Veterinarian's Vacation (River's End Ranch Book 2)

by Pamela M. Kelley

  “What's wrong?” Jake asked. Her face must have given her away.

  “It's nothing. Someone just came in that I really don't feel like running into.”

  Jake raised his eyebrows. “That’s not nothing. Old boyfriend?"

  Jess smiled tightly. "Something like that."

  "Do you want to leave? It's getting late. We could go."

  "No, not yet. Thanks, though. I want to hear the rest of Lily’s set. And I don't want to rush home because of him."

  "Okay. Just say the word, though, and we’ll go."

  The band played a lively dance tune, a crowd favorite, and suddenly the dance floor filled up. It wasn't an official dance floor, but a space that had been cleared in front of the band. Kelsey and Shane were the first ones on the dance floor, followed by Dani and Wade.

  "Do you want to join them?” Jake asked.

  "Sure, why not? It is a good song."

  Jake led the way out to the crowd and they joined them, dancing along to the music. Jess glanced towards the bar where Ed and his friends were sitting and they were deep in conversation. She relaxed. It didn't seem as though he had even noticed that she was there, so hopefully it wasn't going to be a problem. She didn't want to deal with Ed, not when she was having an otherwise fun night.

  The song ended and as they walked back towards their table, Jess felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and sensed that Ed was looking her way. As she sat back in her seat, she glanced over out of the corner of her eye and then quickly looked away. He was staring in her direction.

  She knew that the band was only going to be playing one or two more songs and she didn't want to leave until they had finished. But as soon as they did, she was going to ask Jake to walk her back.

  Jess relaxed a bit and smiled as she heard the familiar sounds of the new song that they’d been working on. Lily's voice was gorgeous and the song was slow and beautiful. Several couples made their way to the dance floor, and began slow dancing and swaying to the music. She tensed again as she saw Ed walking towards her with a determined look on his face. She knew what was coming. He was going to ask her to dance. It was the perfect opportunity to get her alone and in his arms. There was no way she was going to let that happen.

  She tapped Jake on the arm and whispered in his ear, “Do you mind dancing with me?"

  He looked surprised. "Of course."

  He stood and waited for her to follow him to the dance floor. Ed was still coming their way and stopped for a moment when he saw them.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Jess beat him to it. She forced a smile and said, “Hi, Ed. Nice to see you." And then she took Jake's arm and pulled him onto the dance floor.

  He chuckled, and pulled her towards him wrapping his arms around her. "And I thought you just really wanted to dance. You were running away, from him."

  Jess smiled. "Well, I'm always happy to dance. But you're right. It was either you or him and I'd much rather dance with you."

  "Okay. I'm going to take that as a compliment."

  Jess didn't look Ed's way again until the very end of the song, when they were walking off the dance floor. He didn't look happy. He scowled in their direction and Jess sensed that she hadn't heard the end of Ed yet. But she didn't think that he was going to bother her tonight. She had managed to send the message that she was with Jake. It wasn't exactly true, but Ed didn't need to know that.

  Lily came over to see them after they finished playing.

  “You sounded great!” Jess told her.

  “Thanks. It was a good crowd tonight.” She lowered her voice so only Jess could hear her. “I noticed your friend at the bar.”

  “Yeah. And he looks like he’s in a mood. I think I’m going to duck out now, if you don’t mind. Jake said he’d walk me back.”

  “Good, go. Let him think you are with Jake.”

  Dani and Wade were ready to go, too, and they all walked out together and she and Jake made their way to their cottages. It was dark out, a beautiful night, actually. The air was warm, and a silvery moon hung low in the sky and cast a faint, shimmery glow. They were just about at their cottages when a cloud passed over the moon, momentarily blocking out any light at all, and Jess tripped over a bumpy patch of grass.

