“Ah, come on, Maggie, it’s?—"
“And,” she continues, determined, “you’re sure as hell aren’t going back to a barn for a long while.”
“See what I put up with?” Bodie whines, but his eyes soften as he watches his daughter. I feel a pang, remembering when my father used to look at me like that, with love and affection.
“She’s right,” I say gently. “You’ve got to heal. Let her take care of you.”
Maggie shoots me a grateful look, then aims a glare back at her father. “I’m taking you back to Aspen. You’ll be where I can keep an eye on you.”
I chuckle at the annoyed sounds Bodie makes. “Sounds like a plan.”
Without Bodie, I’ll be the only vet in Wildflower Canyon. I thought I had time until he retired, but now it looks like we’ll be able to do a dry run of that debacle in advance.
Good times!
Maggie’s phone buzzes, and she slips out into the hall to take the call.
Bodie stretches his hand toward me, and I clasp it firm. We haven’t known each other long, but there’s a camaraderie between us—born of professional respect. And honestly, once you’ve shoved your whole arm inside a cow’s vagina alongside someone, it forges a bond that doesn’t need years to grow.
“Dr. K,” he murmurs. “Wildflower Canyon can’t go without a vet. You’ve got the skills and the heart. You step up while I’m gone. No arguing.”
Like I have a choice.But….
“Bodie”—my throat goes tight, making it hard for me to squeeze the words out—“this town barely tolerates me.”
“They’ll learn…or not; it’s on them.” His gaze holds mine, fierce even with pain lines carved deep into his face. “Animals trust you. You keep showing up, the smart ones will follow. You’re ready, Sarah. You hear me?”
I nod because it’s all I can manage. It’s almost like Dad is telling me I’m ready to be the vet I know I can be.
Maggie returns then, bustling in with a nurse, already arranging transportation.
Bodie leans back against the pillow, letting them fuss.
I step out into the parking lot after helping Maggie settle Bodie inside for his overnight stay. I tell him I’ll come back in the morning to check on him and make sure the doctors are fine with him driving back with Maggie.
The sky is bruise-purple now, streaked with fire as the sun bleeds down behind the mountains. My bones ache from the day, but my mind won’t still. I almost don’t notice the truck pulling in until its tires rasp over the asphalt.
It’s Cade. Just my luck!
He climbs out slow, broad shoulders caught in the last light, his hat shadowing his eyes. I brace myself, ready for the sting of his words. But when he comes close, his regard doesn’t hold fire.
“I heard about Bodie, came to check on him,”he explains.
“They gave him somethin’ for the pain, and he’s out,” I tell him. “His daughter is with him.”
“Maggie’s good people.”
“Yeah.”
“You, okay?”
I frown. “I’m not the one who broke their leg. I’m better than okay.”
“Yes, you are.”
His blue eyes hold me to him.
“Dove, when you look at me like that, I forget my own name. All I know is the shape of your body, the heat of your skin, and I have a desperate need to make you cry out my name so I can remember it.”
