She had to reposition the arms of the front loader three times as it continued to inch the tractor back.
Then with a pop, the wheels rolled free of the mud onto relatively dry ground.
Brakes squealed. The tractor halted. The Bush Hog was now attached at an acute angle, narrowly avoiding jackknifing against the rear of the tractor. She raised the bucket once more so that it was out of the mud, then put the tractor in gear, steered it to the right of the rut in which it had been stuck and drove tractor and Bush Hog smoothly out of the mud and up the small incline onto solid ground.
She turned off the engine, climbed down from the cab and sauntered over to her truck where Stephen stood waiting. “Next problem?”
He grabbed her around the waist, swung her, then kissed her long and hard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as hard.
When he finally released her, he said, “That’s what I get for trying to impress you. My ego will never recover. By rights I ought to kill you and bury you in that old barn, so you can’t snitch to anyone about your having to rescue me. I am usually the rescuer in my family.”
She laughed up at him. “I’d come back to haunt you.”
“That was fantastic. Thank you.”
“Not my first rodeo, cowboy. I won’t even give you a ballpark figure on how many pieces of equipment I’ve gotten stuck in the mud. After a while, you know what to do. You were right not to call Emma. Are you through cutting?”
“Except around the lake. I am not about to try that again today.”
“Then drive on back across the road. I closed the clinic before I came, so you owe me lunch.”
“Unlike you, I’m covered with mud. I can’t take you to the café. Except for those pirate boots, you’re still clean. I don’t know how you managed it.”
“I whacked off the tops of John’s old fishing waders, so my boots come higher than yours. He had very small feet.”
“I’ll drive the tractor back under Seth’s carport and give it a quick rinse. I could do with some lunch, as well, but not before a long hot shower and some clean clothes. Can you wait?”
“Just about. While you clean up, I’ll go visit Emma. Maybe she’ll join us for lunch.” She held up her hands. “I promise I won’t tell her about your getting stuck. You tell her. It’s too good a story to keep to yourself.”
Stephen parked the tractor, rinsed it off with Seth’s garden hose, carried his jacket and his hiking cane, and called from the back steps to Emma’s new kitchen. “Emma? Barbara? I’m too dirty to come in.”
Emma opened the door. She had on bunny slippers and a maroon maternity warm-up suit stretched tight across her belly. “In this house, we’re used to mud.”
“Not like this. This is glue mixed with plaster of paris. How about a late lunch in town at the café? I’m driving and buying.”
“You take Barbara. Seth should be home soon to watch football. I want a good long nap.”
Barbara appeared behind her shoulder. “Are you sure?”
“A shower and clean dry clothes,” he said, “and I’ll be good to go.” His leg was killing him. He needed to soak it and probably wrap his knee.
“I’ll walk back over here when I’m ready. Okay?” He looked at Emma uneasily to see whether she had any inkling about his debacle. Her expression didn’t give anything away.
He turned and concentrated on walking back across to his front porch without limping. Hurt like hell, but he managed.
After a long hot shower, he sank onto his sofa and stretched his leg in front of him. Stomping around in the mud was tough on muscles and bones. He’d take five minutes rest before we went back to Emma’s.
He hoped they would not gossip about what he’d done.
Both Emma and Barbara seemed completely innocent, but with women you never knew. If Barbara kept his secret, she was even more remarkable than he already considered her.
This was the second time he’d gotten himself involved with an amazing woman. Barbara seemed so different from Nina but both were warm, honorable, caring.
Also hard-headed, opinionated, stubborn, independent to a fault. Barbara was probably also capable of driving him as nuts as Nina could when he pushed her too hard in the direction he felt was best. Nina had never let him get away with that. Pretty good bet Barbara wouldn’t, either.
He’d fallen in love with Nina quickly, although he hadn’t realized at the time that’s what was happening. Surely, he couldn’t be falling in love with Barbara.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SINCE EMMA DIDN’T want to join them for lunch, Barbara and Stephen drove to the café in Stephen’s truck. The remaining diners turned to stare when the two of them walked in together and took a table at the back of the restaurant. Stephen probably thought it was because of his cane. Barbara knew better. It was because Stephen was a relative stranger and with her.
“Hey, y’all,” Velma said. “We got turnip greens today and purple hull peas and pot roast.”
“Works for me,” Stephen said.
Barbara nodded. Outside, the wind had shifted to the northwest to bring gray clouds and a threat of rain. As much as Barbara appreciated rain, it meant mud in all the pastures and the barnyards. It could have turned the pond into such a quagmire that even she couldn’t have maneuvered Seth’s tractor away from it. Poor Stephen, she thought. He would have hated explaining that to Seth.
“I’m driving to Memphis for a meeting with my dean in the next couple of weeks,” Stephen said and squeezed lemon into his sweet iced tea. “He wants a progress report on my new textbook.”
“He could get that over the telephone.”
“He also wants to see for himself that my physical condition is improving. Which it is. I hardly use my cane at all any longer.”
“You had your stick today. ESP?”
