“What’s going on?” she demanded.
“Maise gave birth and got distressed. Rosie here, saved her life and the puppies,” Eliana replied calmly. “Tell me you haven’t called the book club.”
Mrs Maple pursed her lips. “I thought a crime was in motion.”
“And instead of calling the sheriff’s office, you took matters into your own hands?” Eliana said reprovingly.
“How’s Maise?” Mrs Maple asked, ignoring Eliana.
“She’s fine, thanks to Rosie and Klutz. They’re moving here with their motorcycle club. Klutz and Rosie are both veterinarians and are interested in opening a practice here.”
To my surprise, the stern look on Mrs Maple’s face melted into hope and happiness. “Vets? Real ones? Licenced ones?”
“Yeah,” Rosie responded, amused.
“Do you do big animals?”
“Such as horses? Yes, both of us do,” Rosie replied. “We have applied for our state licences to be expedited.”
“Wonderful! We can get rid of the charlatan. So, when are you opening, my dears? Can I make an appointment on Saturday? Mr Tickles needs his yearly injections.”
“We aren’t open yet, and we can’t practise without our licence, but we hope to be operating soon,” Rosie said, sending me a sideways glance.
“Rosie, we don’t even have a house!” I exclaimed.
“I know, but Calamity, they need me.” Rosie pouted.
I rolled my eyes at her. “Guess we’ll be booking permanent rooms at the hotel for the weekend.”
Rosie leapt to her feet and flung her arms around me. “I love you so much! You always understand me!”
“Wonderful, I’ll spread the news,” Mrs Maple said.
“Would you mind waiting until my wife and Klutz are registered, please? I don’t want malpractice suits against them. And the equipment needs checking, and they require insurance and getting their ducks in a row,” I intervened before Rosie got railroaded.
“Plus, we need to buy the building,” Klutz added.
“I’m certain Jana can rush the sale through,” Mrs Maple stated, eyeing Jana.
“Sure thing, Mrs Maple,” Jana replied.
I almost choked at the look on Jana’s face. Clearly, this Mrs Maple was a force to be reckoned with.
“Now, dears, how else can the book club help?” Mrs Maple asked.
“You can call them off because Maise needs quiet,” Eliana warned. “If they all burst in here, they’ll upset her.”
“Of course,” Mrs Maple said, pulling out her phone and sending a text. “We have a group text. Technology is wonderful.” Her cell began beeping with replies, and I wondered what the hell this town ran on because they all seemed too cheery.
Nothing was this good, and I guessed there was an aspect we weren’t seeing yet. There had to be because every coin had a flip side.
Drake – two weeks later
“You don’t want funding?” I asked, amused.
“No, I’ll fund whatever we need. I’d rather the club not start with a negative.”
“That makes sense, and it’s not as if you lack the money,” I replied.
