by Mia Brown
Blaze grinned at me. “You really have no faith in me, do you? Just because I went back to being a full time lawyer doesn’t mean I don’t care. It also doesn’t change the fact that I grew up on a ranch and worked on it recently. I might not work here anymore, but I do still love the place, and I love Marty. I happen to take the health of animals very seriously. I hate seeing Marty this way.”
I nodded. I felt warmth rush to my face at his words. I hadn’t realized he could be so passionate about something that meant so much to me. I didn’t think the two of us would have anything in common but perhaps I was wrong. Although, it didn’t change the fact that he was working with Steve. That part was very hard to overlook, even if he was being nice right now. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. Marty is a very special horse. I still remember what he looked like when you first got him.”
“Oh yeah, he was in such a bad shape. And he was so scared of all of us. I remember trying to reach out to him and he almost bit me. The poor thing. The first time I went on a ride with him I knew that he was my horse. He’s something special that one. He completely transformed into the most beautiful horse in the world.”
“You must miss him now that you don’t stay here anymore,” I said.
“I do. I really do.”
The conversation with Blaze had taken me by surprise. I had no idea that he had this caring nature in him. Also, for the first time in weeks, I realized that I didn’t want to bunch him in his handsome face. Blaze might be a good lawyer, but I definitely preferred him when he was at the ranch. I almost told him that too, but I was saved a whole lot of embarrassment when Tyler got back.
“Would you like another drink?” Tyler asked me.
“No, that’s okay. The juice was great. I’m going to have so start squeezing oranges from now on. I better get going though. I’ll be back later with those vitals. And please say hi to your parents for me.”
Fourteen
Blaze
“She’s cute,” Tyler said the moment Dallas had left.
I laughed. “Oh yeah.”
“You like her? Why don’t you ask her out?”
I shook my head. “She hates me.”
“What? She was very nice to you today. I don’t think she hates you.”
“Trust me. She hates me.”
“What makes you say that?”
I sighed. I hadn’t planned on telling Tyler about Steve, but there seemed no point in hiding it either. “Well, her landlord is trying to evict her.”
Tyler frowned. “I’m confused. Her landlord? From her house?”
“No, her office building. You know, where she has her vet practice.”
“Ah, that’s a cool place. It’s perfect for her.”
“Exactly. Which is why she’s so upset. Apparently he promised her that she could have it forever. Of course, he still made her sign a lease every year, and she still has just over five months left of her current one. But he wants her out now. He’s desperate to use her building for his own purposes. He’s gotten some of the other tenants out already, but she’s being stubborn.”
Tyler chuckled. “Good for her. But what’s that got to do with you?”
“Well, I’m her landlord’s lawyer. He hired me to help him get her out.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Yeah. Shit is right. She hates me for it, and I guess I don’t blame her.”
“Why did you take on the work?” Tyler asked.
I shrugged. “Oh, you know me. I don’t like turning down clients. I don’t want a reputation as the lawyer who doesn’t take on work. That won’t be good for me.”
“Yeah, but now you’re going to get a reputation as the lawyer who takes on any work even if it’s morally wrong. You’re getting a worse reputation.”
“Ah, I’m not so sure about that. I think this only seems horrible because it’s Dallas. At the end of the day, the landlord owns the building and he has a right to want it.”
“You really believe that?” Tyler asked.
“I…well…sure.”
“Hmm, well, it might have ruined your chances of getting together with her. Pity really. I quite like her for you. She’s got her head on straight. She’s gorgeous, and she’s feisty. You definitely need to be with a girl that can talk back to you.”
I laughed. “Well, looks like I’ve lost out then.”
“Mind if I go for her?”
“You’re too young for her!” I exclaimed.
He snorted. “Guess you still want her then. So, you still want to go for a ride? On one of the other horses maybe?”
I shook my head. “Not really. It would feel too much like I’m cheating on Marty. Let me help you isolate him, and then I think I’ll get going.”
“Okay, thanks man.”
* * *
The following day I had a meeting with Steve at one of the local cafes. I had asked him to meet me there rather than at the office. At the office he had a tendency to overstay his welcome but at a café I would at least have the opportunity to get up and leave when I wanted to. I was early this time and as I took a seat I thought about all the things Tyler had said to me about the job. He was probably right. I shouldn’t have taken this on. I tried not to get too emotionally invested in my work, but this was one was effecting me more than I wanted to. Unfortunately, I had already agreed to the job and I knew I wouldn’t quit. My only hope was that Dallas would found an amazing new place and just leave so this whole thing could be over.
I ordered myself a cup of coffee and waited for Steve to arrive. When he did I couldn’t help but cringe. He was wearing a mustard suit with a purple tie, and when everyone turned to look at him I could tell that he thought they were admiring him. He somehow failed to noticed all the smirks and sniggers that came his way. Perhaps it was better to live the way he did. He simply believed that he was the most important person in the world and nothing could make him think otherwise.
“Blaze,” he said as he took a seat. He signaled to the waiter and ordered a coffee.
