The Place I Belong (2 page)

The sudden switch to practiced charm made her flash back to her first meeting with Ward. He’d wooed her with the same smiling persistence, making her believe in the Cinderella story of a charismatic, powerful man falling for a shy, unglamorous veterinarian. Then he’d crushed her. She wanted Adam Bosch to go away so she could shove her ex-fiancé back into the dungeon she’d built for him in her memory. “I’m sorry,” she said gently. “I’m not the right person for this job.”

With a gesture of acceptance, Adam turned back to his dog.

Guilt washed over her as she saw Trace’s tail move on the table when he caught his master’s gaze on him. How could she let this sweet, gorgeous dog be further endangered by teenage rebellion? She twisted her stethoscope between her fingers. “Okay, I’ll do it, if you think it will keep Trace safe,” she said. “I assume your son goes to school?”

Adam nodded, hope lighting his face.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, so you can drop him off here at eight and pick him up at four.”

If she had found his smile dazzling before, it now stunned her with its intensity because it reached deep into his eyes. “You are a lifesaver, Dr. Linden. You will have a bottle of the finest wine in my cellar with your meal.”

“I’m doing this for Trace, not for dinner,” she said, knowing she sounded ungracious. At least now she understood why his name was familiar. The Aerie was famous well beyond the
borders
of Sanctuary.

Unbothered by her churlishness, he chuckled in a smooth baritone. “I hope you’ll change your mind after you taste my food.” He offered his hand and she put hers in it, feeling the strength of his grip. “I’ll provide lunch for you and your staff tomorrow to prove my mettle,” he said.

She pulled her hand free and moved to the opposite side of the examining table. “Sounds great. Now let me show you how to treat Trace’s wound.”

Hannah had just finished up the notes on Trace when Estelle walked into her office. “I’ve locked the front door and forwarded the phone to the answering service,” the older woman said.

“Do you have a minute to sit down?” Hannah asked, waving to the two comfortable new armchairs in front of her handsome teak desk. The furniture, which she’d ordered at Tim’s insistence, had arrived two days before. She had to admit it was nice not to have a mismatched set of his castoffs anymore.

Hannah came around the desk and sat in the other chair, wishing she could emulate the elegance of the silver-haired receptionist. While Estelle wore ladylike black pumps with her stylish lavender pantsuit, Hannah had on her standard office attire of khaki slacks, green polo shirt, and running shoes—the same thing her boss usually wore in the office. That thought made her smile inwardly. Tim was a foot and a half taller and weighed at least a hundred and fifty pounds more than she did. They didn’t much resemble each other except in their concern for their patients. “I got myself into something I don’t know how to get out of.”

Estelle’s gaze sharpened. “I’ll see if I can help.” She perched
on the edge of one chair, back straight, ankles crossed.
“Mr. Bosc
h
invited you to dinner and you accepted?”

It had become something of a joke around the veterinary hospital that the town of Sanctuary had decided Hannah needed a boyfriend. For the past month, they had equipped the single males of the town with various creatures in more or less need of medical attention and sent them in when Hannah was working. She had a soft heart, even when it came to humans, so turning them down wasn’t easy for her. Estelle had taken to telling her whether her next patient’s owner was married or single, so she could prepare herself.

“I wish it were that simple.”

“That’s a shame, because he owns The Aerie. It’s the fancy restaurant on top of Two Creek Mountain. People come in by helicopter to eat there.”

Hannah had come to Sanctuary, West Virginia, to escape “fancy” so she wasn’t tempted.

Estelle shocked her by adding, “He’s quite handsome too.”

“But he has a son!” Hannah exclaimed.

Estelle nodded. “Matt. His mother drowned about four months ago, leaving the boy to Adam’s custody.”

Hannah rocked back in her chair. “His mother just died? This is worse than I thought.” That meant Adam was dealing with the death of his wife on top of his son’s intractability. No wonder he was grasping at straws when it came to his child. “Is that why Adam was wearing black? He’s in mourning for his wife?”

“Oh, they weren’t married, dear,” Estelle said. “The boy’s last name is McNally. His mother was Irish. He’d never been to Sanctuary before she died.”

Now Adam appeared to be a cold-hearted charmer who seduced women with his handsome face and silver tongue and left them to face the consequences alone. It reminded her of Ward’s desertion. Hannah pulled her thoughts up abruptly. After what she had been through in Chicago, she should know better than to judge someone without knowing all the facts of the situation. Still it was hard not to think less of him, knowing he had avoided any parental duties until he had no choice in the matter. It explained his problems with his son.

Now she was convinced he needed a therapist, not a veterinarian, to deal with them. She considered her own dilemma, which had gone from bad to worse with this news. Her heart hurt for everyone involved. “According to Adam, his son deliberately let Trace outside, even though he knew it was hunting season. Adam wants Matt to understand that animals have feelings and significance, so he asked me to let the kid shadow me. Tomorrow.” Hannah rubbed her palms over her thighs as the idea of having a grief-stricken, thirteen-year-old boy by her side for an entire day made her break out in a cold sweat. She didn’t want to add to the poor kid’s problems.

“And I thought it was just Dr. Tim everyone told their troubles to while he was taking care of their animals,” Estelle
said, shaking her head. “That’s more than I’ve heard of Adam
Bosch admitting to anyone before. He usually keeps himself to
himself
.”

“I know I agreed to take the kid tomorrow, but do you think I could put him off until Tim gets back?” Hannah pleaded as panic set in. “Wouldn’t it be better for the boy to have a male bonding experience?”

