. She never intended for things to go so far so fast, but an innocent little kiss in the kitchen had escalated into a full-blown seduction, and she was as guilty as Jake in that respect. I am an idiot. I say go slow and the next minute I practically rape him. But, oh my God, he is incredible!

  She could make out his figure in the moonlight sprawled face down across the bed. She pulled the blanket up over him against the night chill, admiring his lean, muscular form. She still felt weak and excited by last evening’s lovemaking. Jake’s easygoing demeanor dropped away in the bedroom.

  Even in the beginning, things were never as hotly passionate with Tom. She had always blamed herself for having a low sex drive. One night with Jake had shattered that myth. He had aroused passions in her she didn’t know she possessed. His sensitive surgeon’s fingers had turned every square inch of her into an erogenous zone, and she had instantly forgotten what the word inhibition meant.

  He rolled onto his side and pulled her into his arms. “Jill,” he whispered, “you are so beautiful, so sexy. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long. I’m sorry I lost track of the go-slow part.”

  “It’s as much my fault as yours.”

  “So you’re not mad?”

  “At the moment I’m too drained to get mad about anything.”

  “Good. I don’t think I could do a round three, anyway.” His voice trailed off.

  God, how could I have gotten so lucky? She is everything. She makes me feel so strong and hot, so hot. These were his last thoughts as he drifted into sleep.

  She took a while to fall asleep herself. Her mind kept harking back to all the bad times with Tom. How could I have ever fancied myself in love with him? He liked the chase but not the catch. One of my college friends had warned me but I didn’t heed the warning. Jake is what the songs and books are about. Can anything this good be real? Finally, the most satisfied sleep she ever had claimed her.

  A strange alarm sounded in Jill’s ears and a very long arm reached over her and hit the snooze. Suddenly, she was wide-awake, remembering where she was.

  “Oh, God, I’d better go home and shower and change. What time is it?”

  “Five thirty.”

  Jill groaned. “Do you always get up this early?”

  “Workdays, yeah.”

  “I’m staying put for just a bit. I’ve really missed this bed.”

  “Now you don’t have to. You’re welcome to be in it whenever you want for as long as you want.” He leaned over and kissed her deeply and stroked her breasts. Then, reluctantly, he climbed out of bed and went through the process of attaching his prosthesis.

  She drifted back off for half an hour, dreaming about what she wanted Jake’s body to do with hers. She awoke with a start, embarrassed and thrilled by her wild desires. Having no pajamas, Jill put on one of his T-shirts. It came down to midthigh. She padded around the house a bit enjoying the early morning quiet and the beauty of the place. The first yellow rays of sunlight were slanting in through the clerestory windows, enhancing the beauty of the wood and stone.

  Still wrapped in the sensations he had aroused, Jill hugged herself. All this, and Jake too, made her feel as if she had stumbled into a happy-ever-after fairy story. After a bit, she crept downstairs and watched Jake go through his weight routine. The phrase “walk softly and carry a big stick” went through her mind. He always seemed so even tempered, yet here he was looking extremely strong and dangerous; no wonder a guy with a knife wasn’t a big deal. When it looked as though he was cooling out she asked if he wanted her to make him some breakfast.

  “I don’t require you to wait on me.” He looked at her seriously. She wanted to melt. Damn, how am I going to work when he’s around?

  He came over to the steps. “I want you to be my partner in everything, not my wait staff.”

  “Speaking of partners, how do we handle things at work? What do we tell the others?”

  “That you’re staying and you have accepted the partnership. They’ll figure out the rest if they haven’t already.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, Brad is just conveniently having dinner and an overnight next door so we can have time alone.”

  “I thought it was because you’re a lousy cook.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, but he hates sleeping over. SJ snores. Chances are the general has it all figured out.”

  “Oh God, I’m going to blush all day.”

  “You don’t regret us, do you?”

  “When you’re standing this close, it isn’t regret I’m feeling.” She stood two steps up from him so their faces were level and kissed him tenderly. “You are a wonderful lover, Jakob,” she said shyly, not looking at him as she did.

  He stepped back and tilted her chin up. “That’s because for the first time in my life, I have an incredible woman to make love to.” He drew her into his arms and held her close. She could feel the strong beat of his heart and wanted to stay there forever. After a few minutes, he released her.

  “I need a shower.”

  “You are rather sweaty.”

  “I meant a cold one.”

