by Debra Kayn
"Come on, where is it?" She stepped over the mess and inspected all the labels.
She planted her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. Her gaze fell on the box she'd fallen into earlier, and she remembered the rather soft landing.
She hurried over and peered inside. With haste, she grabbed a leash and muzzle from the box.
Back outside, she peppered Ranger Man with questions. He told her he'd found the injured wolf while working in the forest, and while he talked, she quickly assessed the wolf's injuries. Samantha asked the man to clear a path to the back examination table inside the clinic, but he stayed rooted to the spot.
"Oh, can you also snap together one of the kennels back in the operating room? All you have to do is line up the wire sides and close the connectors." She stepped toward the bed of the truck.
"I better stay here to carry the wolf for you." Ranger Man stayed at Samantha's side.
"No, I need the room ready. I can handle the animal." She stepped forward and peered through the canopy on the back of the truck.
"You're too little."
"Look, Ranger, I need to save this animal, not stand here and argue with you. Get your ass in there and clear the path for me." She glanced over her shoulder. "Please."
Ranger Man didn't move, and she stared him down. Maybe he was all muscle and no brain.
"Now!" Samantha pointed toward the clinic.
He'd hesitated and then nodded before walking away. Satisfied he'd left to follow her orders, Samantha opened the top of the canopy. She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand. The poor thing huddled in the corner, panting, its pain and discomfort obvious.
"I'm going to crawl in here with you, but I'll go really slow," she murmured to the wounded animal. She braced herself on the bumper of the truck, threw her leg over the tailgate, and squeezed under the canopy.
"That's it, sweetie. I'm not very scary, see? You can watch me the whole time. I'm here to help you feel better. Before you know it, you'll be back in the forest with all your friends. You'll be able to get away from all us scary humans and roam free in the woods." Samantha's words seemed to calm the cornered wolf.
She ignored the ridges poking up from the floor of the pickup, digging into her knees. She disregarded the fact that Ranger Man returned and stood at the opening of the canopy. The wolf grabbed all her attention.
"I'm going to slip this right over your beautiful head now, and I know you're not going to like that one little itty bit." She crept closer. "Just hang in there with me, and I promise you I won't do anything to hurt you." She slipped the muzzle over the stoic wolf's head and attached the leash. Its gold-flecked eyes never strayed from her.
She scooted on her butt with the wolf clutched in her arms. Ranger Man opened the tailgate, and Samantha smiled at him. She hadn't thought about how she'd exit the truck with a wild animal in her arms, and it did help that the man thought far enough ahead for the both of them. It seemed barking at him earlier didn't affect his willingness to help.
A growl permeated the muzzle at Ranger Man's approach. She crooned to relax the wolf. She held the animal out to him, but he shook his head and wrapped both arms around her and the wolf.
"Will you come in and help? I haven't set up the clinic for treatments and could use an extra pair of hands."
The wolf weighed a good fifty pounds and held itself stock-still in Samantha's arms. She laid the animal on the examination table without taking her left hand off the back of its neck. She didn't dare stop the flow of words she used to keep it calm, or she'd become worried about treating a wild animal by herself.
This was her first time working on a wolf, but Samantha treated this particular animal the same way she would take care of a domestic dog. She kept her body turned, and reached for a syringe out of the drawer under the table. She administered the drug and counted the lines on her watch.
It took almost thirty seconds longer to take effect on the wolf than it normally did on a dog before the wolf started to relax. The wolf gave up the fight to stay awake and dropped its head against the table.
"I'm going to need your help. I need you to find the box with my surgical equipment in it. Once you have that, I need the box marked 'dressings' opened."
Ranger Man stared at Samantha. In fact, he seemed a little pale, and a fine line of perspiration coated his upper lip. Ranger Man wasn't so tough after all.
"You're not going to pass out, are you?"