I could tell just by looking at him that this was not going to be a fun meeting. He had a look on his face that meant he was all business today and I got the impression he was not too happy with my performance. Not that I blamed him really. I was perhaps not working as hard on this as I usually do with my cases. It was not the way I liked to work, and I wasn’t very proud of myself.
“Good to see you again,” I lied. “Nice suit,” I lied again.
He looked down at himself and smiled. “Thank you. Did you see the way everyone was looking at me? The man at the suit store told me that it was going to make quite the impression and he was definitely right.”
“You certainly made an impression,” I said. Whoever sold him this suit should be awarded the best salesman of the year. Although it was easy with men like Steve who thrived on compliments.
“Anyway, enough about the suit. I need to talk to you about Dallas. I’m not happy. Not happy at all. There has been absolutely no progress on getting Dallas out of the building and I’m not at all happy about this. I hired you for a reason, and that was to get her out. What’s going on? Have you forgotten about this job?”
I inhaled deeply. I wondered if anyone had gotten so angry that they’d just punched him in the face during a meeting. I wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, I found myself making fists under the table. He was lucky we were in a public place. I was not a violent person but he definitely brought out the worst in me.
“Of course I haven’t forgotten. I’ve been working hard on this case but it’s not easy. It’s not like I can just make her move. I reviewed those financial records you sent me the other day and unfortunately they’ve only made your case even harder. Dallas has never been late on her rent once, nor has she caused any significant damage. In fact, by the look of things, she’s been the perfect tenant. I’m doing my best to find a hole somewhere but I’m afraid this won’t look good in court. There are no real legal openings.”
“That’s just not good enough,” Stev
e said. “Do you want me to go to another lawyer?”
“You can do what you want, Steve, but they’re only going to tell you the same thing. Dallas has been a great tenant and she has her rights just as much as you do. I’m not sure you have any grounds to release her early from her contract. I think our hands may be tied. I have gone over the lease multiple times and I’ve consulted the relevant municipal, county and state statutes. The law just isn’t on your side in this case. Have you thought of perhaps talking to her nicely about it? Maybe explain to her why you need her to leave early? Perhaps you’ve just gone about this in the wrong way. Maybe she wouldn’t mind leaving if you had a proper talk with her.” I knew it was too late for this but I was starting to realize that Dallas just wanted to be spoken to like a normal human being. She didn’t take kindly to be bossed around, especially not by someone like Steve. I couldn’t blame her. He was bossing me around too and I didn’t like it one bit.
Steve laughed. “Are you kidding me? She’s a woman. There’s no talking reason to a woman,” he said and I knew now why he was still single. What an idiot. “Anyway, maybe we need a new tactic,” he said.
“New tactic? What do you mean?”
“Oh come on. I’m a wealthy man. You’re a wealthy man. Maybe we can bribe her. You know, do something to make her want to leave right away. It’s certainly an option worth looking into don’t you think?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry Steve, but I will not support any illegal activity. You have to realize that I have my reputation and my business on the line. I will not do anything to jeopardize that and neither should you.” I was surprised by how calm I was at the moment. Inside I was seething, but my words were coming out as if I was completely in control.
Steve laughed nervously. “Oh, I’m only kidding. It was just a joke born out of frustration. That’s all. I wouldn’t really do anything illegal.”
“Good,” I said even though I didn’t believe him one bit.
“Anyway, you need to see things from my perspective too. At this point, if I don’t get Dallas out of the building soon, my project delays might end up costing me a lot on money. You have to understand that, surely?”
I nodded. “Of course I do. That’s why I agreed to help you, and I really am doing my best.” Man, I hated myself in that moment. If Tyler were to hear me he would be so disappointed in me.
“You know, I wasn’t born rich,” Steve said. “I worked hard to get to where I am today, and the last thing I need is some little girl getting in my way. I am a canny businessman who doesn’t take no for an answer and it is because of my attitude that I got to be where I am today. I am a smart worker, and a hard worker, and I’m going to continue to go after what I want.”
I nodded. “Being a hard worker is a good thing. Look, have you considered giving Blaze more money. I do see things from her perspective, but maybe you should also see things from her side. A thousand dollars is not nearly enough to see her through a big move.”
Steve laughed. “No ways. A thousand was already too high. If you can get something for a lower price, that’s what you should do. No, I’m not going to give her any more money. I just want her out now and I don’t care what it takes to do it. But I’m not paying her to leave. She’s already costing me money.”
Someone walked by and smirked at the sight of Steve in his suit. I cowered a little as I thought of what they must think of me for hanging out with a guy like that. I sighed. Business was business though. I couldn’t turn it down.
Fifteen
Dallas
I had a book where I had written down the names of all my clients who had problems with the horse virus going around. I made my way through them all, phoning to make sure that everything was fine. I assumed they would’ve called me if there was a problem, but I wanted to make sure in case. The last person on my list was Tyler.
“Hi, Tyler, it’s Dallas. Uh, the vet,” I said. I wasn’t sure why I was always so awkward on the phone. I hated to assume that everyone would just know who I was.
“Oh, hey, Dallas. Good to hear from you. How’s everything going?”
