Groomed for Love

by Helen R. Myers

  “Thanks,” she told her uncle. “I swear, this has been a day for the books.”

  “Can I do anything so you can finish your lunch?” Roy nodded toward the front of the clinic. “We’re quiet up front for the moment.”

  “I so appreciate the offer, but I don’t think you’re up to putting metallic-pink nail polish on Annabelle Leigh.” The toy poodle belonged to the Leigh family, who owned a car dealership in Rusk and Tyler, and she was sitting patiently in her kennel in the first examination room, acting very satisfied with her wash and trim. All that remained was the polish and matching bow, and she could go home with Mrs. Leigh, who was picking her up within an hour.

  Roy made a face. “You’re right. I’ll end up with more polish on me than on the dog, and then never mind those guys out there teasing you. They’ll laugh me out of Texas.”

  “What you could do is take out Humphrey. That would be a big help, since the little fire hydrant just gulped down half a bowl of water. MG is okay. She’s still with Jackson.”

  “Poor Humph. Dumped for a big, strapping Lab,” Roy teased, going to collect the basset hound.

  Minutes later, just as Rylie finished Annabelle and returned her to her kennel, Gage came from the opposite side of the clinic. “I hate to bother you, but if you could give me five minutes, I could use your help with a Manx needing inoculations in Room Four. While I have no problem with most cats, that one acts like she wants to rearrange my face.”

  How odd, Rylie thought. “I always believed that breed was considered the sweetheart of the feline world. Do you think you have too much canine scent on you?”

  “No more than you, but—” he glanced over his shoulder to make sure the examination room door remained closed “—frankly, her owner is a pretty tough customer, too, and I think the cat picks up her negative vibes toward me.”

  Rylie was doubly surprised and intrigued. Gage was a 24K darling, and if you couldn’t get along with him, you probably needed psychiatric care. “Lead on. I have your back, boss.”

  Although prepared for anything, Rylie hesitated one step into room—not due to any concern for her or Gage’s safety, but rather for the unusual pair waiting for them. The Manx and owner were both attired in a smoldering gray, the cat endowed with luscious long fur, the woman, maybe in her late thirties, wearing a leather vest over a matching T-shirt and jeans. Of average height and build, the cat’s owner sported red hair, too, except it was a shade that could be achieved only via the help of chemistry. It also appeared that she cut her own hair, and not necessarily while looking into a mirror. However, considering her recent bad luck in the hair department, Rylie just adjusted her cap and continued inside.

  “This is Rylie. She’s going to assist me and hopefully reassure your pet.”

  With a smile, Rylie approached the table while calmly analyzing the situation. It was impossible to ignore the array of tattoos and body piercings adorning the woman. While they weren’t excessive, there were more than she could ever perceive of wanting. She couldn’t help but wonder where the hidden ones were located.

  Closing the door behind them, Gage finished the introductions before busying himself with getting the inoculations ready. “Rylie, this is Jane Ayer.”

  Rylie was sure she’d heard incorrectly. “Excuse me. Did you say—”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Jane said with equal parts weariness and sarcasm. “Spare me the jokes. Not that Jane Eyre. Spelled with an A. What’s more, the last time I was in a petticoat was in the seventh grade when I wore it with boots and a bustier to the junior-high dance that I was ejected from.”

  “Okay, point taken.” Usually when she met people with all of the body art that Jane sported, they tended to be fairly comfortable in their own skin. But Jane seemed on the defensive side, or at least sensitive. Hoping to ease that, Rylie focused on the tattoo on her forearm. “Love the panther. My brother has one coming over his shoulder like that. Your artist did a good job.”

  The woman had been staring hard at her, but Rylie’s observation seemed to at least trigger some curiosity. “Thanks. What does he do?”

  “Restores old houses. Up in New England.”

  Nodding thoughtfully, Jane stroked her cat on the examination table. “This is Rodeo.”