Ranger Man reached out and held on to a stack of boxes. He gazed intently at her shirt, and Samantha glanced down at her clothes. Blood from the wolf smeared down the front of her.
Apparently, the man as big as a mountain and hands the size of tree stumps didn't handle the sight of blood very well.
"Look at my face." She waited. "Keep looking... Find the box with 'surgical equipment' written on the top. You'll find a black bag inside. I'll need that brought to me. Also, find a box labeled 'Surgical Dressings.' Open it up and grab at least two rolls of sterile gauze. Okay?"
"Yeah." He rushed out of the room.
Samantha ducked her head to hide the amused smile on her face. She stroked the wolf's fur. "Ranger Man isn't so tough, is he? I bet he only acts that way and that inside he's a big ol' teddy bear."
A few minutes later, Ranger Man returned and dumped the supplies on the table beside the wolf. He'd delivered exactly what she'd asked for.
"Thanks, Ranger."
He grunted, then turned around and gazed out the window.
With steady hands, she picked up the scalpel and dipped it into the alcohol she'd opened. With no time to properly sterilize the equipment, alcohol would have to do.
Samantha ran the scalpel across the wound, opening it up enough to remove the bullet. Her concentration remained on the wolf, and she ignored Ranger Man, who was still in the room. She hoped he kept his face averted, because bullet wounds tended to get a little messy upon removal of the offending lead.
She used one of the rolls of gauze to staunch the blood flow. Wipe, investigate, and wipe. Repeat. With the wolf stable and the injury determined as non-threatening, she worked slowly and meticulously.
Samantha steadied her hand to work her way around and underneath the piece of lead. Twisting her wrist, she pried the bullet loose and plucked it out with the tip of the scalpel. Yes!
The clink of lead hitting the stainless steel basin brought Ranger Man from his vacation at the window. She smiled.
"The wolf will recover. There shouldn't be any lasting damage." She sewed up the incision with tiny, precise stitches.
Once done with the wolf, she carried it one of the kennels and laid it down atop a heavy flannel pad. Although most dogs required four days or more of recovery in a kennel, the sooner the wolf was returned to the woods, the better. Samantha didn't want the wolf stressed or confined for any longer than it needed to be.
She hurried over to dispose of the equipment in a sealed container. Later, she'd round up the autoclave and sterilize them right. She scrubbed her hands and arms at the sink in the room with antiseptic soap and glanced at Ranger Man.
"You don't like blood, do you?" She sprayed the suds off her arms.
Ranger Man strolled along the edge of the room, his gaze on the many boxes stacked around. He remained silent, and she realized he wasn't much of a talker. Working in the forest probably suited him.
"Only when the blood is on a person."
"Let's talk out in the front." She grabbed a new scrub coat from one of the boxes she'd opened earlier and slipped it on over her dirty shirt. After all his help, she didn't want the big guy to suffer any longer.
She gave him credit; he might have hated helping, but he'd stuck it out. She'd needed an extra set of hands, and it meant a lot that he did it without complaining. People who fainted at the sight of blood didn't usually stick around long enough to fight past the first sign of revulsion, but he'd manned up and got the job done.
She led him into her office, which didn't look any better than the r
est of the clinic.
"I haven't set up the office and files yet." She twirled her hand around the room and sat down in one of the chairs. "I really didn't think I would have an emergency before I opened up."
Ranger Man stood with his hands in his pockets, and Samantha pulled a spiral notebook out of the bag she always carried with her. She clicked the pen against her leg and began writing.
"I take it you found the wolf on the job?" She gazed from his shoes to his face.
"Yeah, up on the ridge. I was scouting for forest fires." He sat in a chair across from Samantha.
Her pen scratched over the surface, and she kept her gaze focused on the paperwork. "Is there a problem with poachers in the area?'
"No, not that I'm aware of. I've only been stationed here for the last six weeks, though..." He shifted his position and leaned closer.
