by J. P. Comeau
“She’s a strong mare with a lot of heart. Sky deserves every chance I can give her to race. You know she loves it, you’ve seen her out there.”
He clicked his tongue. “Just make sure you know when enough is enough.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Right. Yeah.”
“So, why do I take it that’s not the only thing on your mind?”
“Are you having as shit of a day as I am?”
He chuckled. “Uh, oh. What’s happened?”
“It’d be easier to tell you what hasn’t happened.”
He barked with laughter. “Hit me with it.”
“I spilled coffee on myself twice, and I’ve burned my stomach because of it. Patricia still won’t let me take Marie Lee to these damn things, Sky’s back in the vet office, and every female with two or four legs that I have run into today, I’ve somehow made unhappy.”
“Well, yikes.”
“Yeah. Yikes.”
He snickered. “You sure you’re the reason they’re upset?”
I shrugged. “I know Patricia’s upset with me. I know Marie Lee feels like I’m leaving her behind. I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with Willow--.”
“Who’s Willow?”
I sighed. “This vet tech that ran into me at Morris’ office. Apparently, all guys are pricks because she ran into me, or something like that.”
He laughed heartily. “Look, I don’t think it’s all you. But, I’m telling you, this is why I don’t date. I find a woman who needs a nice night, we enjoy one another’s presence, and then we go our separate ways. Then, you don’t have to get into all this squirrely emotional nonsense.”
I blinked. “Why don’t you just try to patch things up with Sadie. I know it’s been a long time… And did you really just use my marital fights and my daily difficulties to justify why you’re a manwhore?”
“Hey. I resent that comment. I enjoy women, and they enjoy me. Why would I rob them of that to stick with just one gal? That doesn’t seem very fair, does it? And besides, Sadie definitely still hates me.”
“Says the guy who won’t sleep with a girl if she’s had multiple partners. How fair is that? The same guy who hasn’t gotten over his high school squeeze.”
“You’re on the chopping block right now, not me. Remember that.”
I chuckled bitterly. “Ugh, I need this day to be over.”
He perked up. “That reminds me! Are we still meeting in the ring to practice at three? Or, does this vet appointment kind of eat into that plan?”
“It’s only eleven-thirty.”
“You know what I mean.”
I looked over my shoulder at Sky again. “Yeah, we’ll be there. I don’t know what kind of condition Sky will be in, but she’ll be happy to just have a space that’s familiar to her after the chaos of today.”
“Good. Because the rodeo next week is high stakes. And if Sky isn’t going to race, we have to find a horse that can step up to the plate. Us Remington boys have a reputation to keep up, you know.”
I grinned. “Looking forward to it.”
“And the fridge at the practice arena is well-stocked with Coors to have once we finish.”
I nodded. “So long as I’m back for dinner at seven, I’m good.”
“Seven? Seriously? That cuts out two hours of--.”
“I can come at two if it helps, but I have to be home by seven. All right?”
He sighed. “Fine, fine. We’ll meet at two. But don’t be late. We’ll still be down a training hour this way.”
I chuckled. “See you then, micromanager.”
“See you then, lazy ass.”
4
Bryce
Dr. Morris finally stood up. “All right, I think I figured out what’s going on with Sky. LaShonda!”
A female voice piped up from the other end of the stalls. “Yes, Dr. Morris!?”
“Can you come here a second and help me?”
I heard the pitter-patter of footsteps before a beautiful black woman emerged. Her head held high, her back poised, and a wide smile on her face. She walked with the grace of royalty but wore clothes that denoted the fact that she took care of the animals back here that had to be kept overnight for recuperation or treatment. Her muddy jeans and her slobber-stained flannel shirt boasted of the hard work she did back here, and I wondered how long she’d been working for Dr. Morris.
I also found myself wondering if Dr. Morris employed anyone else other than beautiful women.
“Whatcha need, Dr. Morris?” the woman asked.