  She almost went down, but Jake caught her and pulled her back up. He steadied her and for a moment, the air seemed to suddenly grow still around them. Jake leaned toward her and she caught her breath. But then he stopped and took a step back, and the moment was gone. Maybe she’d only imagined it, but for a brief second she could have sworn he was going to kiss her.

  “Thanks for walking me back,” she said softly.

  “Any time. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. It’s great being back here.”

  “Night, Jake.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Chapter 11

  Jess woke on Sunday morning feeling like a truck had run her over. She had a miserable head cold—runny nose, sore throat, the works. She called Dani and told her that she wasn't going to join them for family dinner as she didn't want to risk getting anybody sick. She figured she might as well take the day and relax and rest up so that she’d be all better for Tuesday when she had to go into the vet clinic. She took a walk at lunchtime down to the little general store that was on the resort and stocked up on cough drops and soft tissues.

  She got two boxes of them because she had already gone through one this morning and her nose was feeling red and raw. When she got back to the cottage she picked up Rudolph, who came running to greet her. Then she looked in the bathroom mirror and laughed.

  “We're quite a pair now,” she said to the purring cat as she set him down. She felt like Rudolph herself with her nose so red. And she wasn't hungry at all. The last thing she felt like doing was cooking. She decided to take a hot shower, hoping that it might help clear her passages and it did, for a little while.

  She climbed into her oldest, softest sweats when she got out of the shower, and let her hair air dry. Then she grabbed the cats and a soft fleece throw, and curled up on her sofa and watched old movies all afternoon.

  By about five o'clock she was starting to feel a little bit hungry and took a mental inventory of what her options were. She was just about to get up and find a can of chicken soup that she knew was somewhere in the cupboard, when there was a knock at the door.

  She opened it, and Jake was standing there.

  “I happened to notice that you didn't head to dinner with the rest of the family, and I just wanted to check in to see how you were doing.”

  Jess sniffled. She knew that she looked terrible and hated to have Jake see her like this.

  "I woke up with a nasty cold. I thought it might be best to hunker down so I don't get anybody else sick. You should probably run."

  He chuckled. "I'm not worried. I have a strong immune system and I'll keep a safe distance."

  "Excuse me a sec.” She ran to get a tissue. Her nose was so raw, but she had to blow it yet again. She did it as softly as she could, before turning back to Jake.

  He looked sympathetic. “Have you eaten yet?"

  "No. I was just about to heat up a can of soup."

  Jake made a face. "That doesn't sound very exciting. I was going to order a pizza. I was hoping you might want to share it with me. I was going to invite you over to my place, but I could bring it here instead."

  Jess hesitated. Pizza did sound much better than soup. Her stomach rumbled in agreement.

  "If you're sure you don't mind me blowing my nose every two seconds?"

  "I'm not bothered by that. What do you want on your pizza?"

  "It doesn't matter. Whatever you feel like." She knew that most people wanted more than just cheese on their pizza.

  Jake thought for a moment. "You know, I haven't had a plain cheese pizza in a long time. How does that sound to you?"

  Jess smiled. “That's sweet of you, but I really can eat just about any kind, so get what you like
."

  “I’m in the mood for cheese. I'll go order it and bring it by when it arrives. I'm guessing about a half hour or so."

  "I'll be here."

  Forty minutes later, Jake was back with a large pizza box and two bottles of root beer.

  He set the box down on the coffee table while Jess got some paper plates and napkins.

  They sat on opposite ends of her couch with the two cats between them. Rudolph purred and occasionally rubbed his head against Jake's knee. Maya sat there watching the two of them and taking it all in.

  “I forgot how good a simple cheese pizza could be.” Jake reached for a third slice as Jess finished her first. It was delicious, but she knew that two pieces was going to be her limit. She was already feeling full.

  “Are you looking forward to tomorrow?” she asked him.

  “I am. I’m excited, and nervous at the same time. I’m glad that Doc Henery is going to spend the week with me, going over how he has everything set up and introducing me to his clients as they come in.”

