“That’s not what’s bothering me,” Megan argued, slapping down a card. “Actually, I don’t know what’s bothering me. Just settling back into everyday life, I guess.”
Lil nodded, understanding how hard it must be for her friend. She smacked her trump card on top of Jake’s suit king and winked. “Got them this round!”
Gawking at the countryside, Fletch’s tire hit a pothole that shook his car so violently that it resonated throughout his entire body. Belatedly, he hit the brakes and drove at a slower speed. Only five miles lay between the Landis farm, where he’d been doing some more blood draws, and Marshall’s Plain City Farm Shelter.
He was supposed to meet Vic at the shelter. He turned the steering wheel and entered the long gravel lane, glancing over the pasture. There was even a pond for waterfowl. An old barn appeared to have been remodeled. When he hit the brakes, a small cloud of dust rose over the hood of his car. When it settled, he saw the welcome sight of his mentor’s son striding toward him.
Fletch jumped out of the car and waved at the muscle-clad bodybuilder. “Marcus!”
“Hey, man. I recognized your car.” The two men embraced and then stepped apart. “How’s it going Fletch?”
“Good. I lost track of you. I had no idea we were living right next to each other. Until I spoke with your dad.”
“I was on my way to the barn. Walk with me?” They fell into step as Marcus explained, “All along, Dad intended to head this project up himself. He wanted to surprise ya with it. But he’s been having some health issues, and his doctor set him up for some testing. He sent me out instead.”
“Marshall didn’t mention any of that. I hope it’s nothing serious.”
“I doubt it. Probably just an old malaria flare-up or something. He’s still as forceful as ever.”
Fletch knew that Marcus often resented his dad’s take-charge attitude, but mostly they got along. He and Marcus often joked about their domineering dads. Amazingly, there had never been any jealousy or animosity between the two of them. Rather, they’d gotten along like brothers, estranged by location rather than choice, always happy to get reacquainted after long periods of separation. Of course, they were as different as night and day. Marcus came from a family of money and opportunity.
Fletch was happy to spend some time with Marcus on this new project. He was sure his benefactor had been delighted to put his two favorite people together. They entered the barn, and Fletch halted at the sight of a tall blond woman kneeling over a shivering lamb.
Marcus didn’t seem to notice his hesitation and introduced her as Ashley. The blond stood and dusted off her low-slung jeans.
“Nice to meet ya, Fletch.”
Marcus ran a hand over his shiny, shaved head. “Hey, man, Ashley’s going to be our other staff person.”
Fletch arched an inquisitive brow. “Other?”
“Well you’re coming on board, aren’t you?”
“Didn’t Marshall tell you why I’m in Ohio?”
“Yeah, working for Vic’s veterinary clinic.”
Fletch felt an unfamiliar bristling that Marshall and Marcus both took his involvement for granted. His schooling and work were both difficult and time consuming. “Actually, I’m meeting Vic here I’m on his timecard these days.”
As if Ashley had read his mind, she smiled and went for the throat of the matter. “That’s just a technicality. Everybody is overworked. That’s life, right?”
A voice from the open barn door interrupted their conversation. “I guess I’m at the right place?” Grateful for Vic’s timely appearance, Fletch made the introductions. Vic’s attention instantly riveted onto the lamb. “What have we got here?”
Marcus replied. “A couple out for a country drive found the little guy discarded on a pile of dead carcasses. They saw the lamb move.”
Ashley handed Vic a clipboard containing documentation of the treatment the lamb had already received.
“When was its last feeding?” Vic asked.
“It’s recorded there,” Ashley pointed out. “It’s time now.”
“Good. Fletch, let’s increase the formula. You get the pleasure this time.”
Fletch mixed up the formula according to Vic’s instructions. He twisted the bottle’s screw cap and dropped to his knees. Taking the lamb in his lap, he felt himself melt when it started sucking the large rubber nipple.
