“Montana? Why so far away? Wonder what kind of nerd they found?” Tommy Luckman interjects as he chuckles.
“Doc Lucy called her in. People are getting desperate because they’re losing their asses with dead cattle,” Jared says. “I wentto pick up some more antibiotics at her clinic yesterday, and Old Man Geppert was screaming his head off at her.”
“Old Man Geppert screams at everyone,” Benny replies.
“We’ll get it under control,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel. “Doc Lucy’s supposed to stop by today. She’ll have a plan. I’ve been doing a lot of research, too.”
I haven’t slept since I went out to check the pasture a few weeks ago and found the first cow dead. There were no signs of an animal attack, no signs of anything out of the ordinary either. Something about it bothered me, though, and I started researching possible reasons.
The crunch of tires on gravel draws my attention. A familiar red truck pulls up, and sure enough, Doc Lucy climbs out, her clipboard in hand and her usual no-nonsense expression firmly in place. A silver Ford F-150 with Montana plates pulls in right behind her.
A gorgeous blonde standing five-two jumps down from the truck. She may be wearing coveralls and mud boots, but there’s no hiding those curves.
“I take back what I said about the nerd,” Tommy says quickly. “Isthatthe fancy doctor?”
“Definitely doesn’t look like a nerd to me,” Benny chuckles. “Holy shit, is that…?”
Sutton Bishop.
“Now it makes sense why they brought in someone from Montana—because she’s from Hicks Creek,” Benny continues.
I’d recognize her anywhere, even after all these years. The way she moves, the tilt of her chin, that same fire in her eyes. My body reacts before my brain catches up, my pulse quickening like I’m a damn teenager again.
I also remember how quickly she ran out of my place when she realized who I was, like I had the damn plague.
I had a moment of weakness and even reached out to her on social media, and she blocked me. There’s too much bad blood between our families anyway, but I was willing to look past that. I shouldn’t be surprised a Bishop would hold a grudge for that long, though. She’s just like her daddy.
I push off the barn, my boots kicking up dust as I walk toward them.
Doc Lucy spots me first and waves. “Wade! Just the man I need.” She reaches out to shake my hand, her grip firm as always. “I didn’t think you’d be here this morning. Got someone here you need to meet.”
“I decided to wait before going to the auction house for more cattle,” I tell her.
Sutton steps up beside her, looking me over like she’s sizing up a steer at auction. Her lips press into a thin line, and she doesn’t bother with a smile.
“Wade Callahan,” Doc says, gesturing between us. “Doctor Sutton Bishop. Sutton, Wade runs this place. Wade, Sutton’s one of the best bovine vets in the country. She’s been researching infectious diseases and coming up with the cures since she graduated from A&M as a vet.”
I nod, forcing myself to keep my tone civil. “Sutton.”
She crosses her arms, her voice cool. “Wade.”
Doc glances between us, clearly picking up on the tension but plowing ahead anyway. “I forgot you two should know each other,” she chuckles and shakes her head. “Sutton’s here to help with the outbreak. She’s been consulting on cases like this for years now. Remember they had a similar issue in Mississippi a few years back? Sutton was the one who figured it out and ended the outbreak. She’s the best woman for this job.”
“Well, I’ll be,” Benny interjects. “That can’t be little Sutty Bishop.”
“I hate that name, Benny,” she says with a fake groan as he grabs her in a bear hug.
“Dang, Sutton, I didn’t recognize you,” Tommy adds.
Jared is suddenly mute as he just waves at her. Doc Lucy is eyeing me carefully.
I raise an eyebrow, letting my skepticism show. “Didn’t think you’d be interested in ranch work anymore, Sutton. Last I heard, you’d turned your back on it. Do you even know what a cow looks like anymore? Can’t imagine you’ve seen much of them in your fancy office.”
Her eyes narrow, and she fires back without missing a beat. “I certainly remember what a jackass looks like.” She takes a long pause, looking me up and down slowly before she continues. “And last I heard, your family still thinks they’re the kings of the county. Guess some things never change.”
Jared snickers but covers it with a cough. My jaw tightens.
“Just because—”
