His Red-Blooded Heart Throb

  Katharine O'Neill

  His Red-Blooded Heart Throb

  Copyright © 2020 by Katharine O'Neill

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Katharine O'Neill asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  Katharine O'Neill has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

  Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

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  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Also By the Author

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Alex felt his pulse skip as he turned off the main road and went through the entrance gate that marked Jimmy Randall’s horse farm. It happened every time he knew he was about to see the owner. Alex knew he was behaving like a lovesick fool, but he couldn’t help himself. Ever since they had met when Alex moved to Everett five years before, Jimmy did something to Alex that he had a hard time dealing with. Mostly because Jimmy was married with children.

  But for the last eighteen months, Jimmy had been single. He had kicked his wife out and was being a single parent. Alex knew that didn’t mean anything, but he couldn’t stop the stirrings of lust whenever he came up to the ranch to check on the horses.

  He was meant to be there to make sure the horses were suitable for breeding and for their regular riding lessons, not to drool all over the owner. Tall, big and golden-haired, Jimmy was certainly drool-worthy.

  Just a shame he’s never going to look at you as you want him to.

  Alex headed through the gate into the front yard and pulled up outside the stables to the left. He had a job to do. One of Jimmy’s mares was about to meet with a stud from a neighboring ranch, and she needed to have a clean bill of health for it to happen. Jimmy had a lot of money riding on this deal, and it was in the thousands. Alex had to make sure the mare was ready.

  He got out and immediately the smell of the ranch went up his nostrils. Alex had been raised around animals and he treated them in the clinic, but he never got used to the smell of horses and the aromas that surrounded them. Especially the manure part. He had no idea how anyone got used to that smell. Alex loved horses, but he didn’t like the intense smell that came with them.

  Taking a moment to get used to the smell, Alex grabbed his bag from the passenger seat and headed into the stables. Jimmy was already there, standing at the stall petting the horse with an affection that made Alex’s chest tighten. God, he would never get bored at the sight of Jimmy Randall. The man could have graced the pages of GQ magazine. And why did he have to wear clothes that looked like they had almost been sprayed onto his body? Alex swallowed hard and tried to ignore the tightening in his jeans.

  Why couldn’t the man have been ugly? This would be so much easier.

  Jimmy looked around as Alex approached and gave him that warm, friendly smile that had Alex’s knees going weak. It was a smile that reached his eyes, and Alex loved watching for that smile. It hadn’t happened much since his separation from Dina, so it was good to see it coming back.

  “Hey, Alex.”

  “Hey.” Alex founded himself fishing into his pocket, his hand closing around the packet of sweets he always kept with him. He brought the bag out and popped one of the soft sweets into his mouth. “How have you been?”

  “Not too bad.” Jimmy arched an eyebrow as he saw the bag. “I see you’re still trying to rot your teeth.”

  Alex shrugged.

  “What can I say? I like them.”

  Heart-throb sweets were a particular gummy sweet that Alex had been given on a trip to England as a kid, and he had become addicted to them. They were hard to come by in America, so Alex had to send off for them specially. It was worth it, though; they stopped him wanting a cigarette after quitting three years ago.

  And they distracted him from wanting the man in front of him.

  Jimmy shook his head.

  “Honestly, those sweets should be made illegal.”

  “It’s fix. Better than cigarettes or alcohol.”

  “Considering how many you eat a day, I doubt it.” Jimmy snorted. “I’m surprised you still have teeth.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want one?”

  “No, thanks. I don’t really do sweet things.”

  Alex wanted to say that he was sweet enough but stopped himself. Now was not the time to flirt with the man. He shoved the packet of sweets back into his pocket and approached to pat the horse’s neck.

  “Bright Moon. Do you just want the usual check-up?”

  “Please. But can you do a more thorough exam of it?”

  “You think what I normally do won’t come up to par?”

  “Not that.” Jimmy grimaced. “She’s gone off her feed. It’s only in the last couple of days, but I want to know there’s nothing underlying. She’s due to meet the stallion from O’Leary’s ranch in three days and I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

  “Understood.” Alex smoothed his hand over the warm neck of the animal. “It’s probably nothing, but it won’t hurt to check more. Although you should have called me when it first started.”

  Jimmy shrugged.

  “Seeing as you were coming up today, I thought it could wait.”

  “You thought it could wait?” Alex snorted. “I would hardly call a potential sick mare nothing major.”

  That was when Jimmy fixed him with a steely glare that made Alex shiver. He had never gotten used to that look. It was frightening as it was arousing, especially when he was standing so close.

  “When you start loaning out horses for stud purposes, you let me know how you run things.” Jimmy said tightly.

  There it was. That tension Alex had sensed when he first arrived. Jimmy was so used to having everything on his shoulders that he refused to let anyone else share the burden. It had been like that their whole friendship, but more so recently. And it was slight, but Alex could read Jimmy. He could tell when something was off.