  Rylie tilted her head as she considered the gorgeous cat with her short torso and strong hindquarters. Of all the names she would have guessed for such an exotic breed, it wasn’t that. “Rodeo, huh? She’s a fair-size female, but she still looks a little delicate to be a bull rider.”

  At first, Jane looked as though she was going to rebuff her attempt at humor, but she finally said, “I named her that because of how she plays with the mice she catches.”

  “An alpha girl. I’m all for women handling their own vermin extermination.” Aware that Gage was taking an inordinate amount of time to make notations on the cat’s record sheet, which Roy would put into the computer, she added, “My favorite fable about how the Manx ended up with no tail is that they were on the slow end of getting to Noah’s ark and the door closed on them.”

  “Ha—not this one,” Jane replied. “She can smell when it’s going to rain for two days out. She’s not too fond of water, but then I rescued her from the rain barrel her previous owner had thrown her into. No telling how long she’d been paddling around in there trying to get a good grip in order to climb out.”

  Rylie looked sympathetically at Jane and then the cat. “How awful. But what a relief that you happened to be there to rescue her.” She was used to seeing welcome and good humor in this breed’s big eyes, but Rodeo was all caution, like her mistress. No doubt Gage was right about Jane giving the cat some unwanted signals—it happened with dogs all the time. But she’d believed cats were far too independent to be easily influenced—until now. “How does she prefer to be approached?”

  “Not at all. But she looks like she’s starting to be interested in you. Maybe it’s the hair.”

  Not a lot of it was showing. Rylie removed her hat, hoping her hair had been flattened enough by now not to look too ridiculous. If the cat thought redheads were okay, then that’s what she would use to gain her acceptance.

  Sure enough, the cat made a guttural sound not unlike a human saying, “Huh,” as in “Go figure.”

  “I think,” Rylie said to Jane, “if you wouldn’t mind shaking hands with me, I’ll be able to reassure her by having some of your scent on me. Unfortunately, I’ve just come from a poodle, and that can’t be welcoming news to her refined senses.”

  After a slight hesitation, the woman nodded and extended her hand. “Why didn’t you think of that, Doc?” Jane asked Gage.

  Ever the unflappable one, he finally glanced their way. “Because this is only your second visit and I didn’t know whom to be more afraid of, you or Rodeo.”

  Jane finally managed a real smile, though a reluctant one. “If I didn’t approve of you, I wouldn’t have come back.”

  Gage said to Rylie, “Jane brought in Rodeo a short time before you joined us, but Alpha Girl, as you call her, was having nothing of this place and Jane had to leave. I’ll admit that we had more dogs in the building that day. I recommended that she give Rodeo a few days to recover and try again. Baby steps and all that.”

  An almost palpable easing of tension spread throughout the room. Grateful, Rylie shook hands with the woman and then let Rodeo smell her before stroking the cat’s dense coat. The Manx gave what could have been a warning sound, only to flop onto her back and starting to play with Rylie’s fingers as though taunting a mouse before the kill.

  “Is this really play or am I about to become dinner?” Rylie mused.

  Jane snorted. “She’s not going to bite you. She’s just making sure you’re worthy of her grooming you. In other words, you’re okay. Like I said, she belonged to some jerk before I got her. He ran a gas station up north. To get her out of
harm’s way, I lit up the paper towel dispenser in the ladies’ bathroom to get his attention. We’ve been together ever since.”

  “Jane drives a Harley,” Gage offered as though he was reporting the weather. “Rodeo rides in a kennel on the backseat secured by a bungee cord.”

  Rylie whistled softly. “A Harley, huh? I would have to bench press this examination table for weeks before I could manage one of those. I’m very impressed,” Rylie told the no-nonsense woman.

  Rodeo started licking her fingers, drawing her attention back to the cat. “Well, you are one of a kind, aren’t you? Thanks for the affection.” She noticed that Gage was ready. “I’m sorry that we’re about to make you doubt your goodwill, but as the saying goes, it’s for your own good.”

  As Gage approached them with the first needle, he gave Jane a tentative look. “Go for it. It’ll be fine now,” Jane assured him. “If I’m okay with you, she will be.”

