The Next Day (Foothills Book 2) by Carrie Thorne (christmas read aloud TXT) 📕

tossed it in the back of his SUV. “Why is your suitcase so heavy? Foothills may be in the middle of nowhere, but the house has everything you could possibly need.” He shot her a look with those baby blue eyes she’d once found so appealing. Rather, his dark eyebrows scowled so fiercely that she felt about as small as the toy poodle she’d neutered last week.

She resisted the urge to rip her suitcase out of his grip and take care of things herself. Help wasn’t exactly appreciated when it came with criticism. Instead, she hopped into the passenger seat before he caught her rolling her eyes. “The forecast calls for lower-than average temperatures and probable snow, so I had to buy a week’s worth of winter clothes and boots, as I didn’t own any, and I wasn’t sure how many layers I would need. I thought you liked Foothills.”

Ryder clicked the button to close the rear door and pushed-started the car as he slid into the driver’s seat. “When did I say that?”

Grrr. They rarely saw each other enough to have human conversations lately, but at least she had the decency to remember the important ones. “A few weeks ago when we booked the trip. I thought you wanted to move back home? You were going to commute to Seattle like your mom, and I was going to open my own clinic.”

“Hell, no. Dr. Mallory may be a workaholic neurosurgeon that doesn’t mind the commute, but not worth it to me. I mean, I suppose if you have your heart set on Washington, I could request a transfer to the Seattle office. Plenty of action there.” Flying through the yellow light as he pulled out of their cookie-cutter neighborhood, he swerved around a stopped bus, revealing the Phoenix airport in the distance.

Workaholic, huh? That apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Claire gripped the door handle to avoid crashing her skull into the window as he took the next corner. Whether they were running late or ahead of schedule, he’d still drive recklessly, as rules apparently didn’t apply to handsome marketing executives. Ye he somehow maintained a clean driving record. Unlike her. Police seemed to take one look at her and decide she deserved every penny of the ticket. No idea why; she looked perfectly kind and innocent, or so she thought. Quirky, maybe, but she could pull off normal like the best of them. Almost.

As much as she loved his shiny souped-up Cayenne, it was a little unnecessary in the constant dry heat of Phoenix. They’d intended to take it up to the mountains for ski-getaways, but they were well into winter and this was the first time they were leaving the city.

“On the way home, let’s spend a day or two in Seattle and check out the area,” he suggested as he wove between cars, just missing the rear bumper of a turning sedan.

Compromise. Relationships were about give and take. Seattle was at least better than Phoenix. Despite growing up in the desert metropolis, she had no desire to stay there indefinitely.

Maybe she could look at the rural areas just outside the city for work. She wouldn’t mind living in Seattle if she could find a clinic that appealed. There weren’t many places she could treat both horses and dogs, but she couldn’t decide between and had spent way too much extra time in school to be able to treat animals of all shapes and sizes. Except reptiles. Her toes curled in and her jaw clenched even considering examining a python.

Her suitcase crashed and rolled across the back of the SUV as he rounded the sharp corner into the long-term parking lot. Cringing, she hoped her toiletries were all still intact. She was afraid to even consider the gooey mess.

As soon as he shifted into park, Claire grabbed her purse and tossed in her sweatshirt for the plane. Snatching her aforementioned-overloaded suitcase out of the back, she was on the move, knowing Ryder would catch up with his long legs and impatient gait. It was a toasty seventy-two degrees now, but highs in the Cascade Foothills today looked to be in the mid-twenties.

“Think we could go ice skating?” she asked as she speed-walked to keep pace with Ryder, who had passed her before they even reached the sidewalk. More than the wobbly wheels could handle, her suitcase rocked and bounced behind her like an angry seabass fighting for its life. In preparation for the trip, she’d invested in the tall, lace-up Sorrel boots she’d drooled over for ages, but sadly had never had an excuse to invest in them. But now her feet were roasting in the desert heat.

He grunted, not glancing back. “I suppose so. They usually set up a skating rink downtown this time of year. It’s not Minnesota; there aren’t many frozen lakes, so it’s a pretty pathetic rink. There are better ones closer to civilization where Grady played hockey, but those are all indoors and don’t make good tourist stops.”

Rinky dink rink. She snorted, amused with her own humor, sadly keeping it to herself, knowing Ryder wouldn’t appreciate the infantile humor. At least she entertained herself. “Didn’t you play hockey, too?”

“Hell no. I mean, we both got roped into more extra-curriculars than we had time for thanks to Patricia’s big dreams for her perfect children, but hockey was Grady’s thing. Matched his temper.” He paused mid-stride, and she crashed into him. Grabbing her shoulders, he steadied her against him. Easing back, his expression softened. “I’m sorry I’m irritable. I haven’t been home in years. My family drives me crazy. Well, Haley’s alright, but it’s been even longer since she’s been back.”

Rising to her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his and pulled back. “Thanks for taking me home to meet your family, likeable or not. I’ve been so distracted lately; I should have seen how much this