  “You’re tetchy today, aren’t you?” Alex opened the stable door and stepped inside, putting his bag on a mound of hay. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”

  Jimmy was silent. Alex thought he wasn’t going to respond. Then Jimmy let out a heavy sigh, looping an arm over the stable door as he carried on stroking Bright Moon’s nose with a gentle caress.

  “Sorry, Alex. Dina called earlier.”

  Alex paused. He had suspected that it woul
d be Dina. She had been more than aggravating over the last eighteen months when Jimmy had caught her using drugs again. Alex had thought Dina was a good person who doted on her family. It showed how bad he was at judging people’s characters.

  “Ah. I see.” Alex hesitated. “Do you want to talk about it? You know I’m a good listener.”

  “Not really.” Jimmy rested his chin on his arm. He now looked worn out. “She wants to see the kids.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to talk about it.”

  “I don’t know what’s going on at the moment. Not with this migraine.” Jimmy pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “She gives me a fucking headache with her whining and screeching.”

  “I can imagine.” Alex opened his bag and brought out a pair of surgical gloves. “Did you agree to her seeing Jackie and Evie?”

  “I said she could come up on Saturday for a couple of hours and Mom could supervise while they went for a walk in the local park. But she wants to take the girls to her place for a few days. Says that Jake wants to see his nieces.” Jimmy’s jaw tightened and he lowered his hand. “I said absolutely not, that that bastard is not allowed anywhere near my kids. She screamed at me and then told me I would be sorry before hanging up.”

  Alex sighed. That sounded like every conversation with Dina lately. She had gone downhill fast with the drugs, and all because of her stepbrother Jake. Alex didn’t know the exact relationship between the two of them, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Jake and Dina were sleeping together. Jake was a big-time drug dealer and loved to experiment with them. Dina had said once that she and her sister had been beaten and abused by their stepfather and Jake when they were teens, but Alex saw no signs of Jake abusing Dina. Just control, and it was bad. Jake had a hold over Dina and it wasn’t loosening its hold.

  If Jake hadn’t come back into their lives, Dina would have been okay. Alex was sure about that. And Jimmy wouldn’t be dealing with a broken family.

  Alex tugged on his gloves.

  “She does realize that after what she’s done, the fact you’re allowing her to see her daughters at all is a massive privilege, doesn’t she?”

  “I don’t think she does, or it’s faded away in that drugged haze she’s been stuck in for nearly two years.” Jimmy shook his head. “She still sees it as her being victimized. The mother should be the one who has the kids, no matter what. She actually said that to the judge at our last custody battle. That it’s not right to let me have custody and she has visitation, that custody should always go to the mother.”

  “I wonder who put that into her head.” Alex drawled.

  “Jake has a lot to answer for, certainly.” Jimmy scowled. “I shudder to think what her lawyer’s bill looks like after this.”

  “If she’s got a lawyer at all now.” Alex stroked a hand down Bright Moon’s flank. “Look, you don’t need to stand here moping. I’ll find you once I’m done here.”

  It wasn’t easy trying to concentrate on the patient when the owner was looking like he needed a hug. Alex wanted to do that, and the urge to go over and offer him some physical comfort, even if it was a hand on the shoulder, was building. Not a good idea. Alex knew that, for him, it wouldn’t stop at just a touch. And a horse’s stall with a big animal between them was not the best place to start anything.

  With a heavy sigh, Jimmy eased off the stable door, patting Bright Moon’s nose before stepping back.

  “I’ll be up at the house when you’re done. I’ve got some paperwork to sort out. We have a delivery coming in.”

  “Sure thing.” Alex waved him away. “Now get lost and let me work.”

  That got Jimmy smiling, just a little. Then he adjusted his Stetson and shook his head.

  “Fine, Doc. You know best.”

  Then he disappeared out of sight, Alex hearing his footsteps fading away. It was only then that he was able to breathe a little more easily. And even then, it wasn’t pleasant when the strong smell of horse went up his nose. He reached into his bag and pulled out a thermometer.

  “Okay, Bright Moon. Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

  #

  Jimmy knew the best thing to do was to go back to the house and wait for Alex to finish looking over Bright Moon. Once he had got one of his employees to go and help out. Alex could handle animals, but Bright Moon got antsy with her check-ups. Jimmy didn’t want to hear any pained screams.

  He could have stayed himself. He should have to make sure Bright Moon was calm and that Alex was safe. But the more time Jimmy spent in the vet’s company, the more he started thinking about things that had Jimmy tying himself up in knots. Mostly what it would be like to kiss Alex Brown.

