by Jenna Gunn
“Okay.” I’m already forming a diagnosis.
“Well, she’s also been eating a lot. And she’s all...swollen.” He gestures over his stomach and chest.
I don’t reply until we’re at the barn. I hear the pigs snorting as I head toward their stalls; Nathan has moved Teacup to a space by herself, and she’s wallowing in some dry straw. He’s right about her being swollen. Her udders are huge.
The moment Teacup realizes we’re here, she rolls to her feet and squeals, heading for us. I grin and step into her pen. “Hey, Teacup!” I say brightly, kneeling to give her some pats.
Nathan hovers at the little door as I start my examination. I have a pretty solid idea of what’s going on, but I want to make sure - I could always be wrong.
The closer I examine Teacup, however, the more I’m confident in my first diagnosis. I pull the relevant equipment from my kit and start scanning Teacup’s belly.
“Is she okay?” Nathan bursts out.
“Nathan, I say this with the utmost respect,” I tell him, turning away from Teacup and packing up my kit. “But you are the worst farmer I’ve ever met.”
“What?” His face scrunches into a frown.
“Your pig’s pregnant, silly,” I laugh. I give Teacup’s big belly a pat. “Swollen stomach? Increased appetite? No interest in mating? That’s classic pregnancy. And I used the döppler,” I add. “She’s definitely pregnant.”
He stands there with his mouth open. “Wow. I really am stupid.”
I laugh as I stand up and slip out of Teacup’s pen. “You’re gonna want to give her plenty of dry straw,” I tell him. “She’ll want to nest. Keep her in this pen; she needs her own space. And this is about the size she’ll need once the piglets are born.”
Nathan hurries to take out his phone and begins typing away, taking notes.
“Of course, you’ll want to disinfect it once she’s farrowing.”
“Farrowing?” he asks.
I sigh. “All right. Let’s sit; we have a lot to talk about, obviously.”
I’m glad Nathan is my last appointment of the day, because after I’ve outlined how he should care for Teacup and brought him up on all the relevant terminology, the sun is low in the sky. He’s abandoned his phone for an actual laptop. His fingers drum away as I talk.
“You can call the office if you have any questions,” I tell him.
“Well...could I call you?” he asks, looking up from his laptop.
“That’s what I just said.”
He laughs a little. “No, I mean - could I get your number?”
I blink at him, confused - he already has the office number - before I realize he means me, personally. He wants my number. I feel my face get a little red. “Oh. Sure.”
He breaks out into a grin, and I take his phone and put my number into his contacts.
“That’s my cell,” I tell him. “So you can...text me, I guess. If you want.”
“I may want,” he says, still smiling. My phone dings in my pocket; it’s a text from an unknown number that just says Hi, Trish. Nathan grins at me across the table.
I roll my eyes and save the number. “All right. I’ve got to get going.”
“Talk to you soon,” he says meaningfully.
I blush again and drift out to my car. The sun has descended even more. I toss my kit into the backseat and get into my car.
I’ve always thought Nathan was cute. I just never thought he might think the same of me. What weird timing though…the whole thing with Perry, and now this? This small town suddenly has two bachelors and somehow I seemed to have attracted both of their attention. I’m not sure how to feel about that.
8
I’m feeling better today. The last few days were a bust, spent in a funk. But today, I’m back on track.
The morning is unseasonably cool, though still humid. I don’t have anything planned. A text from Derek lets me know he’s home and working, so I don’t have to worry about him.
“Maybe we should go for a walk, Apple,” I say to her, swinging my leg over the side of the bed. “I’ve got to get used to my prosthetic. And we can take a look around.”
Apple’s ears shoot up at the word “walk”, and she noticeably doesn’t care about the rest of what I have to say; she’s hopping back and forth, wagging her tail furiously.
I laugh as I reach for my prosthetic. “I’ve got to get ready first,” I tell her. She tears out of the room; I hear the unmistakable sounds of a squeaky toy in the living room.
