by Nancy M Bell
Making sure the inner door and the mudroom door were shut properly, she climbed into her pick up and waited for the glow plug before starting the engine. The throaty roar of the big diesel sounded extra loud in the morning stillness. A flock of magpies chastised her from the ridge of the barn roof. She giggled, since they were members of the Corvidae family, maybe they were a murder, or a parliament, of magpies rather than a flock. Who knew? Michelle shrugged. While waiting for the truck to warm up she checked her phone—no message from Mary, and no word from Cale. In Mary’s case, no news was good news, she supposed. However, Cale’s silence weighed on her heart.
“God damn Rob to hell and back, and I should have my head read for agreeing to go pick the jackass up in the first place. Old habits die hard, I guess. But I am so done with him.” She ground her teeth with frustration. Should I call Cale? But do I really want to know if he’s with Stacey? She glared across the coulee at the ranch she grew up on. “Which one of them will I kill first…Stacey or Cale?” she muttered. With the ease of long practice she put the truck in gear and hooked the big gooseneck trailer. After one last look at the house across the coulee she pulled out onto the gravel road and headed for town. Stacey, she decided, I’ll kill her first.
She stopped at the clinic and ran next door to ask Harvey to watch the reception desk again. Cale would have to get a temp to cover while Mary was in Calgary. Taking a short cut she dashed across the back yard and vaulted the low fence. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Cale’s pick up behind the clinic. Without thinking, she keyed the code in the door lock on the rear door and let herself in.
“Cale? You here?” Only the sharp yip of one of the patients answered her. She continued along the hall past the exam rooms. “Cale?”
“Michelle? Is that you?”
She followed his voice toward a small office at the end of the hall. Cale emerged from the door blinking sleep from his eyes.
“What time is it? Have you heard how Doc is?” He scrubbed both hands over his face and shoved the wayward shock of hair off his forehead.
“It’s about eight in the morning. I haven’t talked to Mary since last night, but Doc was stable and being his cantankerous self when I left the hospital.” She hesitated and then looked up at him. “Why didn’t you come home last night?”
“I was out late on calls and then I needed to come back to the clinic to restock some stuff and drop off some specimens to go to the lab. Honestly, Michelle, I wasn’t sure there was anything to come home for.” Cale regarded her intently.
“What’s that supposed to mean? I had your dinner in the oven and I waited up for you.”
“With Rob for company? Kayla called my cell wanting to know if I knew where he was. She figured you might know.” He brushed by her and flipped the switch on the coffee machine in the waiting room.
Michelle took a deep breath and fought to control the anger surging through her. It was a valiant effort but doomed to failure. Really, she wasn’t sure why she even tried. “You know what, Cale? Screw you! If that’s what you want to believe then there’s nothing I can do about it. Maybe Kayla should put a GPS on her husband. He’s not my problem anymore.” She stomped by him toward the rear entrance. In the door way she swung around. “I’ll be out of your way soon, so you can go home without worrying about running into me. Once Harry is done with the truck and trailer I’ll be going down the road. Rodeo starts next week and I’m gonna camp out at Pat’s until then. Save trailering over there every day, and I won’t be taking up space in your house.” Head held high she shoved the door open. “Oh, by the way, Harvey says he’ll cover the reception until you can get a temp. Don’t bother to thank me.”
“Michelle, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“The hell you didn’t.” She slammed the door behind her. Childish, she knew, but it helped to relieve some of the anger thrumming through her. Harvey was crossing the yard as she drove out of the parking lot, she waved but didn’t stop. Harry’s was just down the main drag on a side street. She parked out front and let herself in.
“Hey, Harry. How’s it hangin’?” she greeted him.
“Mornin’ Michelle. Good, how about you?”
“Been better, Harry. Did you hear about Doc?”
“Grape vine’s workin’ fine.” He grinned. “Heard the ambulance took him up to Calgary. Any news this mornin’?”
“Not yet, but if anything was wrong Mary would have let me know. The rig’s parked out front, how long do you think it’ll be?”
