“I’ll be very careful.” Stevie bit back a smile. “Is Fifi running a fever? Is her nose dry and cold? Are her eyes all watery?”
“No, none of those things,” Gracie sighed. “I think she’s depressed. Can you call the pharmacy and have them bring me some antidepressants for her?”
“I’m sorry,” Stevie answered, “but no. Does she stare at the door and whine?”
“Yes, but she’s been using her little potty pads since she can’t go outside. Before all this storm hit, she would bark at the door when she was ready for me to take her for a walk around the block,” Gracie answered. “Since Fifi is your patient, can I tell you something under that patient-doctor confidentiality rule?”
“I don’t think vets work that way, since animals don’t talk to us,” Stevie said.
“Well, I think she has a crush on that corgi that Eva has next door, but I’m not having her out there flirting with that short-legged little mutt,” Gracie said. “I don’t like Eva and her pompous ways, and I sure don’t like that dog of hers. When she takes it for a walk, it hikes its leg on my flowers, and she doesn’t even apologize.”
“Has someone shoveled your sidewalk?” Stevie asked.
“Yes, and from my house to the end of the block, but what’s that got to do with my Fifi?” Gracie’s tone said she was getting tired of the conversation.
“She’s bored,” Stevie said. “Poodles are temperamental and like a schedule. She’s used to you walking her every day. Put on your boots—the ones with fur around the top—and take her for a stroll down to the corner and back. That should make her happy again.”
“But it’s cold out there,” Gracie objected.
“Bundle up real good and call me later if she doesn’t feel better. I’ve got to hang up now and take this next call.” Stevie hit the right buttons and said, “Hello, Mia. Is everything all right?”
“Yes, but I was wondering if you were awake and were up for some company for a little while,” Mia answered.
“Always,” Stevie answered. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”
“I’ll bring a package of cookies,” Mia said, “and be there in ten minutes.”
Stevie hurried to the bedroom, changed into sweats, and brushed her hair out. She’d just finished when she heard a knock, and then Mia’s voice yelling, “I’m coming in. Is everyone decent?”
“Just me here, and yes, I’m decent,” Stevie answered. “Come on in out of the cold and have a seat. Coffee is done.”
“I brought chocolate chip cookies. They’re not homemade, but they aren’t bad.” Mia laid the package on the coffee table and removed her coat, hat, gloves, and boots.
Stevie poured two mugs full of coffee. “Sugar, cream, or both? And, honey, there’s no such thing as bad chocolate, unless it’s burned fudge, and then it goes beyond bad and becomes a sin.”
“Just black, and you are so right about chocolate.” Mia sunk down on the end of the sofa and sat cross-legged. “I couldn’t sleep so I got up real early and got the computer work caught up for Poppa and made breakfast for the family.”
Stevie carried the coffee to the living area and set the mugs on the coffee table. “We just finished a big meal, so I’m going to wait a little while on a cookie,” she said. “I had trouble sleeping last night too. I’d like to blame it on the fact that I had such a long nap yesterday, but I would be lying to myself.”
“Uncle Cody?” Mia raised a dark eyebrow.
“Yes, and no,” Stevie answered, not sure if she wanted to take Mia into her confidence. “Who kept you awake?”
“I’ll show you mine if you promise to show me yours.” Mia picked up her coffee and held it in her hands. “I like the way it warms my hands and smells as much as I like the flavor.”
“Me too,” Stevie said. “You go first. Who have you been worrying about and why?”
“I made a big, huge, colossal mistake a year ago. I was the lucky one of at least three different women. I didn’t have Ricky’s baby, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t just as taken in by him as the other two girls,” Mia said.
“Is he back in town and wanting to see you again?” Stevie asked.
“No,” Mia said, and shook her head, “and if he was, I might be tempted to thump on him a little bit. But…it’s hard to explain…” she stammered. “I probably shouldn’t talk to you about this. Promise you won’t tell Mama and Daddy. I just need a sounding board, and you’re here, and—”
“And it’s easier to talk to a stranger than to your folks about whatever this is, right?” Stevie asked.