I shove my stump into the prosthetic and press until I hear it click. Apple comes rushing back into the room, tail going at full speed, and spins in circles as I stand up and adjust myself. “You can’t jerk me around when we’re walking,” I warn her, but she doesn’t acknowledge that I’ve spoken. Her spinning continues.
I head out to the kitchen to grab myself a granola bar, my prosthetic clicking with every step as it fastens itself more securely. Apple comes tearing down the hall. She watches me as I put on my shoes and grab her leash, and miraculously manages to stay still as I clip it to her collar.
“Off we go,” I tell her.
It’s gorgeous outside. It’s just cloudy enough for the sun to hide, but I can still see swaths of blue in the sky. Apple only pulls a bit on the leash before falling into the behavior I’ve trained into her.
My house is surrounded by trees and fields. It’s easy to see my neighbors even if they’re over a mile away. I pause to admire a stubby palm tree growing wild on the side of the road; Apple takes the opportunity to sniff everything she can reach. Maybe I’ll plant some palms. I’m sure someone around here sells them.
My prosthetic has gotten over its clicking; walking feels a bit more natural without it. I wonder if I can run again? I used to love running. I ran track in high school, and I always led the men when they did their cardio. The only one who could ever beat me in a foot race was Johnson, a Private First Class from Indiana. I used to goad him as we ran side-by-side.
It was a blow to the whole company when he was killed.
I shake my head, trying not to remember. I can’t afford to fall into a flashback out here on an empty stretch of country road.
I’m distracted by the clucking of chickens. I’m finally passing by a neighbor’s house, and it’s a small farm. They have chicken coops and one pigpen, though the chickens seem to be roaming free throughout the yard.
I sigh as I continue on past the palm trees they have planted at the end of their driveway. I want my own little farm. I want some chickens so I can eat fresh eggs every morning. I could maybe raise some goats. I’ve always liked goats, always thought they were underrated.
Chickens, at least, shouldn’t be hard to come by. I bet Trisha knows where to get some.
I sigh heavily. Trisha. I feel guilty about the way I acted yesterday. It’s not her fault that she didn’t notice my leg. But I don’t like people staring, and she couldn’t keep her eyes off it - though I suppose that’s not a good enough reason to blow up at someone.
I turn and start walking back toward my own house, passing by the little farm again. I don’t have much going on today; maybe I should swing by Trisha’s office downtown, apologize, ask about buying chicks. I need to practice driving, in any case, and empty roads are probably the best place to do it.
I wait inside while Apple laps up a bowlful of water. She was panting heavily when we walked back into the house, but it’s slowly subsiding. Her tail wags as she drinks.
“Wanna go for a ride, girl?” I ask, and she’s immediately excited again.
Apple sits in the passenger’s seat as I get the car started. My prosthetic is uncomfortable in the car. My right leg is fine, so working the pedals isn’t difficult, but after my long walk, my leg is so sweaty that the prosthetic feels slippery and loose.
It takes about fifteen minutes to get downtown. The small parking lot in front of the vet’s office is empty. I pull into the spot closest to the building and get out, tugging Apple’s leash so t
hat she follows.
The office is just how I remember. The lobby is a small room, longer than it is wide, with plastic chairs along one wall. A shelf full of pet food stands next to the reception desk. The receptionist behind the glass glances up at me only briefly, but the girl behind her smiles brightly.
“Hi! How can I help you?”
“Uh...is Trisha here?” I ask, feeling stupid.
The girl shakes her head; her brown ponytail swishes behind her. “She’s not in the office today; she’s doing farm visits. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No,” I reply. “No, I was looking for her.”
The receptionist looks up, and now both of them are staring at me. I stand as still as I can. Did Trisha tell them? Do they know? Are they, perhaps, judging me?
“I’ll just come back later,” I say, breaking the awkward silence.
The receptionist looks away once again; Ponytail Girl smiles. “All right. Sorry we can’t help you.”
