Vet's Desire (4 page)

“Humph.” Sam
gave Cindy a narrow-eyed look as he poured out the juice.

Cindy grinned
back at him.

“I planted
those roses,” Ruth stated. “The red ones.”

That sobered
Cindy. “You don’t need to be doing that digging, Ruth. We can hire
someone-”

“I’m the
gardener here.” Ruth spooned up some fruit. “I’m not too old, Miss
Cindy. I may be old in years, but I’m strong.”

Taking in the
pull of wiry muscle in the lean arms, Cindy had no doubt about it.
It was also an old argument, so she shrugged. “Okay.”

Sam glanced
over at her and nodded. There was no doubt that if it got too much
for his wife, he’d let Cindy know, but the older couple were so
healthy and strong that she had no doubt they’d be going for many
years yet.

Ruth commenced
to fill her in on what she had planned for the garden that day,
just as she did every work morning. Cindy nodded, commented and
made a few suggestions, and by the time Ruth started on her bacon
and eggs, she was a happy gardener. Well, as happy as she’d ever
display, her gaunt face and placid expression showing only a slight
smile of approval and contentment.

“So what are
you doing today?” Sam whisked the empty bowl off the table.

“I’m going to
pick up a present for Maddy’s birthday and drop it off to her,”
Cindy replied. “Then I might call in and see Mum and Dad. How about
you?”

“Mop the
floors.”

“Exciting day
for us both.”

Sam eyed her
sourly. “Maybe you need to get a hobby.”

“I’ve got one.
It’s paying you to insult me.”

“Har-de-har.”

“Anything you
want me to pick up at the shops?”

“Like I’d trust
you to do the shopping? You’d come back with pavlova for tea and
chocolate cake for dessert.”

“I suppose you
want something like brussel sprouts for tea and carrot cake for
dessert.”

“You’d suppose
correct.”

“You know I
wouldn’t touch a brussel sprout with a ten foot pole.”

“Precisely why
I don’t waste them on you.”

“But you won’t
give me pavlova for tea, either.”

“I have to
amuse myself in my own way.”

Laughing, Cindy
left the kitchen. Running up the stairs, she went to her bedroom
and took off the dressing gown and nightie. A quick shower later,
she stood in her lacy pink panties and bra in the walk-in wardrobe
to contemplate the clothes hanging neatly on the racks. Finally she
chose a pale blue sun dress that swirled lightly above her knees.
Once dressed, she applied lipstick and mascara - her two main
staples of make-up on what she considered a ‘light make-up day’ -
pulled her hair into a jaunty pony-tail high on the back of her
head, tied it with a big, wide, blue bow, slipped a pair of
dangling earrings on, and slid her feet into a pair of silver
stilettos with just a wide strap across her toes.

Pivoting in
front of the mirror, she surveyed herself in satisfaction, gave a
happy nod, picked up a dainty, pale blue shoulder bag and tripped
down the stairs into the wide entry.

“I’m going,
Sam!” she shouted.

“Okay.” His
voice drifted back from somewhere towards the back of the
house.

Going through
into the kitchen, she went through a side door and into the garage.
Climbing into her little Hyundai, she lovingly ran her hands over
the steering wheel. Man, she loved her car. Pressing the control
where it was attached to the dashboard, she waited until the garage
door had opened fully before backing out into the sunshine.

Pulling out
into the drive, she waved at Ruth who was standing with a row of
roses in pots behind her. Ruth waved back before returning to her
beloved gardening.

Turning up the
radio, Cindy drove into the city and to one of her favourite
shopping centres. Pulling into the car park, she hopped out and
went to the ticket machine. Humming to herself, she paid for her
ticket, then, spotting a harassed-looking mother towing a crying
child behind her and pushing a pram, she slid more coins into the
slot and pressed the ticket button before leaving. As she neared
her car, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the bewildered
mother holding the ticket in her hand, and she smiled.

As her mother
always said, spread the cheer.

Once inside the
coolness of the shopping centre, Cindy made her way to The Body
Shop and browsed among the goodies, finding the lotions she wanted
quickly. While having them gift-wrapped, she watched a
dispirited-looking man sit down at a nearby coffee table. In his
hands he held the employment page. He glanced once at the menu
board with the names and prices of the food and drink on sale, and
with a small sigh, he started pursuing the paper with pen in
hand.