He thumbed over his shoulder. “I need that medicine cabinet for the horses out of the closet down there. I’m going to give Sky here something for the pain she’s in and write up a script for something else.”
The woman nodded. “Anything else?”
“When you get a chance, Markie needs to work on getting up on that leg. He’s being a bit bullheaded about it.”
She grinned. “He is a bull, Dr. Morris.”
“And that’s why I want you to do it. He seems to like you.”
She shrugged. “Eh, you just gotta know how to treat them. That’s all.”
“Well, you do a marvelous job, LaShonda.”
She smiled brightly, and said, “I appreciate the kind words,” then turned to me, “I’ll be right back. Mr. Remington.”
I nodded. “Ma’am.”
As I watched her walk off with all the confidence in the world, I couldn’t help but let my mind run away from me. I mean, Willow had been with Dr. Morris for well over two years. And all of a sudden, she’s fired? Everyone knew that this man went through female vet techs very quickly. I mean, a bunch of us were shocked when Willow stayed on as long as she did. But, with her being gone so suddenly--along with the longing way Dr. Morris stared after LaShonda--it made me wonder why Willow had actually been fired.
Was she one of the girls Morris had sacrificed to his appetite?
While it wasn’t my place, I knew Willow deserved better. And that would’ve explained why a nice gal like her hadn’t been seen with a nice guy or something for a while now. Again, none of my business, but I hated a womanizer. A man who used his position to get in good with women he hired just to get his dick wet. And if Dr. Morris really was that kind of man? Maybe I did need to stick to heading across town.
I’d gladly pay double the bill to support a man that wasn’t a shithead.
“Here you go, Doctor,” LaShonda said.
He nodded. “Thanks. Now, tend to Markie before he loses all control in that leg of his. He needs to stop being so stubborn and actually walk around on it.”
She snickered. “You leave that to me. I’ll make sure he’s up and going before his owners come back next week.”
I interjected. “Uh, Dr. Morris?”
He looked over at me. “Huh?”
“What is it you’re about to give Sky?”
“Oh! Yes. This. It’s a mild pain reliever. I do believe your lovely mare here is suffering from a few things, none of which are related. So, this will help with the discomfort until we can get arthroscopic surgery scheduled for this hip.”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait. What else is going on?”
He slid the needle into Sky’s skin. “Hold on there, girl. It’s okay. Almost done…. And we’re done! You did great, Sky.”
I watched him pat her coat before he turned to face me.
“Well, she’s constipated, for one. At first, I thought it was her stomach that was distended. But it’s not. It’s her bowels. Also, with that comes gas pains. I’m actually wondering if the gas that can’t travel through her colon right now is what’s making her hip act up; because her hip isn’t even swollen right now. I mean, it does need surgery. But, she should’ve been able to perform just fine today without pain.”
I blinked. “My mare’s constipated?”
He chuckled. “Nothing a strong laxative won’t fix. There’s a good chance she’s got a food allergy. To which I say: get her as all-natural of a fo
od source as you can. Even if you have to grow your own crops. There’s too much processed stuff in animal food these days. So, if you’re preordering it? Make sure it’s as natural as you can get. I know it’ll cost more, but it’ll keep stuff like this from occurring.”
“Thanks, Doc. I owe you one.”
He patted Sky again. “Nah, this is what I love to do.”
Yeah. And women. “Still, I appreciate it. How long do you think it’ll take the laxative to work?”
He shrugged. “Depends on the blockage. I’m going to prescribe a pretty strong one, but it’s by no means the strongest. It should work well within 48 hours. But, you’ll know quickly if it isn’t working. If that happens? You call me, and we’ll have to fix this girl manually.”
I paused. “Right. Okay.”
He chuckled. “Not as terrible as it sounds. And not as painful, either. Sky will be more relieved once we’re done than anything, all right? Nothing to worry about.”
