Rory’s Rose

by Dale Mayer

  Nancy’s face brightened. She hopped up from her chair, grabbed her purse and said, “Thank you so much.”

  Louise laughed. “No, it’s me who should be thanking you. The goats were in a tough spot.”

  Nancy nodded. “John’s a sweetheart. When he walked into the clinic, I knew for sure you would be racing out to help.”

  Louise walked outside with Nancy and waved her off. Then she turned to face both men, feeling the fatigue pull at her. “If you’re both going to yell at me, why don’t you just get it over with, and then you can tell everybody else you did, so I don’t have to listen to it more than once.”

  At that Logan gave a half shout of laughter and turned away. “Not me,” he said. “Rory roared enough for both of us.”

  She switched her gaze to Rory and realized he was steaming mad. As in his shoulders rumbled and shook with it. Even under the brim of his hat she could see his steely glare. She stared at his clenched fists and wondered why even the sight of him in this condition didn’t send her running in fear. She knew he was seriously in control. She wondered if he ever lost it. Even if he did, she was pretty sure there would be a hole in the nearest wall and his fist would never come near her face.

  She walked up to him, wondering how to disarm his temper. She dropped her purse, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a great big hug. His arms came around her and held her close. She caught the look on Logan’s face as he turned to see the two of them. She winked at him. His face split into a big grin, and he turned the corner of the clinic.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you,” she whispered against Rory’s ears. “I should have sent you a text when I arrived, and, yes, I should have told you where I was going before I ever left.”

  His only response was to hold her closer.

  She stood like that for a long moment, letting him unwind. The trouble was, she just wanted to snuggle in, close her eyes and rest. “I know you’re still upset with me. But, if we can go home now, I’d really like to get some food and go to sleep.” She waited for him to respond, and, when it came, it wasn’t what she expected. But it made her feel so damn good.

  He sighed. It seemed to roll up from his belly, through his chest and release as a huge letting go.

  She realized just how tensely he’d been holding himself and just how worried he’d been.

  He took a step back, grabbed her face gently between his hands and said, “If you ever do that to me again …” and left his words hanging.

  She smiled, understanding his concern came, not because she had disobeyed him or because she had been foolish, but because he had been seriously worried about her. That made her feel all that much better—and all that much worse.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “When John came in, needing his goats looked after, he was almost in tears. I actually have one more house call I’m supposed to make, so I have to go there now. Can you come with me, or do you need to stay here and help Logan?”

  “Harrison’s arrived with the parts we needed from town,” Rory said. “So I’m coming with you. But I have to tell them where we’re going.” He grabbed her hand in his and said, “I’m not letting you go while I do it.” He kept her hand in his while he talked to the other two men. They both managed to keep their faces straight, but she could see the merriment in their eyes at his behavior.

  She smiled at Harrison and asked, “Will we see you tomorrow, or will you be done today?”

  “I’m here to help as long as needed.”

  “I’ll be here for sure tomorrow,” Logan said. “We’re hoping to get the system up and running tonight. We added a few extra elements to it. That complicated things. Plus, of course, today wasn’t the easiest.”

  Logan looked over at Harrison and said, “We’ll have to do some tests in the morning. Plus I want to see what happens on the video—see if we got the angles correct. So I’ll be back in the morning for sure.”

  She reached out a hand to shake Harrison’s hand, and he just snorted, spreading out his arms. She walked into them for a hug. “I hadn’t realized so many of Levi’s men were huggers,” she exclaimed.

  “We weren’t,” Logan said. “But we’ve all been converted by the women in our lives.”

  She beamed at the two men and said, “Good, I’m glad to hear that.” She turned back to Rory. “You ready to go?”

  He stood in front of her, frowning. “Where are we going and how long will we be?”

  She smiled. “It’s about twenty minutes from here. We’re going to Haggerty’s Ranch. They’ve got two mares I need to check on.” She turned toward Logan and Harrison. “We should be about forty minutes. I’ll get Rory to check in when we’re leaving.”

