We Can Laugh Together Too (Walnut Grove Trilogy)

by Cindy Baker

  “And didn’t we have fun with the cream,” Matt chuckled. He put his hands on her elbows and drew her to him. “Don’t be sad, there are plenty more weekends ahead for us and they’ll be even better, I promise. All I want now is to do my stint at Napa, then come back to this area.” He kissed her tenderly one final time, then climbed into his vehicle. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening,” he promised.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Matt’s final week at the practice passed as quickly as the preceding weekend had done. Doc Massey returned to work on Wednesday and on Thursday evening Doc Blair treated everyone to dinner at an elegant restaurant on the outskirts of Buellton. Livi of course was invited as Matt’s dinner partner, Doc Massey was accompanied by his wife, and Doc Blair, who was widowed, escorted an effervescent lady he introduced as Barbara. Livi thought she recognized her as the owner of a flower shop in Buellton.

  Everyone had a good time, but neither Livi nor Matt could completely banish his impending three hundred mile move north from their thoughts. Their eyes kept meeting and the message they conveyed was implicit: this is great, but I’d rather be alone with you, making love to you.

  Matt had unenthusiastically decided to leave early on Sunday morning. Livi made a point of having Chrissy present when she invited him to spend Saturday night in their guest room, hoping to communicate the probity of her invitation. Matt accepted solemnly, but couldn’t completely disguise a wicked twinkle in his dancing blue eyes.

  He cleared out his belongings from the little bedsit above the practice first thing on Saturday and arrived at the farm in his packed SUV, bearing a bag of warm croissants from a local bakery. Livi rose to greet him as he walked through the open kitchen door.

  Matt folded her into his arms and kissed her. “Hi sweetheart, I hope I’m not too early.”

  “No way, I want to spend as much time with you as possible before you leave tomorrow. Come and sit down, we’ll eat these with some peaches and a cup of coffee.”

  They ate, hands touching constantly across the table, fulfilling an innate need to maintain contact.

  “Michael Majors called from Florida earlier,” Matt said. “It seems they can’t come up with a potential partner willing to purchase my share at such short notice so, very grudgingly, they’ve offered to buy me out themselves over the next four months.”

  “Well, that’s good isn’t it? Unless of course, something here opens up and you need the full amount in a hurry.”

  “That’s what I told him. I still have the option of the company in Connecticut I told you about, but frankly I don’t want to do that to them unless I absolutely have to, especially in view of the way I just walked out and left them in the lurch.”

  Livi nodded and bit contemplatively into a juicy peach. “I hope it doesn’t end up becoming a tough choice for you. If it’s a busy, thriving practice I wonder why they’ve never bothered to replace you.”

  “Well, as I explained, while I’m not actually working there and drawing a salary, they still have my investment sitting in the bank, earning interest. That’s what’s so frustrating; all the partnership monetary shares are safe in an escrow account, so Michael could simply write me a check. He’s deliberately being obstructive.”

  Livi considered. “I take it the partner you were involved with is still working there? Maybe she’s influencing how you’re being treated.”

  “That’s very possible; she’s the junior in the practice, but only in station; in opinions expressed she’s everyone’s equal.” Matt shrugged introspectively, “I apologize if that comes across as being chauvinist; it isn’t my intention.”

  “I know that.” She patted his hand. “It’s just another obstacle to be overcome; eventually, they’ll all be behind us. Another thing still hanging over my head is Edward; my attorney’s heard nothing from him since we spoke with Ben Veiga.”

  “Didn’t he take a long time to reply to your lawyer originally? I expect he’s got his own attorney chasing his tail looking for a get-out. You said your lawyer wasn’t pleased when he knew he’d given you bad advice, well his guy’s been made to look twice as incompetent; his letter to you started everything.”

  Livi giggled. “You’re right. Everyone’s got a lot of proverbial egg on their faces. But enough doom and gloom. Do you want to hang out here today or maybe go somewhere?”