“Few hours, sorry. I had an emergency road call and I’m behind. You wanta wait at the clinic and I’ll call you there. Or not,” he added at the sour look on her face.
“You got something I can borrow? If it’s gonna be that long I’d like to run up to the hospital and see Doc. Take Mary some clothes and stuff?”
“Sure, just don’t be gone all day.” Harry tossed her his own truck keys.
“Thanks, man. I won’t be more than three or four hours. They’re keeping visitors to a minimum still. But I’ll feel better if I actually see him, you know?”
“Skedaddle, Chelly. The rig’ll be ready by the time you get back. Give Mary my love and tell that old buzzard he’d better get well quick. He owes me from the last poker game.”
“I’ll do that,” she flung the words over her shoulder as she sprinted to the old red Chevy.
* * *
Michelle hesitated outside the door to Doc’s hospital room. Taking a deep breath to calm the quivers in her gut, she steeled herself for the worst and pushed open the partly closed door. Mary sat in a chair holding her husband’s hand. She raised a finger to her lips and nodded toward the sleeping man in the bed. Extracting her hand, she rose quietly and hugged Michelle before leading her back out into the hall.
“How is he?”
“Luke’s much better today. The doctor was in and he seems pleased with the progress. They figure to keep him another couple of days to be sure he’s out of the woods and the medication is working. Then I can bring him home.”
“That’s great news, Mary.” Michelle hugged her friend.
“Have you talked to Cale about calling the locum? Luke is going to have to take it easy from here on, even if I have to hogtie the old man to a chair.” Mary grinned.
“I talked to Cale, but I didn’t get a chance to mention the locum,” Michelle didn’t want to worry Mary with her problems.
“Like that is it? Well, you’ll have to work it out, living in the same house and all.” She patted Michelle’s arm.
“Sure, that’ll happen,” she said sceptically.
“What?” Mary demanded, albeit sotto voce. “Spit it out, girl.”
Michelle glanced at the man in the bed and nodded toward the door. Mary eased her hand out of her husband’s and got to her feet. They slipped out of the room and into the hall.
“I know you hate to leave him, but I don’t want to wake him up, either.” Michelle pulled the door almost shut, leaving it a tiny bit ajar so they could hear if Doc needed something. “Rodeo starts in a week, I’m entered at Coleman and…well…I’ll be gone a fair bit…”
“And? What aren’t you telling me? Did that foolish boy kick you out over Rob’s stupidity?”
“Not exactly,” she prevaricated. “I’m taking Spud and Rain, and probably the dogs, and staying at Pat’s over at Prairie Winds. I need to practice every day anyway, and Rain needs to learn the pattern—”
“You could still go home at night, I’m sure Pat has a couple of stalls you can rent.” She fixed her young friend with a gimlet eye.
“Yeah, well…I’m staying in the trailer. It’s got heat and a little kitchen. I’ll be fine. I don’t think Cale wants me around right now. It’s like he can’t bear to look at me.” She sniffed. “Damn, hospitals always make my nose run.”
“Ummhmm, the hospital, that’s it.” Mary handed her a tissue.
“Look, you’ve got more to worry about than my love life, or lack thereof. Concentrate on getting
that man home and healthy. I can manage for a while without your matchmaking.” Michelle managed a watery grin.
“I spoke with Carolyn last night for a bit,” Mary began.
“Not about me, I hope,” Michelle cut in.
“More about Rob and Kayla, and a bit about you. She’s worried sick about the boy, he seems hell bent on self-destruction. I guess Kayla was at Carolyn’s place in tears over him not coming home and passing out in the parking lot of the Twin Cities. One of his buddies dumped him on their doorstep and Kayla had a devil of a time getting him inside. Carolyn is worried the girl is gonna give up on him and pack it in.”
“Maybe she should,” Michelle replied. “He’s changed, Rob never used to be mean, not even when he was drunk. A pig sometimes, and stupid, but not mean. He didn’t want me when he had me, now I’ve told him where to go and how to get there, he’s obsessed with me. Kayla should cut her losses and get out while she still can.”
“That’s hard, Chelly.”