  Both men nodded. “You need to check in every time you do something. If you go straight home from there, let us know when you get back to the apartment. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll assume you’re in trouble,” Logan warned. “We’re on high alert at all times now. Just because they’ve caught these two gunmen doesn’t mean jack shit. Until this is over, … you have to stay safe.”

  She sobered. “I know. I’m sorry for taking off and not letting you guys know before.” She added, “I’m sure Rory will keep a good eye on me for the rest of the evening.”

  The men’s smirks flashed briefly and disappeared. “I’m sure he will,” Harrison said in a quiet tone. “That’s because he cares. We all do. Nobody wants to see you hurt when it’s avoidable.”

  Sober and chastised, she nodded and walked toward the parking lot with Rory. “Are you okay to drive? Otherwise we can swing past my place and pick up my truck.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll drive.”

  “Okay. We’re taking a right as soon as we get out of the parking lot onto the main road.”

  They got in, buckled up, and he turned on the engine.

  As he backed out, she couldn’t help glancing around to make sure nobody watched them. “I wonder if I’ll ever drive this section and not think of the men who died here.”

  “I hope not. Because it will always be a reminder to be careful and of how simple things in life can turn nasty. No, I don’t want you to remember the pain and the panic and the fear. But, as a reminder of life’s tough lessons, it’s not a bad one.”

  “Any update on the two deputies?”

  He nodded. “One didn’t make it.”

  She gasped and subsided into silence. That wasn’t what she’d wanted to hear. After a moment, she asked, “What about the two shooters taken into custody?”

  “Like the other two, they aren’t talking.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand that.”

  “Because they know, if they do talk, they’re in trouble.”

  “But if they don’t talk, they’re in trouble anyway. Plus how do their big bosses not know that these guys are spilling their guts? So what difference does it make?” she asked. “At least this way they might have a chance at getting free and clear of all this.”

  “But they don’t know what that means. This is probably a lifestyle for them. They don’t know what it’s like not to be on the wrong side of the law and to have a normal nine-to-five job and a family to come home to. They don’t think it’s bad at all to be in jail. To them it’s just a way of life. It’s them against us.”

  “Until it’s them against them,” she retorted.

  He nodded. “They know that too, but they also understand, if they break from their usual system, they’ll get taken out. This way, at least being higher up the food chain than the men they killed means they might be saved.”

  “Meaning, it depends on how much value they have to the drug bosses?”

  “Exactly.”

  The next few minutes were busy as she gave directions. She hoped they wouldn’t be long at Haggerty’s, but it was hard to say. It all depended on the mares. One had a terrible time conceiving, but she was racing stock with the highest pedigree. Haggerty desperately wanted a foal from her. Unfortunately it didn’t matter
how good the pedigree was if the mare couldn’t breed successfully. Of course her eggs could be taken and frozen. That was certainly a possibility.

  But not an option they would have to take if Mother Nature could be coaxed into cooperating. Which she must have as they’d been lucky when the mare had caught, and Haggerty had been babying her ever since.

  When Louise and Rory finally pulled into the long driveway, she was happy to see Haggerty himself at the barn waiting for her.

  He beamed at her. “Mona Lisa is looking lovely,” he cried out.

  She smiled at his pet name for the horse who had too many names to actually say them every time. Louise walked over to the mare heavy with her pregnancy. The mare nuzzled her hands and neck. Louise spent several moments talking to her and then checked her over.

  “She’s holding nicely, and her size is good. Her heartbeat is strong, and her vitals are steady.” Then she checked the mare’s cervix. “She’s doing fine.” Louise turned back to Haggerty. “I don’t think she’ll foal tonight. But I’d say, in the next four or five days, we’ll be dealing with a little one.”

  Haggerty beamed. “I can’t wait.”

