“I’ve forgotten how much I love this town,” Roland reflected, smiling. “I’ve had enough of big cities to last a lifetime.”
“Well, the entire population is delighted to have you home.” Simon slapped Roland on the back. “We’ll have a lot less animals dying, too, I’d imagine.”
“That’s the plan.” Roland smiled broadly. “Care to show me to my new office?”
“About that. I’m afraid the agreement to lease the building fell through. And I haven’t seen one shipment of anything you ordered arrive yet,” Simon said, adding a shrug for good measure.
The blood drained from Roland’s face. “Are you…”
Simon burst into laughter giving himself away. “You… should see… your face,” he managed between his fits.
“You are not the least bit funny.” Roland punched his arm none too gently.
“Ouch.”
“You deserved that.” Roland straightened his lapels and puffed up his chest. “And considering the number of head of cattle and how many horses live on the Double M, a McLennon should not be joshing with the new vet in town.”
Simon felt his jaw drop. “Jackson will shoot me if you don’t come to our aid, the moment we need you.”
“Then you’d better invite me to one of Mrs. Sheridan’s suppers to make up for it.” Roland negotiated a fair deal.
“Name the day. Heck, just show up. And I’m sorry I joked about something I know you take so seriously.”
“All right then. Show me to my office so I can get settled in and start tending to some critters,” Roland demanded, grinning.
“Right this way, Doc.” Simon strode down the boardwalk toward the office he’d rented for his friend. “Hope it suits your needs. With so many ranches going under after the devastation to the cattle industry last winter, and so many ranch hands losing their jobs and moving on, there wasn’t any need for so many saloons in town.”
“You rented a vacant saloon for my vet practice!” Roland exclaimed, incredulously.
Simon turned and smiled. “Wait until you see it. You can serve whiskey and hand out horse pills at the same counter.”
Roland threw him a murderous look. “You’d better be teasing me again.”
Simon burst into laughter. “Take a look before you judge.” He handed Roland the key and waited for him to open the door.
Roland closed his eyes and glanced heavenward for a moment. “Okay, Pa, I’m ready,” he whispered. He turned the knob and walked into his new establishment.
Simon couldn’t help but smile as he watched Roland stare in amazement. “Do you figure this will work?”
The town’s new vet stood, speechless.
Simon reckoned he’d done good.
“This was Rudy’s old bar. We’ve tipped back a beer or two in here. I don’t even recognize the place,” Roland whispered, wonder evident in his voice.
“Yeah, well, a couple of our ranch hands who’re handy with a hammer and saw made a few… changes,” Simon offered.
“A few changes? This is… Simon, this is… it’s perfect,” Roland stammered.
Simon grinned. “One day when I was in Butte, I stopped into the vet clinic and chatted with the old vet there. I asked him what he’d like if he could change up his office and clinic any way at all. He listed off a dozen things in about two minutes. I made some notes pretty quickly and then I came back here and put my men to work.”
Simon gazed at the handiwork, seeing it through Roland’s eyes. “The plank floors and whitewashed walls have been scrubbed clean. Don’t smell stale beer in here anymore. We built that whole wall of cupboards and shelves for all your potions and lotions and whatever you use to fix critters. Kept the old bar to use as a place for your ledgers and whatnot when collecting fees from your customers. Even salvaged that old cash register for you. The woodstove works just fine. A couple fellows set up those metal tables you ordered, but we left the boxes full of medicines and whatnot for you to open, sort out, and put away where you want them. Haven’t touched the upstairs rooms, but they’ll work good for storage. Or to expand your business as it grows.”
“Thank you, Simon. You’ve saved me days’ worth of work.”
Simon slapped Roland on the back. “Our pleasure. The sooner you get set up, the sooner Milestone and area can start calling on your services.”
“It won’t be any time at all and I’ll have this all sorted out.”
“There’s more.” Simon waved Roland toward the back. “Remember the old stables Rudy had for his horse and to keep customers’ horses or mules out of the elements in winter if their owners over-imbibed and found themselves in jail overnight?”