Samantha stopped writing. It surprised her to hear he was new to the area too. "I'm sorry. With all the excitement, I don't think I got your name."
"Bobby Thorn."
Ranger Man didn't resemble a Bobby. Much too big, and nothing about him appeared childlike. She always thought the name Bobby sounded young, mischievous, but this man was definitely a full-grown male.
"Listen, I need to get back to work. You let me know when the wolf is ready to be released, and I'll swing by and pick him up." Bobby Thorn extracted a business card and handed it over to Samantha.
"Her." She glanced down at the card.
"Excuse me?" Bobby stopped and turned around.
"The wolf, she's a girl." She lifted one corner of her mouth, and he grinned back at her.
He raised one hand in farewell and strolled out of the office. She stood in shock at what that smile of his did to her insides.
"Wait, Ranger...Bobby." Samantha hurried to the waiting room. She hated to see him go.
"You can bill the county for the wolf's treatment." He waved over his shoulder and strutted out the front door of the clinic.
She locked her gaze on his retreating body. Lifting an eyebrow, she craned her neck and watched him walk toward his pickup. The town of Skamania sure had some interesting people.
Chapter Three
Chuck Morgan spread the slats of the blinds hanging in Sheriff Dickerson's office. He smiled, knowing no one could see his self-satisfied moment. The citizens of this hick community went about their own business, unaware that a few miles up in the hills he was scheming to put their little town on the map.
The office door slammed, but Chuck didn't move a muscle. He knew it was Dickerson who entered—he'd spied him pulling up outside only moments ago.
The sheriff halted as soon as he saw Chuck inside the room. "I've told you not to come here. It's goddamn daylight. Do you want Thornton or one of his men to see you? I told you not to take..."
He figured the sheriff stopped talking because his overweight body had left him breathless and unable to speak. Ignoring the nervous man, he continued to study the street in front of the Skamania County Sheriff's station. He wondered what the townspeople would do if they realized the man they'd voted into office to serve and protect them was also two-timing with a felon.
All he'd needed to do was promise the sheriff a wad of cash at the end of the summer and Dickerson became his bitch for the season. His lip twitched at the thought.
"Who was that woman you talked to earlier?" Chuck glanced over his shoulder at the sheriff, who now sat behind his desk.
"What woman?"
"The looker with the great ass. Who the hell do you think I mean?" Chuck returned his gaze out the window. "Not like there's many good-looking women in this town of overweight farmers' wives and do-gooders who walk around with their noses in the air."
The woman he'd caught sight of earlier possessed a quality that got his dick to stand up and pay attention. Damn, just remembering her had him hornier than hell.
"That's the new vet. She's as nervous as a scared kitten and trembles fairly easy around men." Dickerson chuckled.
The blinds snapped back in place, and Chuck marched over to Dickerson's desk. He laid both hands on top of the piles of paper that cluttered the surface and placed his face in front of the sheriff.
"I want you to find out everything you can about that woman. I want her background, where she lives, and who her goddamn grandma is." Chuck straightened up and crossed his arms. "I want to know what time she works and what makes her nipples hard. Do you understand me?"
The sheriff shoved his chair away from the desk, but remained seated. "Hey now, I agreed to help you. That didn't include finding you a woman. No one is supposed to know about you. Besides, I thought...I might put the moves on her myself."
Chuck curled his lip and stepped over to the private door at the rear of the office. He closed his hand around the doorknob and glanced over his shoulder at Dickerson.
"Go ahead and try, Sheriff, but get me that information." He slunk out the door exactly the same way he'd sneaked into the office earlier. No one would catch him. The whole town reeked of stupid...except for maybe the pretty little redheaded vet, and it didn't matter because she wasn't going to be an issue.
Chapter Four
Stretched out with all four legs to the side, the wolf slept in unencumbered sedation on the blanket Ranger Man had spread out on the bottom of the cage. Samantha smiled. The fact she'd both treated an honest-to-goodness wolf and met a man that intrigued her all in one day gave her something to fill her head with.