  “What about Moonrise?”

  He nodded and said, “I’ve got her in the stall next to us. I think she’ll be first.”

  Moonrise was an easier case. She was just young. A little bit too young to be in this situation, but, because of her size, Louise hoped it wouldn’t be a problem. They walked over to see a dusky-gray mare lying on her side in the barn. Louise talked to Moonrise, who knew her well, while gently checking her over.

  “Right.” She stood and faced Haggerty. “I’d say give it twenty-four, maybe forty-eight hours.”

  “That’s what I figured.” He looked to be a happy man, rubbing his hands together intently as he thought about the coming day. “It would be nice if we get through this with two live foals,” he said.

  He turned to Rory and shook his hand. “I don’t know if she’s told you anything about my babies here, but we’ve been trying for a couple years to get Mona Lisa to catch.”

  “Louise didn’t have a chance to tell me too much. But I was raised in a ranching family, so I understand.”

  Haggerty nodded. “Nothing’s quite like it.”

  The two men talked while Louise washed up, collected her bag and walked to Rory’s vehicle. “Give me a shout if you are concerned at all when Moonrise goes into labor.”

  “I’m hoping she’ll be okay. But you can bet, Doc, I’ll be giving you a call.”

  After a wave goodbye, Rory backed out the vehicle, and they headed down the long driveway. “That looks like very rewarding work,” he commented.

  “It is when Mother Nature is good. But when she shows her bitchy side, it can get very difficult,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure how Mona Lisa is going to do.”

  “That’s tough.”

  She nodded. “He’s had her for a long time. Raised her from a filly. Every time she miscarried, he cried a little bit more.”

  Once they hit the main road, she sank back into her seat and said, “I’m proud of the fact I survived all of today on that little bit of sleep. But I really could use a good night’s sleep tonight.”

  “If we’re lucky, we will get it,” he said with a smile. He looked out at the highway and said, “Are you okay to go home now?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I want a hot shower and to go to bed.”

  “What about dinner?”

  “If we’d thought of it, we could have grabbed the leftover Chinese food.”

  “I did think of it,” he said with a laugh. “It’s in the back.”

  She twisted around, and, sure enough, the cartons sat on the back seat. “In that case, that’s dinner.”

  “A little on the skimpy side,” he warned.

  “That’s okay. Maybe I’ll have a hot piece of toast too. Can’t be bothered to do much more than that,” she said, covering her mouth as a yawn threatened to overtake her.

  “Home it is then.”

  She rested in the vehicle, trying not to even think about the crazy day she’d had. As they pulled up to her apartment, she smiled and said, “Nothing like being home.” She hopped out, and, with him at her side, they worked their way up to the apartment.

  When she got to the door, she pulled out her key, but he took it from her, went to push it in, only the door slipped open. He slammed the door closed and pushed her behind him.

  She stared at him in horror, the color draining from her face. “What’s the matter?”

  “Did you lock it this morning?” he asked.

  She frowned. “I don’t know. I presume so. I always lock it.” But she stared down at the key in his hand and wondered. Had she? If she had, then why had the door just pushed open? She took a deep heavy breath. “Can I go in?”

  He shook his head. “Not alone. I don’t know if somebody is in there waiting, but we’re not taking the chance. Keeping you safe is my first priority.” He quickly rushed her back down the stairs and out to his truck. “We’ll see if the guys are still at the clinic.”

  She glanced at her watch and said, “If we don’t contact them in five minutes, they’ll be here anyway. At least they will be if they mean what they say.”

  He shot her a look. “Always count on them meaning what they say.” He pulled out his phone and called Logan. “Are you guys at the clinic?”

  “Yeah, just finished. Loaded up the truck with the rest of the tools. Why?”

  “I want you to come here. Her apartment was unlocked. I have her with me back outside. Her place needs to be searched.”

  “Hey,” she said from beside him, “I could have just stayed in the hall.”