  “Let’s just hang out and go out to dinner tonight.” Matt stretched contentedly. “I’m feeling disgustingly lazy and all I want is your company and maybe Chrissy’s – where is she by the way?”

  “Still in bed; I doubt we’ll see much of her for a couple of hours. Last night I told her she had to clean her room today so she’s in denial mode, putting it off for as long as she can.”

  ♠ ♠ ♠

  The day drifted past. There was a minor calamity in the afternoon when Heather, one of Livi’s Dalmatians ran to her shaking her head violently; both dogs had been frolicking through long grasses and a foxtail had lodged in her ear canal. Matt fetched an otoscope from his SUV and quickly confirmed that it was indeed a grass seed, then Livi held her dog steady while he fished it out with tweezers.

  “All done,” he said, sitting back on his heels when he’d finished. “Jeesh that brings back memories, it’s been years since I’ve worked on an animal smaller than a foal.”

  “Fast service too,” she responded. “Will you be sending me your bill Doc?”

  “Either that or you can work it off in kind tonight.”

  “Shhhh -- Chrissy might hear you,” Livi glanced apprehensively over her shoulder. “I hope you aren’t planning on any corridor creeping later.”

  “Absolutely not, I know your room’s out of bounds, but I was hoping you might tiptoe along to me.”

  And that was exactly what transpired. In the evening Matt took both Livi and Chrissy out to dinner, and at around eleven they all ostensibly retired to their separate bedrooms. Livi took a long, relaxing soak in the bath, then stole on bare feet along the corridor to Matt’s room at the rear of the house where she found him sitting in bed reading.

  He lifted the bed covers and she slipped in beside him, into his waiting embrace. “Mmmm, you smell good,” he murmured.

  Their mouths and tongues sought each other out and their kisses were deep and passionate. Eventually, his mouth left hers and began a slow, tantalizing journey down her body. Livi groaned in ecstasy and reached out to grasp and caress his hardness.

  “Please,” she begged eventually. “I want you inside me.”

  She gasped as he slid into her warmth and her fingers explored and stroked his skin until every nerve end in his body was seemingly on fire.

  After a long time, deep inside her they climaxed together in a shuddering passion that left them both weak and blissfully spent.

  But they didn’t sleep. They lay for hours in whispered conversation, then just before dawn broke they made love again. It was a night of sheer, sybaritic pleasure.

  Eventually Livi forced herself to leave his bed and tiptoe with an aching heart back to her own room. The next six weeks, lonely and uncompromising stretched bleakly ahead.

  She showered and by the time she reached the kitchen, Matt had the coffee pot perking and croissants left over from the morning before warming in the oven. He was standing in the doorway which he’d opened for the two dogs. She joined him and they wound their arms around each other.

  “I’ll come back down for a weekend during my contract,” he promised. “I’ll fly down from San Francisco to Santa Barbara on the Friday evening and you can pick me up.”

  Livi stared at him in delight. “Really? Oh, Matt that’ll be wonderful. When Chrissy goes to the vet school she’s begging me to let me let fly up on her own, but that will be to Sacramento. I can see I’m going to be making a lot of trips to Santa Barbara Airport.”

  “We’re all leaving you.” He hugged her close. “But I’ve already told the agency I don’t want any more locum jobs too far away from this area. It will most likely mean they won’t ha
ve much to offer me, but if that’s the price I have to pay --”

  “Something will turn up. Ben Veiga is looking and you’ve approached a lot of practices. Maybe you could drop in at the veterinary college while Chrissy’s there and talk to a few people. I know Davis isn’t far from the Napa Valley.”

  “What a good idea.” Matt slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Why on earth didn’t I think of that? Colleges often have a finger on exactly what’s available. In fact, I got my very first job on a recommendation from my professor at Davis.”

  “You went to school in California?” Livi exclaimed. “You’ve always talked about the ten years you spent in Florida, so I assumed that’s where you trained.”

  Matt laughed. “No way. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and that’s where I got my degree, then I did an internship in large animal medicine and surgery at Texas A&M and after that went to Hallandale. A lot of practices always call the veterinary schools when they need new staff. I can’t believe it never occurred to me.” He hugged Livi close. “You’re brilliant!”

