“I wanted to tell Callie that Tina was drunk and I’d just met her, but I never got the chance. I was so stunned I couldn’t speak. Just gaped at Callie like a mute fool.” It had been exciting and a little scary holding Callie that night. Lauren had been hoping for more conversation and another dance, but Tina spoiled it. “Did you see Callie leave? I tried to shake Tina off, but she hung on like a dog to his favorite chew toy.”
“Nope, sorry.”
“I’m sure Callie saw me dragging Tina to the restroom.” Lauren had cursed to herself in frustration as she half carried Tina across the dance floor. She had found a line of women out the door of the restroom and said, “Look out, we’re next.” She’d hauled Tina into the first empty stall and positioned her above the bowl just in time. Tina had vomited and retched until she was dry. She couldn’t leave her, but she certainly didn’t want to be there, either.
“And it’s not like I owe her an explanation, right? And how would that even go? Picture the conversation.” She put fake perkiness in her voice. “Hey, Callie, your cows look great today and I never slept with Tina, the little drunk from the club. Just saying because I thought you might want to know, for no apparent reason.”
Val laughed. “Awkward, but it’s what you need to do. Tell her. You don’t need any misunderstandings.”
“Tell her? Are you kidding? It was a miracle I even spoke to her that night.” Lauren’s mouth had dried up as she approached Callie. She wasn’t sure where she found the courage, but her legs had carried her to Callie’s table. “Did you see how breathtaking she was?”
Lauren sighed. Callie had worn a black dress with thin spaghetti straps and a hemline that stopped mid-thigh. The dress showed off Callie’s long legs and finely muscled arms and shoulders. Lauren’s breath hitched at the memory. Callie’s dress had displayed a large expanse of her gorgeous back. She had never seen Callie dressed in anything but insulated coveralls or jeans and a parka, and even in those she’d been attractive. Lauren had imagined Callie’s figure was marvelous and now she was sure.
Did Callie like to party? Lauren didn’t. She was a homebody and didn’t enjoy dressing up and going out. After they moved to Toronto, T.J. had mixed with the young and trendy professional crowd. Often, Lauren had used work to avoid parties and dinners. She preferred quiet evenings at home. Eventually, T.J. gave up pressuring Lauren and went out without her. It had been another sign she and T.J. didn’t fit. It was also a good reminder why she wasn’t looking for another relationship. Finding someone who truly matched you was something from the movies. It didn’t happen in real life.
When Val and Lauren arrived at PVS, they unloaded and tramped into the clinic. Lauren said, “I’ll consider your suggestion, but there’s really no reason to bring it up again. I’m not looking to get involved with anyone, especially someone with kids.” Lauren had learned that to be in a relationship with a woman with children was heartbreaking. She loved Sam and William, but it had taken months of coaxing to get Sam on the phone for more than a few minutes. And that had been a disaster. Nope, her next girlfriend, if that day ever arrived, wouldn’t have kids.
Chapter Six
Callie stretched and smiled up at the blue sky. There were few clouds, and the sun was bright. She snugged the earflaps of her bomber hat over her ears. She was enjoying the heat, but it was still winter in Saskatchewan. A quick peek along the side of the house showed abundant animal tracks. Becky had asked to put a bale of hay outside for the deer and they had found it. Callie had placed the bale so Becky could see it from her bedroom window and photograph the animals. She grinned at the many small footprints that told her other creatures had also discovered the free meal.
Callie shoveled snow off her front walkway. It was a waste of energy because she and Becky used the side door at the mudroom. The few visitors to Poplarcreek also used the mudroom door, but the house appeared more welcoming with the path to her front door shoveled. She smiled with satisfaction as her walkway emerged from the snow and ice.
It was peaceful in the barn with no calving problems for two days. Only Fiona and Ian had been out to help her recently. It had been a week and a half since she’d last seen Lauren at the club. It had gotten weird at the end of the dance, but she focused on how nice it was to be held by an attractive woman. Callie shrugged. It wasn’t something she should get used to, but it was nice all the same.