  Jill giggled, elated that she could evoke such feelings in someone. “I’m going to my place to see if I can repair the just-ravished look before I go to the clinic.”

  “I like the ‘just-ravished look,’ especially when I get to do the ravishing.” He was grinning happily.

  Jake was, of course, the first one in and had finished the morning meds and feeding chores before Jeanine arrived. When he came into the office area she gave him a tight hug but said nothing. He smiled broadly. As a matter of fact, he smiled pretty much all day.

  Things were now going fabulously at the clinic. The articles of incorporation had been drawn up and signed and the new signs put up. Jim kept busy with the cows, Jill did mostly small animal, and Jake did mostly horse work and any exotics. They did cross into the others’ bailiwicks every now and then. Jill did large animals if they were brought in, and the men often treated pets during their rounds.

  Jake was in the hospital a half day on Wednesdays and usually part of the day Thursday to do surgery. He also did spaying and neutering at the animal shelter every other Tuesday afternoon. Whenever there was a non-routine surgical procedure at least two vets worked together. Jake showed Jill some of the advanced surgical techniques he had learned in California. She had a deft hand and caught on quickly. Other vets sent them more and more of their difficult cases, much to her delight. She felt as if she had come of age as a vet, and her confidence soared.

  The biggest change for Jill at work was getting ambushed for a kiss any time Jake caught her. He got a little more adventurous if he knew they were unwatched. Jill felt her desire flare every time he brushed against her even accidentally. It made concentrating on surgery a bit difficult.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Jakob, or I’ll start having Steph or Jim scrub in with me,” she’d say.

  “It’s your fault. You make me randy as a teenager,” he’d answer with laughing eyes, then promise to behave—until the next opportunity presented itself.

  hen Ed Deale announced it was time to bale the second hay cutting, Jim and Jill both showed up to help out. Jake laughed at Jill.

  “What is it you think you are going to do?”

  “I grew up in a dairy, smart guy. Tina and I have probably stacked as much hay as you have.”

  “You can drive the tractor, I’ll stack.”

  They sent Ed home early.

  “We’ve got it, Eddy. It’ll do Brad and SJ good to sweat a bit for a change,” Jake said.

  By the time they were done, all four stackers were covered with bits of hay sticking to their sweaty skin. Jill handed Jake and Jim towels.

  Jake went toward Brad as if to hand him the towel but instead grabbed him and threw his son and then his nephew into the water tank, fully clad. The boys climbed out yelling, and the next thing the vets knew they were being squirted with the barn
hose. Jeanine showed up to announce dinner and found everyone soaking wet and chasing each other with water buckets.

  “You’re all eating on the back porch. I do not want this mess in my house.”

  Chastened, Jim repaired to the clinic to clean up and Jake and his son traipsed through the cabin dripping wet, much to Jill’s dismay.

  As they sat there at the table with Jim regaling Tina about how high Jake could throw a hay bale, Jill was thinking to herself that she had never felt so comfortable during her sojourn in Marietta. How could I have been so mistaken in Tom? Surely, my instincts are better about Jake. He treats me with such care and deference.

  For his part, Jake was thinking life had never been as good as it was now. He thanked the Lord for whatever had brought Jill and now Jim his way. And for however I managed to get her in my bed, I am eternally grateful. She is, without a doubt, an angel, a wonderful, sexy angel.

  Most nights, Jill would go up to the cabin to make her men a meal. She had greatly expanded their usual diet, especially when it came to vegetables. Both Gundersens were always asking what strange-looking but tasty object had found its way to their plate. She introduced Brad and Jake to sukiyaki, tempura, and sushi. She made New England boiled dinners, shrimp Creole, and beef Wellington. Brad’s favorites were the pies and puddings.

  She and Brad had become great friends, and he was eternally grateful for the good food. Jake was careful to make sure either he or his son cleaned up the kitchen, and he usually picked up her list of ingredients while he was out on his rounds. Tina had filled him in on Jill’s marriage, so he went out of his way to be sure Jill never felt ill used again.

  It was Jake’s turn to clean up, and Brad was on the deck with Jill.

  “You know, I probably shouldn’t say anything, but wouldn’t it be easier if you just moved in here? That way, Dad wouldn’t feel like he needed to sneak around so much. I’m pretty much grown up now; it’s not like I don’t know why he has so many late-night calls.”

  Jill blushed.

  “It’s OK that you two are in love. In fact, I’m real glad. My dad’s a really terrific guy, and he deserves some good stuff to happen before he gets too old.”