“Yes, only I don’t feel like you’re really a stranger. You kind of fit in with the family, and I bet you had some of the same problems I did when you were my age. Were you a bit of a misfit, what with being almost six feet tall, and I bet you liked animals more than people most of the time, right?” Mia set her coffee on the table and opened the package of cookies. “I need chocolate.”
“I didn’t make friends well in high school or in college,” Stevie admitted. “I wish I would have had one of those BFF girls in my life to talk to, but I didn’t, so I hit the books hard, and tried to forget a certain young man who broke up with me and broke my heart.”
“Was it with Uncle Cody?” Mia asked.
“Yes, it was, but you were telling me your story.” Stevie urged her on with a smile.
“I’m over Ricky,” Mia said, “but I don’t trust myself. He paid attention to me and told me I was beautiful, and even talked me into a tattoo. I learned later that three of us in this county alone have the same tat, like he was marking his harem. There’s no telling how many more there will be before he’s done.”
“That’s his problem, not yours,” Stevie said. “Let me see the tat.”
Mia shifted her position and pulled up her shirt to show a rose on the small of her back. “Justine has one just like it, and a girl over in Bonham. They both have babies with him.”
“As long as you think about Ricky and consider that tattoo as his mark, he has power over you. You can’t change him, but you can change the way you view that beautiful rose. Start to think of it as a warning to never let a guy sweet-talk you into doing something you know in your heart is wrong again,” Stevie advised her.
“I like that,” she said. “Now, for the reason I can’t sleep. I met this really sweet guy at the feed store. He’s working there part-time and taking online courses just like me to get an agribusiness degree.”
“Do his folks own a ranch around here?” Stevie asked.
“No, but his grandpa does. He came down here from Colorado to help out when his grandma died last summer,” Mia said. “Do you know Beau Martin?”
“Kin to Vernon Martin, who owns Bois D’Arc Ranch?” Stevie asked.
Mia nodded. “That’s Beau’s grandpa.”
A picture of Vernon flashed in Stevie’s head. He was about six feet four inches tall and had a big smile and kind eyes. Here lately, when she was called out to his ranch, he’d talked about his grandson being such a good boy to come stay with him, and how much he missed his wife. “The Martins are good, solid ranching people in this area. Why are you worried?”
“Everyone in town knows that I messed up real bad,” Mia answered. “I don’t want Beau to…” she stammered, “to think I’m a slut, or his granddad to…” She frowned. “Be ashamed of the girl Beau is dating. There, I said it.”
“Don’t do that to yourself,” Stevie said. “Don’t let one mistake with Ricky define who you are.”
“But what if Beau thinks I’m just a pushover like I was with Ricky? What if I am?”
“Ask him,” Stevie said.
“Just be blunt like that?” Mia asked.
“I was every bit that straightforward and honest with Cody last night, so yes, ma’am, just be up front and honest and ask him about it.”
“I’ve only ever been with Ricky, and you know how that turned out.” Mia almost blushed. “I fell over backward for him and let him control my life for months.�
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“Then don’t do that again.” Stevie wondered if she would have fallen over backward for Cody when she was Mia’s age. Would she have given up her dreams of being a vet to support him through medical school? “Be yourself. Be totally honest and agree to a date or two with him when we get rid of all this snow. If you like him, then invite him to Sunday dinner. You can figure out what kind of guy he is by how he reacts to your family.”
Mia dipped a cookie in her coffee. “Ricky wouldn’t ever even come in and let me introduce him to my folks, and Beau and I've already talked on the phone and went on a couple of drives together. Matter of fact, we’ve been talking every night, and he texts me several times a day, I do like him, and I want to see what Mama thinks of him, but what if he refuses to…” Mia sighed. “What if he’s just trying to butter me up for sex?”
“Don’t do what I’ve done and let a good guy slip out of your life because you are judging him by someone else’s actions,” Stevie said.
