Lauren allowed herself a minute to daydream about Callie. Callie cared about her cattle, but her fire and her sense of justice showed she also had compassion for a dog she didn’t even own. A woman who cared about animals was a woman Lauren could admire. She pictured Callie’s badass pose as she squared off with Roberta. She wouldn’t want Callie’s fierce expression focused on her. Glowering, Callie had looked dangerous.
Lauren’s stomach growled and she groaned with it. It had been eight hours since lunch. With resignation, she opened the drawer of her desk. She stocked cans of beans for emergencies. The ones with the pull tops. She removed a can and studied it. How long had it been there? Was it still safe to eat? If she had the energy, she’d take it to the staff room and toss it in the microwave. Tonight, it would be cold beans in congealed brown sauce straight from the can. Just as she was about to open the can, the front doorbell rang.
The sound in the quiet clinic startled her and she dropped the can and watched it bounce under the desk. It was gone for good now, lost in the inevitable balls of dog and cat hair that collected in the corners of a veterinary clinic. With a sigh, she walked to the front door and looked out. In the dim light she spotted Callie glowing in the moonlight. Lauren rubbed her eyes at the illusion. Then looked again. Callie was really there. She held up a red lunch bag and mouthed something. Lauren unlocked the door and ushered her in.
“Hi, Callie. This is a surprise. Did you want to see Max?”
“Well, okay, sure, if you think it’s okay.” She held up a red bag. “I actually brought you dinner. I hope that’s not weird.”
“Dinner?”
Callie grimaced. “Goofy, eh? It’s just that you said you’d be working late, and I thought…” She shrugged.
“Would you like a coffee or a soda?”
“A soda would be nice.”
Lauren locked the door behind Callie and led the way to the staff room. She pulled a selection of sodas out of the refrigerator and set them on the table. “Glass?”
Callie shook her head. Then she sat and pushed the red bag toward Lauren.
Lauren slowly unzipped the bag and then lifted the container out. She peeled back the lid and inhaled deeply. “Oh, wow. Smells amazing. I’m starving.”
“Stew. Martha made it. I won’t take credit.”
Lauren’s tired brain tried to work out why Callie was really there, but it was too much and she abandoned the task. “Do you want some?”
Callie sipped her soda. “It’s for you. I already ate. How’s Max?”
Lauren set the spoon aside and opened her mouth “He’s—”
Callie held up her hand. “Wait. You eat. I’ll talk.” Callie rested her elbows on the table and watched Lauren eat.
Lauren took several spoonfuls and smiled back. After the sixth she put the spoon down and giggled.
Callie sat back. “What?”
“You were going to talk.”
Callie sat up. “Right, yeah.”
“What did you do after you left here?”
“Errands, groceries, dropped by the feed store for a bag of calf pellets.”
“Spoiling your calves?”
“They’re just so sweet.”
“Wonder if Heinz Kruger calls his cattle sweet?”
“No cattle and no Krugers, please. Not tonight. Tell me, what would you be doing if you weren’t working? Wait, I was going to talk while you eat. What do I do in the evening, you might ask? When I’ve done the farm work, have fed Becky, helped her with homework, and cleaned up the kitchen, I end the day with a shower and bed. I’m very boring.”
Lauren shook her head. Callie wasn’t boring at all. She was a farmer who worked hard.
“I am. I do nothing but work. You saw me at the club, but it had been months since I was there last.” Callie shrugged. “That’s agriculture.”
“What do you want to do?”
“There’s a community basketball league in the winter. I’d love to play.”
“Ah, so you were a jock in high school. I thought so.”
“Why?”
Lauren blushed. “It’s well, obvious.” Exhaustion and hypoglycemia had lowered her inhibitions. In ten seconds, she would tell Callie she was beautiful and then the evening would be weird.
“You’re embarrassed.” Callie slapped her playfully on the shoulder. “Now I absolutely must know what you meant. Spill.”
Lauren stuffed a huge spoonful of stew in her mouth and chewed slowly, willing it to last a week. “You’re tall and fit. And, well, you move like an athlete.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Do you play any sports?”
