“Sutton’s here because she’s the best, and you need her expertise if you want to save your herd. She didn’t have to come home for it. Lord knows she wouldn’t have wanted to come back and deal with you cantankerous ranchers. Don’t make her regret it.”
Sutton smirks, crossing her arms. “From what Doc Lucy says, you and my dad have been hit the worst. But if you’d rather let your pride get in the way, I can leave. Plenty of other ranchers would appreciate the help.”
Her tone sets my teeth on edge, but before I can decide whether to snap back or let it go, Caleb’s voice cuts through the tension.
“Dad?” My fifteen-year-old son jogs up, his lanky frame already catching up to mine. He stops short, glancing between us. “Who’s this?”
Sutton’s demeanor shifts instantly. The sharp edge in her expression softens, and she looks him directly in the eye. “I’m Doctor Sutton Bishop. I’m here to help with the bovine outbreak. What’s your name?”
“Mr. Frank’s daughter? I’m Caleb.” He grins. “Nice to meet you. I can take you to them.”
He makes a wide gesture with his arm before turning toward the pasture. Sutton follows him without hesitation, their conversation fading as they head toward the herd. Something about the way she shifts so easily from sharp to kind leaves me standing there, watching her go.
Doc Lucy nudges me with her clipboard, a knowing look on her face. “Well, that was something. I guess I should’ve realized the two of you would share your father’s ridiculous beef.”
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Wade Callahan stumble in front of a woman,” Benny teases. “They usually can’t drop their panties fast enough for him.”
“Old man is losing his touch,” Tommy laughs.
Benny pulls back and hits him in the back of the head.
“Watch your use of the world,oldman, kid,” he warns playfully.
Tommy rubs the back of his head before he follows the others out to the pasture.
I shake my head and watch Sutton and Caleb interact. She’s laughing at something he said, and for a moment, I see a glimpse of the girl I used to know—the one who loved this land as much as I do.
There was a time when I would describe her as loyal to a fault. I watched from afar as she sacrificed a social life in high school to help out on her father’s ranch. It was expected of her, and she fulfilled that duty in the highest sense. She went halfway across the country for school, though, and never looked back. That loyal, carefree girl seems to be long gone, and she seemsto be chasing money and prestige now. If those weren’t her intentions, she would be back in Hicks Creek full time helping her daddy and the rest of the ranching community with her knowledge.
There was a time when my mother and Sutton’s were best friends. We were always hanging out at each other’s houses growing up. I’m six years older than her and thought of her as an annoying little sister most of the time. I was always so impressed with her tenacity and confidence, though.
She’d outwork any and every teenager and grown man when we would be out bailing hay. She may be small, but she was mighty for sure.
I honestly was never really attracted to her until I pulled up to her house to give her that acceptance letter. She had just turned eighteen, and maybe my brain realized she was an adult now.
Seeing her in that bar is a different story. I don’t know if our interaction would have been the same had we both told the truth about who we were from the start. Like I said, she’s just as stubborn as her old man.
There was something so special about her back then.
My pants tighten as the memory of her looking back at me through hooded eyes as I was buried deep inside of her flashes into my brain.
I shift slightly and shake my head.
Can’t be having those thoughts about her, especially not in the middle of the damn pasture when she’s trying to save my herd.
Sutton and Caleb are near the fence to go into the pasture, and I watch her put a hand up, telling him to stay outside the fence. She stops and digs into her bag, pulling out medical booties, pants, and a gown-like top as if she’s going in to perform surgery.
“What is she doing?” I snap.
“Taking precautions, it would seem,” Doc Lucy sighs.
“You don’t do that.”
“No, but I probably should have. It could have stopped the spread more than me washing down between calls,” she murmurs.
My eyes flit to her quickly, and I can see the look of regret on her face. We continue walking toward the pasture as Sutton grabs some things out of her bag and carries them with her.
“She can’t be going in there. I don’t care what hazmat gear she’s wearing, she’s going to—” I hiss as I start toward them.
