She nodded. “And now that you’re back, it’s time that I go where I’m needed and wanted. Everyone is happy to have you back.”
Mason sprang forward, closing the distance between them. He nearly lost his balance. Reaching for her, he pulled her into a tight embrace.
“I need you and I want you. Why are you doing this?”
She shook her head. The faint smile on her lips was forced. “How can you say you need me or want me after what I overheard?”
Mason’s frown deepened. Women were so hard to understand. He and Shane had often complained about it, especially growing up with Raine. He leaned forward, staring at Lori. This day, his plans, seemed to be crumbling right in front of him.
“You overheard what, Lori? Are we still talking about your phone call with your father?”
“I overheard your conversation with Dr. Johnson. Apparently, he’s glad you’re back so now he can fire me. I heard him say that he’d made a mistake.”
Mason’s frown deepened. Where was this coming from? He thought back on his discussion with Doc in his office earlier this afternoon. Slowly, he began to smile.
“You think this is amusing?” A flash of anger shone in her eyes. She tried to pull out of his embrace, but Mason held tight. It was all starting to make sense now.
“I thought you and I had something special, Mason. I was starting to feel at home here, even if I knew it would be a struggle to gain the trust of many of the ranchers and pet owners.” Her voice began to crack. “I thought . . . you and I . . . we could work together.”
Mason leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers. She stiffened slightly, then her lips softened.
“Unless you leave, that’s exactly what we will do,” he murmured against her lips. “Dr. Johnson loves you . . . but no one will ever love you as much as I do.”
She leaned back. Her incredulous look brought an even wider grin to his face.
“I love you, Lori Emerson.” He let go of her waist and cupped her face between his hands, then brought his lips to hers again. “That’s why I wanted you to come here, so I could show you what I want our future to look like.”
Mason’s heart pounded in his chest. If she was thinking of leaving because of a silly misunderstanding, he was going to convince her otherwise.
Lori shook her head. It was her turn to look perplexed and confused. Her hands grabbed onto his arms.
“I don’t understand, Mason. Dr. Johnson told you he’d made a mistake when he hired me. I thought he knew all about my internship and what happened, but I heard him say he regrets that he didn’t look further into my history, and it was time to let me go, now that you’re back.”
Mason grinned. He chuckled, then pressed his lips to her forehead. “You have quite a wild imagination. You know that?”
“No, I simply know what I heard.” Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“If I recollect the conversation, your name didn’t come up once, did it?” He cocked an eyebrow. Time to put her out of her misery.
“What you heard was Doc telling me about a mare he bought a few months ago. Maybe you don’t know, but he loves his racehorses, and I had told him last fall I’d go look at a few mares so when he retires, he can start a small breeding operation. He bought a mare while I was in rehab that looked good on paper, but he didn’t really check her out carefully enough. It turns out she’s got all kinds of reproductive problems. I told him I’d take a look at her and see if anything could be done for her. He was angry with himself, and said it was definitely time to retire and let you and me take over the practice.”
Lori blinked. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her cheeks turned rosy. No doubt she was embarrassed. Mason kissed her lightly on the lips. He chuckled again.
“You will be a great addition to the family, Lori. You fit right in with my sister and sister-in-law, and jumping to conclusions.”
“What are you talking about, Mason?”
Mason smiled. “You see, Dr. Emerson, no one here wants you to leave,” he murmured. “In fact, I brought you out here because this is the site of the new equine complex where Shane and I hope to break ground in the next month or so. I thought this was the perfect place to ask you something that’s been on my mind for weeks.”
Lori still stared at him, clearly rendered speechless this time. Mason reached into the back pocket of his jeans. He held up the simple gold band with a diamond solitaire. Shane had driven him to Missoula a week ago to pick it out.
“Mason,” Lori croaked, staring at the ring, then up into his face. New tears shimmered in her eyes. Mason cleared his throat.
“You and I are a great team, Lori. We work together perfectly, both professionally and personally. I was hoping you’d make it a permanent partnership by becoming my wife.” He grinned. “Unless, of course, ophthalmology is more important.”