Lauren grimaced. “I made sub on the volleyball team in grade six. I’m afraid that was the peak of my athletic career.”
“I wish we had the scholarship thing in Canada like they have in the USA. I played basketball and it would’ve helped pay for my college diploma.”
Lauren laughed. “What about Becky? Does she play basketball? Hockey?” She wanted to slap herself. Now she was asking about Becky like Callie was a pal. Like she had any right to ask. She’d never even met the child.
“No hockey for her. She had the choice, but she’s not into all the rough stuff.”
“But there’s no contact in women’s hockey.”
“Tell them that. We play a little basketball at home and she loves running. She’s a quiet kid and into her art.” Callie rested an elbow on the table and smiled at Lauren. “You look relaxed. Or is it exhaustion?”
Lauren felt the heat in her face. She pushed the container of stew away. “Enough. The rest is lunch tomorrow. I’m stuffed. Thanks, and please tell Martha thanks. It’s not often I get a home cooked meal.”
“Not at Val’s?”
Lauren gave a half shrug. “Sometimes, but she has her family and I don’t like to impose.”
“You should come to Poplarcreek for dinner. Before Martha leaves. I can cook, but my sister is way better. She has a sense of adventure in the kitchen. Becky and I have been her guinea pigs these few weeks to mixed results.”
“Is Martha older?”
“Four years, but we’re close. I love having her visit, but I’m afraid I put her to work helping me sort out my junk and clean the house.” Callie hesitated, like she wasn’t sure what else to say. “Well, I should probably head home. Long day tomorrow and I’ll bet you want to go home.”
Lauren hadn’t responded to the dinner invitation, but Callie hadn’t noticed. There was something about Callie that made her nervous. A sense that Callie wanted more than friendship.
Lauren said, “I’ll check on Max again and head out. Do you want to see him? He’s probably sleeping, but you’re welcome to.”
They tiptoed into the treatment room and studied the sleeping dog, then tiptoed out again. “Thanks,” Callie whispered.
Lauren walked Callie to the front door. She unlocked it and Callie stepped out. They stared at each other for a beat until Callie said, “Night, Lauren.”
“Night.”
There was another moment of hesitation before Callie turned and walked to her truck.
Lauren stood with the door open and let the cold air wash over her. She needed cooling. It had been a nice visit. A bit awkward, but they were still practically strangers. At least even in her exhausted state she hadn’t revealed anything really personal. It would help keep some distance between them, which was a good thing. She still wasn’t certain what had made Callie come by with dinner, but she wasn’t about to analyze it too closely.
Lauren returned to the staff room to put the remaining stew in the refrigerator. She searched the zippered pocket of the red bag and found an excellent drawing. It was of a cow and tiny calf with one line of childish printing: Dr. Cornish, thank you for taking care of our calves. Becky.
She studied the picture and hoped she wouldn’t have to disappoint Callie. Callie’s heifers had done well after surgery, but Max might be different. He was alive, but in rough shape. They still had to worry about infecti
on, and he had to learn to walk again. A dog might refuse to move even if tempted with treats. He was an awesome dog with a great new owner, and Lauren refused to let him die. She wanted to do this for Callie.
Why was it so important to please Callie? It was as if she wanted to protect her. “No, no, no.” She was not going there. Callie was a client and possibly a friend, but the air was charged when they were together. Not like when she was with Val. Life had just become more dangerous.
Lauren folded the drawing carefully and carried it to her desk. Instead of posting the drawing on her bulletin board with the pictures from her clients’ children, she slid it into the back of the drawer. It was best not to have reminders of Callie near her.
As she was withdrawing her hand from the drawer, her fingers found the small photo album she kept there. Lauren opened the small book and flipped through the pages. They were old photographs of her family…when she’d had a family. She sniffled and studied the pictures of Sam and William. This was the wrong time of day for this. When she was sitting alone in a dark clinic, three thousand kilometers from her heart, with nobody waiting in her dark house, it was a mistake to look at pictures that made her sadder.