“When should we schedule this surgery you’re talking about?”
He shrugged. “We can do it anytime. But, the next couple of weeks are very, very busy for me. If you want to get it in sooner than that, I can give Dale a call across town and see what his availability is.”
“If it’s not urgent, then we can wait until you’re free again.”
He nodded. “Fair enough. Let’s go get you checked out so you can get Sky home.”
LaShonda took control of Sky while Dr. Morris and myself headed back up to the main building. And when I met face to face with Brenda--his front desk woman--to schedule Sky another check-up, we couldn't find an open date.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Mr. Remington. But, Dr. Morris will be at his Houston clinic on those days.”
“I’m sorry, that doesn’t work either. Conference week. He’s supposed to be presenting all week in Vegas.”
“It looks like Dr. Morris is going to be on vacation? I don’t know, he’s got it blocked off, but it doesn’t specify why. He sometimes does that when he schedules his vacation time.”
“Uh, that might work? I can put you down tentatively and give you a callback.”
I sighed. “Boy, haven’t had this much of a problem scheduling something since my own wedding.”
She giggled. “We’ll find you something, Mr. Remington. I promise.”
I should have been able to shake the feeling, but there was something off about the whole interaction. It was the first time in well over a decade that I had actually been wait-listed with Dr. Morris’ office. I mean, I’d heard of other people being wait-listed, but I had never been. And while I didn’t like special treatment or anything, something seemed off about the whole transaction.
From the lack of time to see the doctor to the plastered-on smile, Brenda kept on her face.
This day has just been plain weird.
I shoved it from my mind, though, and headed on home. I drove the trailer up the dirt road that led straight to the stable I had on my sprawling property and quickly unloaded Sky. I had to run and pick up her prescription, but I wanted to take Marie Lee with me. I wanted my daughter to know that I hadn’t abandoned her and if Patricia didn’t like it? She could suck my nozzle. Not that she’d been doing anything like that for months now, anyway.
However, when I hopped back into my truck and headed down the main driveway, I noticed something odd.
“Where’s Patricia’s Range Rover?” I murmured to myself.
I heard Marie Lee kicking up a stink inside, so I leaped out of the truck. I didn’t even bother keeping it running as I charged through the front door and followed the sound of my wailing daughter. I found her in the kitchen with Maria, who was trying to take over cooking up this damn roast my wife had been talking about while she held my daughter in her arms. And the second my daughter set her eyes on me, she reached out her hands.
“Da-da-daddy!” she screamed through her sobs.
Maria was more than relieved to hand her over to me as I cradled her.
“Hush little Marie, don’t say a word. Daddy’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”
I sang lowly to her as I rocked her in my arms. I felt her face lay against my shoulder as she continued to cry as helplessly as I’d ever heard. It broke my heart, and yet Patricia was nowhere to be found.
“Mr. Remington?” Maria asked.
I turned to face her. “You know you can just call me ‘Bryce.’”
She pointed. “There. She left a note.”
I furrowed my brow as I turned around and found what Maria had been pointing at. I walked over and picked up the note, scanning it with my eyes. And as I felt anger bubbling up the back of my throat, I pierced Maria with a jagged glare.
“Why the hell wasn’t I called about any of this?” I asked.
“No phone!” Marie Lee screamed.
Maria pointed toward the bathroom, shaking her head. “My phone’s ruined. It may as well be still in the toilet.”
I bounced my daughter in my arms as I slammed the note onto the counter. But, the words already tumbled around in my head. As much as I wanted to forget them, the tears in my eyes told me I never would. And it made me sick to my stomach. Every time I tried to put my daughter down, she clung to me. Rightfully so, too. So, I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch as I continued singing softly to her.
“Hush little Marie, don’t you cry. Daddy’s gonna shade you from all the lies. And if those lies come back to hurt, Daddy’s gonna punch them in the--.”
“Sir?” Maria asked.