  “You’ll like Kathy. She’s been there for years and seems like she could help with anything non-medical related, all the administrative stuff.”

  “Good. Those are the things I’m grateful to have someone else do.” He finished off his pizza and then asked, “So, what was the story with that guy Ed last night? Jake asked.

  The shift in conversation took her by surprise, but she realized that she never did explain what was going on. She’d been so rattled by his sudden appearance.

  “Do you know him?” It occurred to her that they were around the same age.

  “Not well, no. He was a year behind me in high school. I never cared much for him, though. I remember him acting like he was all that because his parents are wealthy.”

  “That sounds about right. In a weak moment, I agreed to go on a date with him a month or so ago. I knew I didn’t want to go out with him again, but it was easier to say yes than no, so I went on a second date, which was a big mistake. I tried telling him that I wasn’t interested, that we didn’t have enough in common. But, he doesn’t handle rejection well. I don’t think he’s used to it.”

  “He didn’t look happy at all to see you with someone last night. Even though it wasn’t what it looked like,” Jake said.

  “I know. It was a bit unsettling.”

  “I’d stay far away from him.”

  Jess smiled. “That’s the plan.” She got up and grabbed another tissue as she felt a giant sneeze coming on. When it passed, she settled back on the sofa and took a sip of root beer. The cold, bubbly drink tasted great and felt good on her sore throat.

  “You’re going to have another slice, aren’t you?” Jake pushed the box her way.

  “No, I can’t have another bite. Thank you for bringing this. I really didn’t feel like canned chicken soup.”

  “I’ll leave the leftovers with you. You can heat them up tomorrow.”

  “No, you take them. It’s your pizza,” Jess insisted.

  “I’ll take one slice. It will be my breakfast tomorrow. The rest is staying here. That’s final.” He grinned as he pulled a slice out and wrapped a paper towel over it. He stood to go and Jess started to get up, too.

  “Stay where you are, I’ll let myself out. Rest up and feel better. Hopefully, I’ll see you on Tuesday. But if you still feel lousy, stay home.”

  “I’m sure I’ll feel better by then. I’m too busy to be sick!”

  “Night, Jess.” Jake closed the door behind him.

  Jess sighed and pulled the soft fleece throw blanket tightly around her. She switched the TV on and clicked over to the Hallmark channel. A sappy romance sounded perfect. The cats shifted closer. Maya snuggled up right next to her, while Rudolph jumped up and settled on the cushion behind her so that he was slightly above them, looking down. Cats were funny sometimes. Jess felt her eyes grow heavy. Maybe she’d shut just them for just a minute…

  Chapter 12

  Jake got up early Tuesday morning and went for a run before heading into the office. He found that it helped to clear his head before starting the day. His first day had gone well and he was actually glad that Jess wasn't coming in until Tuesday. It gave him a chance to get familiar with the office and how things went.

  Kathy was a doll, just as Dr. Henery had said she was. He also really liked Adrienne, who worked part-time. She was a young mother and was an assistant, helping out as needed. She did everything from weighing the animals and recording their information to helping in the operating room.

  Jake took a glance at the schedule when he got in. They had a busy day ahead of them. The first appointment was at 8 a.m. and Kathy was due to arrive by seven thirty. That gave her time to get everything up and running before the doors opened and the first patients came in.

  Dr. Henery arrived about a half hour after Jake. He’d been great the day before. So welcoming and helpful and he had a good sense of humor.

  "So what did you think about yesterday? Seems as though everything went pretty well. You've obviously done this before,” Dr Henery joked as he made himself a cup of coffee.

  "Yesterday was great. And Kathy is awesome."

  "She's a gem, isn't she? She's been here for twenty-three years, I think it is. And my guess is you could have her for another fifteen or twenty, at least. I don't think she's planning on going anywhere anytime soon.” He took a sip of his coffee and then added thoughtfully, “But, I suppose you never do know.”

