Cowboy on Call

by Leigh Riker

  “No, you’re right.” Logan nodded. “Guess I’d better give the vet a call.”

  “I could do that.” Sawyer wanted to make the appointment. Dealing with the horse would keep his mind off Olivia and Khalil. “You and Blossom planning to resume your honeymoon now?”

  Logan fiddled with the bridle in his hands. “As soon as Doc Baxter says Nick is okay to go home. To Barren, I mean.”

  Doc, he’d said. Logan hadn’t asked for Sawyer’s medical opinion lately, and while he didn’t want to practice himself or be responsible for Nick’s health, that hurt. Logan’s resentment ran deep, and Sawyer was still on probation. He’d be as useful as he could without prescribing pills or sewing up wounds. He would have to deal with the emotional ones, though, tricky as they might be to heal.

  Logan gestured toward the row of stalls. “You want to go for a ride?”

  The invitation surprised Sawyer. “Sure.”

  Logan headed for a stall. “Before Blossom and I take off again, I’m going over to Grey’s place. Have to return a post-hole digger I borrowed. Thought you might like to catch up with him and I need to give Sundance some exercise. Take Ginger. She’ll go easy on you.”

  Sawyer snorted. “You think I need ‘easy’? I could always take you, big brother.” They’d been born just shy of five minutes apart. “How about we sweeten this deal? Twenty bucks says I win.” He could already feel the horse, hooves pounding the ground, the exhilaration of galloping flat out with the wind in his hair. Then he remembered that field...and Olivia.

  Logan’s face clouded. “No race,” he said. “I’m a family man, not a daredevil kid.” He was referring to Sawyer as a teen. “I need to be in one piece when our baby comes.”

  “Spoilsport.” But Sawyer got that message, just as he had Olivia’s. He’d messed up again.

  They said nothing more to each other until they had saddled the horses, mounted up and were halfway to Grey’s ranch. Then it was Logan who spoke first.

  “Well. I’m married now—a happy man. Grey’s engaged to Shadow and he hasn’t stopped grinning since they made their announcement. What about you, Sawyer? I guess you’ve never tied the knot.” He paused, letting the words hang there for a moment. “Not that you’d probably tell me.”

  “No,” Sawyer said, in regard to being married. He reined Ginger around a big rock in their path. On the way by, one hoof grazed it and the bay horse’s iron shoe clanged as if landing in a horseshoe pit. He wanted to enjoy the ride, which felt even better to him than he’d expected. Ginger had a smooth, fluid gait that, at a lope, gently rocked him, lulled him into the state of peace he’d been seeking earlier. But Logan wouldn’t let the topic rest.

  “You seeing someone? Anyone serious?”

  “No,” Sawyer said again, running the fingers of his right hand through Ginger’s mane. Olivia’s image flashed in his mind. As if, he thought. “I’m too busy in Kedar to build a relationship.” Or I was. “The only woman I see other than local residents and patients is my partner Charlie’s wife. I love her to pieces, but not in that way.”

  “Huh,” Logan said. “At the risk of us sounding all touchy-feely, I’d hate to see you end up alone. You going to spend much more time in, where is it, Kedar? From the little you’ve told me, the place sounds dangerous.”

  The memory of the landslide, his dream, briefly overwhelmed him. “Can’t deny it’s a dangerous spot,” Sawyer said. “I’ll never forget the sound of the landslide there, rushing and roaring like it was warning everyone. But not in time. The whole mountain came down, Logan. It barely missed the clinic—and me.”

  He omitted the part about Khalil. He’d done enough talking with Olivia. Still, Logan’s knuckles whitened around Sundance’s reins. “The way I live is pretty much camping, except a tent might be fancier. I wash my clothes in a freezing mountain stream. My kitchen is a hot plate and a battered cooler when I can get ice.” But his personal comfort wasn’t the point. He didn’t want to sound as if his work at the clinic was some kind of sacrifice. He’d chosen that lifestyle. At times, he loved it.

  “I have a palace compared to most of my patients. At least I have a roof over my head, not too many leaks.”

  “You serious?”

