by Kate Pearce
Danny set his jaw and lined Spot up to jump the boundary fence. He needed to get a grip. It wasn’t like him not to know his own mind and his way forward. Faith was back to stay, and he was just going to have to find a way to live with it.
Chapter Nine
Faith got out of her truck and gathered herself before taking a deep breath and walking toward the Millers’ house. She was almost at the side door when Danny came out and stopped right in her path.
“How’s it going?”
She tried to smile. “I got the results back.”
His face went blank. “Dad and Adam are in the barn.”
They walked together in silence toward the barn where Faith could see Jeff gesticulating about something while Adam leaned up against the wall and occasionally nodded. Ben and Adam were built like linebackers whereas Danny was leaner like his father.
“Hi, Mr. Miller, Adam.” Faith set her bag on the ground. “I got a call from the lab this morning with the test results.”
“Well, go on, then.” Jeff gestured impatiently. “Spit it out.”
“You’ve got E. coli and cryptosporidium.”
Danny whistled. “Damn.”
“The E. coli is very common and is bacterial in nature so by itself it’s more treatable. The cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite. It adheres to the cells that line the small intestine and damages the microvilli,” Faith said. “It’s harder to treat, but at least we now know what we’re dealing with. The antibiotics I suggested wouldn’t have worked on crypto.”
“Glad I saved my pennies, then,” Jeff said. “And I still don’t know where this infection came from.” He looked around at his silent sons. “What the hell have you been doing to this place while I’ve been laid up?”
“Nothing you wouldn’t have approved of.” Adam obviously wasn’t having it. “And you’ve hardly been absent. You’ve been micromanaging me from your bed since the day you came back from the hospital.”
“Obviously not well enough,” Jeff snapped, and turned to Faith. “What happens next?”
“We keep a very close eye on the rest of the herd and hope that the infection hasn’t spread any further.”
“Obviously,” Jeff snorted.
Faith took a deep breath. “And I think we should let the other ranchers in Morgan Valley know what’s going on.”
Jeff looked at her for a very long moment, but she didn’t look away.
“Sure, why not? Let them know how incompetent the Miller boys are.”
“Dad.” Adam frowned. “That’s really not helpful.”
Faith gestured at the remaining calves in the barn. “Keep giving these guys fluids and electrolytes until they fully recover and then place them in a separate field from the rest of the herd just as a precaution.” She looked at Adam. “You’ve had a couple of days without any new cases, right?”
“Yup.”
“That’s good.” She paused. “Are you one hundred percent sure that this current group of infected calves weren’t brought in from outside?”
“They are all ours,” Jeff stated. “I don’t hold with buying in unless I have to.”
“Okay.” Faith paused to think. “Were they at any time in a group by themselves?”
“Like a prayer group?” Evan, who had arrived while Faith was speaking, spoke up. “Or a band?”
Faith just managed not to roll her eyes. “I meant like all in one field.”
Danny frowned. “We did round them up from a few different locations on the ranch to bring them closer to home. I’d have to go check the records to see who we fetched from where, but I can definitely do that.”
“Danny and Daisy set up this really cool interactive site for monitoring where the cattle are in real time on the ranch. It makes rounding them up using GPS way easier,” Evan said.
“That’s an amazing idea,” Faith agreed. “I wish more ranchers had access to that kind of technology.”
Danny shrugged. “Chase Morgan did say he wanted to take a look at it. I just haven’t gotten around to sharing it with him yet.”
“You should.” Faith picked up her bag again. “Is it okay if I check the calves now, Mr. Miller?”
“Go ahead.” Jeff sat down on a hay bale. He looked exhausted. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“As to everything else you’ve been doing regarding hygiene and maintaining secure boundaries around the infected area keep going. It’s obviously working,” Faith said. “If it’s okay with you I’ll let Red Ramirez know the results of the testing, and make sure he is observing the same strict safety protocols.”
“Fine by me,” Adam replied. “Has he had any more calves go down with this thing?”
“Not so far.”
“Thank God,” Jeff muttered. “I should never had lent him our trailer.”
Danny pressed his hand to his father’s shoulder. “You were trying to do a good thing, Dad. You weren’t to know.”
“Harrumph,” Jeff muttered. “That boy’s got enough problems without me adding to them.” He looked over at Adam. “You’ll compensate him for any losses.”
Adam nodded. “Already on it.”
* * *
Evan went off to do his daily check of the pregnant cows while Adam insisted on walking their father back to the ranch house. He only managed it by reminding Jeff that Leanne was due to call to let him know when she and Rae were arriving for the wedding.
“Shit,” Danny breathed.
“What’s wrong?” Faith looked over at him from her kneeling position beside one of the calves.
“Daisy’s wedding. We can’t hold it up here when we’ve got calf scours.”
“I certainly wouldn’t recommend it.” Faith stood up. “Especially since half the guests will be other ranchers. You don’t want them taking it home with them.”
“The Morgans aren’t going to want us up at their place either, are they?”
“Maybe somewhere in town will work?” Faith came toward him and stripped off her gloves. “The hotel or the community hall?”