“Everything is fine. I’m actually calling to check on Blaze,” I said.
“Blaze?”
I laughed nervously. I had no idea why I had just said his brother’s name instead of the horse. I was mortified but hoped to turn it into a joke. “Oops, I mean Marty.”
“Did you just call my brother an animal?”
I chuckled. “Pretty much.”
“Seems accurate,” he said. “Actually, Marty is doing well. That medication you gave us seems to be working wonders. We are still keeping him isolated and we’re not riding him at the moment as we just want to make sure. But it looks like he might be ready to go back to the rest of the horses soon. It’s such a relief to see him looking better. I’ll be honest, I was a bit worried about him for a while. Any more news on the virus? Has anyone else gotten hit since you saw us?”
“I’m happy to hear about Marty. He’s a fighter that one. Actually, the virus seems to have calmed down. We haven’t had too many more incidents and the horses that were infected seem to be getting better. I’m keeping my eye out on it just in case but it looks like we managed to catch it before it got out of hand. It was quite a nasty thing to happen.”
“Thank goodness,” Tyler said. “Oh, and I’m glad you called. I was actually going to call you today anyway.”
“You were? What’s up?” I asked. Other than his horses, I couldn’t imagine why Tyler would want to call me. He was a sweet kid but the two of us were definitely not friends.
“I wanted to know if you wanted to come over and inspect some horses at a local horse rescue. We’re considering adopting a few more but with that virus going around we want to make sure we adopt some healthy horses. I figured you knew far more about this then we do and we would really appreciate the help. But only if you can, of course.”
“Of course I can. I’d love to help. When are you going?”
“Well, we were thinking of going this afternoon, but it’s totally up to you. If you can’t make it today we can schedule it for some other time. I know this is very short notice.”
“Today is perfect. How about I meet you there in about two hours?” I said.
“Wonderful. Thanks, Dallas. We really appreciate it.”
Tyler could more than likely pick out a healthy horse from a sick one, but I thought it was nice of him to ask me anyway. I think the virus had spooked everyone into being even more careful than usual and I didn’t blame them. If this had gone out of hand it could’ve easily knocked out all the horses in the area which would’ve been devastating. I still had no idea what had caused it in the first place but at least we had managed to catch it in time. It was at times like this that I was glad I had gone into this business. Watching hopelessly from the sidelines would’ve killed me. I finished up with my work, and then made my way to the address he had given me. The moment I arrived, Tyler came rushing over to me in panic.
“Dallas, this is so rude of me, but I’ve just been called away urgently. Do you mind if I go? I’ll do my best to come back soon. If you want to reschedule I totally understand. I feel awful about leaving you like this when you’ve come all this way.”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about coming back. I’ll speak to the owner and take a look at the horses and I’ll just let you know. It’s honestly completely fine. I don’t need you here for this anyway.”
“Thank you so much, Dallas. You’re a lifesaver. Please call me if you need to talk to me about anything. I’ll make sure I’m near my phone.”
“It’s honestly no big issue at all, Tyler.”
Tyler rushed off and I went over to meet the owner. He was a kind old man who had a very gentle way of dealing with the horses. He explained how he had too many to take care of himself but how he could never turn down a horse if someone brought him one. I could see that he was sad about no longer being able to care for them but it was good to see that he was
putting the horses best interest first. There were far too many people who thought of themselves first but the horses were the ones who ended up suffering then.
“Tyler’s family are lovely, so I’m hoping they take them,” he said. “I was so glad when he called to say he was coming over.”
I smiled. “They are lovely, and they take very good care of their horses, just as I see you do. Do you mind if I take a look around?” I asked. “You’ve got such a lovely place and I’d like to really take my time with the horses.”
“Go right ahead. I’ll be inside if you need me for anything. Take all the time you need. I’m glad to have met you too. I might need your services from time to time. The lady I used to use has been quite ill and I’m not sure if she’s going to continue with her practice. I’ve been worried about finding another vet but I’ve heard great things about you.”
I pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “That’s nice of you to say and I’d love to help you whenever you need. You can call me anytime. I work with all animals but I specialize in horses. I have a particular fondness for them.”
“They’re special animals, that’s for sure,” he said.
While he left I made my way to the horses to start my inspection. I made notes as I went along so that I wouldn’t forget what I needed to tell Tyler. Thankfully, from what I could see, the horses were in great condition and ready to be adopted. I could tell that the owner did his best to keep them healthy, clean and happy, but there were far too many horses for him to do a good a job as he needed to. He either needed to hire some more help, or he needed to get the horses to a good home. I was looking forward to telling Tyler the good news.
I was about to head over to the house, when I saw the owner walking out with a familiar looking person next to him. The owner and Will were chatting away like they were old friends, and I wondered if they knew each other or if Will just happened to bring that side out of people. I couldn’t help but think of the flowers that had been delivered to me. I still wasn’t sure if they were from Will or not. He beamed when he saw me which only made me even more suspicious. I wished I could come right out and just ask him whether they were from him or not but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was such an idiot. Then again, surely if he wanted me to know he would’ve told me by now. Valentine’s Day was a long time ago.