  “Yeah.” Deadly. He wondered now how many of those patients had lost everything in the landslide. How many hadn’t survived. He’d have to ask Charlie about everyone next time. During their last call, he’d been so caught up in his weak explanation for his continued absence that he’d forgotten. Or maybe he’d simply wanted to avoid asking, to avoid feeling guiltier than he already did.

  Logan frowned. “You don’t have to live like that, Sawyer.”

  “I don’t mind roughing it. You should come visit,” he said, trying to lighten things up.

  Logan shook his head. With a slight movement of his legs, he nudged Sundance over the top of the hill. “I’ll pass. Blossom and I would like to help, though, with people there in such need.”

  “Thanks. I’ll let Charlie know.”

  “On the other hand, you can help here, Sawyer. That is why you’ve come back, isn’t it? I know Sam worries and we never know what’s going on with you. You never came home during med school or your residency, and we didn’t even know where you were for the past three years. A good thing, in a way. If Sam had known about the clinic, that landslide, he’d have worried even more. So would I.”

  “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

  “Maybe it’s time you came home for good. Settled down. Found someone to be with.”

  Had this been the whole point of their ride? “I figure that will happen when—or if—it happens. Wherever it does.”

  Logan grinned, looking a bit smug. “Most likely when you least expect it.”

  “Like you and Blossom? I’m happy for you, but I’m...okay on my own.”

  “I don’t think you’re okay,” Logan muttered just as they rode into Grey’s yard.

  * * *

  “WHAT’S THE VERDICT, DOC? You think Nick and I can go home today?”

  Olivia stood with Cyrus Baxter the next day in the Circle H foyer. He had sharp blue eyes that didn’t miss a thing and still-dark hair sprinkled with gray. Just like Grey, Logan and...Sawyer, Olivia had been his patient growing up. She’d known him all her life. Now he was Nick’s doctor—there were no pediatricians in Barren—and she badly wanted his blessing.

  “In my opinion, Nick’s good to go.” He glanced up the stairs. “I was glad to see him so bright and alert this morning. A far cry from the forlorn little boy I saw in the hospital. That hairline fracture should heal up nicely at his age. Of course, you’ll want to watch those headaches, but the analgesics seem to be working well. He seems comfortable.”

  Doc hefted his black medical bag, the same one Olivia had always feared as a girl. She still didn’t like needles or being poked everywhere and only last spring she’d had a brief health scare. She had to hide that uneasiness in front of Nick, though Doc’s touch with him was always gentle and his words reassuring.

  “Don’t you smother him now, Olivia,” he said. “Your boy has quite the spirit. I wouldn’t let him near Hero for a while, though. That’s all he talks about, isn’t it?”

  “Pretty much,” Olivia agreed with a smile. “His horse and Minecraft.”

  Doc laughed. “I didn’t let him drag me into that. I have other patients to see and those video games are beyond me.”

  Olivia saw him to the door. “I can’t believe you still make house calls.”

  “I’m a country doctor, Olivia. Sometimes I’d rather go to a person than make them come into town when they’re feeling poorly. Gets me out of the office, too,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Now and then Ida’s voice can shred my nerves—and how that woman loves to gossip.”

  She lightly poked his arm. “You adore her, Doc.”
r />   “Yes, I do. But after forty-plus years as man and wife, I need fresh air and a change of scene sometimes. Speaking of which—”

  The back door opened before he could finish. Sawyer walked in from the kitchen to the front hall. When he saw Doc, he grinned. “Hey, great to see you again.” He folded Doc into a warm embrace, the two thumping each other’s backs in some ritual male greeting.

  Olivia wondered if Sawyer had seen Doc at the hospital, or if he’d avoided him as he had Nick. At least now she knew why.

  “Heard you were back in town,” Doc said, easing away. His gaze roamed over Sawyer’s face and body with a critical eye. “Bit thin there, youngster. Need to put on some weight.”

  “I’ve had so much on my mind lately. I forget to eat.”

  But Olivia, who sometimes forgot, too, wondered if he was telling the truth. Or if, in Kedar, there wasn’t enough food. She thought he looked just fine, but she could imagine Sawyer giving his portion away to someone in greater need. Like the child he’d told her about. As much as she resented the way he’d avoided Nick, she’d been able to see the pain he still felt.