After paying
for the present, Cindy ambled over to the coffee counter, ordered a
hot coffee and salad roll and paid for it, and pointed to the man
at the coffee table who still had his head down as he circled
employment options. The waitress, Maryanne, knew Cindy, and she
grinned and nodded.

Yep, nothing
like spreading the cheer, Cindy thought as she left the coffee
shop. A glance over her shoulder showed first bewilderment, then
pleasure on the man’s face as he looked up at Maryanne. She was
pleading ignorance of who paid for his meal, and when she left the
food at the man’s table, the smile on her face was genuine
delight.

Yep, that bit
of cheer had touched two people.

With a bounce
in her step, Cindy returned to the car.

Her next stop
was Maddy’s home. As she pulled into the driveway, she hooted her
musical horn. Immediately she spotted Chaz in the window, his big
Siamese head pushing up the curtains as he peered out at her.
Beside him a much smaller head reared up, and little grey-furred
Yamaha stared at her before being side-tracked by a butterfly that
flitted past the window.

Cindy couldn’t
resist running her finger along the glass, laughing as Chaz tried
to remain dignified in front of Yamaha, but finally he succumbed to
the lure of fake prey and slammed his seal paws against the glass,
chasing her movements.

“Teasing cats
now?”

Surprised,
Cindy froze for several seconds before straightening to face Tim.
His car was parked behind hers, a low-slung, two-seater with
‘playboy’ practically screaming from the black leather
interior.

“Well, hello,
Timmy,” she said cheerfully. “Loving the shirt, sunshine. Suits
you.”

Tim ran his
hand across his chest. His shirt proudly proclaimed
I’m a nut
who needs screwing.
“Glad I don’t disappoint you.”

“Never.”

His gaze
skimmed across her, taking in everything from the jaunty bow in her
hair to the tips of her silver stilettos. “Going to a party?”

“Not today.”
She held up the gaily wrapped present. “Maddy’s birthday.”

“Ah.” He rocked
back on his heels.

Cindy studied
him. Dressed in t-shirt, battered jeans and sneakers, with his dark
hair carelessly - or maybe artfully - tousled, he looked boyishly
handsome…if one didn’t notice the sharp intelligence in his brown
eyes. His face was lean, his jaw strong, his lips a little too full
for a man, but saved from being too girlish by their firmness.

Yeah, it would
be easy to dismiss Tim Clarke as a boyishly handsome, charming man.
Luckily she knew him to be a real hound dog with women, or she
could just as easily be suckered.

“You two coming
in?” Mike’s voice rumbled from the doorway. “Or are you just going
to stand there, eyeballing each other?”

Cindy smiled
brightly up at him, genuinely glad to see him. Mike was a bear of a
man, but he loved her best friend unconditionally and that made him
almost perfect in her eyes.

“Hello, Mike.”
She didn’t miss the way he watched almost warily as she hurried up
the stairs, finding it immensely amusing that men kept waiting for
her to fall flat on her face due her high heels.

“Cindy,” he
greeted her, standing aside so that she could walk right past him.
“Tim.”

“Got the tools
ready?”

“Yeah. Let’s
start on it.”

Obviously the
men were going to be tinkering with a car engine or something, and
that suited her just fine. Hurrying into the kitchen, she saw Maddy
straightening up from where she was crouched checking something
cooking in the oven.

“Mads!” Cindy
flung herself at her best friend and hugged her tight. “Happy
birthday!”

“Thanks.” Maddy
laughed as Cindy gave her a resounding kiss on the cheek, taking
the present that she pressed into her hands. “Oh, Cindy, you
shouldn’t have.”

“Of course I
shouldn’t have.” Cindy dropped into a chair and stretched her legs
out, crossing her ankles and placing her hands behind her head.
“Open it!”

She waited
impatiently as Maddy peeled the sticky tape off and neatly
unwrapped the lotions. The delight on her friend’s face just
tickled her pink.

“Oh, Cindy,
thank you!” Maddy moved across the kitchen and gave her a hug.
“It’s beautiful.”

“Trust me, Mike
will get one whiff of the scent of that moisturiser on your skin
and he’ll eat you right up.” Cindy winked. “In every way.”

Maddy laughed.
“He does that now.”

“Really?” Cindy
arched a brow. “Do tell.”