  They lingered over breakfast, putting off the inevitable, but in the end Matt had little choice but to start on his five hour drive. Livi called Chrissy down to bid him farewell and he told her of his plans to visit the college in search of a job lead. Chrissy seemed pleased; she clearly thought the other kids would be impressed. Matt keyed her cell phone number into his own and promised to keep in touch.

  ♠ ♠ ♠

  After Matt’s departure, Livi put on a brave face and went across to the horse barn to talk with Isidoro. She had already nominated her three yearlings to the Barretts’ October Sales and Sam Nichols had similarly entered his yearling colt. Their preparation leading up to the sale was the stumbling block. In previous years the farm’s youngsters had been skillfully honed to peak appearance by Will and Jose; when they entered the sales ring their manners were impeccable, their muscles rippled, their coats gleamed.

  Livi had often lent a hand with the fillies, but Will had preferred she left the colts to himself and Jose. Fit, precocious yearling colts could often prove difficult to handle and he didn’t want them learning bad habits. Consequently, she was painfully aware that she wasn’t competent to take part in, or even oversee their preparation this year.

  Isidoro apologized and apprehensively admitted he had no thoroughbred sales experience; something Livi had already presumed, but his acknowledgment left her wondering what to do for the best. The obvious answer was to send the four yearlings away to be prepared professionally, but she knew this would be expensive and she could ill-afford to lose any part of her farm’s core source of income.

  Deep in thought, she called the dogs and went for a walk around the property. Everything looked smart and well-tended and she reproached herself for embarrassing Isidoro; it had been insensitive. He’d proved to be an excellent horseman and he tended the farm beautifully. She shouldn’t have asked him when she already had a pretty good idea of the answer.

  The yearlings were in two paddocks; colts in one, fillies in another, and she leaned on the fence observing her colt as he grazed, wondering what she should do for the best. Her three youngsters were the result of breeding their mothers to popular sires whose progeny usually sold extremely well, and all were well developed with no discernible faults in their confirmation. This colt was especially attractive and his two year old sibling had recently enhanced his value by winning well.

  Livi and Will, like most breeders, retained a proprietorial interest in the horses they had bred and followed their careers long after they had left the farm. On one occasion, Will had rescued a horse he heard had injured itself and was no longer able race.

  When her route took her back past the horse-barn, she was surprised by Isidoro rushing to meet her, beaming from ear to ear. “Mrs. Leonard,” he exclaimed before she had even reached him. “I talked with my wife and we think we have the answer. My cousin Luis worked for many years on thoroughbred farms. He’s retired now, but I could ask him to help you. His last job was foreman at Dry Gulch Farm and they sell many yearlings. He will teach me well.”

  Livi contemplated this for several seconds. “It could work,” she conceded guardedly, “but I’ll need to talk to him. When could he come and see me?”

  “I’ll call him. If you like him he could stay with us. I will take Jose’s old bed back from the barn and paint it. It will be good.”

  Infected by his enthusiasm, Livi smiled. “Okay, arrange for him to come and discuss it with us. Will and Jose always worked with the yearlings for two full months leading up to the sales, so if they’re going to be prepared here he’d need to start at the beginning of August. Make that clear to him.”

  “I will. I tried to phone him after I talked with Rosa but he did not answer. I’ll keep trying.”

  ♠ ♠ ♠

  As soon as he arrived for work on Monday morning, Isidoro tapped on the kitchen door, evidently anxious to bring Livi up to date. He had spoken to his cousin late the previous evening and he’d promised to drive up that day. Isidoro was confident he’d found a workable solution to her predicament.

  Livi had already discussed Luis with Matt when he’d phoned her the night before and he suggested she should speak to the owner of Dry Gulch Farm and ask him for an honest assessment of his ex-foreman’s abilities. Matt had been quick to point out that if he came with good references, she could perhaps use him next year as well, after which, Isidoro should be more than competent himself.