“More like experience. My leg has fooled me before. I am considering lying like a rug about the progress of the book. Unfortunately, the dean knows me too well. I’ll reassure him, after which I’m having lunch with my daughters. I am not looking forward to it.”
“Why not? You haven’t seen them since you moved up here.”
“Anne and I talk on the phone most nights, and she reports to Elaine. Better for all of us. You’ll like my Anne. She works at one of the local horse barns outside of Memphis.”
Barbara suspected he hadn’t mentioned anything about her liking Elaine because he doubted she would.
As a shadow fell across their table, Barbara looked up to see Seth and his partner, Earl, by their table.
“Hey, folks. May we join you? Stephen, I don’t think you’ve met my partner, Earl Maxwell.” The men shook hands and sat in the other two seats at the table.
Velma made iced tea magically appear at both their places as she asked, “Special?” Both men nodded and off she went.
“How’d the cutting go?” Seth asked Stephen. Barbara caught his eye and raised her eyebrows in an up-to-you expression. Stephen took a hefty swig of iced tea, squared his shoulders and launched into the story of the stuck tractor. “Thanks to Barbara, I didn’t cause any damage that couldn’t be remedied with the garden hose.”
By the time he finished, both men were chuckling. “Both of us have been stuck out there at least once,” Earl said. “The pond bank moves depending on whether we’re talking hot, dry weather in the summer or cold, damp weather in the rest of the year. The lily pads grow and shrink with the bank. What’d you think about the barn?”
“Doable. The more I think about it, the more I think fresh trusses in the ceiling and fresh metal on the roof, plus a good cleaning should be all that’s needed initially.”
“I spoke to the construction guys that did the work on our house,” Seth said. “They’re interested in rehabbing the space at a reasonable cost.” He pulled a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to Step
hen. “That’s the foreman’s cell-phone number. I don’t think they have a landline. They move around a lot. I asked Emma about the land. She doesn’t want to sell, even though she doesn’t want to use it herself at the moment. I think she might be open to a long-term lease, deducting the money you spend in rehabbing the place from the rent.”
“Win-win. Call me this evening when and if Emma feels like discussing it. I’ll walk over.”
* * *
BARBARA LEANED OUT of the way as Velma set their plates in front of them. The three men were avoiding one another’s eyes. Like little boys, they were up to something. She had a suspicion that whatever it was, she wouldn’t like it. She also suspected that Stephen was the ringleader of whatever scheme they were hatching. “What are we talking about here?” She caught another conspiratorial glance among the three men. “Okay, Stephen, give.”
“Never you mind,” he said. “I’ll tell you later after I’ve spoken to Emma.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Just so you know, I hate secrets.”
“How do you deal with Christmas?”
“I was one of those children who hunted for gifts ahead of time. I never found them. My mother took them all to her best friend’s house and kept me away from there until Christmas morning. All the same...”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Yes, we will.” Barbara glanced at her watch. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’ve got those vets I mentioned coming this afternoon to discuss joining the practice. You mind driving me back to the clinic? I figured it would be easier to have them drive in on the weekend after we close.”
“Since it’s either that or make you walk ten miles, I suppose I’d better.”
“I knew I should have brought my own truck,” she said. She reached for her check, but Stephen put his hand over hers. “I invited you, remember? My treat.”
* * *
“DR. PETERSON, WELCOME. I’m Barbara Carew.” Right on time, Barbara thought. She’d barely beaten him to the clinic.
“Vincent Peterson, ma’am, but everybody calls me Vince.” The young man brushed a wayward shock of light brown hair off his forehead. “I’m still not used to being called Doctor. I shouldn’t admit that.”
“I felt the same way. Still do, some days.”
He wasn’t handsome exactly. When he smiled the left side of his mouth quirked as though at some point the nerves might have been damaged. It gave him an almost piratical aspect, as though he might shout, “Ha-a-ar, me hearties,” at any moment. He was not quite as tall as Stephen, but with muscles that revealed the excellent upper-body strength of a young man who worked hard and worked out, as well. He could probably flip a heifer without much assistance from the farmer. His eyes were hazel and already crinkled at the corners from spending hours in the sun.
Barbara could feel the tingle of neighboring feminine antennae tuning into him. His application said he was single and would be twenty-eight on his next birthday. She could think of several young ladies who would be interested in finding out whether he was good husband material. Of course, there might already be a love interest waiting in the wings for him to pass his tests and get a job.
First impression? She liked him. “Tell me about yourself,” she said.
“My family’s been farmers outside McComb, Mississippi, long as I can remember. Naturally, I went to Mississippi State. It’s hard to get a place at their vet school in Starkville, but I had the grades and the letters of recommendation. I’ve always known I wanted to be a veterinarian. I guess I like animals better than people. Humans spend a lot of time screwing up animals’ lives. I like unscrewing them when I can.” He took a breath, as though he had delivered a short form of his résumé.
“So, at some point you might go home and take over the farm?”
He laughed. “My two older brothers got that locked up. No’m, I want a place to make a career and settle down where my family’s not breathing down my neck and second-guessing me about trimming a goat’s hooves. Down home, I’ll always be the Peterson boys’ little brother.”