As Fletch fed the animal, Vic explained, “Lambs need gentle treatment because even trauma can lead to pneumonia. Most likely, though, it was just inadequate colostrum in the ewe’s milk. Makes the babies more susceptible to pneumonia. Could also be lungworm. The lamb’s on the same medication I would have prescribed.” He scribbled some notes on the clipboard. “I see nobody’s done a blood draw, but you should keep the lamb isolated, anyways.” While Fletch continued to feed the baby, Vic examined its hindquarters for fly-strike, but explained that all looked good on that account.
“Will the lamb pull through?” Ashley asked.
“It’s too soon to tell,” Vic replied.
When he was finished, Fletch nestled the baby into some straw and went with Vic to complete their rounds. There weren’t many animals yet. Only two needed treatment: an old horse that a farmer had brought in to live out the remainder of its life and a cow that had managed to escape on its way to the slaughterhouse.
As they worked, Marcus talked about the farm shelter. “That cow brought us newspaper publicity.”
Fletch discovered that Marshall had purchased the sixty-acre farm, donating it to the animal shelter. The farm included a white, two-story house that was getting some updated wiring to satisfy the inspector’s code. The house had several bedrooms that had been turned into dorms to house their volunteers. Ashley was in charge of donations, and she’d gotten the farm connected with a university’s agricultural program that supplied them with volunteers and grants.
“You’ve already done an amazing job with this place,” Fletch said, holding the steer’s lead so that Vic could examine its mouth.
“Yeah, man, the barn has been totally reinforced. Ashley got some contractors to donate new siding, paint, and roofing.”
“Do you put the animals up for adoption?”
“Yeah, but not to get butchered. So keep your eyes and ears open.” Marcus chuckled. “It’s kinda like getting religion. These animals got saved, and now they receive life.”
Fletch frowned, thinking it was a blasphemous analogy, but he got the point. “I’ll let you know if anything turns up.”
“Great. Can I take ya out to dinner when you’re done here?”
Fletch glanced over at Vic.
Vic nodded. “Sure, I’m headed home after this. Come straight to the clinic in the morning.”
Fletch agreed, glad to catch up with Marcus but hoping his mentor’s son didn’t exert more pressure on him to help out at the farm shelter.
“Calm down,” Lil told her sister over the phone. “Where are you now?”
“At the hospital.”
Lil couldn’t believe a family member was in the hospital again. “I’ll be right there.”
“No. That’s not necessary. Tom is taking care of everything. The neighbor girl’s sitting the kids. It’s just that the x-rays show that my ankle’s broken, and I don’t know how I’m going to manage.”
Lil anxiously thought about the six weeks or longer that her sister would be laid up with a cast on her ankle. Michelle’s garden was in full swing. It was her sister’s pride and joy. As Lil’s mind scurried for some scrap of assurance to give Michelle, she saw herself adding her sister’s work to her already heavy load. It was impossible. Unless … a plan began to formulate.
“Look, sis. I know it seems bleak, and you’re probably in a lot of pain right now, but I think we can make this work for the good.”
“How is a broken ankle good?” her sister bemoaned.
“It might be the motive Mom needs to get out of bed.”
“You’re thinking if you help me, she’ll get
up and do her work? But she wasn’t doing anything before you moved home. I don’t think that will change.”
“But I’m not coming to help you. I’m dropping her off at your place.”
“What! You’re going to make me deal with her depression, too? You don’t understand. I don’t know how I’m going to manage as it is.” Thinking with resolve about Fletch’s advice that her mom needed a purpose, Lil didn’t back down from her newly formed plan. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her in the car. Then I’m dropping her off at your place and driving away. And you’re not getting out of your bed until she helps.”
“But Lil … I called for reassurance, not more complications.”
“I really think it will work. She can’t resist her grandchildren. She won’t let them go hungry or run around looking like those ragdolls we used to have. Remember those?”
“Yeah.” Michelle still seemed leery. “The girls do miss her. I do, too.”
“Meanwhile, you pamper yourself. Haven’t you always wished for some time for yourself?”