The tranquility of Callie’s morning vanished as a white four-door pickup truck rolled up her drive and parked two wheels on her front walkway. It stopped eight feet from where she was shoveling. There was enough parking beside her house for six vehicles. There was no reason to park on her walkway. Callie’s stomach clenched when she recognized the bully behind the wheel. Heinz Kruger bullied everyone, including his sons, Kyle and Tommy. They were grown men and had turned into bullies too.
Heinz was one of the first people Callie had learned about when she and Becky arrived in Thresherton. People warned her the police had never charged him with a serious crime, but that was probably only because there wasn’t enough evidence. She was warned not to get in his way. Heinz got what he wanted. It was cold outside, but a trickle of sweat skittered down her back as she became conscious of her isolation at Poplarcreek.
He exited the truck. He was six-foot-four, with greasy, gray, thinning hair, and a belly straining at his worn leather belt. His predatory, cold eyes sliced into her.
Heinz scratched his scruffy chin. “Hello, Catherine, nice morning.”
He never called her Callie. He preferred to use her full first name the way a teacher or parent might. She kept shoveling to avoid focusing on him. “Morning, Heinz.”
“Need to talk to you, Catherine.”
Callie continued shoveling the walkway. “Sure, go ahead.” She shuddered inside. Heinz was after something.
He zipped his coat and stomped his feet. “Any chance of a cup of coffee and a sit-down? Too cold to stand outside today.”
Callie’s heart pounded and her stomach rebelled at having the man in her house. He was in worn dirty jeans and his coat sported old food stains. Ever since his wife deserted him four years ago, Heinz resembled a hobo. It was better for a while when Heinz’s younger son, Tommy, returned to Kruger Farm with his wife. But tired of feeding and cleaning up after three men and her three children, Heather left a year later. Callie didn’t blame her. She wouldn’t live with that family either.
“Come in then.” Callie dropped the shovel, and with feet dragging, led the way into her house. She had the fleeting idea she should run inside and shut the door in his face. But that wouldn’t be neighborly, and she wasn’t rude. Besides, Kyle owed her four thousand dollars and she hoped Heinz planned to pay today.
Once inside the house Heinz parked himself in a chair at the kitchen table. He leaned back and stretched his legs in front of him. He didn’t remove his dirty boots and left a puddle of mud and melting snow on her floor.
Callie struggled against a wish to escape and willed herself to ignore his mess.
“Awful quiet. Where’s that pretty sister of yours, Marsha?”
“Her name’s Martha.” As the skin on the back of her neck prickled, Callie lied. “She’s shopping in town but should be home soon.” Martha had shopping and errands and might be another hour, at least.
When the coffee was ready, Callie plopped a cup in front of Heinz and placed cream and sugar near him. The fresh blueberry muffins Martha had made still cooled on the counter, but Callie’s hospitality was grudging, and she didn’t share them.
Callie eased into a chair across from Heinz and perched on the edge. She preferred her coffee with sugar and cream but feared he would hear the spoon rattle against her cup as her hands trembled. All the men in her life had been kind and gentle. She wasn’t used to men like Heinz.
Heinz surveyed his surroundings. “Big kitchen. You keep it nice. Bet you wish you had a man to take care of and feed in here.”
“What do you want, Heinz?” Callie hoped he would make hi
s point quickly and then take his dark energy and leave.
He regarded her with a fake smile and small, sly eyes. “My boy Kyle would be good for you. He’d take charge of the farm and you. No more decisions to worry you and lots of kids to keep you busy.”
Callie cringed at the repulsive idea. “What do you want, Heinz?”
Heinz sneered. “Payment for my big bull, Bulldozer. You have nice calves because of him.”
“Payment? How do you figure?” Callie’s insides churned, and she swallowed her nausea. She had no money to pay him. Every dollar Poplarcreek earned she reinvested in the farm or transferred to the bank.
“My bull bred ’em.”
“It wasn’t my idea. Your bull broke my fence.”
Heinz snorted. “It wasn’t much of a fence. Doug never built a decent fence. My bull busting in is Doug’s fault. That short wimp would have given me something in compensation.” He followed the dig with an ugly, mean laugh.
“Well, I don’t owe you anything. Your bull tore through my fence.”