  “We had a landslide in Kedar at the clinic where I work,” he told Doc. “With so many people who needed help, there wasn’t often time to fix a meal.”

  “Heard about that slide,” Doc said. “Near Tibet?”

  “And Nepal. It’s a tiny country, without much infrastructure—even less since the disaster. They’ll have a hard fight to come back. Other than a bit of agriculture—they’re great farmers—there was a small tourism industry, but the landslide wiped that out, too. And foreign investors are wary right now.” Sawyer added, “Then there are the various tribal groups, always on the verge of war with each other.”

  Doc shook his head. “I admire you, Sawyer. Not sure I could practice in such a remote area. But then, I’m much further along in my career than you are.”

  Olivia stood back, enjoying their talk. She always enjoyed Doc.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can practice,” he said. “The hours alone are killing me. We’ve got a small walk-in clinic now, which is progress, and they handle emergencies and overflow, but I’m the only doctor with a regular practice and an ongoing client list.”

  “We all rely on you,” Olivia put in. “You aren’t really thinking of retiring?”

  “Thinking about it, talking, is all. I’d need to find someone to buy my practice so Ida and I can travel some. One of our boys is in Chicago, the other lives in Seattle,” he told Sawyer. “We don’t see them nearly enough and we’d like to while we still can. The grandkids, too, of course. Oh, and then there’s Ida’s notion. She thinks we need to see Eastern Europe. That’s on her bucket list, she says. Her people came from Poland, you know.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Olivia said. She noticed Sawyer had stopped talking. He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if the conversation about Kedar had brought back the memory of that lost boy. His fault, he’d claimed. Which must hurt even more.

  Doc switched his medical bag from one hand to the other. “Well, better be on my way. Promised I’d stop by the Sutherland ranch to see Ned. He’s been feeling down since his stroke. Needs regular cheering up. Between me and Shadow Moran at the Mother Comfort agency, we manage.” He smiled. “Don’t know if he’ll feel that cheery when he sees me with this bag. Most people don’t.” He shook Sawyer’s hand. “Take care of yourself. Don’t forget to eat. I’ll finish my calls by lunchtime. Then Ida and I are off for a few days to see Vegas.”

  “You won’t be here?” Olivia tensed. Who would care for Nick?

  “Didn’t Logan tell you? I talked to him on the phone before I left the office. Told him I’d make sure Nick is all right before we leave. Gave him the go-ahead for that honeymoon. No, we’re taking a brief holiday. Haven’t had a vacation in years.”

  Olivia blinked. “But then who—what if Nick needs—”

  “That young man who runs the clinic is on call—if he’s not out in his boat fishing or on a hike.” Doc glanced at Sawyer. “And you have a doctor right here. You make house calls, Sawyer?”

  Olivia saw him flinch. “In Kedar, yes.”

  Doc fished in his pocket for something, then pressed a set of keys into Sawyer’s hand before he could object. “Supplies and charts are in my office. If need be, you can make one in Barren.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE BELL RANG AGAIN, but Olivia didn’t get there in time. Nick dashed past her shouting, “I’ll get it!” He flung open the front door.

  “You’re supposed to be in bed, young man,” she said, then stopped.

  On the steps to her house in downtown Barren stood her stepmother, blinking in the afternoon sunlight with Olivia’s father behind her. In the few years she and Nick had lived here, Everett had never come to visit—certainly not before he married Liza.

  “Gramps,” Nick said, barreling into his arms.

  Absorbing the boyish impact, Everett let out a whoosh of breath. “Hold on, there, Nicky. Let us come in first. Then you can see what we’ve brought.” He was carrying a big bag from a toy store in town and held it out from his side so he wouldn’t crush whatever was in it. “We can come in, can’t we?” he asked Olivia.

  “Liza, Everett,” she said weakly. She hadn’t called him Dad in years. What on earth were they doing here now? Well, obviously bringing her son a present. Since Olivia had been thirteen and moved away from Wilson Cattle when he and her mother had divorced, Everett had come bearing gifts. Like the Trojan horse. Only this time the gift was for Nick.

