“Diplomatic,” Rock said, and he stepped forward and shook her hand too. “I’m Rock Glover. It is great to meet you.” He flashed her a smile that had surely broken many hearts, and Lila Mae’s memory fired at her.
“I really appreciate the time. I know your wife is due soon, isn’t she?” Lila Mae surveyed the three men. “I think Trap said her name was Clover. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Rock said, plenty of surprise in his voice. “She’s due in about five weeks.”
“Right,” Lila Mae said. “Still, it’s very close.”
“Don’t remind him.” Smiles laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Rock here is stoic on the outside, but he’s nervous as heck about becoming a dad.”
“Smiles,” Rock grumbled, a clear note of chastisement in his voice.
“Itisscary,” Lila Mae said. “Though I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”
Rock nodded at her in acknowledgment. “My biggest worry is how far we are from the hospital. But I learned from Brandon and Lenore that you could call and get a little apartment just down the road from labor and delivery.”
She must have had a horribly blank look on her face, because Smiles added, “I’m sure Trap mentioned Brandon and Lenore. They have that homestead northeast of town?”
“Yes, yes,” Lila Mae said, the pieces falling into place. “Yes, of course, they just had a baby a few weeks ago.”
“Yeah, that’s them,” Rock said. “But I called and found out that I can get a place there if they’re not overrun with long-term patients. So we’ll stay in town for the last week before Clover’s due date.”
“Smart,” Lila Mae said, then she turned her attention to the sweeping view of Shiloh Ridge beyond the stable. “Although with a place as majestic as this, it’s got to be hard to leave.” The three men lined up beside her, and they all gazed out at the brilliant blue sky of that September morning.
“It is beautiful,” Rock murmured.
“No place like Shiloh Ridge,” Smiles said.
“Are you sure you don’t need a second vet?” Thad laughed, and that broke the moment.
Lila Mae looked over to him. “You can’t leave Feline Friends. I need you.” They hadn’t had major surgeries or any emergencies yet, but Thad had lovingly and carefully taken care of the cat rescues that had come in since he’d started at the sanctuary.
“I’m just teasing,” he said. “I don’t want to leave Feline Friends.”
“All right,” Rock said. “We can start in the stables, if you’d like.” He turned to go inside, and Lila Mae hurried to follow him, leaving the two vet-friends to follow behind her.
“Now, I’m not a vet,” Rock said. “But as I’m sure you know, a lot of medical issues can be prevented or kept from getting worse by keeping things clean.” He started to detail how he cleaned the floors, the walls, the stalls, and then the animals themselves. “That way, when Smiles comes in, he knows that the foot rot didn’t come from an uncleanliness issue, but something else, and it’s far easier to diagnose problems.” Lila Mae nodded, and she took pictures of the cleaners and supplies that Rock used in the stable.
She noted that while her feline hospital-slash-stable was probably one-fifth the size of this one, they were still laid out the same. “And this is heated and air-conditioned?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Rock said. “Our horses are our lifeblood here at Shiloh Ridge. We don’t use machines; we use animal power, and that means we have to keep them in tip-top shape.” He ran his hand down the side of the neck of a black-and-white horse standing at the gate of his stall.
“Rock loves horses,” Smiles said.
Lila Mae had always been a little bit afraid of them, as they had such big heads and could spook so easily. But she moved a little bit closer and ran her hand up the bridge of the nose on the black and white beast in front of Rock.
He did gaze fondly at the horse, then smiled. “You’re being such a show-off today.” The horse huffed through its lips, which caused everyone to chuckle.
“We have a whole room of medical supplies here in the stables,” Smiles said. He pulled open a set of double doors just behind the stall where they’d stopped. “I’m pretty sure Thad saidall of your stuff is contained in one building, but you might want to have a closet of medical supplies in each of your cat houses.” Lila Mae peered at the boxes of antiseptic and gauze pads, gloves, and even medicines.
Three Rivers had a robust animal pharmacy, and she had Thad who could write a prescription for whatever she needed. “Wow,” she said, stepping closer and joining Smiles in front of the closet. “What kinds of things do you recommend keeping on hand?”
He started listing them and even pulling out the boxes, and Lila Mae quickly took notes and pictures.
“We could get that,” Thad said. “And since you have a vet tech assigned to each cat house, they would be able to give an emergency shot, if necessary.”
Lila Mae nodded, her mind buzzing with all kinds of possibilities. Cat House One had a closet in it, as Lila Mae wanted them to be fully functional buildings, with restrooms for her staff, a lobby area for potential cat parents, and a place to keep toys, cat equipment, and secretarial items. Since she was operating on a much smaller scale, she felt certain she could clear a shelf for the emergency feline medical supplies both Smiles and Thad suggested.
“This is great,” she said. “Thank you for this idea, Smiles.” Smiles grinned at her and closed the closet doors. “Just wait till you see what I have in my office.” He laughed, but Lila Mae perked up like a small child who just heard the word candy.
