Missy needed to call her attorney. How she was going to manage that, she didn’t have a clue. Going to the neighbors seemed her best bet, but in the time she had lived there with Mark and now, she didn’t have any idea who they were. She hadn’t wanted anything to do with them in all this time.
Getting dressed, she had to change her clothing three times before she felt like she could go out and face the neighbors. All the time she was working on making herself look presentable, she tried to come up with a good excuse as to why she needed to use their phone. The power was out sounded the best, but that would only work until the person could see that the rest of the neighbors had power and she was the only one without.
Then there was the added trouble that she didn’t know any phone numbers. She’d gotten into her phone only to find out she didn’t remember the attorney’s name. After finding one number that had the distinguished title of being called “Fucker,” she figured it was him. If it wasn’t, she didn’t know what she was going to do.
When she was finally ready to go, she noticed the woman from this morning was standing at the end of her driveway. Missy asked her if she had a phone she could borrow.
“I do not.” She asked her if she had a phone. “Oh, I have a phone. But none that I care to let you borrow. Are you going somewhere, Melissa? Are you having issues you need help with?”
“What do you know about this?” The woman just smiled at her. “Listen. If you’re not going to be helpful, then I’d like for you to leave me alone. I have better things to do today than to banter with someone who is getting too much pleasure out of my woes.”
“Your ‘woes,’ as you called them, are about to get a great deal worse, I’m afraid. Well, not afraid, since I’m having way too much fun at your expense. But the neighbor, the one you think is going to lend you a phone, she’s not home. I made sure of that for you.” Missy asked her why she’d do that to her. “Why? Because I don’t like you. Not one bit. Not to mention, you’re not a nice person.”
“Why would you say that? You have no idea who I am.” The woman just smiled at her. “Whatever. Stay out of my way, or I’ll mow you down like I do people that get into my way. Stupid people mostly.”
Missy decided she’d walk into town. She had no reason to believe the woman standing in her drive, but for some reason, Missy had a feeling the people next door were indeed gone. Not that she had anything to do with it, but they wouldn’t be home, and she had had enough of wasting her time today.
It wasn’t such a bad walk. Missy enjoyed the fresh morning air as well as the smells that came from people mowing their lawns and such. Since she didn’t know anyone that nodded or waved at her, she did the same back to them. It was something she knew about, having grown up in a small town before marrying Mark.
Mark had been her way out. Missy had liked him well enough. He was a nice man, handsome as well as ambitious. He had courted her, wooed her in a way that made her heart strings pull. But she’d known she would never love him. Missy didn’t love anyone but herself.
She wasn’t stupid either. Graduating at the top of her high school class, she’d also excelled in college. Missy was going to be able to hold a conversation with someone and not just nod and smile. That had been her mother. Mom had been a good wife to her father, but she was also incredibly naïve and dumb when it came to social gatherings. Missy was smart enough to watch the other women and learn from them.
Not that she hated her parents. She’d loved them very much—as much as she was capable of, anyway. Her dad had died when she was seventeen. Her mother had taken it badly and had to be put into a nursing home until she passed away when Missy had been married to Mark. Her parents went out of the world much the same way they’d lived it, without much of a fanfare nor any kind of sadness.
The police went by her on her way into the hardware store, the only place she saw that advertised that they had a public phone. Getting seated in the back of the building, she laughed at the way someone had attempted to decorate the little room. There were fresh flowers in a small vase, as well as several pads of paper and two pens for her to use. Pulling out the phone number, she began dialing it—it was a real rotary phone. Dialing the number, Missy hoped she not only had the right number but would be able to get someone to help her with the trouble she was having with Lily.
Telling the person who answered the phone what she needed, she was put on hold three times, repeating her story each time she was transferred to someone else. Missy knew better than to piss anyone off at an attorney’s office. If they took exception with her, she might well end up with the worst partner or under-attorney they had. So she smiled and was polite each time she had to repeat the reason she was calling.
“Ms. Tyler, this is Wayne Donaldson.” She didn’t know him from anyone else she’d spoken to, so she asked if he could help her. “I was your attorney when you sued Ms. Fisher for your ex-husband’s estate. After the verdict was read, my firm decided we could no longer be your attorneys. We also found out some things afterwards that were not on the up and up when we went to trial for you.”
“I just need you to tell me what this new thing is saying to me. It’s something about my accounts being sealed up.” He said he knew about her being served, but he could no longer help her. “Not even to tell me what this says? I’m not stupid. I’ll have you know. I just don’t understand all these therefores and such.”
“I’m sorry. This firm isn’t going to be able to help you in any way.” She started to hang up when something else occurred to her. Missy asked him if he was going to be in the courtroom on the day she was supposed to be there. “Ms. Tyler, we are no longer client and attorney. I cannot in any way answer your questions about anything to do with the upcoming court appearances you might have pending.”
The line went dead. She didn’t know for sure, but Missy thought this entire thing had to do with that stupid cow, Lily. There wasn’t any other name for the woman but stupid cow, as she had let Missy not just take her home and money but saddle her with three kids that were no more hers than they were the attorney’s.
