Fresh-Start Ranch

by Leann Harris

  A gift from Heaven. She choked back her tears. “Yes, that’ll work.”

  His wonderful laugh came through the line, comforting her. “I thought that might be the case. Of course, Lady and Hope are the horses Kevin and William want the most.”

  “True, but we can face them. No one else need put up with the harassment.”

  “I’m also going to alert the sheriff, let him know what’s going on. I’m keeping the horse I had, but we’re still going to need you to drive to the Cousinses’ ranch to pick up their rescue horse.”

  “I can do that, but I want to wait for Doc to come back to be with the horses before I leave.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ve notified the other ranchers we’re changing the time and meet-up place. We’ll meet up in Los Rios and leave there around ten-thirty.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  She hung up and heard footsteps behind her. Turning, ready to fight, she found Doc standing inside the door.

  “Your mom’s on her way.”

  Nodding her head, Tessa turned to go.

  “Tessa, wait.”

  She stopped and turned to Doc.

  Slowly, he walked to her. “When your mother showed up here several days ago, my world blew apart. So many things fell into place. Why she suddenly disappeared, why I recognize something so familiar in you and why things clicked between us. I felt comfortable with you—your mannerisms and how you did things were so familiar. I marveled at it.

  “I’ve tried a couple of times to get young vets to come out here and join the practice. The last time I tried was maybe five years ago. He lasted probably a month. He and I continually got in each other’s way. He thought I was old-fashioned and just plain weird. It was a relief when he decided he needed to practice in a major city somewhere else. We both were fine with his decision.”

  She wanted to laugh, but clamped it down.

  He read her stifled reaction and grinned back at her. “But this last time I got kicked, I was at the McClure place, and we all knew I needed a young partner. The difference this time is I did some praying.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I called some of my old friends at Purdue and asked about a candidate to come out here. Dan Melcher suggested you, said you were a special vet who had talent. He did note your height. It didn’t matter because if you worked out, it wouldn’t be an issue.

  “What I wanted—and what I got—was a good associate. The last thing I expected was to find a daughter, and one of whom I’m very proud.”

  His words were welcomed, but she knew things weren’t going to be resolved today. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I’d like for you to stay and continue working here.”

  Tessa hadn’t even thought about leaving, but how would staying work out? “I think I’d like that.”

  His shoulders sagged and he nodded. “Let’s just take one day at a time.”

  “Okay.” Tessa explained to Doc about the change in plans for the rescue group and that Lady and Hope were staying. “I’m glad we can keep them. I think I’ve lost my heart to those two and would like to keep them here.”

  “That’s fine, but be careful. You can’t keep every distressed animal you treat,” he warned.

  He was right. Her professors at Purdue warned them not to take in every stray, abused animal. Their job as vets was to treat the animal, not keep it. “I know, but horses are my weakness, and I used up my one time right out of the gate.” Besides, she needed to focus on something or someone else other than the unexpected news that turned her world inside out.

  “I understand.”

  She didn’t doubt he did. “Thanks.”

  * * *

  Five of the volunteers in the rescue group met in the parking lot of the courthouse in Los Rios. A couple of the trailers held three to four horses.

  Mary had driven from her office in Albuquerque to the rendezvous place. “We’ll meet the other rescue group outside Taos. There’s a veterinary clinic on Highway 86 south of the city. Taos Veterinary Clinic is the name. Any questions?”

  No one spoke up.

  “If that’s the case, let’s go.” Mary looked at the horses in the trailers. “I don’t see the mare and her filly.”

  “That’s because the other group called early this morning and said they couldn’t take all our horses. I asked Tessa if she wanted to keep those two. She did,” Ethan explained.

  Mary looked from Ethan to Tessa. Mary wasn’t obvious in her expression, but Ethan read Mary’s satisfaction. “You know the risks with William and Kevin?”

  “I do,” Tessa quickly answered. “But I feel that Lady still needs some medical care. And I want to adopt them.”

  Mary folded her arms across her chest. “I hope you won’t regret it, because as I recall, those are the ones Kevin wanted.”

  “I understand.”

  Ethan moved to Tessa’s side. “If need be, I can stable the horses for a short time, leaving the clinic safe.”

  Raising her hand, Mary shook her head in surrender. “Okay. I’ll get the paperwork going for you, Tessa, to adopt the horses. Just be careful.” She turned to Ethan. “I’ve got court this afternoon, so when you’re nearing Taos, give Sheila Green a call and let her know how far out you are. She should have all her people there to transfer custody of the horses. Let me get the papers from my car.”

  “I’m serious, Tessa,” Ethan warned, once Mary left. “If you have any more trouble from Kevin or William about Hope, let me know. We can stable the horses at our ranch.”

  “Are you changing your mind from this morning?” Tessa replied.

  Laughing, he said, “No. I would’ve adopted them if you hadn’t.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “I am.”

  Mary joined them with the papers and handed them to Ethan. “Good luck.”

  As they departed from the city, Ethan felt a glimmer of hope that Tessa would survive the blows she’d received over the past several days. Her love for Hope and Lady was strong, steady, showing him she was a fighter. Given time, she’d find her footing. He prayed that was the case.