“Yeah, well, he isn’t content with screwing up his own life up, now he’s screwing with mine too.”
“I called Dolores last night too.” Mary glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.
Michelle covered her face with her hands. “Not Cale’s gramma! Damn, Mary, do Peggy and Carson know too? His parents will think I’m the whore of Babylon, for God’s sake. What with them walking in on me and Cale at New Years, and now Cale finding me flat on my back with Rob’s hands everywhere they shouldn’t be…”
“Did that boy hurt you?” Mary frowned. “I don’t think Carolyn knows it went that far, or Kayla for that matter.”
“He was trying, that’s for sure. He figured when I wouldn’t give him what he used to take for granted, he’d just take it. Any way he could. If Cale hadn’t come home I’m not sure I could have got away from him. He was so pissed he was only thinking with the head under his belt buckle.”
“Dear me, that does put things in a different light.” Mary stroked her chin.
“What about Dolores? What did she say about Cale and me?”
“Only that the boy was some upset about something that had to do with you and Rob. I told her I thought there’d been some sort of misunderstanding but I didn’t know the whole story,” Mary replied.
“And she bought that? From Mary the Queen of the Gossips?” Michelle teased her.
“Mind your tongue, missy. Or I’ll have to start making up some juicy nonsense to punish you.” Mary smiled. “Seriously though, Peggy is worried about Cale. She asked Dolores to find out what she could, the woman wants to talk to you about whatever is wrong, but she doesn’t want to stick her nose in where it’s not wanted either.”
“Do you think I should call her? I don’t know what to do. Cale is so determined to believe the worst. Rather than keep fighting with him, I thought maybe the best thing I could do was just clear out for a bit.”
“You think going out on the rodeo road is the best thing to do? He’ll know Rob is out there too, probably at a lot of the same events.” Mary worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
“If I want to qualify for the big shows I have to accumulate enough points, and money of course. I’m not gonna let Rob dictate what rodeos I go to and what ones I don’t. I won’t have to see him, except maybe at some of the smaller ones. I’ll just stay clear of the chutes and mind my own business.”
“That’s for you to decide. Cale is a good man, Chelly. Try to work it out before you leave if you can.”
“Mary!” Doc’s querulous voice came through the partially open door.
“Coming, Luke. Look who’s is here,” she answered pulling Michelle into the room with her.
“Hey, vet man. What’s the deal with skipping work?” Michelle leaned over carefully to hug him.
“Man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.” He shrugged and grinned. “Mary conned me into goin’ to see Doc Lewen, and before you can say Bob’s your uncle, I’m hogtied in that tin can on wheels and hooked up to all kinds of contraptions. Not my fault. I’m ready to blow this popsicle stand.”
“You’ll stay put, until the doctors say you can go, you hear?”
“Yes, dear,” he said meekly and winked at Michelle.
“You already for Coleman next week, Chelly?”
“Almost, I’m taking Spud and Rain over to Prairie Winds for the week and then leave from there.”
“Rolly was in this morning, sweet talked his way past the nurses before visiting hours,” Doc reported.
“What did that scallywag want?” Mary demanded. “He had no business tiring you out.”
“Lord, woman! All I do is sleep, did my soul good to see the boy.”
“Rolly going down to Coleman?” Michelle asked.
“Yup, he was askin’ if I knew anyone looking to outride for him. One of his regular guys done broke his wing when they was practicing. You know anyone?”
“Is he paying?” Michelle did a quick mental calculation.
“I suppose he’s paying the going rate. Why?” Doc’s brow furrowed and his expression became wary.
“Nothin’, I was just thinking—”
“You were just thinking nothing, young lady,” Doc thundered. “Outriding is no place for a girl.”
“Calm down, Luke. I’m sure Michelle has no intention of outriding for Rolly.” Mary laid a soothing hand on her husband’s arm and shot Michelle a warning look.
“I ride as well as any of them, and you well know it, Doc. But, no, I’m not thinking of riding for him.” Michelle crossed her fingers behind her back.
“Well, good then, that’s settled.”