Lori shook her head. She leaned up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to her.
“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. It was silly and juvenile. I don’t want an ophthalmology internship. I want nothing more than to be your partner in all ways. I love you, Mason Taggart. You rescued me when I was scared to death of doing my job.”
Mason’s arms went around her, and he lifted her into his embrace. “And you rescued me when I thought my life and dreams were over.”
Lori pressed her lips to his, clinging to him as if she never wanted to let go. “We rescued each other, and now we can make our dreams come true together.”
Epilogue
A few months later . . .
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“This is almost exactly like Shane’s wedding several months ago, except of course, it’s a bit nippy out this late in the afternoon. Good thing the weather stayed in your favor.” Doc Johnson raised a glass and smiled from Mason to Raine. “If you’re not careful, Raine, you’re going to be walking down the aisle in your family’s backyard next.”
Mason stood next to the old vet, now retired, and grinned at his sister. Raine glared at him and scoffed.
“Not a chance, Doc. I want to think I’m like a wild mustang. I like my freedom.” She smiled brightly, then excused herself.
Mason smirked and looked around the backyard. The sun was setting behind the distant hills. Guests mingled or sat at the round, white tables that had been set up. Some couples were on the dance floor, including his brother with his wife. Who would have thought that less than a year later, there would be another wedding at the Taggart Ranch, or that Mason would be the one who’d gotten married?
Back then, he’d still been in his wheelchair, starting to get discouraged that he might never walk again. So much had changed since then. Not only was he walking again, but he had a wife and a promising career ahead of him. He still required a cane for some support, and he dragged his left leg slightly, but with consistent rehab, his doctors and physical therapist were confident he’d regain full function of that leg soon.
Mason’s eyes roamed around the yard. Jerry and Boone were at the bar, drinking beer and laughing it up with Rory Anderson and a few of the other ranchers. Construction had begun a few weeks ago on the equine complex. Along with planning a simple wedding, he and Lori had sat with Shane and Alley late into the night, going over plans and finances for the new large animal hospital.
“What a fantastic thing for Burnt River,” Alley had said. “Lori is taking over the small animal side of the practice, and Mason will be the large animal vet. It’s a win-win for everyone, no question.”
“And we all know you’re eager to have a lab again.” Mason had grinned at his sister-in-law.
Alley had looked from him to Shane. “I won’t lie. I admit I’m looking forward to it.”
“Another win for the animal patients of Burnt River and surrounding communities,” Lori had chimed in. “No more archaic sampling methods and waiting for days to get test results. We’ll have state-of-the art equipment and diagnostic tools.”
Mason had included Dr. Johnson in all
the plans, asking his opinions. The old vet had been more than pleased.
“I know I’ve been set in the old ways, but I’m glad you and Lori will be bringing Burnt River Veterinary Hospital up to speed with state-of-the art equipment.”
Mason sipped at his beer, looking at Doc Johnson. “How’s retirement so far, Doc?”
The old man shrugged. “Can’t complain. I’m enjoying the quiet life for now. I sold that mare to a home where she’ll be used as a riding horse, since she can’t be a broodmare. I sure don’t miss the long hours or getting up in the middle of the night for an emergency. It’s up to you young people now.”
Lori walked up to him at that moment. She smiled brightly and nodded toward one of the tables. Mason snaked his arms around her waist and drew her close.
“We’ll do your legacy proud, Doc.”
The old man chuckled. “I have no doubt you will.” He looked up, then said, “If you two will excuse me, I think I’ll go have a chat with your folks, Lori.”
Lori stepped into Mason’s embrace. She looked over to where her parents sat, then her gaze drifted to the dance floor.
“Looks like Raine is hitting it off with my cousin.”
Mason’s brows rose. Right at that moment, Shane came up to him and nudged his arm.
“Who’s that dancing with Raine?”
“Lori just said that’s her cousin.”
“That’s Devon Weiker, my cousin on my mother’s side,” Lori confirmed.
“Weiker?” Mason and Shane both said in unison.