  That turned out to be exactly right. Rylie easily got a comfortable hold on the cat. Then Gage did his usual, admirable job in giving the shots quickly and with such minimal pain, Rodeo barely reacted.

  “It’s been real,” Gage said to the cat, as he retreated toward the door. “Rylie will get Roy up front to log this information and get you your tags,” he told Jane.

  “That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Rylie asked, ruffling the cat’s fur, while being careful to avoid the tender spots. “You just like to call the shots, don’t you?”

  “We both do,” Jane told her, all but sighing. “It sure would be nice not to have to.”

  Sensing a lonely soul, who was probably also hurt badly at some time, Rylie offered, “Stop by for a cup of coffee sometime when you have the time. You’ll find everyone here is pretty laid-back and accepting. People come and go all the time to shoot the breeze with the guys,” she added with a nod toward the reception area, “or to ask one of us if we know someone when they’re looking to find a pet or they’re hoping to locate a new home for one that they have to give up.”

  Jane didn’t look sold on the idea. “I’ll think about it. I stay pretty busy as it is.”

  “What do you do—if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “I’m helping out at the dairy farm on the east side of town. Rodeo likes that I get free milk whenever she wants it.”

  “Lucky kitty. Hard work for you, though.” Gesturing to the door that led back into the reception area, Rylie said, “Let’s get you finished up. Have you actually met my Uncle Roy? He’s been here for several years. I’m relatively new. He handles all of the front-desk stuff.”

  “I guess he’s the one who put us in this examination room and told us to wait on Doc. He’s kind of gruff.”

  “Oh, he has a deep voice, all right, but otherwise what you noticed was shyness. Except when he has to keep the guys in the corner straight. Then you’ll see how protective he is of ladies—not that they’ll say anything. They’re a sweet bunch, just ornery between themselves.”

  “I wondered what that was all about,” Jane said. “I guess it was so busy that I didn’t see them the last time I was here.”

  Leading the way to the counter, she waited as Roy handed another customer his receipt then came over to reach for the patient chart before Rylie could even say a word. Rodeo hissed and swatted at him, causing her uncle to recoil quickly.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” he protested. “I’m not the one who gave you those vaccinations.”

  As Rylie stroked the cat’s head, she quietly explained to her uncle, “Rodeo’s previous owner was abusive.”

  “Aw. Thanks for telling me. There should be a special hell for people like that—right next door to those who hurt kids.” Roy sighed. “She’s a real pretty specimen,” Roy said to Jane, only to give the chart a quizzical look. “You’ve been here before? Sorry. I must have been tied up with a delivery, Mrs. Ayer.”

  “Ms.” Jane glanced at him from under her short, unpainted lashes. “Rodeo here is the only family I have.”

  Roy nodded outside at her bike. “That’s a grand bit of machinery.”

  “Do you ride?”

  “Not in years.”

  Rylie tried not to gasp as his words jarred memories. “I’d almost forgotten, Uncle Roy.” When he all but ignored her, she looked from him to Jane and thought she saw something happening. Go figure, she thought. How often had she tried through the years to find out why there was no one special in his life, and here he was sending out signals. What’s more, Jane was sending her own back at him!

  “Now that I think about it,” Jane ventured, “I’ve seen you at the car wash from time to time scrubbing on your truck’s hubcaps.”

  “You probably did. I’m guilty of liking my vehicle looking like it did when I first drove it off the lot.” He started typing data into the computer. “I don’t guess I saw a bike like that while I was there, though.”

  “No, I take care of it at home. But I take my 1957 Chevy Impala to the car wash.”

  Roy’s gaze lifted from the screen in record speed. “The red one? Man, that’s a gorgeous machine. Did you happen to restore it yourself?”

  Jane acted as though she’d just been told she was the most beautiful woman on two continents. “I did, thank you. Everything on it is original.”