  Matt assured her he had arrived safely in Napa at around three thirty and found the veterinary practice quickly. In reply to Livi’s question, he admitted he would be living for the next six weeks in a studio suite in an extended stay hotel in Fairfield, a few miles from Napa. He didn’t sound especially enthusiastic about his accommodation and he had little to say when she quizzed him about the senior partner who had met him at the clinic. He confessed he was already looking forward to his flying visit back to Walnut Grove, all being well in three weeks. Her heart ached for him; it was a pity he was being so ethical about honoring his obligation to the agency.

  They had talked for more than an hour, until Matt had finally admitted he was dog tired. As they bade each other goodnight, Livi recalled how little sleep he’d had on Saturday night.

  ♠ ♠ ♠

  Livi called Dry Gulch Farm and was rewarded with a glowing recommendation for Luis Solis (she now knew his second name), from the owner. He explained that Luis had decided to retire at age sixty three because of a recurring chronic back problem, but he’d had more than a year to rest and it shouldn’t prevent him from teaching and overseeing Isidoro. The owner said Luis had been foreman at the farm for ten years and readily admitted his expertise was missed.

  Livi put the phone down well satisfied, and when he arrived at Walnut Grove late in the morning, it seemed Isidoro’s cousin was indeed exactly the solution she needed. Just like Isidoro, he was quiet and courteous and when she questioned him he responded in a manner that instilled her with confidence. It was agreed he would work with his cousin throughout August and September and accompany him to the sales early in October.

  ♠ ♠ ♠

  Surprisingly, the subsequent two weeks sped past. Livi could hardly believe it when the Saturday of Chrissy’s departure arrived. There were no direct flights between Santa Barbara and Sacramento, so after much debate and significant resistance from Chrissy, who wanted to make the entire journey under her own steam, Livvy booked her daughter on a flight to San Francisco and arranged for a friend from the Bay Area to meet her and drive her to the veterinary college in Davis. Matt had volunteered to do it, but Livi was well aware how emergencies could devastate vets’ plans, and she didn’t want Crissy left stranded, waiting for him to turn up. She was gratified when Matt understood her concerns completely.

  Crissy’s flight departed at ten in the morning, and after delivering her to the airport, Livi didn’t immediately return to t
he farm; instead she killed time strolling around the shops, then drove to the Amtrack depot and sat in the parking lot watching as the Coast Starlight pulled majestically into the station, horn wailing mournfully. So much had happened in the intervening four weeks since she and Matt had boarded that same train and headed north. She brushed away a nostalgic tear and waited until the Superliner had disappeared completely before starting her car’s engine and setting off home.

  ♠ ♠ ♠

  Livi spent the next days anticipating Matt’s trip back the following weekend. On Wednesday, during his now routine evening call, he told her there was a change of plan; instead of flying down as she was expecting, he would be driving. The senior partner in the practice had told him he could extend his weekend by taking the Monday as well, and at such short notice he’d been unable to reschedule his return flight.

  He pointed out that it would most likely be gone ten when he reached Walnut Grove on Friday night, but Livi was ecstatic; an extra twenty four hours of his company was above and beyond what she had been expecting.

  Matt also told her he had arranged with Chrissy to drive across to the veterinary college the following afternoon; another piece of news which filled her with hope. All in all, they enjoyed an inherently upbeat conversation.

  When he called her later than usual on Thursday, Matt was unable to disguise a certain amount of buoyancy. Initially he assured her he had found Chrissy to be flourishing in her albeit short-lived independence, then he recounted a productive conversation with a senior professor who had undertaken to publicize Matt’s availability on the university grapevine. Livi put down the phone feeling distinctly optimistic.

  Friday, as she counted down the hours, then minutes to his arrival, Livi spent in a whirlwind of activity. She had enlisted Rosa’s help to clean the house, and she watched in awe as the little Mexican lady undertook the task with an enthusiasm for housework she had never been able to engender. Tentatively she asked Rosa if, for an agreed wage, she would consider undertaking the job on a regular standing, and was delighted when she agreed.