Still the One

Or, thanks to her accident, bendy.

“Maybe you could just try a little bit harder to be more … friendly,” Zoe suggested.

Darcy didn’t have words for what she felt for AJ, but she was pretty sure “friendly” wasn’t going to make the list. And yet if AJ had been there for Darcy in a huge way, so had Zoe. Always. So Darcy blew out a breath and managed a smile for her sister. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll try.”

Two

Several days later, AJ was in the middle of his weekly game of rec league football. And since Sunshine was a place where only the rugged, the hearty, and the tough-as-hell resided, the “flag” part of the game had long ago been forgotten, making it a contact sport. Complainers were booted and banned. For life.

AJ’s team consisted of old friends: Darcy’s veterinarian brother, Wyatt. Griffin, a friend from high school. And the three brothers who ran the Belle Haven Animal Center: Brady, Dell, and Adam.

Their opposing team was a company of local firefighters who played fast and dirty.

Really dirty.

In the first half AJ took a hard hit and found himself flat on his back.

From the sidelines came the collective groan of the spectators. Sunshine took its sports seriously.

AJ rubbed his aching ribs and decided that probably nothing was broken. Just as well. Not even broken ribs would’ve gotten him benched—they had no substitute players tonight. He lay there a minute to catch his breath, staring up at the sky. Looked like it was going to rain again. He heard Wyatt call a time-out.

Wyatt’s face appeared above him. “Haven’t seen that in a while,” his best friend said with a smirk. “Whatcha doing?”

“Just needed a quick rest,” AJ said.

“Well, rest on your own time. We’re down by three and I’ve got fifty bucks riding on this. Plus, Emily’s watching.”

Emily was Wyatt’s girlfriend, and he was in the “show-off” phase of their relationship.

AJ lifted his head and eyed the crowd. Yep, the cutiepie, new-to-town intern vet was indeed watching. In fact, most of the town was.

Emily, who was just as crazy about Wyatt as Wyatt was about her, stood up, waved, and blew him a kiss.

Wyatt grinned stupidly at her.

“If you blow her a kiss back,” AJ muttered, “I’m taking away your man card.”

But he was wasting his breath because Wyatt blew her a kiss back.

AJ flopped his head back to the grass and groaned.

“Hey,” Wyatt said. “Which of us is going to get laid tonight? Me, that’s who. In fact, I get laid just about every night, so who’s got the man card now?” He offered AJ a hand up. “You going to tell me what your problem is?”

“In the middle of a time out here.”

“They’ll wait. Given your performance tonight, they think you’re so old you need the rest, that buys us some time.”

“Mind’s not on the game, that’s all,” AJ said.

“No shit. Where’s it at?”

Excellent question. Wyatt was easygoing and laid-back, which made him a great vet, and in fact, a great guy, but there were limits to what a man could say to his best friend. For instance, My mind’s on your frustrating, crazy-hot sister wasn’t going to fly, not if he wanted to keep his teeth where they were. “Work,” he finally said, figuring it was close enough to the truth.

Wyatt’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not Darcy, is it?”

AJ resisted taking yet another look at the crowd watching. He didn’t have to; he’d memorized her. She wore dark sunglasses on her clear jade green eyes and her honeycolored hair had been left on the loose tonight, the curls wild and free, much like the woman herself. She wore sexy, painted-on jeans, boots designed to make a grown man drop to his knees and beg, and a formfitting, scoop-neck vintage Led Zeppelin tee. She was long-legged, hotter than the sun that hadn’t bothered to show its face in weeks, and looked like the poster woman for the very best kind of trouble—trouble she could and had delivered.

And she was one hundred percent the most dangerous thing he’d ever faced, and that included his six years in the Navy. “No,” he said. “It’s not Darcy. She’s …” Driving him right out of his ever-loving mind. “Fine. It’s nothing. Let’s finish this.”

Wyatt’s expression said Nothing my ass, but he nodded and they went back to the game.

By the time the game finally ended, they were filthy and a little bloody, but they’d won by three—no thanks at all to AJ. He sucked down water like it was going out of style as Wyatt sat on the bench at his side.

“Is it your dad?” Wyatt asked. “He have another skin cancer scare?”

“No,” AJ said. “He’s fine.” Ornery as hell, but fine. “And I told you, nothing’s wrong.”

“Can’t bullshit a bullshitter,” Wyatt said. “It’s a woman. Right?”

AJ bent to the task of switching out his cleats for running shoes.

“Yeah,” Wyatt said. “It’s a woman.”

Still ignoring him, AJ stood.

“Listen, not three weeks ago you helped me get my head out of my ass,” Wyatt said. “Told me to go after the love of my life. I did and it worked out.”

AJ sighed and turned to face him. “We were both drunk. You’re just lucky I didn’t suggest something stupid, such as running like hell.”