She turned out the light in the backroom and shut the door. The she-wolf would do better waking up to a dark room. More importantly, she didn't want to add more tension to an already stressful situation for the poor thing.
After Samantha checked on the wolf, she decided to throw herself into the task of unpacking. Thankfully, the wild animal in back would probably sleep through the rest of the day and night, leaving her plenty of time to get the job done.
Over the next few hours, she was finally seeing some improvements in the place and getting a feel of how everything would fit once she was done. She lifted the stack of flattened boxes and carried them over to the corner of the room, where she'd store them until she had time to check if the town had a recycling program.
Amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted work did to the place. The waiting room now sported chairs, plants, and even magazines on the end tables. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she'd skipped lunch. That explained why she suffered from a slight headache. The sugar overload from this morning's doughnuts probably didn't help either.
She didn't have any excuse for not bringing lunch with her, because she lived right above the clinic. Although it might help if her personal belongings weren't still in boxes and she actually took the time to buy groceries so that she could make actual meals.
The remaining doughnuts tempted her, but for her butt's sake she needed to find some real food. Maybe Luce's Café was still open. She glanced at her watch. Nine thirty. She hoped Luce kept late hours.
Samantha locked the clinic door and followed the sidewalk past the gas pumps and around the corner. She hurried along, uncomfortable at being all alone outside in the dark. It seemed strange not to have streetlights and nightlife illuminating the town. She wasn't much for partying, but the lack of social occasions in a place this size forced one to appreciate a dinner out.
Samantha approached the building she suspected to be Luce's Café. In the dark, it resembled an old, run-down bar rather than a café, with its plywood sides and lack of front windows. A sign hung from the handle of the scarred wooden door. She stepped forward and squinted.
Luce's Café ~ Open.
Despite the desolate appearance of the place, hunger for a real meal drove her forward. She opened the door.
Music blared, people danced, and the overall jovial mood of the place shocked her. She scanned the room and wondered if she'd crashed someone's party, and realized it was Friday night.
Samantha squeezed between dancers who found room to groove among the scattered ta
bles. The soft floor seemed to move beneath her. She glanced at her feet. Sawdust covered the floor. How cool was that?
Spying the bar at the back of the room, she excused herself through the crowd. She claimed a barstool and sat with her back against the bar to people watch. Of course, all the faces she met belonged to strangers.
"Dr. James!"
She turned toward the side of the café. Luce held a platter over her head and waved. Luce struggled with the crowd at her disadvantaged height. Excited to find a friendly face in the crowd, Samantha smiled and waved back. She hoped Luce didn't upend the platter on someone's head.
"I'm so glad you stopped in!" Luce set the tray on a nearby table and passed the customers' drinks out. She blew a kiss at one of the men and weaved her way to Samantha's side.
"I can't believe how packed this place is! And please, call me Samantha." She squeezed Luce's hand. "I thought I'd better take you up on the offer to check out your place and have dinner."
"It's a great night to come. We have karaoke night on Fridays." Luce pointed to the plywood stage set up on the other side of the restaurant.
"Get out of here! Really? I love karaoke." Samantha laughed.
Luce handed over a menu. "I'll be right back. Look it over, and I'll get something other than doughnuts in your tummy." She winked.
Samantha opened the menu and lost herself in the vast choices of delicious food. Luce packed a real goldmine into one tiny country café. Luce's offered everything from hamburgers to seafood, and Samantha marveled at the selection. A tiny moan escaped her when she saw cheese sticks listed on the menu. Total comfort food for the weary.
"Did you find what you wanted to order?" Luce raised her pen and notepad.
"I think so, although I'm wondering if I can eat it all." Samantha laughed.
Luce sat down beside her on the vacant bar stool.
"You've worked hard since arriving in town. You deserve a good meal." Luce crossed her legs and waited to take Samantha's order.