“Dr. Tim won’t be back for ten days, which leaves the dog in danger a long time.”

Hannah slumped in defeat. “How did I get myself talked i
nto this?
”

“Well, he’s a very charming man. Not to mention those smoldering good looks.”

“I liked him better when he was genuinely upset over his dog than when he turned on the charm.” She was bothered by the fizz of awareness she’d felt. She should know better. “It seemed fake.” Ward had done the same thing, using his charisma like a weapon, turning it off and on at will.

“I suppose it
might
be a skill he uses professionally,” Estelle allowed, her lips pursed. “He caters to some very demanding, high-powered customers so perhaps he’s cultivated it beyond what’s natural to him, but I find him well-mannered and pleasant.”

“Hmm.” Hannah didn’t want to discuss Adam any longer because the topic kept conjuring up comparisons with her ex. “Do you know anything more about Matt? If I can’t avoid my day with him, I might as well prepare myself.”

“Nothing of significance, but I still have friends in the school system so I’ll make inquiries and pass any information along first thing in the morning.” Before her retirement Estelle had taught virtually everyone—and often their children as well—in the town of Sanctuary.

“Anything you can find out would be appreciated,” Hannah said. She grimaced. “Sorry you had to stay late for all this drama.”

“My husband knows when to put the casserole in, and it won’t hurt him any to set the table himself every now and then.” Estelle stood and walked to the door, where she hesitated. “If Adam Bosch offered to cook for me, I’d take him up on it,” she said before she walked out of the office.

“I’ll see how lunch is first,” Hannah muttered. She hadn’t mentioned the bribe of dinner at The Aerie to Estelle because she didn’t have anyone to take there. She had no intention of raising the hopes of any of the town’s bachelors by inviting one of them, and it seemed pathetic to go by herself. She knew The Aerie’s style because she’d attended political fundraisers with Ward at places like it; it was one of those restaurants where a meal stretched to three hours and involved a different wine with each course. You needed a companion—preferably one you liked a great deal—for that kind of dinner.

Now she had to do some fast research on thirteen-year-old boys. She glanced at her stainless-steel wristwatch. There was time to make a call before she headed home to feed her dogs and cats. Hannah’s aunt Carolyn had teenaged sons; she should have some helpful hints. She slid her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed.

“Hannah! When are you coming down here to visit? We missed seeing you this summer!” Carolyn said, her Texas twang belting through the receiver.

Hannah winced. Last summer she’d been mired in the scandal that had ended her engagement and her veterinary career in Chicago. “I just started a new job, so I won’t have a vacation for a while.”

“What about Thanksgiving? They can’t work you the whole weekend.”

“I’m on duty the day before and the day after,” Hannah said. She would be happy to work the holiday itself, but Tim closed the practice, and his wife, Claire, insisted she join them for Thanksgiving dinner. “I called to ask your advice.”

“I love giving advice. Who is he?”

“Matt McNally.”

“Nice name. Tell me all about him.” Carolyn’s voice quivered with excitement.

“He’s thirteen.”

“Thirteen?! Honey, I know you got burned by Ward but you shouldn’t go around cradle-robbing.”

“Funny,” Hannah said, but her lips twitched into a smile. Carolyn could always cheer her up. “Listen, I promised to let this kid follow me around at work all day tomorrow so he won’t let his father’s dog outside during hunting season. His father wants it to be a sort of object lesson in the importance of animals. So I need to know what to do with the kid.”

“First, let’s go back to his father. Is he married or divorced and would you kick him out of bed?”

“He’s single now. I don’t know about his marital history other than that. As for the other question, I wouldn’t let him
in
my bed. He’s got that slick, smiling kind of charm that reminds me of Ward.” She found herself not wanting to share the more tragic parts of Adam and Matt’s story; it seemed too much like gossiping.

“Not every charming man is a snake like your ex, you know,” Carolyn said. “Unless he’s also a politician.”

“No, this one owns a very fancy restaurant up on a
mountain
.”

“Are you talking about The Aerie?”

“How did you know?”

“Because it’s world famous, honey child, and we keep up with things like that in Texas. Besides, I know you work in Sanctuary, West Virginia, and that’s where The Aerie is.” The fervor was back in Carolyn’s voice. “Adam Bosch is the owner and he’s a hunk and a half. They profiled him as one of the great restaurateurs on television a couple of years ago. I’ve been begging Kevin to take me there ever since.”

“You two can have my bribe then. For taking the kid on, I get a dinner for two
gratis
. It’s all yours.”

“Tempting, but I have a better idea. You go with the chef himself. After all, I’m happily married.”

“You won’t be for long if you keep calling chefs ‘hunks and a half’,” Hannah observed. “Forget about the father. Help me out with the son. What do I do with him?”

“Well, let’s see, he’s going to hate you for ruining his Saturday, so he’ll be disagreeable and uncooperative. Probably
monosyllabic
. I suggest you handle him like you would a particularly difficult cat.”

Relief flooded Hannah. She understood cats. “I can do that. Thank you.”

“I told you I’m good at advice. And now I’m going to give you some about Matt’s father. You should buy yourself some b
lack lace
—”

“Sorry, I have to go. Someone just came in and all the dogs are barking. Talk to you soon!” Hannah punched the disconnect button and grinned as Carolyn’s number showed up on her incoming calls screen after a few seconds. She dropped the ringing phone in her pocket as she left her office. She couldn’t wait to get home to the uncomplicated affection of her three dogs and two cats.