“It’s okay.” I turn and push the door open.
“Bye, Apple!” calls Ponytail Girl.
Do they know?
9
I don’t like to tell people my business, so I don’t tell Emily or Hannah that I’ve got a date after work.
“You’re in better mood,” Emily chirps as I look through my appointments.
I shrug. “Maybe I am.” I drift my finger down the color-coded spreadsheet. “Or not,” I mumble, frowning, as I realize who I have to see today.
Apple. Meaning Perry will be here.
I haven’t spoken to him since he kicked me out of his house. It’s been a few days. But I’ve thought about him a lot. I wonder how he’s doing, but I don’t want to ask him myself. Unfortunately, however, he’s scheduled to bring Apple in to be chipped.
I take in a deep breath. I’ll just have to do it. I told him that I would personally give Apple a chip, and I’m not about to go back on that promise. I’m a professional; I can handle this.
But no matter how many times I tell myself that, a pit develops in my stomach that stays there for the rest of the day. I do my best to concentrate on my other patients, but Perry’s handsome face keeps popping into my head. If any man speaks in the lobby, I freeze, thinking it’s him.
What am I scared of exactly?
The pit gets even deeper around noon. I hear his voice, unmistakably this time, say gruffly, “Uh...I have an appointment? At noon?”
In true Hannah-like fashion, Hannah doesn’t reply, but I know she’s giving him the paperwork he needs to fill out. I wait in the empty exam room, staring at the black-and-white tiled floor. This is going to be so awkward.
I hear Perry give Hannah his paperwork back; I wait a few minutes, steadying my breath, before I head out to the lobby.
“Apple?” I ask as I push open the door.
Perry stands up from his chair. He’s wearing shorts today, and I can clearly see his prosthetic; I do my best not to look.
“Come on back,” I say with a smile, stepping to the side so Perry and Apple can pass. “Room one.” I feel heat off his big body as he goes by and a little shiver dances down my spine even though I’m determined not to feel attracted to him.
I shut the door to the lobby and usher them into the exam room I indicated. “So,” I say awkwardly, shutting the door. “Uh, how’ve you been?”
Perry shrugs. He looks about as awkward as I feel. “Fine,” he replies shortly.
“Did you fill out the paperwork?” I ask, putting on my gloves.
“Yeah.” He scoops Apple up and puts her on the exam table.
I’ve already got the needle and chip laid out; I move into Professional Mode, grabbing what I need before gently pinching the skin of Apple’s scruff, pulling it up. “So, this whole process is pretty painless.”
“Okay.”
“You might wanna hang out with her, though, so she’s not worried.”
“Okay.” He approaches the table and cups Apple’s body in his hands. We’re standing incredibly close now and I can smell his soap and the unique masculine scent that is his. His body is so warm. Heat emanates from him. I try to concentrate on my job.
Apple seems totally oblivious to her skin being pinched up to resemble a tent. I poke the needle through and insert the chip. Apple jerks her head toward me, but Perry keeps hold of her so that I can finish up, which I do easily.
“Now to test it!” I say with forced cheer, grabbing my scanner.
Perry stays at Apple’s head, scratching her, as I wave the scanner over her back; the scanner beeps. He studies me as I move.
“All right, the chip works!” I walk over to my computer. “I can get you registered in the database right now.”
“Okay.”
I do my best to keep my frustration down as I get Perry’s info registered. I mean, I’m doing my best here; the least he could do is try to summon up a little conversation.
Once we’re all done, Perry pets Apple and has her hop down from the table. “Thanks for this,” he says. “I, uh...I’m sorry for the other morning. I was out of line. Sorry.”
I blink, opening my mouth to reply, but he quickly passes through the door and hurries to the lobby; I follow, but he’s outside and in the parking lot before I can catch up.
“He’s weird,” Hannah says from reception.
“Yeah. He really is.”
