Vet's Desire (33 page)

“But-”

“No buts. I’ve
lived surrounded by cold objects, and they’re no substitute for
love. I’d rather be a pauper with you by my side than a miserable
rich bastard alone in my ivory tower. That’s my past now. You’re my
now, and my future.”

Her lips
parted. “Really?”

“Really.”
Leaning forward, he kissed her gently on the lips and immediately
her scent filled him. “Only you. Always you.”

He drew his
head back slightly so that he could look at her.

“Tim,” she
whispered, “What if one day you regret this? What if you realise
you might have made a mistake, the wrong decision?”

“This is the
right decision.” He needed her to understand, to know how he felt.
“I love you, Cindy. I really love you, and it’s not the ‘maybe’
kind, or the ‘for now’ kind.”

Her blue eyes
started to sparkle with a sheen of tears.

“This is the
‘forever’ kind,” he said.

“How can you be
so sure? Your emotions are shot to pieces, so much has happened in
such a short time tonight. You need time to think, to-”

“Seriously?” He
gazed intently into her eyes. “You really believe this is a spur of
the moment thing?”

“Yes.” She
nodded, a tear spilling out to slip down her cheek. “I think.”

Gently he wiped
away the tear with his thumb, tenderness spilling through him,
though admittedly tinged with frustration. “You want me to think
about this, don’t you?”

Unable to
speak, she nodded.

“I know I don’t
have to.”

She sniffed,
lifting her hand to wipe away another tear.

It was too
sudden for her, he knew. Cindy wasn’t a woman who acted immediately
when it came to something important. She analysed it, studied it,
and right now she wasn’t sure that he was thinking straight.

And that led to
another thought.

Slipping his
finger beneath her chin, he titled her head up slightly. “What are
you feeling right now, Cindy?”

“I know what I
feel.”

“Tell me.”

“No. I want you
to think tonight through before I say anything.”

This was an
unexpected happening and he released her slowly, studying her. Part
of him was a little hurt that she didn’t trust him enough to share
her feelings, but part of him understood.

Her family was
warm and loving, and what had occurred between him and his mother
tonight had disturbed her. She wasn’t so certain that he knew what
he’d been doing when he’d chosen her, when he’d said what he did,
when he’d proclaimed his love.

Not quite the
happy moment he’d contemplated.

“Give me
something,” he said quietly, needing it to have hope.

Reaching out,
she cupped his cheek and leaned in to kiss him, soft and sweet but
too brief. Pulling back, she looked up at him before saying softly,
“Take me home.”

Without another
word he started the engine and pulled out of the service station.
He dropped her off at the front door, watching until she was safely
inside before he went home.

It was only
when he pulled into his driveway that he realised he had her
car.

No biggie, he
had every intention of returning it real soon.

~*~

He hadn’t
called. Cindy stared at the phone, her heart heavy one minute,
lifting the next. But the time dragged on, seconds to minutes and
minutes to hours. Two days and she’d heard nothing, but that meant
he had to be thinking, right? Which was a good thing…right?

Echoing in her
ears was every word Tim had said, every word she’d heard as she
stood in the corridor on her way back from the bathroom. She hadn’t
been able to help herself, standing there and listening. Her heart
falling when it had seemed as though he’d actually choose the
inheritance over her, and then the joy when he’d proclaimed his
love for her.

But had it been
for the benefit of his mother, a knee-jerk reaction to her
outrageous demands?

Alex and Marty
were sitting in her lounge, eating popcorn and watching a dubious
movie that seemed to be more bare breasts than actual story. They
cast her a few curious glances but said nothing.

Normally Marty
would pry but Alex’s presence seemed to help deter him. Or, more
likely, Alex had simply told him to shut up and mind his
business.

Al raced
around, hanging off Alex’s jeans and pulling himself up onto the
sofa, climbing the back of it with agile precision before scooting
along the back of it, his eyes bright and his tail up like a little
antennae.

She smiled,
reaching out to ruffle his fur. He pawed at her hands before
shooting over to plunk himself on Marty's shoulder and sniff at the
popcorn he was putting into his mouth.