She had to think about what to do now. Going to the bank was her first order of business. She knew her accounts had been frozen, but she did have money in her safety deposit box for emergencies like her hair needing done or a small trip.
Going there next, she was waiting to talk to the banker when the police walked in. They didn’t speak to her, just hung around the front of the place like they were expecting someone like John Dillinger or Bonnie and Clyde to come rushing in. When her name was called, she moved into the office. The police followed her.
“Is there something going on that I need to know about, gentlemen? I’m only here to get into my safety deposit box. Is that a crime now?” Neither of them said a word. “The talkative types, are you? Well, I don’t know what is going on, but I think you should be out solving real crimes, like why my power has been turned off, rather than harassing someone like me when I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“We’re here for two reasons, Ms. Tyler.” The officer made her name sound like something he’d stepped in outside, and it was smelling up the room. “One, we’re here to inform you that you’re not going to be able to take anything out of the bank. That would include safety deposit boxes. The second thing is, your home has been ceased by the FBI, for a number of reasons, but one of them is bribing a judge.”
Arguing with a cop was like arguing with a waitress. While the waitress would spit in her food, a cop would find every reason he could, mostly made up ones, to get her into a cell, a place she’d not be able to get anything done from. And Missy had plenty to get going on today.
“What am I supposed to do without any money or a place to live? Have you thought of that?” He said he was hoping she’d do something dumb and he’d have to arrest her. “I won’t even dignify that with any kind of response. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer. This is not the way to
treat someone. I don’t care for you going around telling people I’ve bribed a judge either. You’ll be sitting in your own jail cell soon, young man.”
As she left the bank, she thought about how much cash she had on her and realized it was as much as she’d gotten out of the bank today—zip. There were a few dollars in the house, nothing more than about fifty bucks. But she knew from her friends, once you were locked out of your house by the Feds, you were out no matter what.
She honestly thought about doing something dumb, just so she’d have a roof over her head and some food in her belly. But to admit to anything, including not knowing where her next meal was coming from, wasn’t going to happen. Missy thought she was hiding it very well that she was upset. However, inside of her, she just needed one more thing to go wrong for a full-blown screaming fit to take place.
~*~
Quin didn’t think he’d ever enjoyed himself as much as he was at the moment. Billy was having fun, but she was seriously working with him. Not only did she not mind getting dirty and covered in things best left on the ground, but she also seemed to do it all with a smile on her face.
“Okay, now, you have to be careful when you walk around a horse. Especially one that doesn’t feel well. The best way to approach him is to make sure he knows you’re around, and you don’t mean to cause him any harm.” She nodded and walked to the front of the horse. Quin watched her as she spoke softly to the horse and told him how sorry she was that he wasn’t feeling well. “Good. Let him get a smell of you too. I know that sounds silly, but he’ll be able to smell your fear or anger. Just let him see you’re here just for him and that you want to help him.”
“Good boy.” She put her forehead on that of the horse. “Do you know Doc? Well, he’s teaching me some things I’d like to know about when I get older, like helping animals like you. I know you hurt, big boy, but I promise you, if anyone can fix you up, it’ll be Doc. All right? You just let us work on you, and you’ll be running around in the grass in no time.”
They talked, Billy, speaking to the horse, Shire and Shire making his noises at her. When Quin got to the sore spot on his leg, Shire huffed but didn’t kick out like he had expected him to do. The entire time, Billy was telling him how good he was doing and that Doc was going to fix him.
“I see you got yourself an assistant there, Doc. She sure is a pretty little thing.” Robin Quarter was the owner of the horse. It bothered Quin when Shire moved away from him like he was fearful of the human. “Me and Shire here, we got off on a bad place yesterday. He didn’t want to listen, and I had to make him.”
“You hit him? Is that why he has that sore place on his leg?” Quin started to tell Billy he had this when she went into full protective mode on him. “What is wrong with you? Hitting something that outweighs you and thinking he’d not get you in the end. He kicked you too, didn’t he? Well, good for him. Holy mother of pearl, you don’t anymore deserve an animal than that tree does. I have a good mind to tell someone on you. Beating a poor animal like you have. You’re going to be lucky if we don’t have to remove his leg the way you’ve treated him.”
“You think that might happen, Doc?” Quin wisely said nothing as he worked on the laceration that went all the way to the bone. “Christ. I can’t afford that. My daddy is going to have a fit as it is that I had to call you out here already.”
“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you pulled a whip out and began beating him. Shire is a good horse, and you more than likely ruined his chances of a good life, you moron.” Robin stepped towards Billy. Before Quin could move to save her, Billy lifted her chin up and spoke in a soft yet scary voice. “Go ahead and hit me, you dumbass. If you do, not only will I own this horse, but I’ll go straight to the press and tell them you beat your animals into submission.”
“Robin, walk away from the young lady.” Mr. Quarter came into the barn where they were. Not only did Robin not move, but he looked as if he might go ahead and hit Billy anyway. “You heard me, son. Get out of here now while you still can. Because I know for a fact you don’t want to fuck around with this child any more than you do Doc here. Get going.”