The rest of the day is frustrating. I chalk it up to Perry. I hurry home to shower off the scents of various animals and do something with my hair. Nathan wants to pick me up and take me to some restaurant in Charleston; the drive is going to last almost an hour. Which I also find annoying. I haven’t been around Nathan that long without taking care of his animals before and getting in the car for a long drive could be more than I’m up for today.
Honestly, I wish I hadn’t agreed to go. I’m not much into dating. And I feel the sting of what was obviously a one night stand with Perry in my way too recent past. I just have to chalk that one up to live and learn, I guess. I won’t be making that kind of mistake again. No more sex for a good long while for me.
But, I told Nathan I’d go to dinner. And here I am. I throw on a light blue dress that’s been hiding in the back of my closet. I can’t remember the last time I wore a dress - or heels, for that matter. I have to search in the bottom of my closet to even find a pair of shoes that isn’t boots or sneakers. I’m not entirely sure if the heels I find match my dress, but this is all I’ve got.
I pat some makeup onto my face, too. It’s a date, right? I might as well try. I’m pretty sure most of my stuff is expired, but I manage to throw on some eyeliner and mascara, along with a smudge of eyeshadow.
I stare at myself in the mirror. I don’t really recognize the person looking back - but damn if she doesn’t look pretty good.
My doorbell rings. I quickly smooth down my dress- before heading down the hallway to the front door.
“Wow,” Nathan says when I open it. He looks really good as he ducks beneath the doorframe to step inside my house. His blonde hair has this effortless, windswept look. He’s grinning with that dimple in his cheek as he adjusts his tan blazer. “You look amazing.”
“You don’t look so bad,” I say with a grin.
“Ready?”
“Lemme grab my jacket.”
“You don’t need one - here.” He shrugs his blazer off and swings it around my shoulders. “You can just use mine.”
“Well then, that’s settled,” I laugh. He still looks good in a denim button-up and black jeans. His whole style seems effortless, thrown-together, but somehow still stylish.
Nathan opens the car door for me, then gets in himself, turns around in my yard, and takes off. It turns out I didn’t have to be worried about conversation; it flows pretty well, though he talks more often than I do. He’s charming and charismatic. Thankfully, he still talks about his farm animals, so there are at least some points that I know what I’m talking about.
He’s lamenting his chicken population a
s we pull into the parking lot of some Italian place. “I don’t want to feed all those chickens,” he sighs. “But I messed up and the eggs are fertilized.”
“Sell the baby chicks,” I reply. “Surely someone’s going to want some more chickens. And they’re good stock.”
“You think so?” he asks, getting out of the car.
“Yeah; your dad had been breeding them for generations.”
He nods thoughtfully; I reach for the door handle to let myself out, but Nathan leans into the car and grabs my arm. “I’ll get that,” he says, his voice low.
I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be sultry or vaguely threatening.
Nathan walks around to my side and opens the door for me, grinning with that damn dimple, and I get out with his blazer still around my shoulders. He offers me his arm. I take it and let my gaze wander as we head into the restaurant.
There’s an Army recruitment poster on the window of the place next door - I can’t help but think of Perry. He apologized to me. I find that incredibly interesting. If anything, I was the one who should have apologized. I was the one staring at his leg, after all. I was the one who was too drunk to realize the man I was actively having sex with was an amputee. And then I embarrassed him.
Of course, he did kick me out. He kind of blew up. I hadn’t expected a ton of hospitality, but I had at least hoped to not walk back through the woods alone; and part of me had hoped that he would drive me back to my car. I got home just fine, of course, but that’s not the point.
“Trisha?”
I glance up; I realize that we’re sitting at our table, and I’ve been staring at the menu in my hands for too long. A waiter hovers near us.
“I’m sorry,” I say immediately.
“What do you want to drink?” Nathan asks.
“Um - water, please, and - a glass of red wine.”
“You shouldn’t order wine until you know what you’re eating,” Nathan interrupts. “That way you can pair it.”