  Alex was gorgeous, no doubt about it. And he knew it. There was a cocky attitude about him that said he was aware of how good-looking he was. Hours of swimming had his body lean and muscular. His dark hair was flecked with both blond streaks and silver. He wasn’t any older than Jimmy and already he was going white. But for all his cocky swagger, there was an easy-going air about him, a brightness that made people relax around him. When he smiled, Alex could make women fall to their knees. And quite a few men as well.

  Even with his annoying habit of eating those damn heart-throbs. He was like a teenager with that candy.

  Jimmy remembered meeting Alex five years before when he followed his brother Richard to Everett. He had immediately felt at ease. Alex was easy to talk to, someone you could confide in. And he was a loyal friend. Jimmy had found him turning to Alex to talk about his failing marriage and how lost he felt. Alex seemed to know just what to say, or even what not to say. Sometimes, just his presence made Jimmy feel better. He was a balance that Jimmy needed.

  It wasn’t until six months ago that Jimmy realized that his feelings for Alex had been changing. And that had pulled him up sharply. Jimmy had always thought of himself as straight, although he could appreciate a good-looking guy. He had never followed through on it, though, but he had always wondered. Besides, Dina would have had a fit if he had experimented. Now he was single, and Alex was looking more and more attractive the more time they spent together.

  Jimmy didn’t know what had changed between them, but he could always sense whenever Alex was around. The man could look good wearing anything, which was most often jeans, even in surgery. Jimmy found himself wondering how good Alex would look without any clothes on. That was a startling thought when it first came up.

  Alex Brown was becoming a temptation. And Jimmy wasn’t sure if he wanted to give in. It was best to limit their interactions for the moment until he got a better understanding of what he was feeling. From the way Alex looked at him, the gorgeous vet was aware of something in the air as well.

  Jimmy groaned. He was in such a knot he didn’t know what to think anymore.

  He was halfway across the front yard when a car came into view. He slowed as it approached him. He wasn’t expecting any visitors other than a delivery, and his mother was still on the school run picking up the girls. Then Jimmy saw who was behind the wheel and groaned.

  Oh, great. Not her.

  The driver’s door opened and a tall, sleek woman in her late twenties climbed out. A lovely-looking lady with long black hair that fell about her shoulders in waves, her mocha-colored skin looking clean and clear. The scrubs she wore were loose on her frame, but they couldn’t hide the big, round breasts that pressed against her top.

  Why couldn’t she just leave him alone? Jimmy would gladly see the back of her, and yet she kept coming over. Jimmy didn’t know how much longer it would take for his ex-sister-in-law to realize that he didn’t want her around. Probably never; the woman was thick-headed to the point of exasperating.

  Jimmy folded his arms as he scowled at the new arrival, watching as she shut the door and sauntered over to him with a smile.

  “Hey, Jimmy.”

  “What do you want, Olivia?”

  “I came to see you. What’s wrong with that?”

  Olivia Creighton was anno
ying to the highest degree. Jimmy had felt there was something off when she was a teen, and he had been more sure of it as Olivia grew up. She was brilliant and charming, but there was always something there that made him uncomfortable. Dina had confided that Olivia might have been abused more than she had told about, but Olivia said nothing about it. What Jimmy knew was that Olivia seemed to be fixated on him, and it made him very uncomfortable.

  “Can’t you take a hint and leave me alone?”

  Olivia stopped before him, lifting her chin to look up. Her smile was still there, barely faltering as Jimmy glared back.

  “Aren’t I allowed to come and see my family?”

  “The only family you have who live here are Jackie and Evie, and both aren’t going to be back from school for another half-hour.”

  “You’re my family as well, Jimmy.”

  Jimmy sighed.

  “I’m your ex-brother-in-law, Olivia. Emphasis on the ex.” He took a step back when he saw Olivia reaching for him. “I don’t know how many times I need to say it before you take it in. You’re wasting your time coming here and I’m fed up with telling you to fuck off.”

  Olivia’s smile faded a little. She pouted and folded her arms.

  “Are you still sore that I was on Dina’s side all those months ago? I swear, I didn’t know what she was doing.”

  To Jimmy, it was more than just Olivia taking her sister’s side while he kicked her out of his life. But it had solidified his decision to keep away.

  “Whose house was she found at high?” He demanded. “Who covered for her when she was going on a drunken bender with the kids in tow?”

  Olivia lifted her chin defiantly.

  “She’s my sister. And she’s very persuasive.”

  “That I don’t believe.” Jimmy glared at her. “And why you keep coming back when you know my feelings for you, I have no idea, but it needs to stop.”

  It was becoming a massive headache. The whole family was a nightmare. Jimmy’s former in-laws were narcissistic pieces of crap who saw Jimmy as the bad guy while completely ignoring the fact their daughter was the one who broke the marriage down and she needed help. The stepbrother kept pouring poison into their ears, and he had Dina on a tight leash. And then there was Olivia, who seemed to have a twisted belief that she was meant to be with Jimmy. There was no getting through to any of them.