“What?” Shay asked in confusion.
“Orthopedic doctor, bones, stuff like your knee. You do realize what Clark is going to do once this snow melts and the ground warms up?”
Shay frowned, then threw his head back in laughter. “Holy shit, yeah.” While still laughing, he turned to Faith to explain. “Across the street from Erin’s Way, The Broken Wheel, and Broken Two, sit five thousand acres. The land is great, but it’s worthless to grow any crops, other than a garden on. Not because the soil is bad, but because there are so many hills and valleys, that it’s not tillable, meaning workable. However, according to Clark, there is a spot that is about twenty acres that would be perfect to put in another ranch.”
“The rodeo ranch Naomi told me about?”
“Yes,” Erin said. “Clem will be leaving soon to go out to the rodeos to see if he can recruit people to come work it. It’s going to take a good two years before it’s operational, but if these down and out cowboys want a job, they can work at New Double. Then move over to the triple R once it’s ready. I’m thinking once that ranch is operational, I’m going to need a medical doctor on staff. If Dr. Johnson is looking now, it might be a perfect fit for her. She can get established, and still have her own private practice, and work on my employees when needed.” She grinned as she sat back in her chair with a satisfied look.
“It will save the hour and a half trip in one direction to go see her. You left here at what?”
“Eight?”
“And it’s four now, just going to see her, get tests done, it was eight hours. Give me her contact information, and I’ll reach out to her. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Caleb about maybe getting some equipment in.”
“What type of equipment?”
“Can I get an MRI machine?”
The others shook their heads as Faith wrote down the doctor’s phone and fax number from the forms Shay had been given. When they were left alone, they looked at one another.
“Is she always that intense?”
“From what I’ve seen of her, yes, but you have to understand everything she has. Erin’s Way, Riceman Stallions, Broken Wheel, Broken Two, New Double, now RRR. In the end, they all work cohesively together.”
“Oh.” They sat there in silence, then Shay sighed heavily.
“What? Do you need your pain pills?”
“No, I can hold off until I go to bed. First, I’m not telling you what to do, well, actually, I am. Do you think you should go over to your cabin and grab your suitcase? If the doctor wants someone with me, I think you better sleep here.”
“Yeah, give me a few minutes. I’m going to drive my truck over.”
Shay nodded and continued to sit as she left, and looked up fifteen minutes later when she walked back in, carrying a bag, and pulling her suitcase behind her. “I’m going to go to your spare room.”
“That’s fine, what’s in the bag?” he asked as she set it on the counter before she went down the hall. She paused to look back at him.
“The food I got from the pantry yesterday. If we’re going to be leaving in the morning, I don’t want to leave it there.” She took care of her case, and came back, opening cupboards and the refrigerator.
“I see you don’t have any meat out to thaw, just what I had.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it’s a good thing, it means that we won’t be wasting food. How do you feel about spaghetti, meat sauce, a salad, and the left-over biscuits from breakfast.”
“Perfect. Is there any gravy left?”
“No, we finished it this morning. Only four biscuits left.”
“Good, what can I do to help?”
“Set the table?”
“I can handle that.” He waited until she was done with the sink, and stood at the stove to get the dishes they needed. Instead of getting them from the cupboard, he used the ones they’d left in the dishwasher before leaving for the doctor earlier. He had found that he alone only needed to use it every three or four days, but with last night’s meal, and breakfast, he had turned it on before they’d left. Once it was set, he settled in his chair and watched her. As much as he wanted a beer, he declined because he knew he would be taking those pain pills before bed.
“Do you know what time you want to get on the road tomorrow?”
“What about between six and seven. I can drive twelve hours with no problem, but what if we break it up into nine hours the first day, and nine the second?”