“I gotta go, Doc. I borrowed Harry’s Chevy while he’s going over the rig and I promised I’d have it back to him soon.” She hugged the old vet and kissed his cheek. “You behave yourself, you hear.”
“Take your own advice, Chelly Belly.”
“Point taken.” She grinned. “I’ll see you before Coleman for sure. Take care, vet man.”
Mary followed her out of the room. “Be sure to speak to Cale about the locum when you get back, and see if Mabel’s daughter can look after the reception. Harvey’s a dear soul, but we can’t expect him to cover for me indefinitely.”
“I’ll do that first thing I get back,” she promised. “Mabel’s daughter is good idea, of if she can’t do it, maybe Harvey’s granddaughter can fill in.”
“Thanks, Michelle. Let me know as soon as you’ve got it worked out. It will take a load off my mind, and Luke’s too. Dive safe, love you, honey.” Mary enveloped her in a huge hug.
“I’ll call as soon as I know. If I can’t reach you, I’ll leave a message at Emma’s.” She extricated herself Mary and waved as she set off down the hall. She glanced back before she turned the corner for the elevator but Mary was already back at Doc’s side.
Chapter Six
Michelle tossed the keys to Harry when he poked his head out of the shop at the back as she came through the door. “Thanks for the truck. Doc’s doing good. I feel so much better for seeing him.”
Harry caught the keys in mid-air and pocketed them in one motion. “Your rig’s all set. I checked the pressure in the tires and added some air to the trailer ones. Changed your oil and filters, checked all the fluids. You’re good to go. I got the invoice right here.” He waved a yellow paper at her.
“How much do I owe you, you bandit?” Michelle leaned on the counter and pulled her wallet out of her back pocket.
“You wound me!” The mechanic held his grease stained hand over his heart.
“Sure, sure. What’s the damage?” She laughed with him.
In short order she paid the bill and took the keys from Harry. “It’s out back. You know where I usually park it.”
“Thanks, Harry. You goin’ down to Coleman?”
“Too busy, I gotta wait until High River for my rodeo fix, I’m afraid.”
“See you then,” Michelle said over her shoulder. Long strides took her across the puddle riddled lot and down the narrow
alley to the back of the building. The lot opened up onto the laneway that ran parallel to Morrison behind the business that fronted on the main drag. Thank God, Doc was going to be okay. Losing him right now was more than she could handle, and Mary…Lord, what would Mary do if anything happened to Doc? Michelle shook her head and unlocked the cab. In moments she pulled out of the lot and headed for home. As she passed the clinic she pulled over and hopped out. Poor Harvey would need a break right about now, she figured.
“Hey, Harvey, how’s it going?” Michelle’s words trailed off and she stopped dead in her tracks. “Where’s Harvey?” she demanded.
“He had some stuff he needed to take care of,” Stacey shuffled some papers on the desk.
“Why are you here?” Michelle couldn’t keep the frustration out of her voice.
“I was in town and stopped to pick up some stuff for George’s mare and found Cale up to his ass in alligators. I offered to help out for a bit. That’s all.” Stacey met Michelle’s gaze and raised her eyebrows, daring her to find fault with her actions.
“I’m sure he was thrilled at your offer.” She scowled and turned on her heel.
“Did you need something? You came in for something,” Stacey called after her.
She paused with her hand on the door and pivoted. “I thought I’d give Harvey a break and maybe see if Cale wanted a coffee, but I see you have that well in hand. No need for me to bother him.” She glanced at the tray of take-out coffee sitting on Stacey’s desk.
“He’s in surgery, but it should be done in a few minutes. Do you want to wait and talk to him?”
Stacey’s blue eyes were big and wide and Michelle resisted the urge to slap her. Just happened to stop by, my ass. I wonder how George is gonna feel when he comes home and finds out she’s been stalking Cale the whole time he’s been gone? “Nope, if he wants to talk to me he knows where I am.” Even though part of her wanted nothing more than to see Cale and talk this mess out, the other contrary part that wanted to protect her from breaking her heart again urged her to get the hell out of there. The contrary part won and she wrenched the door open and left. As it swung shut behind her Cale’s voice drifted out into the lot.