“That part sounds good. But I don’t know if I can turn a blind eye to what’s going on in the house. What if Mom just sits on the couch and stares out the window? What then?”
“She chipped in when I needed her to help me with Katy’s wedding cake.”
Michelle’s voice heartened. “Maybe.”
“It will work. You sure you don’t want me to come to the hospital or go sit with the girls?”
“No. I just needed to vent. We’re fine here. I can’t believe I fell down the porch steps. What a klutz.”
“Everything’s going to be fine, sis. I’ll go tell Mom about your accident. Give her some time to stew about it. Who knows? She might even offer.”
“She won’t.”
“You’re right. But I’ll be over tomorrow morning with Mom in tow.”
“Ouch! Oh! Careful! Ow! Gotta go.”
Lil flinched at the sound of her sister’s pain. In the background, she had heard a stranger’s voice, no doubt a physician or nurse who had come into the room to examine her injury. She wondered if she’d asked too much of Michelle. It would probably take both Mom and herself to adequately fill in for Michelle, because honestly, if anybody was the family cyclone, it was her sister. But they would make do. They always did. And just maybe, if Fletch was right, her plan would work.
For an instant her thoughts went back to the last time she’d schemed. She had teamed up with her cousin Jake, working as a matchmaker, to help him win Katy’s love. When Katy discovered her interference, she’d been furious. Mom would get mad, too. Lil hoped this didn’t backfire on her.
CHAPTER 11
Fletch squinted at the blinding glare of the sun rising over the horizon. Beside him, Buddy squirmed on the car seat. As he drove, Fletch processed the conversation he’d had with Marcus the previous evening over dinner.
“Ya do realize that Dad strategically placed you in Plain City? He thought you’d be thrilled to help him.” Marcus had given him a look that translated to after all he’s done for you and your family.
“Fourth-year selective internships are hard, and anything below C minus is failing. The last thing I want is to disappoint your dad with failing grades and the cost of an extra semester. Anyway, everything I do has to go through Vic. He’s covering my cost of living, you know. But he’ll probably let me provide a lot of the shelter’s animal care. Maybe that’s what Marshall had in mind all along?”
“Ya can stay at the shelter.”
“No.” Fletch shook his head. “I have to follow the school’s protocol—what’s already been set up—and Vic is paying for all my living expenses. But I have a dog that would love to spend some time out there. A basset that’s either stuck at my apartment or in the tiny fenced yard at the clinic.”
“Sure, bring him over.”
“Thanks.”
“Tell me about your work. About the farms you visit.”
Fletch had talked about the Landis family after that and had even shared about his attraction to Lil. Marcus showed interest in the discussion. Finally, his friend had relented. “I can see ya don’t have time to run down donations, but Dad mentioned something specific ya can do for him.”
“He did?”
“He wanted ya to take some video footage of sick animals.”
Shocked and repulsed, Fletch asked, “Why?”
“We’re putting together a documentary-type film to use at fund-raisers. It would just be a little filler, ya know, to play on crowd sympathy.”
“Why can’t you use the animals here at the shelter?”
“Oh we are. But we don’t have many animals. It’s one of those ‘which comes first, the chicken or the egg’ things. We need the fund-raising events to buy feed for the animals, but first we need animals for the fund-raising film. You’re around sick animals all the time, and it won’t hurt anything. It will help us.”
Fletch understood but wasn’t eager to film sick animals. Who would view the film? What would the narrative contain? How might it affect the farmers where the animals were filmed? Thankfully, after Marcus had presented the details and stressed Marshall’s wishes, he’d let the issue drop. Fletch had to wonder if next Marshall would call him.
They pulled into the farm shelter, and Fletch ruffled Buddy’s fur. “You’re going to love this place. Even ducks. I know how you love to chase birds.” He leashed Buddy, and after seeing nobody outside, walked him to the farmhouse. The front door was propped open with a paint can, and Fletch let himself in. Paint fumes drifted from the dining room, which was situated off to his left, and he followed his nose, stopping short in the entry.