“What if I invited him to dinner, and he says he doesn’t want to meet my folks?” Mia asked.
“Then tell him to get lost,” Stevie said. “He can come to Sunday dinner, or he can go find another young woman to flirt with.”
Mia nodded. “I knew you’d be the one to talk to. Now, I guess I should tell Mama and the rest of the folks.”
“That would be a good idea, for sure.” Stevie picked up her first cookie.
“Time for you to need chocolate too?” Mia asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Stevie answered, “and it wasn’t your uncle Cody who kept me awake last night, but I did dream about him. It wasn’t the first time either, and it all started more than twenty years ago.”
Mia sat up a little straighter, and her eyes widened. “I knew there was something between y’all. I just knew it. He looks at you like…” She started on another cookie.
“Like what?” Stevie asked.
“Like Daddy did and still does at Mama,” Mia asked. “Now I want to hear the rest of the story.”
Stevie told her a little bit of the story, ending with it was all probably just an infatuation. “I bet that’s what you had with Ricky, right?”
“Probably,” Mia said, “but it felt real at the time.”
“So did what I felt,” Stevie said, “but it wasn’t real love. You are smarter than I am. You’re not letting your experience define who you are, but be careful that you don’t let it ruin any potential relationships you might be destined for.”
Mia was quiet for several minutes, as if she was letting what Stevie had said soak into her heart and soul. “What did he say when you talked to him last night?”
“We decided that we should be just friends, and I’m not angry with him anymore. After all, we’ve got a lot in common, and we have to be together for a few days until the roads are clear. It would be better to be friends than to be enemies right now, don’t you think?”
Stevie’s phone rang before Mia could answer. She picked it up and said, “Hello, Gracie. Is Fifi happier now?”
“Poor little darlin’ is tuckered out from her walk, and so am I,” Gracie answered. “We’re both cuddled up under a blanket in my recliner and watching game shows on television. Getting out is just what she needed. Now, let’s talk about this thing with you being out there with Cody Ryan. You know that folks are already talking, don’t you?”
“I can’t help that or the fact that trees are down,” Stevie answered. “I’m just glad that I’m not stuck on the side of a backcountry road with two flat tires in that blizzard anymore.”
“Bless your heart,” Gracie said. “I guess it could have been worse. Commercial is over. Back to my show. Thank you for taking care of my Fifi.”
“You are so welcome.” Stevie ended the call.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping, but Gracie has one of those voices that carries halfway to the barn when she talks. So, there’s gossip?” Mia grinned.
“Isn’t there always?” Stevie asked. “That’s part of living in a small town.”
“But neither of us want to live in the big city again, do we?” Mia asked.
“You got that right. A toast to small towns.” Stevie held up a cookie.
Mia tapped hers against Stevie’s. “And to a new friend that isn’t a stranger anymore.”
“Amen,” Stevie agreed.
Chapter Ten
Come on, Mama, you can do this,” Stevie crooned to the heifer that was trying to deliver her first calf. “I know it’s a bad time, and you didn’t want to bring a baby into the world when it might freeze, but you’re in the barn now. I don’t want to have to pull your calf. It will be healthier for both of you if you do this on your own.”
She felt Cody’s presence long before she glanced over her shoulder and saw him peeking over the top rail of the stall. Infatuation or not, he still made her pulse race just like it did when she was fifteen years old. But Stevie couldn’t be distracted by her emotions when she was on the job, not even by Cody Ryan.
“You always talk to the animals?” he asked.
“Do you talk to your patients?” she shot back at him.
“Of course, but they answer me,” Cody answered.
“So do mine.” She rubbed the heifer’s heaving sides when she contracted again. “She’s saying that she likes for me to be here, that she trusts me to make the right decisions, and…all right, Mama, I see hooves. You are doing good. One more big push and we’ll have a baby on the ground.”
“I’d forgotten that calving season started in January,” Cody said.
“This is one of those unusual winters that come along every hundred years. It’s not normally so cold at this time.” Stevie was all over the place the second the calf was born, but once the mama was on her feet and washing the new baby, she stepped out of the stall. “What was I saying?”