“Vaguely. But I’ll take your word for it.” Roland followed Simon through a backdoor. “What the heck?”
“Some of the townsfolk helped clean up the stables and a dozen men worked to join the two buildings together by carpentering this covered walkway. You can house big animals like cows or horses in here and still be close by to treat them.” Simon shrugged. “Of course, you can keep no more than four large animals in here at a time before you’ll be crowding them. But we reckoned it was better than nothing.”
Roland stared at Simon, speechless. “I don’t know what to say. How did you pay for all this? My loan—”
“Covered what equipment and supplies you bought and paid the first month’s rent, with a bit to spare until you get rolling.” Simon smiled. “The townsfolk and several ranchers in the community volunteered time and materials to complete the clinic cleanup and shelving construction and the stables part of it. These people are delighted you’re setting up practice in their town.”
“I’ll never be able to thank them enough.”
“Yes, you will. One night at two a.m. you’ll be called to help a horse that is breech birthing a foal. Or you’ll be stitching up a cow in the middle of the rain when she injured herself on some of that new-fangled barbed wire fencing. You’ll pay them back, don’t worry.”
“Hel…lo, is someone here?” a female voice called.
Simon and Roland turned to discover Mrs. Landers standing in the doorway, a large tabby cat cradled in her arms.
“Good day, ma’am.” Roland walked toward her. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s William. He’s gotten himself into a tussle with another tom again and I’m afraid his one ear is torn terribly.” The woman appeared close to tears.
Simon stared at the mangy-looking animal who glared back at him. And then he hissed when his owner moved closer. “Mean-tempered varmint,” he muttered to himself.
The tom uttered a long, low growl in response to the comment.
“If someone tore your ear half off, you wouldn’t be your usual sweet self, either,” Mrs. Landers said, defending her pet.
Roland glanced at Simon. “I’m not set up to practice yet, but I’ll put him in one of the cages and see if I can find my suture order. Could you come back for him in a couple hours? I’ll see what I can do.”
“That would be wonderful.” The town gossip’s head pivoted as she gazed about, taking in every inch of the room.
Roland took the cat from her. The critter growled low in his throat again and wiggled in his arms managing to inflict a good scratch on one hand. “No doubt the poor cat’s in a great deal of pain, and I’ll forgive him for the retaliation,” he informed the owner. After a considerable struggle, he placed the angry, injured feline in one of the new metal cages stacked on the built-in benches secured to the wall.
“Goodbye, William. Be a good boy for the doctor,” Mrs. Landers called.
“Don’t worry. He’s in good hands.” Simon guided her toward the front entrance, waving her on her way, and locking the door behind her. “My apologies, Doc. We should have locked the door when we came in.”
Roland chuckled and started sorting boxes. “Not to worry. It shouldn’t take long to stitch him up once I find the supplies I need.”
“Knowing how curious that woman is about everything that goes on i
n this town, I wouldn’t put it past her to bite the cat herself. Any excuse to get a foot in here. Now she’ll be boasting she supplied you with your first patient.”
Roland chuckled. “Mrs. Landers is one of a kind all right, but I doubt she’d bite half an ear off her own cat.”
Simon poked his finger in the cat’s cage and the tabby hissed and spit at him. “Poor critter. Having her for an owner would put anyone in a disagreeable mood.”
“Stop annoying my patient and help me sort these boxes.”
Simon grabbed several small boxes and stacked them on a work bench. “By the way, I also rented you that small house on the next lot over. Figured you’d want to be close by the clinic if you were called out after hours.”
Roland stopped working and stared at him. “Have you found me a wife also? Someone to cook and clean and keep me company on a cold evening?”
“Nope. You’re on your own there.” Simon handed him another box.
“This is it. The one I’m looking for.” Roland set the box on the table and smiled at Simon. “Could you go fetch my bags from the general store? I completely forgot about them when I stepped off the stagecoach earlier.”