Callie ignored the comment about Doug because Heinz said it to goad her, but her thoughts spun. Doug died the day they were fixing fences. Did they fix the fence of the heifer paddock? She’d never finished the repairs because she’d been busy planning a funeral and caring for Becky, who refused to eat. Were the breedings my fault because I forgot to check on the heifers for a few weeks? She wasn’t about to bring up that nugget of self-doubt.
“And besides, Kyle owes me four thousand dollars for my two cows,” Callie said.
“Four thousand dollars?”
“Kyle borrowed my truck and trailer a week ago. He said his trailer was broken and he needed my truck to tow my trailer. I forget why he couldn’t use his own truck. In turn, he said he’d take two of mine and sell them for me. Anyway, he took eight cows to a sale in Montana. Dr. Lauren Cornish is an accredited vet with CFIA. She inspected the cattle and signed the export health certificates. You know all this. Six of yours went and I helped him load two of my best.”
“Eight cows?” Heinz scratched his chin and his eyes went colder. “And you think yours were worth two thousand?”
Callie had the impression that Heinz was surprised. Maybe Kyle took cattle without asking? Never mind, it wasn’t her problem. “Yes.” Callie cleared her throat. “Yes, two thousand each,” she said more loudly. “Perhaps I should talk to a lawyer.”
“Each, eh? Must have been nice cows. Well, no reason to make the lawyers rich,” Heinz said.
Callie scrutinized him, one eyebrow raised.
“Well, you think about my offer.” Heinz slurped the last of his coffee and belched. Then he heaved himself to his feet and hitched up his pants. “I expect two of your new calves as payment. It was my bull. But maybe I’ll just deduct them from the four thousand, if that’s the real amount.”
“You think I owe you for the calves? If I deduct the cost of my veterinary bills, you might owe me more than four thousand, Heinz.” Callie leaned back in her chair and clasped her hands to keep them from shaking. She refused to let him see how much he had rattled her.
Her friend Mark told her Heinz always bullied his boys. He bragged that he treated them harshly to toughen them up. As adults, they were still under Heinz’s control. They followed Heinz’s orders. She would not.
“Why don’t you make it easy? Sell me Poplarcreek and go back to that chicken farm you came from. I could use the extra land, and Heather told Tommy she would move back, if she has her own house.” Heinz looked around. “She’d like this kitchen. How many bedrooms do you have?”
“I told you, I’m not selling, and my parents own a berry farm.” Callie stared into her coffee cup and fiddled with the handle to avoid his cold eyes. “Poplarcreek is Becky’s inheritance, and the Andersons have lived here for a hundred years.”
“Berry farm.” He scoffed. “Blueberries aren’t cattle, Catherine. You don’t know what you’re doing, and one day soon you’ll lose the farm to the bank. Better to sell to me now.”
“Please go, Heinz.” Callie raised her voice to disguise the tremor in it. The thought of losing Poplarcreek was more terrifying than ten Krugers.
He moved into her personal space and glowered down at her. His lips stretched into a snarl. “You better not play it tough with me, girlie. I’ll win. You should leave and take that pervert’s kid with you.”
Callie leaned back and gripped the arms of the chair. She longed for the strength to leap to her feet and yell at him, but her legs refused to cooperate. All she managed was a hoarse whisper. “Get out now or I’ll call the RCMP.”
“If you’re a smart girl, you’ll consider my offer. I’ll get my payment, one way or another.” He tossed the comment over his shoulder as he swaggered through her front door and left without closing it.
In rural Saskatchewan, nobody locked their doors, but Callie shut and locked her door and leaned against it on legs of rubber. When her legs gave out, she slumped into a chair. She buried her head in her arms and cried. Maybe he was right and she should sell. She rarely had any idea what she was doing.
Callie indulged in several minutes of crying mixed with self-doubt and self-pity. Then she straightened and dried her eyes. No one would take this place from her, and she’d be dammed if she’d let someone like Heinz make her feel inept. Poplarcreek belonged to Becky and she’d do everything she could to keep it running.
Callie cleaned up the mess from Heinz’s boots, pitched her mop into the closet, and slammed the door. When the closet door bounced open, she slammed it again. “That creep would never have dared to call Liz a girlie. What an asshole.” Callie flashed to the chilling expression in his eyes and felt nauseated. Maybe if she just ignored him, he’d go away.