When Robin walked away, Mr. Quarter, Robby, asked about the horse. Quin told Billy to explain to him what had been going on. She not only told him his son was an abusive man but that he should be whipped with the same whip he used on the horse. Quin was laughing by the time Robby sat down across from the two of them as they worked.
“He gonna lose that leg, Quin?” He said if it was kept clean and no one stressed him out anymore, he’d be fine. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been called out here for this sort of thing, is it? Don’t give me that ‘it’s your job’ thing either. I pulled up the file on your billing. You ain’t been paid, have you?”
“No, sir. But I’m doing all right. And I knew if it came to it, I could go ahead and ask you for it. But I’m all right.” Robby looked at Billy, who was now wrapping the wound on Shire’s leg. “To answer your question, no, this isn’t the first time I’ve been out here to stitch up one of his messes. Two weeks ago, not only did I put seventeen stitches in one of your ponies, but one of the hands needed several too. Robin is mean with that whip.”
“You should have beat him more as a kid.” Billy didn’t look at either him or Robby when they turned to her. “I have an aunt that could teach him a few lessons about being nice to something that depends on you. For that matter, I have an entire family that will gladly take him to task if you want. You say the word, Mr. Quarter, and they’ll be right on his butt.”
Robby laughed. It sounded like he was caught off guard by it in much the same way Quin had been. Billy was just like Rogue, he was finding out—a spitfire, and not at all backward in saying what needed to be said. He’d have to tell her family she wasn’t in any way backward or shy. She was right up in your face, ready to tell it like it was.
“This one of your new family, Quin?” He told him she was his mate’s niece. “She’s a keeper, I tell you. I wish I had five just like her.” He looked at Billy, who was cleaning up the mess they’d made, as well as making sure all the blood and needles were cleaned or packed away. “I tell you what, young lady. I’d like to hire you to come out here a couple of days a week. I think you’d make a good foreman for my horses here. I’d like to tell you I think you could take over now and not miss a beat, but I think you have to be a tad older for me to do that. But you come out here three days a week, and I’ll personally teach you everything there is to know about horses and breeding.”
“I’d have to ask my mom.” Robby said that was a good girl. “Mr. Quarter, I’d have to be able to work here without your son hurting me or the horses. I’m enjoying this, working with Doc Quin, but it has always been a dream of mine to work with racers.”
Quin hadn’t known that, but he could see it. Also, the hope in her eyes and face told him that for her to turn down this opportunity would be like sticking him in a cell without sunlight or air. He promised her he’d bring her and pick her up—if her mom agreed.
Mr. Quarter showed her around the barn. The quarter horses were world-renowned for their speed and beauty. The man owned nearly seven thousand acres, all of it devoted to not just a place to house his prized animals but to keep them in shape, train them, and keep them healthy. Quin had been asked—no, begged—to be his full-time vet for years. This was the first time he could ever remember considering the position.
On the way back to the office, Billy didn’t say much. She was a thinker, much like her mom. It surprised him every time he thought of her family that they weren’t biological. The more he was around them all, the more he realized it was only blood that separated them. They loved as fully and as passionately as he did his family.
He was pulling into the office when she finally turned to him. “Are you upset with me?” He asked her why she thought that. “Because I got mouthy with Robin. I know his dad thought it was fu
nny, but I think I embarrassed you.”
“No, you didn’t. I was very proud of you for standing up to him. But I do want to warn you not to do that when it’s just the two of you. He’s a mean man.” She nodded and looked at his building. “Robby was serious about the job, Billy. And I’m seriously considering taking the one he offered me as well. Is that all right?”
“I would like to have someone there I can depend on. I believe Mr. Quarter will go out of his way to make sure I’m safe, but I know you will no matter what.” He said he would. “I don’t want to ask my mom. I mean, I want to, but I don’t want her to turn me down. I think that with you working there with me, she might consider it more. But I hope that’s not the reason you take the job.”
“No, it’s not. I’ve been losing money around town because no one needs a vet any more than they need to have their cars broken down. I’ll still help out around the town. It would be my pleasure. And I did speak to Robby about that. He was fine with it.” Billy nodded, still not looking at him. “Billy, what is it? What are you thinking about that has you so tensed up?”
He could tell that whatever was bothering her, she was struggling with it. Wanting her trust, he waited until she was ready. As far as he was concerned, Quin had nothing to do but help this child with whatever was bothering her.
“When I was a little girl before my dad died and while Missy was still at the house, a man came by with a horse he was selling. I have no idea why he stopped at our house to ask if we could buy it for a few dollars. Everyone in town knew Missy didn’t like people. But he asked.” Quin wondered what had made the impression on the child when she turned and looked at him. “I couldn’t keep the horse. I knew better than to ask for him. But I borrowed money from my dad, and took my birthday money and gave it to the man. He cried so much that it hurt me too. My dad found out and said it was a good thing I’d done, and he didn’t want me to pay him back. I knew, you see, that the man wasn’t just hungry, but that he’d been feeding the horse and going hungry himself. That horse, the one he was selling? It spoke to me. I don’t mean in words like I use, but in images.”
Quinlan: Foster’s Pride – Lion Shapeshifter Romance (Foster's Pride Book 3) Page 5