“Ohhh, baby.”
Marty made sounds of appreciation as even bigger breasts appeared
on the screen. “Let’s hear it for corny, B-grade, seventies
movies!”

“Sure it’s not
porn?” Cindy asked.

“No, it’s the
seventies movies. Bare breasts and -”

“Smut, as Mum
would say.” Alex happily munched on popcorn.

Cindy returned
to staring out of the window. She knew what she felt, she had to
admit she’d known since the moment Tim had said ‘How about
forever?’ in the vet’s office. She’d laughed before looking at him
as the meaning had hit her. But then he’d sort of panicked, his
eyes widening as he realised what he’d said, and his hurried ‘I
didn’t mean-’ let her know that he hadn’t thought about it. Not the
forever part, anyway.

Seeing how much
her heart had lifted and dropped and basically pinged around in her
chest that day, it was a wonder she hadn’t had a heart attack.

If he decided
he didn’t love her, she sure as hell knew she was going to have a
broken heart.

Why didn’t he
call? The only thing she’d heard was from Maddy to say that Tim had
delivered an unwanted, elderly, yowling cat to one of her patients,
who was utterly delighted with him. The cat, not Tim. Apparently
the owner had died and the daughter hadn’t wanted anything to do
with it, but now, thanks to Tim, it had a new loving home and a
doting new owner.

When the phone
rang, she jumped.

“Hey.” Marty
eyed the phone and then her. “Want me to answer it?”

“No.” She
picked it up, her hands trembling a little. “Tim?”

“No, it’s
Maddy.”

Her heart fell
in disappointment. “Oh, hello.”

“Turn on the
TV.”

“It is on.”

“What
channel?”

“I don’t know.
Alex and Marty are watching some smutty show.”

“Turn it on to
channel 3.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.
And don’t turn it off straight away, okay?”

“Well, okay,
but-” She stared at the phone as Maddy hung up. “Okay.”

“What’s wrong?”
Alex asked.

“Maddy said to
change the TV to channel three.”

“What?” Marty
practically whined. “But it’s boobs, sis, boobs!”

Alex simply
grabbed the control and flipped the channel.

Curious, Cindy
came up behind the sofa and leaned on the back of it.

“An ad for
chocolate.” Marty huffed in disgust and folded his arms. “Big
freakin’ deal.”

Tossing the
remote back onto the table, Alex resumed munching on popcorn.

Cindy watched
as Al stuck his nose in the packet of popcorn and proceeded to pull
one out, tossing it through the air to land on Alex’s socks.

Laughing, Alex
grabbed the kitten just as he was launching himself after the
popcorn and picking up one of the toys from the basket beside the
sofa, he tossed a tinkling ball across the floor. Diverted, Al took
off after it.

“Hey!” Marty
reached back to tap Cindy’s arm. “Isn’t that Tim?”

She glanced at
the TV. “No, it can’t be. It-“ She stopped, her eyes widening in
surprise.

Yes, it was
Tim. He was standing before a blue screen with little hearts and
kittens all over the back of it. In his hand he held a small box.
His normally happy face was serious, his brown eyes seeming to
stare directly at her. Instead of his usual t-shirt with the racy
sayings on it, he wore a white button-up shirt with the sleeves
rolled up to his elbows.

The man looked
sexy as sin. Her heart bumped in her chest and she actually pressed
a hand to her chest.

“Hi, I’m Tim
Clarke,” Tim said, his voice steady, even, not a tremble of
uncertainty evident. “And I’m here to tell the world that I love
Cindy Lawson. I love every luscious bit of her, her kindness, her
gentleness-”

“Is he talking
about our Cindy?” Marty gaped.

Alex elbowed
him in the side. “Shut up.”

“Her sexiness
and her total hotness,” Tim was saying.

Cindy’s mouth
dropped open in disbelief, her heart thundering. He was on national
television, telling
everyone
he loved her! Oh God!

“My life wasn’t
complete until Cindy came along,” Tim continued, his gaze seeming
to look right at her as though he could actually see her. “I made a
choice, Cindy, and it was the best - the only - choice I could ever
have made. I chose you then, and I choose you now. I love you,
Cindy. Marry me.” He opened the little box and there was a glint of
a ring.