Barbara nodded. Good. She did not need to train a young vet who would rush off to become a gentleman farmer when Daddy crooked his little finger. “You do know I am looking for somebody who can eventually become a partner?”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s what I’m looking for, too.”
“Mississippi State has a great vet school.”
“Really good with large animals.”
“Is that what you prefer?”
“If it needs treatment and it’s anything other than human, I want to help.”
Talks a good game, but we’ll see. “You know this is a mixed practice. When the clinic is open, we have mostly dogs and cats in the office, but not necessarily.
“We’re open on Saturday mornings. Mostly for emergencies. You missed the alpaca that came in first thing this morning with an abscessed tooth I had to pull and the young stallion that had to be castrated. One thing about this practice—you’re never bored.”
“That sounds great, long as I can read up on animals I’m not familiar with.”
“We do a good deal of wild-animal rehabilitation. That is not actually part of the job description, but I don’t know a single vet that won’t help the rehabilitators when needed. Our group has raised everything from skunks to turkey buzzards to Burmese pythons. Those we relocate to zoos or reptile conservation places. We never release them.”
“Yeah. I know about pythons.”
“At first, I’ll try to keep you mostly here in the office until you learn the ropes, unless I need you in the field with me. You look as if you can pull a calf stuck in the birth canal.”
“Yes, ma’am, and I am real good at putting back prolapsed uteruses.” He brushed his hair off his forehead again.
“How’s your surgery?”
“I guess you read my letters of recommendation. Best in my class. Not as good as you, I’m sure, but...”
Barbara rescued him. “I’ve got a few years experience on you, right? I’ll try to go easy on you at first, but I know you interns at Mississippi State get a bunch of hands-on experience.”
“I’ve been helping one of our local vets since I was in high school, and I spent some time breaking horses on a ranch up in Wyoming. Wrangled cattle, too. I don’t mind being on my own, though I’d like to be able to call you for help or ask your advice if I need it.”
She nodded. “When I’m here, I am always available. Initially, I’ll try to take you with me to meet the clients and give me a hand. But that depends on how much time we can snitch together out of the office. It’s hard to tell right now. Things slow down for Thanksgiving and Christmas—except when they don’t. You okay with that?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We’re all on first-name basis here. Call me Barbara.”
“Yes, ma—uh, Barbara.”
“This has been a one-vet clinic for quite a while. For every quiet day, we have a dozen that are flat-out crazy. You’ll go home worn out, and just when you get comfortable, you’ll get a call out on the other side of the county.”
Barbara’s intercom buzzed. “Excuse me.” She stepped out in the hall to listen. When she came back in, she said, “You’re about to show me how great you are with a prolapsed uterus. You game?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Then mount up, cowboy, and let’s go do it.”
Her cell rang as she led Vince down the hall to the back door. Mary Frances had left her a voice message. Nuts. Probably another emergency. She picked up to hear Mary Frances’s message.
“That lady vet called to cancel her appointment this afternoon. Said she took a job with a dog and cat practice.”
Then let’s hope this one works out.
* * *
BARBARA SETTLED THE animals at the clinic for the night, evaded a half-hearted attack by Mabel the g
oose, delivered two thawed mice to Orville, who screamed his displeasure when they didn’t run from him. She fed and hayed the animals in the barn before she walked back to her apartment.
She poured herself a glass of white wine, carved a slice of extra sharp cheddar cheese to nibble with the wine, and sank onto the couch and called Stephen.
“Guess what?” she said a little breathlessly. “I hired another vet this afternoon.”
“Just like that?”
She sipped her wine, then took a hefty swig. She deserved it. “The woman I was supposed to interview didn’t come. She took a dog-and-cat job in south Mississippi.”
“You check out his credentials?”
“Yes, Stephen.” She sighed, exasperated. “I did that a week ago. The other one obviously didn’t want to be attached to a mixed practice out in the boonies. The new hire is from Mississippi. Farm background. After the way he pushed a uterus back into a cow this afternoon, I am definitely hoping he’ll stick around. Cute, too.”
“Then send him packing! I refuse to worry about your messing about with a young, cute vet who is a dab hand with uteruses, even bovine ones.”
She laughed. “He’s definitely cute. At this point it’s a provisional appointment, but he is definitely hired unless he screws up big time.”
“Is he staying with you?”
“Of course not. I was going to put him up at Sonny’s B and B in Williamston, but he chose to drive home to Mississippi tonight.”
“Long drive.”
“He’s young. He can handle it. He’s due back a week from Monday. He has things to finish at home. That means he won’t be available at the clinic on Friday when I’m at the fair, but it can’t be helped. Plus, I’d already planned to close. After you dropped me off, did you get your walking in for the day?”
She heard his hesitation.
“I do have a book to write.”
“So you’re saying you worked on your book?”
“In a manner of speaking. Actually, I went back and walked the pasture to review my handiwork and look at the mess I made at the pond. Not too bad, actually. Something needs to be done about it, however, before something or someone rolls into the pond and drowns. Gravel or sand around the edges, perhaps.”
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