  But, in the background, he could hear Logan saying, “No problem. We’ll be there in ten.”

  Rory turned to face her and said, “What if somebody is in the apartment? Or more than one person? What if I walked in, and they pulled a gun on me. It would be a piece of cake to grab you and drag you inside too.”

  She frowned at him. “So it’s okay for you to go in and have somebody pull a gun on you?” She shook her head. “Hell, no. So far, the only assholes we’ve seen have been trigger-happy. Nobody’s pulling a gun on anybody.”

  He gave her a flat gaze that made her squirm.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and said, “You’re not the boss, so stop trying to make me cower.”

  At that, his eyebrows rose. “I would never do that,” he protested.

  She thought about it and then realized he was right. He was just making sure she understood the gravity of the situation. She sagged back in her seat. “How long do you think we have to wait?”

  “Just until Logan gets here.”

  “How did the bad guys know where I live?”

  “That’s easy,” he said. “Just think about it. The clinic has your name on it. They can look up your personal info in no time.”

  She stared at the apartment building. “If they trashed anything …”

  “They might have. I couldn’t see much. And I didn’t want to take the time to look.” He peered through the windshield. “Hopefully we can see anyone as they try to leave.”

  “Sure, but there’s a back way to the parking lot,” she said. “My vehicle is there, remember?”

  He nodded. “So let’s drive around and take a closer look.”

  “But then somebody could come out the front,” she said in a reasonable tone. “You really need to leave me alone and go check it out yourself.”

  “Not happening.” His tone held no room for defiance.

  She muttered, “You’re really bullheaded.”

  “Yes, I am. On some things.”

  Just as he decided whether to turn on the engine, Logan pulled up beside him. They rolled down the windows, and Harrison asked, “Have you been inside?”

  Rory shook his head. “So far nobody’s come out the front, and nobody’s driven out of the parking lot. The property is fenced, so it’s possible someone jumped it a
nd took off that way.”

  Logan said, “I will park around back. We will go in that way. You two go in the front, and we’ll meet up in the apartment.”

  Rory nodded. He hopped out and motioned to Louise to come with him. As she got out and slammed the door, she muttered, “Oh, so now I get to go inside. You could’ve left me in the vehicle too, you know.”

  “You’re not to be alone. Deal with it.”

  She rolled her head, easing the tension in her neck. He took her hand and gently tugged her toward him. With an arm wrapped around her shoulder, he held her close. “We’ll take the elevator, and the guys can take the stairs.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “Is that fair? They’ve had a long day.”

  “Do you want to take seven flights of stairs?”

  She thought about it and shook her head. “I am really tired.”

  “Exactly.”

  When they reached her floor, instead of going directly to her apartment, Rory leaned against the wall across from the elevator and waited. She leaned beside him and said, “What are we doing?”

  He chuckled. “Waiting.”

  She sighed. “I can see that much. But what else are we doing?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said in a thoughtful tone. “But I think we’re getting to know each other. Matter of fact, we’re probably past all that initial stuff and heading right into getting to know each other very well.”

  “But that’s almost a step away from having a relationship,” she said. “So unless that’s in either of our plans …”

  He grinned. “I really do like your sense of humor.”

  She shook her head. “You just like the fact you can tell me to stay, and I generally obey.”

  “I like that too. But it sure didn’t work today when I told you not to leave the clinic alone.”

  “It wouldn’t work again either if I had to deal with another patient, and nobody was there to go with me.”

  Just then Logan and Harrison walked through the stairs’ double doors. The foursome then headed down the hall quietly. Logan took the far side of the apartment door with Harrison on the other side. On the count of three they entered. Rory stood at the doorway with Louise behind him. She tried to see over his shoulder or around his body, but she could see nothing clearly. Just the hall to the kitchen. She could hear the men calling out, “Clear,” as they swept through her apartment. Finally Rory pushed open the door and said, “You can come in.”