“Ray will deliver them. He helped with building these shelves. He knows where to find you.” Simon stuck out his hand. “I’ve got to get back to the Double M. Welcome home, Doc.”
Roland shook his hand. “Enough with the Doc business. Although, it does have a nice ring to it.”
Simon chuckled. “Supper’s at six if you’re interested.”
“I’ll warn William, his feline self has to be doctored and out of here by four.” Roland ripped open the box of suturing material. “Tell Mrs. Sheridan I’ll be there no later than five-thirty.”
Simon reckoned as much. Maybe he should invite Violet to supper also. And Faith. Wanting to surprise his sister, Roland hadn’t warned her what day he’d be arriving home, swearing Simon to secrecy in the bargain. He’d almost let it slip last Sunday after services when Ray Cochrane inquired when the new vet would be arriving in town. But Simon caught himself in time.
Yessiree. He’d stop by the Triple C on the way home. Neighborly thing to do and he wouldn’t take no for an answer, even if he had to secretly let Faith in on the surprise to ensure she got Violet to the Double M for supper. He couldn’t wait to see the expression on Violet’s face when she spotted her brother at the dining room table tonight. Be worth the scolding she’d give him for not warning her Roland had returned home.
“Hold on to your bonnet, Miss Campbell. Have I got a surprise for you,” he muttered to himself as he mounted up and headed out of town.
Chapter 15
Violet stomped along the stone path leading to the main house on the Double M Ranch, her annoyance evident in the rhythm tapped out by her fancy buttoned boots. They had a dozen things they could be doing on their own ranch instead of finishing chores early, dressing up in their Sunday best, and riding over to the neighbors’ ranch for supper. On a Wednesday night of all things.
She glared at her ranch hand. “I don’t see why you insisted we accept Simon’s invitation to supper. Surely this could have waited until Sunday.”
“Didn’t your mother teach you it’s polite to accept all invitations to supper?” Faith defended herself.
Violet shook her head and rapped on the front door. Her ranch hand had nagged the daylights out of her until she agreed to come. Apparently, Simon had dropped by the ranch and extended the invitation while Violet had been out with Moe, checking on some of the herd.
“I never turn down an invitation to Sunday luncheon at any fellow parishioners’ homes.” Violet tapped her toe. What was taking so long? She knocked again. “If no one is home, we’re returning home to finish cleaning the horse stalls.”
Just then, the front door flew open and Mrs. Sheridan stood, beaming. “You’re here.”
“Yes, we are. Thank you for inviting us,” Violet muttered, handing the housekeeper a loaf of Faith’s fresh-baked bread.
Faith chuckled at her side. “We do appreciate your hospitality,” she added, smiling.
Violet shook her head. Perhaps her ranch hand appreciated a night off from cooking. Violet should offer to take a turn preparing supper once in a while. Seemed fair.
“Come in. Come in. And thank you for the bread.” Mrs. Sheridan waved them inside and smiled at Violet. “There’s someone here you’ll be delighted to see.”
Violet felt her mouth drop open. Surely, she hadn’t been duped into coming to meet some random man, a matchmaking effort that couldn’t be of less interest to her. No, that couldn’t be it. Faith told her Simon had extended the invitation. He wouldn’t trick her into meeting another fellow, considering how he felt about her.
Why on earth had she been summoned to the Double M? She followed Mrs. Sheridan down the hallway and into the parlor. Violet’s breath caught and she blinked. Was she seeing things?
“Hello, sis. Surprise!” Roland moved across the room and hugged her tightly, smiling from ear to ear.
Violet stood, arms dangling at her sides. “What? What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you again, too.”
“I received your letter. I’ve been waiting to hear from you so I could meet you at the stagecoach. I couldn’t wait to welcome Doc Campbell home.” She swatted his arm. “When did you arrive in town?”
“Early this afternoon.” Roland glanced at his best friend. “Simon met me at the stagecoach. Took me to the clinic. At first, I was annoyed to learn he’d signed a lease on a former saloon, but I couldn’t believe all the changes and improvements. The place is perfect for my clinic. Simon’s the best friend a fellow ever had.”