  Roy’s stare reflected his astonishment—and admiration. “Well, I am proud to meet you.” Cautious of Rodeo, he extended his hand, which Jane accepted. “So you like restorations?”

  “I like things well put together.”

  “Okay,” Rylie drawled, catching Jane give her uncle a slow once-over. “So I have a poodle going home in a minute, and I have to go prepare a ticket. Good meeting you, Jane.”

  “Oh, you, too, Rylie. And thanks!”

  Rylie decided she was the one who should be thanking Jane. She’d never seen her uncle show this much interest in a woman. Fascinating, since Jane’s style was a bit “out there,” and not the kind of look she would think her uncle responded to, but so much for her hunches. She sure wouldn’t mind if someone looked at her the way Roy was looking at Jane.

  Correction...not “someone.” Noah.

  No, she thought sadly. She’d pretty much ruined any possibility of that fantasy coming true after the way she’d run from him the other day. And slamming into that post had cinched things. Now more than ever, Noah undoubtedly thought she was too easy to resist.

  * * *

  It was minutes before closing time, and Rylie stood up front with Gage and Roy double-checking that today’s patients’ files had been thoroughly updated on the computer. In between they were joking with the guys in the corner, who’d just finished a game of dominoes and were packing up to leave. Gage was in a hopeful mood, thanks to the phones remaining quiet. With no emergency calls, he was going to make it home before dark for a change. As for Rylie, she was debating how to spend her evening.

  “Come to the VFW hall with us,” Roy told her. “It’s fish and chips night.”

  Before she could answer, Pete Ogilvie called, “Incoming,” and everyone’s attention was drawn to the parking lot.

  The sheriff’s SUV was pulling in. Occasionally a deputy came by to ask to put a dog in quarantine for having bitten someone, or to ask for help in getting a dead animal checked for rabies, but never Sheriff Marv Nelson himself.

  “What’s he doing here?” Roy asked. “He doesn’t have to campaign for another two years.”

  That won him a few chuckles, but they all kept their eyes on the vehicle as it parked up front. There were clearly two men inside, and when Noah Prescott emerged from the passenger’s side, Rylie felt a tightening in her chest. She also self-consciously ran her hand over her hair. She’d had a chance to quickly wash her short hair, but not much more. At least it wasn’t acting as if she’d gone headfirst into a tub of wall plaster.

  “Did you have a br
eak-in that you didn’t tell us about, Doc?” Warren chided from the corner. “Get some drugs stolen?”

  “Not lately,” Gage replied, his eyes narrowing as the men entered.

  Sheriff Nelson nodded to Gage and barely glanced at the others before his gaze settled on Rylie. “Miss Quinn?”

  “Yes, sir,” she said cautiously. Although he was an impressive man in height and girth, it was impossible not to look from him to Noah, who followed him inside. The look on Noah’s face was one of anger and distaste. “What’s going on?”

  “I have a warrant for your arrest.”

  Chapter Four

  Sheriff Nelson’s incredible announcement had Rylie reduced to staring at Noah. Now she understood his excessive interest in her the other day, and it had nothing to do with attraction. “What have you done?” she whispered.

  He would have to have been totally blind not to see her utter shock and despair, and he momentarily had the grace to look somewhat unsure of himself. But he rallied well enough. “Are you going to deny that you know what this is about?” he asked stiffly.

  “I suppose I can make a ballpark guess.”

  “Rylie!” Roy sounded as astonished as she was resigned. “What on earth...?”

  Reminded of the many eyes on her, she aimed her reassurance at her uncle and Gage. “It’s nothing like what you might be thinking. It had been my hope to get all of this taken care of before I explained. In fact I just sent the money for two of the tickets last week. There’s probably some delay in the processing,” Rylie added to Sheriff Nelson. “I can get you a copy of the checks. And I’m certain that I’ll have the other paid for by next month.”

  At that news, Gage frowned and crossed his arms over his broad chest as he eyed Marv and Noah. “Seriously, gentlemen? You want to let them haul her back to California for a couple of traffic violations?”