“Sit tight, I’ll see to the other animals. Do you want some coffee?”
“Please.”
I started her coffeemaker before grabbing the food to feed the indoor animals. Julia had created a feeding schedule for all the animals along with the types of food to give them and when. I checked the calendar and doled out the appropriate food for the circling four-leggeds before measuring out Pocket’s food andbringing it in to him. The hedgehog was hidden inside his little den and didn’t so much as move when I set the food inside.
“Does he get lonely?” I asked, finishing up with Pocket and closing the door behind me. I knew nothing about hedgehogs other than they were cute.
“Hedgehogs are solitary animals. He much prefers to be by himself,” Julia said. I poured coffee for her—adding cream, the way she liked it—and handed her the mug. “They’re quite territorial, especially the males, so it’s the hermit life for him.”
“I couldn’t imagine living such a solitary life. While there’s times I enjoy my peace and quiet, I’d be lost without my family around,” I confessed.
“But you don’t normally pick fights with other males simply for being too close, do you?” she asked with a grin.
I rubbed my chin. “Does taking a swing at my half-brother count?”
Julia choked on her coffee and quickly set the mug down. “Well, uh, no, that doesn’t count, but this is a story I need. What happened?”
I told her about the night I got in a fight with Cal in the Roundup and how “the sheriff” had to break us up.
“So, you spent the night in jail after yourbrotherarrested you?” She was clutching her stomach and laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
“It wasn’t that funny.”
Julia continued to laugh. “Speak for yourself. The Thornes have always been this pillar of the community and to find out thatyou’re… what… human? This is great. I can’t believe Sofia didn’t tell me about this. I’m going to have words with her,” Julia said.
I grimaced at that hoping that my embarrassment over that night would have calmed down, but that wasn’t the case. “It was not my finest moment,” I said.
“And?” she prodded. “What made you start the fight in the first place?”
Sighing, I leaned against her kitchen counter. “I overheard Amy crying to my mom about how Cal hurt her feelings and I saw red. Went looking for him. Found him at the bar and went in swinging.”
“Oh.” She fiddled with her mug, turning it around. “That’s actually kind of a nice thing to do in a very Neanderthal sort of way. Didn’t think to talk to him instead?”
“Not at the time, no. We did talk things out eventually, though.” My cell phone beeped with a text and I saw that it was from Davis. He was letting me know that the trail cameras were all working fine and that there were no sign of any predators around the property. I used his message as an easy out to keep from having to discuss my behavior any further.
“Work texting?” she asked already guessing.
“It is.” I looked at my watch. “I’ll turn the horses out to the pasture and be back around lunchtime to feed Ally. If you’re up for it, I’ll bring you some of the chili we made last night.”
Leaving Julia at her kitchen table with her laptop next to her and a full cup of coffee, I finished with her horses and headed back to the ranch. I’d been embarrassed over my behavior with Cal and I was glad she didn’t push me to talk about it more. As hotheadedas I was capable of being, eventhathad been over the top for me. Still, I didn’t get the feeling that she judged me negatively for it—and that felt the best of all.
TWELVE
JULIA
“Dr. Lett? Can you see what I mean? Her nipples are all swollen,” Mrs. Marsden said while staring into the camera on her phone.
“Well, ma’am, I actually can’t see Fluffy at all. You have the camera pointed toward yourself instead of your cat.” I then spent the next few minutes talking the older woman through how to show me her cat. When she finally did, I bit back a laugh and reached for my phone to send a text to Declan Morris, asking if he could make the time to stop by for a quick home visit.
“Can you see what’s wrong, doctor?”
“I can now. It looks like you’re about to become agram-paw.” I grinned at the pun but when the woman turned the phone around, she was frowning.
“A what now?”
My phone beeped and I saw Declan’s message agreeing to stop by. “Your daughter’s cat is pregnant.”
“She’s what now?”