I sighed. “Bryce, Maria. It’s Bryce.”
“Want me to fix dessert with dinner?”
I snickered. “Might as well. At least something good will come of this day.”
Marie Lee sniffled. “Is Mommy bye-bye?”
I felt her pick her head up, and when I gazed into the eyes of my two-year-old little girl, I didn’t know what to tell her. All I heard in my head were the echoes of that fucking note Patricia dared to leave behind.
As much as this pains me to admit, I’ve found someone else, Bryce. I’ve told you for months now that money can’t solve everything. You’re a workaholic. You're never home to be the father you think you are, and I can’t take it anymore. I already feel like a single parent, and I refuse to be married to that anymore. I’ll contact you in a few days to check up on Marie Lee.
Goodbye, Bryce.
The entire thing made me sick to my stomach. I mean, I’d thrown my life away for the woman. I married her after we got pregnant to make sure someone made an honest woman out of her, especially in a small Texas town. I promised to give her everything simply because she was the mother of my child. And what did I get in return?
This.
I got an empty house, an even emptier ranch, and no one to help me run any of it.
I need a nanny.
And I needed a nanny quickly.
5
Willow
I picked up another slice of pizza and sympathized as Luna rattled on in my ear about her father’s arthritis and how she was starting to help take care of him. I watched as darkness fell heavily over the Texas Hill Country, and I wondered if the darkness would do me the favor of swallowing me whole and never letting me go again. I knew the girls were going to give me a good tongue-lashing over how things ended between Dr. Morris and myself. Especially since they predicted it would happen a bit like this. But, I still needed to talk to them. Even through all of the ‘I told you so’s’’ that I resented from them, I knew they’d make me feel better after getting their jabs in.
Then, finally, Luna said something that caught my attention. “Do you think he’s seeing someone else at your place of work?”
I blinked. “Well, I mean, I don’t work there anymore. But, do you think he’d be that brazen?”
Sadie scoffed. “Are you kidding? The man’s done worse, and you know it.”
I sighed. “That’s very true.”
Luna paused. “What did you ever see in that man, anyway? I me
an, he’s balding a bit, isn’t he?”
Sadie giggled. “And he’s got that beer gut going nowadays.”
Luna cackled. “And let’s not forget those sandals with socks that he wore to the hoedown a few months back. The poor man looked like--.”
I spoke with my mouth full. “All right, all right, all right. I get it. Dr. Morris isn’t the most attractive man anymore. Yikes.”
Sadie clicked her tongue. “Understatement of the year.”
I grinned. “He sure had it going on in bed, though.”
Luna whispered. “Ew.”
Sadie paused. “I’m with ‘Ew’ over here.”
I threw my head back with laughter. “Oh, come on, girls. Indulge me at least a little bit.”
Sadie snickered. “Yeah, maybe. If Dr. Morris looked a bit more like Tom Hiddleston and a bit less like Dr. Phil.”
My jaw hit the floor. “Sadie!”
She guffawed with laughter. “What?! I’m just saying!”
Then, Luna dropped in with a great idea. “What if we try to find out who this other woman is? You know, just to see who Dr. Morris has sucked into his web this time? No offense, Willow.”
I blinked. “None… taken?”
Sadie clapped her hands. “Oh! Oh! That’s such a good idea. I’ve got his Facebook page already pulled up.”
I put my pizza down. “Wait, what?”
I heard Luna typing over the phone. “I’ve got his Twitter and his LinkedIn.”
“Girls. I don’t know if this is--.”
Sadie sighed. “His Facebook is locked down pretty tightly. I sent him a friend request, but he probably won’t pick it up.”
I leaned back against the couch. “Probably not. I talked about you two a lot to him. He knows who you guys are.”
Luna tsked. “Well, his Twitter and LinkedIn are blown wide open. And while his LinkedIn hasn’t been updated in three or so years, there are some interesting pictures on his Twitter feed.”