Damn. I wanted him in the worst way. We were alone in the barn, no one else around, and no sounds coming from other stalls or the offices. Surely I could get away with a fast touch. Maybe even a kiss. The way Carson was staring at me said he might welcome?—
Buzz. Buzz.My phone chose that moment to vibrate with the pattern I’d assigned the answering service that routed all emergency calls to my cell. Damn it. Kat had indeed jinxed me with the quiet night comment.
“Gotta take this. Sorry.” I stepped outside the stall, body already tensing for bad news and mind halfway to my truck. Thecall and subsequent message with pictures confirmed my fears that I had a late night ahead. I ended the call as Carson finished with Linus and joined me in the aisle between stalls.
“What’s wrong?” He tilted his head toward me, and his gentle concern had me briefly closing my eyes and taking a steadying breath.
“Got a horse injury on a nearby hobby ranch. Flank snagged on a loose piece of barbed wire on a trail ride. Stitches likely. Squeamish owners with a tendency to hover.” The last bit was the part I was most dreading. The Youngs were a wealthy couple in their late fifties. They ran right to worst-case scenarios, and neither was likely to be much help in an emergency.
“Damn.” Carson patted me on the arm. “Anything I can do?”
I opened my mouth to say no, but his unexpected touch had me reconsidering. Warmth spread upward from his hand, reminding me how good it felt to be supported.
“Actually, yes,” I said slowly as I worked out a plan. “Would you want to come along? You’re so good at keeping horses calm. And you seem to have a strong stomach.”
“I do.” Carson dropped his hand to pull out his phone. “Let me tell Kat.”
“Thanks.” It was toward the end of the workday, so I was reasonably certain Kat would agree to Carson coming with me.
“Anytime.” Carson’s expression softened with an unexpected vulnerability.
As much as it pained me to need help, he seemed grateful to be asked. Having someone I could count on was a novelty. Worry for the coming emergency churned in my gut, but my shoulders were far looser knowing Carson would be along to assist.
Chapter Seventeen
Carson
Jude hadus on the road in short order. The other ranch was in the next county, a little under an hour away, according to the truck’s GPS. Jude kept drumming his fingers on the steering wheel like he’d ordered up a set of wings and they had yet to arrive. His jaw was set like a stack of bricks, and his tension made the silence feel heavier than usual.
“Tell me more about emer…” Hell. My tongue tripped all over the word emergency. “Injury.”
“Probably a good idea.” Jude sounded relieved to have an excuse to talk. “This is a hobby ranch, so the owners are newer land owners who mainly ride for pleasure. They had the horses out on a trail near their house when their younger gelding, Bono, got snagged by a stray piece of barbed wire. They got him back to the barn, but from the pictures they sent, the cut is likely going to need stitches.”
“Under local?” I hadn’t seen an equine wound repair yet, but I assumed Jude wouldn’t be using general anesthesia in the field.
“Yeah. However, I’ll likely sedate the horse before suturing. I’ll use you to help with the prep.”
“Makes sense.” I nodded. Outside the truck, the evening sun swept over the rugged landscape. The clock on the dashboardsaid we were approaching dinner time, but my mind was more on Jude than food. “Glad to help.”
“Thanks.” Jude shot me a grateful look as we sped along. This far outside of Lovelorn and the other small towns along the main highway, there was little traffic to slow us down. “You’re the sort of level head that’s good in an emergency.”
“Pays to stay calm.” Years of military service had drummed that mantra into me, but my ability to manage my emotions had started far earlier. In a chaotic single-parent household with multiple siblings, learning how to handle the unexpected without freaking out had been an important life skill. “Situation management.”
“Aye, aye, Sergeant.” Jude chuckled.
“Bet you’re good at it too.” I shrugged off the tease. Jude wouldn’t have gotten this far as a vet without being level-headed.
“I try.” A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Stress tends to get me after though.”
“That’s normal.” I pitched my voice to be reassuring as we passed a sign for one of the roads that led to the state lands and Disappointment Canyon. The memory of that night stargazing made my muscles warm and loosened my tongue. “Takes me a bit to wind down.”
“Exactly. I end up tired and wired for hours as my adrenaline settles. And some situations stay with you more than others.” Jude’s tone turned thoughtful. “My dad was a master of emergency management, though, and he seldom showed any after effects.”
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t have any.” I’d seen even the coolest operators puke after missions or cry in the showers, hoping no one would notice. And the number of military personnel who dealt with stress through the bottle and other means was sky high. Outward appearances only took one so far.
“True.” Jude blew out a breath. “Dad pined for my mom something fierce. Funny how he could navigate the gnarliest of veterinary crises, but never recovered from her loss.”
“My mom said he died of a broken heart.” I’d been overseas when Jude’s father had died, but I’d overheard Mom and Aunt Georgia discussing Jude’s father more recently.