  * * *

  The next few days Tessa worked herself into exhaustion, falling into bed each night dog-tired. She took as many of the calls as she could, driving out to the ranches to check on cattle, horses and a variety of cats, dogs, rabbits and a couple of snakes. Each time she stopped to think about the truth surrounding her birth or her emotions tried to erupt, she followed Ethan’s advice and sang a worship chorus.

  Knowing her feelings were out of control, Tessa avoided discussing the situation with Doc. He was having his own problems, dealing with the truth. How should they treat each other? Their relationship couldn’t remain as it had been before.

  Tessa was in her office when Mary called the clinic.

  “Hey, Tessa. Could you come to my office in Albuquerque? I’ve got the adoption papers for you to get custody of Lady and Hope. It can wait until you can get away, but you’ll need to sign those papers.”

  It was a good excuse to leave for a while. “Sure, I’ll come today. When do I need to be there?”

  “Two o’clock would be great. I have a brief hearing at two at a smaller sub-courthouse, but that should only take five minutes. We could meet in the lobby.”

  “Where is it?”

  Mary gave her directions to the building the city was using until they could add on to the main courthouse.

  “I’ll see you.”

  * * *

  At two, Tessa appeared in the lobby.

  Mary hurried in. “Great, you’re on time. My hearing’s up the stairs. It won’t be long, then afterward, we can walk to my office and you can sign the papers to get Lady and Hope,” Mary explained.

  “Okay.”

  As they walked up
the stairs, Mary asked, “Is everything okay?”

  Tessa stopped and stared at Mary, panicked that maybe Ethan had talked about her situation with his ex-fiancée. “Why do you ask?”

  “You seem a little unsettled and I noticed some tension between Ethan and you last week. I just wanted to reassure you that I don’t have a problem with you seeing him. You and Ethan seem to be a good match. I’m happy for him.”

  “Oh.” Tessa felt odd having Ethan’s ex encourage her. Was her attitude so bad that Mary noticed? “I’m just having a little trouble adjusting to everything. You think things are going well and then suddenly it seems like you’ve run into a wall.”

  Mary nodded. “I understand perfectly. The morning of my wedding, I ran into that wall.”

  True to her word, Mary was done in five minutes. Tessa accompanied Mary back to her office across the street from the sub-courthouse and signed the papers, taking custody of Lady and Hope.

  As Tessa walked back to her car, she saw Ethan and William Moore go into the side entrance to the church on the corner across from Mary’s office. What was going on? She’d been blindsided one too many times, and she needed to know what was happening.

  She walked across the street and went to the side entrance. The church proper was built high, with steps leading up to the first floor. There were five steps down to the side door. Tessa walked down the steps and went inside. She heard voices coming from an open set of double doors. She followed the voices.

  Looking inside, she saw people wandering around the room. Several were huddled by the table with an industrial-size chromo coffeepot, including Ethan and William.

  “Hello,” a woman cheerfully greeted Tessa. “Welcome to our meeting. Won’t you come in?”

  “What kind of meeting is this?” Tessa asked.

  “This is the Gamblers Anonymous meeting.”

  Shock held Tessa motionless. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes met Ethan’s. The blood drained from her head.

  Tessa slowly became aware of the woman talking to her. She came out of her stupor and faced the woman. “Thanks. I’m in the wrong place.” Somehow her legs carried her outside. Ethan didn’t follow her.

  How she made it back to the clinic, what roads she drove, she had no idea. She just remembered parking her truck outside the clinic and walking to the corral to look at Lady and Hope. The instant Hope saw Tessa, she trotted over.

  “Hello, girl,” Tessa greeted, reaching out to the filly.

  Hope stretched her neck, enjoying the attention.

  Tessa closed her eyes, as the pain of seeing Ethan at that meeting with William Moore washed over her. Ethan was at a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, which meant he was a gambler.

  “Lord, what is happening?” she whispered, her heart completely shattered. “Everything in my life has disappeared. Why, Father? What is going on?

  “You are my only constant. Please help.” She rested her head on the top rail of the fence, despair swamping her.

  * * *

  As Ethan drove toward the clinic, his heart pounded as if he’d spent the last hour running. When he’d run into William Moore a couple of weeks ago, William had been coming out of a bar, a gaunt, haunted look in his eyes. Ethan recognized the expression—a gambler who’d lost money.

  God had moved in Ethan’s heart and he’d reached out to William. Over a sandwich and a cup of coffee, William had told a familiar story about being sucked into gambling and getting in over his head. He owed Kevin Raney a lot of money and had promised Kevin Lady’s foal in recompense. To make things worse, his mother had sold the foal to someone else right after William made his promise. But when the rescue group seized the horses, he panicked. His ace in the hole was gone.

  Ethan had offered to take William to the Gamblers Anonymous meeting that was held at the church across from the sub-courthouse in Albuquerque. This was their second meeting. The moment Tessa stumbled into that church basement room, Ethan knew any future he had with her had vanished. She wouldn’t “bet” on someone who had a problem with gambling.

