Can’t Shoot Whiskey
Zoe Forward
Publication date: April 6th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Josh Hurst was supposed to be my forever. Instead, he became the villain in my origin story.
I gave him my heart. He broke it without flinching. So, I did what any self-respecting, heart-shattered girl would do—I declared war.
Our revenge game? Legendary.
Until I left for college and swore I’d never look back.
But life doesn’t care about vows made in the dark.
When my father dies unexpectedly, I’m dragged back to the hometown I outgrew, handed guardianship of my grieving kid brother, and forced to take over my father’s struggling veterinary clinic.
And waiting for me—like karma with a smirk—is Josh.
Not as a memory.
Not as a ghost.
But as my new business partner.
Avoiding him? Impossible.
Forgetting what we were? Laughable.
He still looks at me like I’m his. Like we’re a story paused instead of over. Like one spark is all it would take.
And God help me, the spark is still there.
But we don’t do soft. We don’t do safe.
We do oil and fire. War and wreckage.
Whatever we once were—
Whatever we still could be—
We’re enemies.
And this time, nobody’s walking away unburned.
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I pressed my lips tight to fight the smile dying to break free. “What happened to your face?”
He took off his glasses and shoved them in the white lab coat he wore over a green scrub top and khaki pants. “You’re late.”
“You’re blue.” I bit back a snicker.
His cheeks flushed.
A snort giggle escaped me. “Did you have a Braveheart re-enactment after baseball? I’ve never heard of that kind of kink, but to each his own, right?”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s Blu-Kote.”
“The old fogie wound treatment stuff? Do you use that?”
“No.” He wiped ineffectively at his face. “This morning, a horse owner poured it on the hoof while I was looking at the abscess before I could stop him. The mare kicked it all over me. It won’t come off my skin, and it ruined my shirt.”
“Oh.” I compressed my lips to stop the laughter bubbling. A head duck helped while I threw my oversized purse on the client sofa. I reached for the bottle of alcohol off the shelf above the sink and grabbed a few cotton balls. “Hold still.”
“Stop laughing.” He waved at me when I got close to keep me away.
“I’m going to help you.” I saturated a cotton ball in alcohol and wiped his cheek. It didn’t come off easily since it had set into the skin. I rubbed harder.
“Oww.” He tried to bat me away. “Are you trying to peel off my skin?”
I held up the cotton ball to show the blue coming off. “Stop being a wuss. How many clients did you see like this?”
He put the laptop on the counter and crossed his arms. “A few.”
“You need to come up with a better story than some horse kicking it all over you.” I kept rubbing.
“I’m not going with kink as my story.”
I laughed so hard I had to step away from him and put down the cleaning items. I rubbed my eyes. “You’d have the ladies wondering.”
“I’d rather not be known as the Blue Man of the bedroom.”
USA Today bestselling author Zoe Forward is a parent, wife, veterinarian, and unapologetic chocolate lover. She writes spicy paranormal and contemporary romances that blend action, adventure, humor, and a touch of magic.
Zoe lives in the South with a lively menagerie of four-legged beasts and two slightly wild kids.
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