Lauren blew her nose and switched on her computer. She opened her email and started to type. Dear Sam and William, I love you and I’m sorry. Her thoughts began to flow as she gradually saw her heart laid out in words. She wouldn’t send it tonight, not when she was over-the-top emotional. She might not send it at all, or maybe not this version, but just putting the words down helped ease the pain.
Chapter Nine
“Hi, Lauren, how’s my dog doing?” It was the morning after Max’s surgery. Callie wanted to know how Max was, and she jumped at the chance to speak with Lauren. Taking Lauren dinner at the clinic had been fun, but she was curious about Lauren and the only thing she’d learned was that Lauren didn’t play sports.
“Max is doing well. It’s too soon for him to walk, but he’s eating a little. I need to keep him at least a week until he’s walking.”
“Okay, I trust you to decide what’s best for him.”
“It shouldn’t add much to your bill.”
“The bill doesn’t worry me, but I’m surprised how little it’ll cost.” Callie gulped. The suggestion that Lauren might add more to her bill was worrisome. She trusted Lauren and had no doubt it was a fair price. Surgery and a week’s nursing care was the same price as two C-sections. Maybe it was fair, but she didn’t have eight dollars to spare, let alone eight hundred. Callie squared her shoulders. Max deserved saving and she would do it. Somehow.
“The big expense was the surgery, but he should heal more before I send him home. Also, given the state his leg was in, serious infection is still a high risk.”
“I’d like to thank you by taking you to lunch sometime?”
“You brought me dinner, and besides there’s no need to thank me. All part of my job.”
“But I’d like to thank you for taking care of him.” This wasn’t going the way Callie had hoped it would. It was as if Lauren were deliberately misunderstanding her offer.
“I enjoyed it. Max is a great dog.”
Callie snorted and shook her head in exasperation. “Dr. Lauren Cornish, will you please have lunch with me sometime? Just because we should have lunch together?”
Lauren hesitated for a moment. “That would be nice. When?”
Callie suppressed the urge to dance when Lauren accepted. “Do you have time today? I’ll be in town. Or we could meet another day?”
“Today I can meet at twelve, but I have to be back for my first afternoon appointment at one. Shall I meet you somewhere?”
An hour would feel rushed compared to dinner, but she’d take it. “Meet me at the Thresherton Diner. Don’t worry if you’re late. I’ll wait.”
“I’m looking forward to it. See you then.”
“Me too.” Callie hung up the phone. I did it. I asked Lauren out. Good for me. Callie danced her way upstairs to change into something pretty. She didn’t want a relationship, but friendship with an attractive woman wasn’t the end of the world. And if they developed something casual that didn’t require a lot of time, well…
At eleven forty-five, Callie arrived at the diner. She was early but planned to find an empty table and collect herself before Lauren appeared. She waited at the counter for five minutes, and when a table for two became available, she snagged it. At lunch, diners occupied every table in the restaurant. Doug told her you could always tell the best places to eat in town because at breakfast and lunch there would be a row of pickup trucks parked in front. And sure enough, there was a row of them outside.
Callie ordered coffee with cream on the side. The fancy coffee craze hadn’t arrived at the Thresherton Diner, but the coffee was excellent, and the cups were bottomless. She would have ordered coffee for Lauren, but it would probably be cold before Lauren arrived. And she didn’t want to appear presumptuous, either. Maybe Lauren didn’t even like coffee?
Callie fidgeted in her seat. It had been a good idea to invite Lauren to lunch, but she hadn’t counted on the entire town having front row seats to their lunch. Maybe she should have stuck to dropping in at PVS in the evening, but she had nothing to hide. They were two friends having a meal. No big deal.
Callie sipped her coffee and scanned the diner. She nodded to a few people and said hello to others. When she reached the far corner, her eyes darted away from the person staring at her. She studied the menu as if there were a test later.
“Hey, Callie girl,” a greasy voice said, too close to her ear.
Callie winced. His breath was foul and reeked of cigarettes, coffee, and she wasn’t sure what else. “Hello, Kyle.” She struggled not to gag as Kyle Kruger sat uninvited at her table.