  He wanted to at least explain to her what she’d seen.

  Pulling into the clinic parking lot, Ethan noted that only Tessa’s truck was there. He walked into the house, calling her name. Silence greeted him.

  He checked the clinic/office, then the stables. Still he didn’t find her. His heart raced. As he turned to search the house again, he saw the open barn door. He slipped outside and saw Tessa leaning against the top rail.

  The relief made his knees weak.

  She must’ve heard him, because she turned to face him. The look in her eyes stopped Ethan in his tracks.

  “Tessa, I need to explain some things to you.”

  He’d seen that hurt in her eyes when her mother had told her the truth. It killed him to see it directed his way, but he prayed she’d stick around long enough to learn the truth.

  She didn’t argue or yell but folded her arms around her waist and waited. She seemed cold and remote as if watching him from a distance.

  Her reaction frightened him. Was she beyond any explanation? “I’m William Moore’s sponsor in the GA group. He’s found himself trapped by his gambling, and I reached out to him. That was his second meeting.”

  A muscle in her jaw flexed. He didn’t think she’d say anything, but she finally asked, “Don’t you have to have been a gambler in order to sponsor one?”

  “Yes.”

  He could’ve sworn the temperature had dropped into a subzero range. A killing silence hung between them.

  “Why don’t you sit down.” He pointed to the bale of hay. “My story’s not short.”

  Her gaze went to the bale, then where he stood. He backed up a couple of steps. “I promise I won’t come closer.”

  She eyed him, then the bales. After a moment of consideration, she walked to the bale and sat.

  Give me the words, Lord, because I don’t think I can do this with just my strength. “Like I told you, I rodeoed in high school. I thought I was a big hotshot. My junior year, I was doing pretty good. The summer between my junior and senior year, my parents allowed me to travel the rodeo circuit with a sponsor. Kevin Raney was there and sidled up to me, flattering me and telling me I was the next star. He said I needed to meet the in-group, power players on the circuit, and he introduced me to the ‘elites.’ After a couple of times of hanging with them, they invited me to join their ‘friendly’ game of cards. I won that first night. I was doing so well Kevin told me I could really increase my money by getting into the betting pool, which bet on the different rodeo events.

  “Before I knew it, I was five thousand dollars in debt to him.”

  Tessa’s eyes narrowed and he read the condemnation in her expression.

  “At the end of the summer, Kevin demanded his money. He threatened to go to my parents for it.” The painful memories flashed through his brain. “I didn’t realize how far in debt I’d gotten, but I didn’t want to disappoint my parents. Besides, the ranch was going through a rough time with the drought and my dad having to sell off stock.” Shame washed over him again. “I was here at the clinic, when Doc noticed the cloud over my head. He asked me about it, and I spilled my guts.”

  Ethan sat on the bale of hay beside Tessa, but didn’t look at her. Instead, he rested his arms on his thighs and laced his hands together, staring at the ground. “Do you know what Doc did? He made a deal with me. He’d pay Kevin, but I had to work off the debt. He made me promise never to gamble again if he helped me.” He took the chance and turned his face toward Tessa.

  Her expression told him she was listening, but he had to tell her more.

  “It took me close to a year to pay off my debt, but true to his word, Doc never said anything to my parents.” He sat up. “The entire time I worked here, Doc made me pull my weight and talked to me about never repe
ating my mistake.”

  “So why were you in that meeting with William?” Tessa asked.

  “Because I knew William had a gambling problem. When we were in high school together, I knew he ran wild and drank and gambled. I saw William a couple of weeks ago after he took a bad beating from some of Kevin’s friends. I couldn’t walk away and not try to offer a helping hand to him.

  “He grabbed it. He went with me to the meeting. So now I’m William’s sponsor—that’s the only reason why I was there.”

  “I wish I could believe that, Ethan. But I had a father—no, no, a stepfather—who claimed he wasn’t gambling. Several times, he said he was on the straight and narrow, until the bill collectors showed up at our house.” The memories caused her to shake. “At one point we were sure he finally got it all together, was attending the GA meetings, until the day he said he was going to a GA meeting and simply disappeared. A week later the sheriff and the new owners showed up at the house.”

  He opened his arms, needing to hold her. She leaned back, out of reach, and shook her head.

  His heart ached. “I understand your doubt, but I never gambled again. Ask Doc.”

  Her expression didn’t change.

  “I couldn’t walk away from William without extending the mercy to him that Doc showed to me.”

  Slowly, she stood. “Ethan, I’ve been down this road before and I don’t have the faith to believe.” She walked into the stables.

  Her words were like a punch to his gut that nearly doubled him over. He stared out into the paddock at Hope prancing around and investigating her world. The filly’s joy for life should’ve made him smile, but his shattered heart wouldn’t allow it.

  * * *

  She was cold. And it had nothing to do with the outside temperature. She felt frozen inside. Every emotion, every thought, every prayer, every breath. Her heart was so far into the deep freeze, she wondered if she’d ever get warm again. But if she thawed, and let the turmoil inside her break loose—well, she didn’t know if she’d survive it. This way, at least, she could function.