“Both great suggestions.” He grimaced. “Daisy isn’t going to be happy. She was really looking forward to being married at home.”
“I’m sure she’ll understand. She’s a rancher’s daughter.”
“I guess.” Danny sighed. “As I’m the one who thought of it, I suppose I should go tell her.”
Faith patted his hand. “She’ll be fine.”
“Will you come with me?”
She blinked at him. “To talk to Daisy?”
“No, to the wedding.”
She slowly withdrew her hand. “Danny . . .”
“I don’t know what’s going on in my head right now, Faith, but I need to spend time with you.” He hesitated. “I think I need to work through what we missed.”
She raised her gaze to meet his, her expression serious. “Okay. I guess I understand that.”
“Then you’ll come? It would be a great way for the whole valley to see that we don’t have any bad blood between us.”
“Yes, but only if Daisy is okay with it,” Faith said.
“I’m sure she will be.” He smiled down at her. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Putting up with me right now.”
She smiled back. “It’s not exactly hard.” It was her turn to pause. “I guess I need some kind of closure of my own, too.”
“I’ll talk to Daisy,” Danny said. “And get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Okay.” She came out of the gate and shut it behind her. “Do you think you might find time to come over to my place one evening?”
Danny went still. “So Dave can try and thump me again?”
“Hopefully he’s gotten over his macho streak by now,” Faith said. “There’s something I’d like to share with you, and I’d rather do it in private.”
“Okay.” Danny reviewed his extremely limited social calendar. “How about tonight around eight?”
“That’ll be fine.”
&nbs
p; He was still pondering Faith’s invitation as he drove down to town to pick up the promised feeding pouches from Fred at the feedstore. He’d told Adam and Evan about the problem with the wedding location. They’d both agreed that he should stop in at Daisy’s flower shop, take her out to lunch, and deliver the bad news. Adam had offered to tell their father, so Danny didn’t think he was getting the worst job.
He kept reminding himself that Faith was basically a stranger to him now, but it didn’t seem to work. He’d known her for seventeen years, loved her for two of them, and still felt like they were on the same page. During those tumultuous teenage years had they helped form each other’s characters? Were there elements of himself that he owed to her for good and bad? It was an intriguing question and one he didn’t yet have an answer for.
The fact that she’d broken his heart and changed him didn’t seem quite so important as the rest of it now. Knowing that she’d been as helpless as he was at a crucial point in their relationship had somehow healed some of his deeply held wounds. He still wished he’d been there....
“Hey Danny, what’s up?”
He abruptly looked out his truck window as Fred waved at him from the front of the feedstore. He parked the truck, got out and headed toward the entrance.
“Hi, thanks for calling.”
“No problem, son.” Fred stepped into the store and Danny followed him. For some reason it always smelled of fertilizer, grain, and dirt with a hint of sunshine. “I kept half a dozen back for you.”
“That’s awesome.” Danny considered the store owner. If he wanted to get word out to Morgan Valley, Fred was a good person to tell. “We’ve been dealing with a case of calf scours up at the ranch.”
“Oh, man.” Fred shook his head. “That’s terrible.”
“Yeah, so if you see any of the other ranchers in here, please feel free to drop a word in their ear. So far, the outbreak is contained, and we’ve had no new cases for the past few days, but it’s better to be careful.”
“I’ll make sure people know.” Fred nodded as he rang up the purchase. “And I hope you guys get through it without too many losses.”
“Can’t disagree with you about that.” Danny paid the bill and picked up the paper bag. “If anyone has questions ask them to direct them to Adam or me, and definitely not Dad.”
Fred chuckled. “As if I’d let any unsuspecting person talk to Jeff.”
Danny had to smile. “And Faith McDonald is our veterinarian so she’s happy to answer questions, too.”
“She’s a good ’un.” Fred wiped down the countertop. “I remember seeing you two out and about when you were teenagers. Never seen such a lovey-dovey pair.”
“Yeah, we were pretty intense back in the day,” Danny agreed.
“Shame she stayed away so long.” Fred walked with him to the exit. “I always thought there was more to it than her just going away to college. She loved this place as much as you did.”
Danny shrugged. “People change. She’s back now.”
Fred nudged him. “You should ask her out.”
“You think?”
“Definitely.” Fred paused. “When a woman looks at you like that, you know you’ve found your soulmate. I met Azalea when we were fourteen and I just knew she was the one.” He chuckled. “Took her a while longer to decide the same thing, but I kept the faith. We’ve been married forty-five years now.”
“That’s awesome.” Danny shouldered the bag. “Okay if I leave the truck here while I go and have lunch with Daisy?”
“Sure thing, son.” Fred patted his shoulder. “Give her my best and tell her I’m looking forward to attending the wedding.”
Danny put the bag in the back seat of his truck, locked up, and walked down the boardwalk toward Daisy’s flower shop, which was squeezed in between the Red Dragon Bar and the sheriff’s office.
“Just how many people have you invited to this wedding, Sis?” Danny asked as he went into the front of the shop. “Fred at the feed shop says he’s coming.”