Violet glared at Simon. He’d toured her around the premises a week ago when the changes were almost complete, and she’d known her brother would love his new clinic. “You’re the reason I missed welcoming my brother home?” she blurted.
Simon stood, stunned. “I guess I am. But—”
“You denied me the pleasure of seeing Roland’s expression when he first set eyes on the clinic?” She fought back tears, praying she didn’t embarrass herself in front of everyone.
“I—” he tried again to explain.
Violet interrupted. “Simon McLennon, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Don’t blame Simon. I told him not to let you know when I would arrive.” Roland dragged his hand through his hair. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, this isn’t quite the homecoming I envisioned,” Mrs. Sheridan muttered.
“Well, you succeeded. I’m surprised,” Violet grumbled.
“I don’t suppose this is Faith?” Roland stuck out his hand, smiling at the woman standing at his sister’s side.
She offered him a smile. “Yes, Faith Harding. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Campbell.”
He chuckled. “I’m still getting used to that. Roland will do. Nice to finally meet you, too.”
Violet felt her face redden. She should have introduced Faith to her brother the moment they entered the parlor. But he’d shocked her, standing there. He’d been the last thing she expected to see when she entered the room.
She needed to accept the fact she wouldn’t be there to see his face when he laid eyes on his wonderful new clinic for the first time. She couldn’t wait to visit again, once he’d stocked all those shelves and set up his equipment. A proper veterinary clinic like the one she’d seen briefly in Butte with her father a couple years ago when he’d purchased some medicine for an ailing horse.
She’d lost track of time for a few moments. Faith was laughing at something Roland had said. Simon stood staring at her, and she offered him a smile. He walked toward her and handed her a glass of lemonade.
“Go ahead and say it,” she muttered, clasping the glass in her hand.
“Say what?”
“I acted like a spoiled child who didn’t receive something her heart was set on,” Violet confessed.
Simon reached for her hand. “I’m
sorry if I ruined the homecoming with your brother that you’d looked forward to. I had no idea. And Roland swore me to secrecy, wanting to surprise you.”
Violet blew out her breath. “I suppose it isn’t your fault. I’m sorry for what I said.”
“You’re forgiven.”
“So are you.”
Mrs. Sheridan clasped her hands. “Now then, if everyone is hungry, come into the dining room. Supper is ready to dish up.”
“Let me help you,” Faith piped up.
“I’d appreciate that,” Mrs. Sheridan replied, smiling. “Simon tells me you’re an excellent cook.”
“Much better than I am,” Violet called.
Simon chuckled.
“Well, she is. A woman knows her shortcomings, and mine happens to be cooking and a lot of that other domestic stuff.” Violet reclaimed her hand from Simon’s grasp. “But I can rope a mangy steer as well as any fellow.”
“That you can, sweetheart,” he whispered, wrapping her hand around his elbow. “Keeps me on my toes trying to match up to you myself.”
“That is an exaggeration,” she replied, chuckling. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”
Soon everyone was seated. The rest of the McLennon men had wandered in from the barns and washed up. They found their places at the table, the married brothers seated beside their wives. Lily had settled Edward into his bed for the night before joining them. AJ offered the blessing and everyone passed around the platters and bowls of sumptuous food.
“Tell us about your training, Roland.” AJ passed him the potatoes.
Roland dished up and passed the bowl along. “Well, I learned so much from the exceptionally talented and learned professors. The course of instruction is intensive. Besides the conventional agricultural courses, there are special lectures and dissections and laboratory work for veterinary students. The university opened a new dissection shed and the building is absolutely remarkable.”
AJ nodded. “Sounds like they kept you busy.”
“Not to mention studying for tests. I had to remind myself to eat. To breathe. But it was worth it, especially being part of the first graduating class in 1887.”
Inherit A Dream (Sons Of A Gun Book 4) Page 9