A huge heart
swelled to fill the screen along with romantic music, and he
disappeared from sight.

“So we sit and
wonder what the answer will be!” came the voice over. “Will Cindy
Lawson, our local Party Girl, accept the proposal of the local
Playboy Vet, or will she break his heart forever? We can only
wonder! Now back to our regular scheduled viewing.”

Just like that
it was over, a movie reappearing.

Cindy stared at
the TV, her mouth open.

Alex and Marty
stared at her, their mouths open.

“Holy shit,”
said Marty.

“Got that
right,” Alex agreed.

The door bell
rang, and when it rang for a second time while the siblings
remained staring at each other, Alex started to get to his
feet.

“No.” Numbly,
Cindy placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll get it.”

Leaving the
lounge, her mind whirling in disbelief, she could only shake her
head. He’d actually asked he to marry him in front of the
nation
. Everyone would know - his mother, her parents, their
friends, everyone who watched the television at that time. And
those who didn’t know soon would, for this kind of thing jumped
into the gossip circles like lightening.

Every magazine
and newspaper would be ringing her.

Still in a
daze, she opened the door.

“So,” said Tim.
“I’ve thought about it.”

She could only
stare at him. He looked so good in jeans and sneakers and one of
his ridiculous t-shirts. The cartoon horse on it had buck teeth and
crossed eyes, and it was down on its knees with its front hooves
crossed. Printed underneath was
Please Say Yes.

“I thought a
lot, actually.” He moved up the steps until he was standing
directly in front of her.

“You went on
TV,” she finally managed to whisper.

“And I thought,
how can I convince my luscious babe that I really want her?” He
took another step forward and she took one back.

His brown eyes
held an intensity she’d never seen before, but there was also a
light, tenderness. Determination. A heady mix.

Reaching out,
he cupped her nape and drew her to him, while taking another step
forward and making her retreat in time with his progress.

“And I
thought,” he said softly, “Let’s make it known for once and for
all, to everyone in the city, the state, hell, the whole country,
just who it is I love. Who it is. So I asked myself, how could I do
that?”

They were now
in the hallway and he moved further in, guiding her backwards.

“You went on
TV.” Heart thundering, her blood racing through her veins, Cindy
could only look incredulously up at him.

At the man who
meant so much to her, the man with whom she’d fallen in love.

“So I went on
TV,” he agreed. “I went on there and I bared my soul. I told
everyone that I love Cindy Lawson, and I asked her to marry me.” He
kicked the door shut behind him, the dimness of the hallway
surrounding them in cool quietness. “I didn’t want there to be any
hesitation, any doubt, as to whom I love. So now I’m waiting…”

Her hands
actually shook, her breathing uneven as emotions swirled through
her. Love, warmth, so much she wanted to say.

His eyes
softened, his hand sliding down from her nape to her shoulder and
further down to capture her hand. “Will you marry me, Cindy
Lawson?”

“Yes.” It was a
small whisper in the air, but he heard it.

With a smile so
big it practically lit up the hallway, Tim lifted her hand and slid
a ring onto her finger.

And then he
kissed her.

She clung to
him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing close, kissing him
back almost desperately.

“I love you,”
she whispered against his lips. “I love you so much.”

“Ditto,” he
whispered back, and then he grinned.

She
giggled.

“Whoa,” said a
voice.

She looked
around to see Marty and Alex standing in the hallway, Al bouncing
around their feet.

“Welcome to the
family, I’m guessing?” Marty had his eyebrows raised.

Cindy leaned
her head against Tim’s chest, snuggling up to him as his arms
cradled her close. “You’re guessing right.”

“Okay then.” He
strode past her. “That’s our cue to go, I’m also guessing.”

“Yeah,” said
Tim. “You guessed right again.”

Alex picked up
Al, winked at Cindy and followed his brother. “We’ll take the
nephew with us to Mum’s.”

The door closed
behind them, leaving Cindy and Tim alone in the hallway.

He seemed more
than content to stand there with her cradled in his arms, his cheek
on top of her head.

“Tim?”