Daisy immediately looked guilty. “It’s not me, it’s Jackson. You know what he’s like. He just opens his mouth and invites everyone he meets.”
“That does sound like him.” Danny kissed her cheek. She was petite like their mother and had hints of red in her long hair. She’d also inherited their mother’s business ability and was a software nerd who still commuted back to Silicon Valley when necessary. “Are you still okay for lunch?”
“Sure!” She stuck a note on the front door and locked it. “If anyone desperately needs flowers in the next hour, I’m sure they’ll find me in Yvonne’s.”
Danny waited for her to find her purse and they exited into the parking lot behind the shop.
“Why do you want to have lunch with me anyway?” She looked up at him. “It’s not like you to just drop in.”
“I can be spontaneous,” Danny objected.
“No, you can’t. You’re almost as organized as I am.”
“True.” Danny sighed as he opened the door into Yvonne’s and stood back to let his sister go through. “Except I don’t have your brains. I’m also not currently running a flower shop and an IT startup that might make me a multimillionaire.”
“You just got your degree,” Daisy reminded him as she found a table and sat down opposite him. “That’s awesome.”
“Took me long enough.” He checked out the specials on the board.
“But it’s still an achievement.” Daisy studied his face. “What are you going to do with all that knowledge? Do you plan to stay with Dad and Adam, or branch out on your own?”
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Danny said.
“I don’t believe that for a minute. You’ve always planned out your life.” Daisy sat back. “What’s going on?”
“Maybe things have changed around here?” Danny countered. “Dad’s sick, Adam’s taking on more responsibility for the ranch, and Mom might be coming back for good.”
“I know.” Daisy sighed. “I still don’t know how I feel about that.”
Danny frowned. “She said she’d talked to everyone and we were all okay about it. Are you worried?”
“Only because we have a lot of lost time to make up and sometimes it’s hard to let go of my past grudges against her.”
“Which were mostly untrue,” Danny reminded her. “Because Dad couldn’t face what he’d done.”
“I’m still mad at him, too, don’t worry.” Daisy smiled. “But I’ll get through this. Maybe having Mom back will help me find the perfect balance.”
“I wonder if Ellie will come with her and stay as well?” Danny asked. “It’s weird to think we have a half sister we’ve never met.”
“Almost as weird as Faith McDonald coming back after seventeen years away from the valley.”
Danny gave her a look. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“You tell me.” She met his indignant gaze. “I remember how badly her leaving affected you. I don’t think you were even the same person afterward.”
“That’s one hell of an exaggeration.” Danny folded his arms over his chest. “I was just a kid. I got over it.”
“Sure you did.” Daisy waggled her eyebrows at him. Hanging around with the way too honest Jackson had obviously done a number on her. “You changed, Danny. I was there. I saw it in real time.”
“No one stays the same as they were at seventeen,” Danny reminded her. “You were going to be a rodeo star, remember?”
“Until I fell off the back of my horse doing that handstand and ended up with a concussion.” She grinned. “I always wonder if that shook up my brain and helped me develop my affinity for coding.”
“Hi, guys!” Lizzie arrived at the table to take their order. “How’s it going?” She turned to Daisy. “Yvonne says if you have a minute after your lunch can you pop in the back and talk to her about the wedding cake?”
“Will do.” Daisy nodded. “I’ll have the big California salad with the shrimp and a g
lass of iced tea, please.”
“I’ll have the same,” Danny said. “Thanks.”
“You’re both welcome.” Lizzie scribbled on her tablet. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
“Anyway.” Daisy barely waited for Lizzie to turn her back before she started speaking again. “I’m guessing you’ve changed your mind and want to bring someone to the wedding, right? And I’m also going out on a limb here and assuming that person is Faith.”
“We thought it might be a good way for the whole of Morgan Valley to see we’re on good terms all in one hit,” Danny said.
“I suppose that makes sense.” Daisy regarded him skeptically.
“She’s been getting a lot of pushback from people who think she somehow did me wrong and it’s just not fair.”
“She left you, Danny, and she never ever bothered to come back and explain herself.”
“I appreciate the loyalty, Sis, but it really wasn’t that simple. Since she’s been back, we’ve had a chance to talk.” He hesitated, aware that he didn’t want to give too much away, but also that Daisy was his sister and that she deserved at least some of the truth. “I can’t tell you the whole of it because it’s not just my story to tell, but just know that both Faith and I were deliberately kept away from each other.”
“By your parents?” Daisy grimaced. “Okay, I can totally see Dad doing something that stupid, but the McDonalds? They’ve always seemed so good with their kids.”
“Which just goes to show that you can never tell what’s going on behind closed doors. And, I guess they thought they had reason to interfere. We were only seventeen.”
“You’re way too nice, Danny.” Daisy sat back. “You should tell them all to take a hike.”
“Like that’s going to have any effect on Dad.” Danny attempted to set the conversation back on topic. “I did want to talk to you about the wedding, but not just about Faith.”
“Okay.” Daisy picked up the glass of iced tea Lizzie had just delivered to the table. “What else is there?”