Lori stared at them. “Is something wrong with that name?”
“We had a high school teacher named Weiker. Mike Weiker,” Mason explained.
Lori scrunched her forehead. “I’ll ask my mom. Maybe he’s related. Wouldn’t that be something?” She giggled. “I haven’t seen Devon in a long time, but last I heard he’d finished a residency in pediatrics at UCLA.”
“Raine is dancing with a city slicker.” Shane chuckled. “Imagine that. I’d best go and console Jerry. Looks like he’s nursing his heartache with a few too many beers.” He shook his head, and headed for the bar to join their friends.
Now that they were alone, Mason pulled Lori into a tight embrace. His hands stroked along her waist, his fingers sliding along the smooth material of her gown.
She stared up at him and smiled softly, the warm glow reflecting the love in her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. The moment was interrupted when people around them cheered. Lori’s smile widened. Mason tore his eyes away and acknowledged the guests with a nod.
“Looks like your parents are having a good time.” Mason nudged his chin toward the closest table, where Lori’s family sat. They were mingling with Alley’s grandfather and several other ranchers. Lori laughed.
“I guess they realized that Burnt River isn’t such a small town after all. They were worried about me for nothing. Dr. Johnson talking to them certainly has helped, too, I think.”
Mason leaned forward and kissed her on the top of her head. “I’m glad they’ve finally come to realize that you’re a brilliant vet and your profession is just as noble as being a human doctor.”
“I think after they met you, their attitudes changed. You certainly impressed them, not only with what you’ve been through and your recovery, but also by telling them about the veterinary profession.”
“It’s easy to talk about something you love.” He stared down at her. “Or someone. I told them how you’re responsible for my recovery, and how much I love you.”
“As much as I’d like to take credit for your recovery, Mason Taggart, I think you did all that on your own.”
Mason grinned. “But it doesn’t hurt to let me keep thinking I regained my feeling because you fell into my lap and I kissed you. I still have a lot of recovery ahead of me.” He winked. Lori rolled her eyes and smiled at him.
“Since your legs seem to be working fine at the moment, would you like to dance with your wife, Mason Taggart?” Lori leaned up. Mason drowned in her sparkling eyes.
“Only if you rescue me if I stumble, Dr. Taggart.”
She kissed his lips, then led him to the dance floor. “Always, Dr. Taggart. You and I will always rescue each other.”
Thank you for purchasing and reading MASON’S RESCUE. I hope you enjoyed the story. To help other readers such as yourself discover new books, please consider leaving a short review.
I enjoyed writing this story, because I was finally able to incorporate my three decades of veterinary experience into a book. Many of the patients and cases mentioned in this story are directly from my own animals, and some are drawn from experience on the job. I could have included many more, but I had to remind myself that I was writing a romance, not a veterinary manual!
The next book in the Burnt River Series is called Del’s Choice , written by Shirleen Davies, and will be available August 31, 2017.
Join my list of readers, and be treated to exclusive content, specials, giveaways, behind-the-scenes along with new book releases.
You can read more about Mason Taggart’s family in 1880’s Montana in IN HIS KISS (Blemished Brides, Book 4).
Look for Raine Taggart’s story, tentatively titled Raine’s Remorse, coming in November 2017.
Please join us on our Series page on Facebook, and our Burnt River Facebook group , where readers can discuss the stories with the authors, and where we will have special contests, giveaways, and prizes!
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For a complete list of my books, including more time travel and western Historical Romance, please visit author page at the vendor where you purchased this ebook.
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About the Author
I am an award-winning, best-selling western historical and time travel romance author of the Yellowstone Time Travel Romance Series, Second Chances Time Travel Romance Series, Teton Romance Trilogy, and the Blemished Brides and Wilderness Brides Western Historical Romance Series. When I’m not writing about Yellowstone, the Tetons, or the old west, I’m out hiking the trails, spending time with my family and pets, or catching up on much-needed sleep. I am happily married to my high school sweetheart, and we have two boys and a menagerie of animals including dogs, cats, horses, chickens, guinea pigs, and bearded dragons.
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