  Everett had called him Nicky, which only Logan had ever done, and Olivia stepped back from the doorway. Maybe Everett wanted to be a better grandfather, if not to make some deeper emotional connection. It was a thoughtful gesture. Nick had had a rough time lately. “By all means, come in.”

  Liza kissed her cheek. Her square-cut diamond engagement ring sparkled on her slender hand, anchored by a slim platinum wedding band. As usual, she wore an attractive dress, this one a summery teal blue with sandals.

  Smoothing her dark hair, she said, “We’re on our way back to Dallas, but we didn’t want to leave town without checking on Nick.” She drew him close, making Nick grimace. Since his seventh birthday last spring, he’d decided hugs and feminine attention were taboo. “How are you doing?” Liza asked. “Feeling better?”

  “I’m better enough to ride,” he said. “But Mom and Dad won’t let me.”

  Taking a chance, Liza kissed the top of his head. “Listen to your parents.”

  “Thank you,” Olivia murmured. She ushered them into the living room just off the narrow front hallway.

  Her house wasn’t big or fancy, like the condominium Everett and Liza owned in Texas, but she and Nick had made a home here, and Olivia wouldn’t trade it for anything—except a larger place. They had outgrown the space, but if they did move, it would be hard to leave, unlike the Circle H, where that spring flood, like a last straw, had put an end to her marriage.

  And not like Wilson Cattle, either. After that painful move into town from the ranch with her mother, she’d spent some miserable summers and occasional holidays there, mostly avoiding Everett. Her mother blamed him for their broken marriage and so, then, did Olivia. With Grey, her father had the common bond of the ranch and he’d been eager to teach her brother the ropes. She’d become a rebellious teenager, acting out whenever she saw Everett until, finally, she rarely did see him. She’d imagined he must have felt relieved.

  Her best, and earlier, memories were of spending time with her brother, Logan and Sawyer. Building snow forts by the barn after a blizzard, dragging home the Christmas trees they’d cut down for each of their houses and putting on the lights, hanging the ornaments, singing Christmas carols. Splashing their horses through the creek on a lazy summer afternoon.

  Then later, Sawyer kissing
her in the hayloft for the first time, altering their friendship forever. Thinking she was in love. Racing with the wind in her hair...before Jasmine had tripped in the hole.

  That memory had changed everything again. Olivia didn’t trust easily, and she couldn’t trust Sawyer. Now he was home, at least for the time being, bringing all those memories alive. Churning up her emotions. Had she always felt this drawn to him even when, clearly, he wasn’t good for her?

  In the living room, Everett presented the shopping bag to Nick as if it were filled with precious gems. And apparently to Nick, it was. When he saw the huge Lego Minecraft set, he whooped in delight. “Wow! Mom! Look what I got from Gramps!”

  “And Liza,” Everett put in, giving Nick a nod in her direction. Her father’s eyes lit up when his gaze met hers.

  “Oh. Yeah, thank you...too.” Nick had told Olivia the night before, their first night home again, that he didn’t know what to call Liza.

  “Did you get it from the toy store here? Daddy bought me a black truck like his there and I love it. How did you know what I wanted?” Nick stared, as if transfixed, at the detailed image on the box.

  Olivia could tell he was barely restraining himself from tearing it open, scattering the million or so pieces everywhere and starting to put them together. Or trying to. Olivia thought the model looked far too hard for a seven-year-old boy even though Nick had excellent fine motor skills and liked building things.

  Liza sent him a fond smile. “Your dad may have made a suggestion. I’m glad you like it, Nick.” The look she gave Olivia was more pointed. “Maybe you and I could make coffee, take time for a little girl talk while Nick and Everett start on the Legos.”

  The not-so-subtle hint galvanized Olivia. “Of course. I should have offered sooner.” She was not only a bad daughter; she was being rude. “I think we have some cookies left. Nick loves the chocolate chip ones from Annabelle’s Diner.” She led the way into the kitchen, leaving Everett and Nick to admire his Minecraft set.