His gaze involuntarily caught the backside of Ashley, who was kneeling on the floor and stroking some unfinished pine cabinetry with a paint brush. She was clad in rolled-up jeans and a yellow T-shirt splattered with white paint. He couldn’t help but notice she was an attractive woman, from her white tennis shoes to her hair that was swept up in a perky ponytail that didn’t even reach her neck. He must have released some kind of unintentional sigh, because she suddenly looked over her shoulder. When their gazes met, her eyes lit up.
“Hey, Fletch. You here to help?”
He gazed around at several pieces of unfinished cabinetry. “What is all this?”
“Our new office furniture.”
Buddy let out a yip, and Ashley smiled. “Who’s that?”
“Didn’t Marcus tell you?”
She shook her head, and her ponytail swung from side to side.
“My dog. Ashley meet Buddy.” He released his end of the leash, and the dog sidled over to the girl, wagging his whole backside.
Ashley laughed. “You’re adorable. I love your saggy eyes. And you’re so plump and cute.” She placed her paintbrush down and bent to pet the dog.
“Marcus said I can drop him off sometimes.”
“Oh good. I need a break anyway.”
“At seven a.m.?”
“Coffee break, silly. Don’t you drink coffee?”
“Yes, I have a mug in the car. Which reminds me, I’ve got about twenty minutes to get over to the clinic. Vic wanted me to be there when it opens this morning.”
Ashley looked a little disappointed but offered, “I’ll show Buddy around and keep an eye out for him.”
“Can you keep him inside until I’ve driven away? So he doesn’t chase me?”
“Sure. Wait a minute.” She strode to her desk and opened a drawer. When she came back, she thrust a palm-sized video camera at him.
“What’s this?” Fletch asked, warily.
“Marcus asked me to give it to you next time I saw you.”
“I didn’t …” Fletch wet his lips, trying to figure out how to turn her down without offending her or Marcus.
She snatched his hand and pressed it into his palm. “Just keep it. You’ll know when to use it. That’s all. And I’ll take care of Buddy.”
Fletch stuck the camera in his jeans pocket, thinking he might not be
dropping Buddy off that often, after all, if doing so brought ultimatums.
“Thanks.” He bent and gave the dog a pat. “Stay.” Buddy studied him with soulful eyes, and Fletch almost regretted leaving him.
As he headed toward the car, he heard, Woof! Next he heard Ashley’s soft feminine voice. He could see why Marshall had hired her to get donations, why he’d asked her to give him the video camera. If anything, the incident opened his eyes to the power of an attractive female. Ashley wasn’t his type. He saw how she used her looks to get what she wanted. She wasn’t at all like Lil, who was honest and forthright.
He shook his head. Too many distractions. He needed a cool head. He needed to get his diploma and—
His thoughts came to a dead end, startling him. He’d been so set on getting that diploma and making Marshall proud that he hadn’t thought much beyond that one event. Oh, he had a vague idea of his options. He would probably take an internship and try to work himself into an existing practice. He’d never have the funds to start up his own place. Probably not the experience, either.
Sometimes it was easier to probe an issue from the opposite direction. He knew what he didn’t want to do with his life. He didn’t want to follow his parents’ footsteps. He didn’t want to make his children feel unwanted. When he settled down, he wanted to provide the sort of home where kids had an ordinary life.
With a mother like Lil? With a sinking heart, he realized that dating wasn’t even included in his limited budget.
Mom fastened her seat belt. “It’s a pity you have to drive such an undependable, ugly car.”
Lil glanced at her with a glint in her eyes. “Now, Mom, don’t go putting ideas of rebellion in Jezebel’s head.”
“I’m so tired of all these sessions and appointments. If you really loved me, you wouldn’t drag me through all this. Nothing helps anyway.”
Her heart picking up a speed to match Jezebel’s engine, Lil replied, “We don’t have an appointment.”
Plain City Bridesmaids Page 42