Kyle snuck an arm along the back of Callie’s chair. “Whatcha’ doin’ in town today? I’ll buy you lunch.”
Callie moved her chair to force his arm to drop. He was a slightly built man, several inches shorter than her, but it still felt threatening to have him that close. If he didn’t repulse her so much, she might almost feel sorry for him. She imagined he had been bullied all his life by his father. “No, thanks. I’m meeting someone.” Kyle bent toward her and she leaned away from him.
“Is it Mark Renfield?”
“Why would I meet Mark?”
The man shrugged. “I seen his truck at your place a few times.”
Callie almost answered, but it was none of Kyle’s business. Mark Renfield was Becky’s cousin. He often helped Callie with repairs on her farm machinery. And it was creepy to know any of the Krugers were paying attention to who came and went on her farm. “I’m meeting somebody, so maybe—”
“You look nice today. I never seen you look this pretty.”
“Thanks. Now please, go back to your table.”
“I gotta wonder what fella made you want to dress up.” Kyle reached for her hand.
Callie could no longer hide her irritation. “Do you remember the part where I had a wife? Why would I wait for a man? Why would I want a man?” A second later, she regretted engaging.
“Maybe you just need the right man.” Kyle played with the little scruffy bit of hair below his bottom lip. He was a cartoonish buffoon, a repulsive lowlife, much like the rest of his family.
Callie’s stomach clenched, and she felt queasy.
“Hello, Callie. I hope I’m not late. Hi, Kyle.”
Callie hadn’t noticed Lauren enter the diner because she was too busy attempting to dislodge Kyle from her table. Her soft, deep voice was music to Callie’s ears. She grinned at Lauren. “You’re just in time.”
Lauren replied with a warm smile and a quick wink.
Kyle looked from Lauren to Callie and back. “Well, now I get it.” Kyle scowled at Callie. Then he leered at Lauren, taking his time to ogle her chest “Hey, Doc.” Kyle stood and swaggered to his table.
Lauren slipped into the chair vacated by Kyle.
“Thank you, thank you
, thank you. Perfect timing.” Callie laid her hand on top of Lauren’s and gave it a slight squeeze.
“At first, I didn’t want to interrupt, but if you’d leaned any farther away from him, you’d have fallen off your chair. I decided you needed rescuing.”
“I did. Kyle was telling me how lesbians just need to find the right man.”
“Oh, yuck.” Lauren grimaced. “Do men still think that way?”
Callie shook her head. “Maybe just Kyle. He’s extra creepy. Although his dad and brother are pretty gross too.”
“True.” Lauren leaned toward Callie. “Kyle’s always talking to my chest. And he always stands too close behind me when I’m at their farm. Every time I step back, my butt hits him below the belt.”
Callie rolled her eyes. “Yuck. Perhaps he thinks you only need the right man.” As they laughed, Callie glanced Kyle’s way. His lips curled into a sneer and his nostrils flared as he stared back at them. She read the hate in his eyes. She recoiled from the expression and focused on Lauren.
“Are you all right, Callie? You’ve gone pale.”
“I was thinking about Kyle. Forget him.” Callie shoved thoughts of the Krugers away and let her good humor return. “How are you settling in? How do you like Thresherton?”
“It’s nice and I’m renting a great little house.” Lauren shook her head. “I’ve never lived in such a small town, but I’m adjusting.”
“To what?”
“I’m growing accustomed to being stared at. When I first moved to Thresherton, it shocked me when people I didn’t know greeted me by name. Then I discovered that a single female veterinarian, over thirty, was somebody everybody recognized.”
“Your picture was in the paper.” Single. I like the sound of that.
“Really?”
“It said, ‘Prairie Veterinary Services welcomes their new veterinarian, Dr. Lauren Cornish.’ There was a sweet picture of you cuddling a kitten.”
“No kidding.”
The waitress appeared, and they ordered. Lauren handed her menu to the waitress. “Thanks.”
Veterinary Partner Page 7