Callie dropped into a chair. She regretted not telling him to shut up about Becky and Liz. Liz wasn’t a pervert. She was amazing. Liz’s funeral was still a blur. Becky had been old enough to know her mama wasn’t coming home, but too young to understand why.
There’d been a large funeral procession, and police officers had come from all over Canada to honor Liz. Three hundred RCMP officers, dressed in their red serge jackets, had marched behind the hearse. Callie and Becky rode in a limousine behind the hearse, but Doug and his sons walked beside the hearse with a select group of RCMP officers. Mitch had followed the hearse carrying Liz’s Stetson, which was a great honor. Another of Liz’s friends led the rider-less RCMP horse with Liz’s boots reversed in the stirrups, heels to the front, to symbolize the loss of a comrade-in-arms.
Doug and Callie had buried Liz in the Thresherton cemetery. The funeral had been an important event in Thresherton, and many businesses had closed for the day. As the funeral procession passed through town, led by the RCMP pipe band, people had removed their hats and solemnly lined the main street. Many people wore red that day to support the officers. When Callie moved to Thresherton a few years after the funeral, most people remembered her as the widow of the slain RCMP officer.
Callie squared her shoulders. She was tired of people feeling sorry for her. One day, when she had Poplarcreek running well, she hoped the town would see her as a successful, independent farmer. Most of all, she wanted Becky to be proud of her.
Callie’s phone rang a minute later. A surge of warmth spread through her when the PVS number appeared.
“Hi, Callie. I’m calling…I just wanted to…How are the scouring calves?” Lauren asked. “Are they better? Have you seen any more scour? I should drive out and look at them.”
Callie took a deep steadying breath. “It’s okay. I’ve got it covered. Those calves recovered ages ago. But now three others are scouring.”
“Same treatment for the new ones.”
“Okay, and if you’re in the area, I’d like it if you dropped in, but don’t make a special trip for me.” Was Lauren planning to visit her, or the calves?
“I’ll do that. How’s everything else?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Callie?”
&nb
sp; “Nothing. Thanks again for checking in. Bye.”
“Okay, bye.”
Callie hung up. It was the right call she needed at the right time. The brief exchange with Lauren calmed Callie and made her feel more competent, and she didn’t need to extend the call into a woe-is-me saga. She could handle life on her own. She rolled her shoulders and straightened. She was learning about her cattle and she would manage. Callie sighed. Heinz Kruger was her problem to solve. Callie’s shoulders slumped. It would be nice to have someone around to talk to about things like this, but Callie was tough. She’d be just fine.
She shoved the loneliness aside and went to work.
Chapter Seven
Lauren hung up. What was going on? Callie’s voice had trembled. Had something frightened her? She hoped if Callie needed help, she would ask. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to call, and now she was worried. She sighed and pushed the thoughts aside.
She had a full morning and day of patients ahead. She strove to school her thoughts and quit worrying about Callie. It was ten thirty in the morning. She had two cats spayed and a neuter done. She had another two spays to do, but postponed them because there was an emergency coming in. The owner told Val that she didn’t see the car hit her dog but thought it was the dog’s right front leg that was damaged.
Val dug a surgery kit out of the cupboard by the autoclave. “When you lived in Toronto did people bring you their injured animals or take them to an emergency clinic? Thresherton is too small to have an emergency clinic.”
Val pronounced Toronto like someone not from the area, by pronouncing every syllable To-ron-to. Locals pronounced it Tron-no. Lauren had only moved there because T.J. had insisted on living in the big city. The ready access to restaurants, shopping, and theater excited T.J. Lauren enjoyed those activities too, but in smaller doses.
Lauren shuddered. “I saw too many injured dogs and cats in our practice. Our clients only went to the emergency clinic after we closed for the day. On Saturdays I usually had Sam with me to help with emergencies. I built her a wooden bench to stand on so she could see the animals on the surgery table. She was getting really good at assisting.” Lauren laughed. “And she looked very cute in a gown and mask.” She missed her children. Ontario was too far away.
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