“That you’re a hundred years old,” Cody teased.
“I look pretty damn good to be that old, don’t I?” No way was Cody getting ahead of her, not when she had a healthy calf on the ground, and a heifer that was doing what she was supposed to do without any coaxing.
“Oh, honey…” Cody laid a hand over his heart.
Was he flirting? She was prepared for bantering, even arguing, but not flirting.
“What I was saying is…” She tried willing her pulse to slow down, but it didn’t work, so she took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and went on, “That the rest of this week is going to be a real trial for you and Jesse. With a herd the size of what you’re running, you could see half a dozen calves dropped every day. January is always cold, and babies can survive in normal cold, but this is far from our usual winter weather. They’ll have trouble in ice, snow, and below-freezing temperatures. I’d suggest that you put up some temporary panels and turn this whole barn into stalls. Tomorrow or the next day this lady and her baby could probably be turned out into the corral, but you could need extra places for newborns for a couple of days.”
“You’re the doc,” Cody said. “Jesse and I’ll get busy bringing the panels and gates in from one of the other barns. Maybe you should start riding with us tomorrow morning.”
“I told you, I’m more than willing to help,” Stevie said. “We’ve got a while before supper. Mind if I take one of the four-wheelers and drive through the pasture while y’all put up some temporary stalls?”
“Keys are hanging inside the door of the tack room. Call me if you run into trouble,” Cody said.
Stevie grabbed her coat from the stall gate and patted the pocket. “I won’t be out that long. I just want to take a look at the pregnant cows. I’ll be back in time for supper.”
Cody nodded and was talking to Jesse on the phone when Stevie fired up one of the four-wheelers parked over against the wall. She drove it around her pitiful-looking van, which was leaning to the side because of its flat tires, and stopped at the barn door. Before she could shut off the engine, Cody had jogged over and slid the door open for her.
“Thanks,” she yelled over the
noise of the vehicle.
Freedom! she thought as she shifted into gear and headed around the barn. The cold wind bit into her face. When she reached the gate leading into the pasture where the herd milled about, she stopped the four-wheeler and opened the heavy gate. “This is why you always bring backup,” she muttered. “That way someone else can take care of gates.”
The cold wind practically took her breath away as she drove around the edge of the pasture. Any cows about to deliver would find a secluded spot, maybe close to a mesquite thicket. She didn’t see any, but she did see a pack of coyotes tearing across the next pasture over, and there were tracks right up to the fence line.
“Where’s a donkey when you need one?” Stevie asked. “Or Tex, for that matter?”
As if in answer to her question, a braying sound filled the air. Stevie whipped her head around to see a little spotted donkey making his way from the middle of the herd toward the fence.
“I think this four-wheeler scared them off for you,” she said as she drove on a little farther. “But you keep up the good work.”
Donkeys protected cattle from coyotes pretty much the same way alpacas protected sheep from predators. That thought caused Stevie to wonder why the Ryan family had kept the alpacas after Mia had gotten that wild hair and sold her sheep. She was wondering about that when she made the corner and started along the fence that marked the very back of the forty-acre pasture.
“I’ll have to ask Cody about that when I get back to the bunkhouse,” she said, and then silently gave herself a scolding for talking to herself.
Her focus shifted in a hurry when both front tires of her four-wheeler dropped off into a massive hole that was hidden by the snow. Everything happened as if in slow motion. One second, she was studying a cow that was moving away from the herd toward a big scrub oak tree with broken-down limbs. The next Stevie was flying head over heels through the air toward a grove of scrub oak trees just a few feet from the hole. She threw out her hands trying to grab onto something to break the fall, but all she got was arms full of cold air. One of the lower ice-covered branches of the tree broke her fall, but in doing so ripped at her face and arm. She landed on her back, and the gray sky seemed to fall right down on top of her, sucking all the air from her lungs. Then everything went black.
Texas Homecoming Page 11