“Not on your
nelly.” Maddy opened the ‘fridge. “Diet Coke?”

“Absolutely.
I’m parched.” Cindy watched her friend open the cans and place them
on the table as she sat down. “So what did Mike get you?”

A slight blush
of pleasure tinged Maddy’s cheeks. Pulling the chain out from
around her neck, she showed the elegantly set, small amethyst that
exactly matched her ring. “This.”

Leaning
forward, Cindy fingered it carefully. “It’s beautiful.”

“He’s taking me
out to dinner as well.”

“And so he
should.” Cindy took a sip of Diet Coke. “Where are you going?”

“Well, if the
car gets fixed, the Steak House. If it doesn’t, then its pizza
delivery, because I refuse to ride that monstrosity of a motorbike
he’s so fond of.”

“Your car is
broken down? Why don’t you get a mechanic out to look at it?”

“Because Mike
reckons he and Tim can fix it.” Maddy smiled wryly.

“Don’t you need
it for work?”

“I’ve got a
week of holidays, so that’s not a problem.” Getting up, Maddy
crossed to the stove and opened the door. Sticking a thin, wooden
stick into the cake, she nodded approval as it came out dry and
clean.

Cindy chewed
her bottom lip as she considered how to make an offer without
offending her friend.

Guessing
correctly, Maddy said as she placed the cake tin on the wire rack,
“We can afford a mechanic, don’t worry.”

“Then this is
just a man thing?”

“This is just a
man thing.”

“Promise?”

Maddy levelled
a look at her.

“Fine.” Cindy
held up both hands, palms outwards. “Peace, sister. I’ll keep my
nasty old money.”

Maddy grinned.
“You do that.” Placing a plate on the counter, she opened a
container of home-made muffins.

“Oh, man.”
Cindy’s mouth watered. “Chuck one of those here, please!”

Without missing
a beat, Maddy tossed a muffin through the air and Cindy caught it
unerringly. Taking a bite, she moaned. “Yummy.”

“I thought I’d
take some out to the blokes.” Maddy carefully placed four muffins
on the plate and added some biscuits before deftly covering the
plate in gladwrap. “Could you grab some iced coffees out of the
‘fridge?”

“I have to pay
for the muffin by being your servant?”

“Nothing is for
free.”

“Why don’t you
just call the blokes in?” Cindy retrieved two cartons of iced
coffee.

“Because once
Mike starts something, he’s loathe to stop.” Maddy picked up the
plate and walked out into the hall.

Following her
through into the lounge and the newly made archway that entered
into what was once Mike’s half of the duplex, Cindy glanced around.
“What are you going to do with all the furniture?”

“We’re still
deciding.”

“You could
always buy new.”

“Nah. Mike’s a
big man, his furniture is pretty tough. We’ll probably keep his
lounge suite.”

“What are you
going to do with the extra rooms? Still making one into a
library?”

“We’ll probably
make this the library, a nice quiet room to sit and read.”

“Don’t you mean
a place you can escape to when he’s watching car racing?” Cindy
asked dryly.

“That too.”
Maddy laughed and led the way out of the door and onto the
veranda.

Now they were
on the side that was once Mike’s, and going by the sounds coming
from his garage this was where the repairs were happening.

“I told him he
could mess his garage up,” Maddy informed Cindy, “But he’s to leave
mine nice and clean.”

“Laying down
the law. I like it.”

“Laying down
the law to a cop like Mike?” Maddy laughed louder. “Are you kidding
me?”

“Mike’s putty
in your hands.”

“He can be
stubborn when he wants to be, trust me.”

“You like
it.”

Maddy’s grin
grew wider.

They rounded
the corner and came to a stop in front of the open garage door.
Inside it the two men were bent over each side of the open bonnet
while tinkering with the mysterious innards of engine pieces. They
straightened at the same time and looked from the engine to each
other, discussing the problem.

Cindy glanced
at Maddy and saw the softening of her face, her rounded cheeks
flushing slightly as Mike glanced around at her. Mike’s eyes
softened as well, but the glow that lit them held a lot of
desire.

Yeah, Mike
loved Maddy, loved every bit of her lush curves and voluptuous
body, as he termed it just to make her blush and laugh. But there
was no joke about the desire that burned in his eyes every time he
looked at his fiancé. The desire and the love, the total
acceptance.