  That was certainly true enough. Jake wondered what his plans were after the transition week was up.

  “So where is your first trip going to be?" he asked.

  "The missus wants to go to London. Said she wants to ride on the London Eye. You have heard of that? She said it's a giant Ferris wheel. I thought she was pulling my leg at first, but I looked on Google and sure enough, it is."

  Jake smiled. “You should go. I went when I was in college, for a semester abroad. The London Eye is great. It's not like a regular Ferris wheel. I'm not crazy about heights, and I didn't mind it. It goes really slow and you don't feel any movement at all and you can see the whole city. You and your wife will love it."

  "All right, then. I'll tell her you said so."

  They both turned at the sound of the front door opening. Kathy walked in and called out hello. A minute later, Jake heard the whirr of the printer coming to life as Kathy started turning on the machines.

  "You know," Dr. Henery began as he started flipping through a stack of file folders for the day’s patients. “Remember I mentioned to you that I once looked into building on the attached lot?"

  One of the things that had intrigued Jake about buying the business from Dr. Henery was the possibility of either expanding the existing building or building a separate structure on the adjacent lot.

  "Yeah, you mentioned you're going to look up that architect you spoke to."

  "It came to me the other night, just as I was falling asleep. I forgot to mention it yesterday. It was Peter Abraham, and I think he still works downtown. I can get Kathy to look up his number. If I recall, he was excited about the possibility of building something for me. You might want to give him a call, if you decide to go that route."

  "Thanks. I may want to talk to him and find out more. I really do like the idea of building if possible."

  Jake turned at the sound of the front door opening again, and smiled as Jess walked in.

  "Good morning!" she said as she took off her jacket and hung it in the front hall closet, then came out back to meet them.

  Dr. Henery smiled when he saw her. “Jess, I want you to meet Jake, your new boss.” And then he looked as though he was trying to remember something. “Or maybe you both know each other already?"

  Jess smiled. “We do. Hi, Jake."

  "Morning, Jess. Hope you're feeling better." He turned to to Dr. Henery and explained. "Jess and I are actually next-door neighbors, for the time being."

  "Oh, isn't that nice.” He turned and picked up the day’s
agenda. “So, I was thinking that Jess can help both of us today. It looks as though we have a packed schedule."

  "That works for me," Jake said.

  "The first patient is actually a request for you. Jaclyn Hardy says she has a couple of rabbits that need fixing and that you'd know what she was talking about?"

  Jake nodded. "She's another neighbor. I stopped by to check on a sick rabbit, and the rabbit was fine. Just very pregnant. She'd like to stop that from happening again."

  "Well, I can honestly say that's a first." Dr. Henery chuckled.

  The front door opened again, and Jake heard a familiar voice with a sweet Irish lilt. A moment later, Kathy came back to let them know that she had brought Jaclyn and her two rabbits into one of the examination rooms.

  "She's in room two, when you're ready for her."

  Jake picked up a file folder and turned to Jess. “Let's go."

  Jake opened the door slowly after knocking first. Jaclyn was waiting with matching carriers holding two fluffy white rabbits. She smiled when she saw them.

  "Hi, Jake. Mindy is doing just great. She had her babies Sunday night, six of them. Mother and babies seem to be doing well.”

  "I'm glad to hear it. And who do we have here?"

  "This is Romeo, and that's Juliet."

  "And you want to have have both of them fixed?”

  "Yes, please."

  "All right, then. You remember how I explained it to you the other day? You'll leave them here for the day. We will do the procedure and let them rest after, and then you can pick them up later this afternoon. Kathy will give you a call when they're ready."

  He handed the carriers to Jess and she took them off to the operating room.

  "She's a good girl, that Jess," Jaclyn said. "She’s single, too, in case you didn't know."

  Jake chuckled. “Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

  "All right then, young man, I'm off."

  Jake walked Jaclyn up to the front desk and told her again that Kathy would be in touch when the rabbits were ready to go home.