Come Hell or High Water

by Nancy M Bell

  She rode the clover leaf pattern five or six times at the trot and then picked up an easy lope. She halted after circling the outside of the arena once and turned the mare’s nose to the overhead door again. This time when they came around and headed for the first barrel Michelle let the mare lope. She was careful to keep the same distance from the barrel as they had at the trot. It was so important the horse learn where her feet should fall and be consistent no matter what speed. She repeated the exercise four times and then pulled up by Pat.

  “I think that’s enough for Rain. I’ll walk her out a bit while you warm up again.” She reached down and took the stop watch.

  “Thanks. She looks good. You might have another winner on your hands if she keeps going the way she is.” Pat swung up into the saddle.

  “It’d be nice. Even if we only win day money and not the aggregate it sure helps going down the road.”

  “You got that right,” her friend called over her shoulder as she trotted away.

  Pat ran the pattern a few more times. Michelle took Rain out to the trailer while Pat put her horse away. Michelle untacked the mare, brushed the sweat marks away and checked her hooves before blanketing her and loading her on the trailer. She returned to the arena with Spud. Pat met her inside the door to act as timer.

  Spud was an old hand and knew the pattern as well or better than his rider. After a brief warmup to loosen and stretch his muscles, they ran the pattern a few times. Michelle pulled up after the last run and slapped his neck in appreciation. “Good man!”

  “Eighteen-nine-three. Not bad.” Pat reported.

  “We’ll have to pick it up a bit. Lisa won Calgary last year with a seventeen-nine-o-seven.”

  “Can’t worry about that. Just run to beat your own best time,” Pat advised.

  “I guess.” Michelle stepped down off Spud. She threw the left stirrup over the saddle and loosened his girth. The gelding was hardly blowing at all, a sure sign that he was in good shape. “I’ll take him out and untack at the trailer.”

  “Why don’t you just put them in a couple of stalls here? It’ll save you trailering them over every day. You were gonna do that anyway before hunky Doctor Cale managed to change your mind this morning,” Pat said.

  Michelle wheeled around. “How did you know I changed my mind?”

  “Friends know things.” She smirked. “And you didn’t pull the trailer up by the electrical hookup.”

  “Yeah, well.” Michelle had the grace to blush.

  “Nothin’ wrong with a change of heart, girl. You’d be a fool to let that man get away. Here, let me take Spud and you go get Rain off the trailer. There’s room in the tack room for your gear. I’ll untack him for you, just bring his blanket in.”

  “Thanks, Pat. That will make things less complicated for sure.” She slipped out the man door and crossed the graveled lot to the trailer. Rain was waiting patiently munching on her hay. Michelle unhooked her tie, opened the divider and led her back off the trailer. This time she used the sliding barn door rather than entering the arena. Spud was already in a stall with his blanket on and a pile of hay in front of him. She put Rain in the stall beside him and slid the door shut.

  “Thanks for taking care of Spud.”

  “Anytime. Just write what you want them to get fed on the board in the feed room. I left you two saddle racks in the tack room and there’s plenty of space to store your other gear. I gotta run, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Pat stopped with her hand on the door.

  “You bet, same time as today unless you text me with something different. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I drag the rest of my stuff in.”

  “I’d help you but I’ve got an appointment in town.” Pat waved and left.

  It only took Michelle a few minutes to transfer her things into the barn. After checking to be sure the two horses were settled and comfortable, she jotted down the feed instructions on the board in the feed room and went to unhook the trailer. First, she pulled it up close to the hook up and plugged the electricity in. Unhooking took a few minutes more and then she was pulling out of the yard and pointing the nose of the truck for home.

  Home. Yes, home was no longer her childhood home. Home was wherever Cale was, no matter where that took her.

  Chapter Seven

  The drive home took less time without the trailer. She stopped at the clinic and forced a smile on her face before she went in. No doubt Stacey would be ensconced behind the reception desk. Michelle checked her phone but there was no message from Mary. Might be good, might be bad. Maybe Cale would have heard something. She pushed the door open and let herself in. The bell over the door jangled, and sure enough, Stacey poked her head out of the back.

  “Michelle, am I ever glad to see you,” the blonde greeted her.

  “Why?” Michelle blinked in surprise. It certainly wasn’t the reception she was expecting.

  “There’s this dog with porcupine quills…Cale got called out on an emergency…” Tears shone in the woman’s china blue eyes.

  “Why are you dealing with it? Where’s the vet tech?”

  “Caleb quit this morning.”

  “What? He just quit with no notice?” Michelle shook her head.

  “He got a call to go work on the rigs and well, you know, the money’s a lot better than working here.”

  “I guess, but talk about burning your bridges. Where’s the dog’s owner?” Michelle glanced around the waiting room.

  “Don’t know. Some guy came in and said he found the dog by the side of the road. Dumped him and left in big hurry.”

  “Figures.” She added a few curse words. “So you’re trying to pull the quills by yourself?”

  “I just feel so bad for him. I just couldn’t leave him in a kennel crying like that and pawing at his face. But I can’t get a grip on the damn things and he keeps wriggling around.”

  “Did you call Cale and let him know?”

  Stacey nodded. “I did, but he’s way down by Stavely. He said to leave it til he got back, but the poor dog keeps crying and…”

  “Yeah, I know. I can’t stand to hear them cry either. Okay, let’s go see what we can do for him.”

  A short time and a few tubes of teething gel later the quills that weren’t broken off were removed and the dog was resting quietly. Michelle poured two mugs of coffee and handed one to Stacey. The two women sat in companionable silence.

  “I was never so glad to see anybody come through the door,” Stacey broke the silence.

  “Huh, really?” Michelle snorted.

  “Really. I knew you’d know what to do. George is always on about Michelle would have done this or Michelle would have done that. Nothing I do seems to be right.” The blonde bit her bottom lip.

  “That’s a switch.” She laughed. “My brother is never happy with the way I do things. At least that’s what he says every time he comes home.”

  Stacey giggled. “Maybe it’s just a guy thing?”

  “Or an idiot thing.” Michelle joined in the laughter. She got up and set the empty mug on the corner of the reception desk. “You want some help cleaning up here? I’ve got to get home, but I can spare some time to clear up this mess.”

  “You go on. There’s not much here and I’ve got to stay until five anyway. Have you heard from Mary today?”

  Michelle shook her head. “No, but if she’s up at the hospital with Doc she won’t be looking at her phone. I’m gonna try her though.” She dug in her pocket for the phone. Pushing the speed dial she waited while it connected. “Damn, it went right to voice mail. I’ll try her again when I get home and let you know if I hear anything.”

  “I’d appreciate it, Michelle. I still feel like an outsider here and I don’t want to bother Mary too much. I’m not sure how much she likes me.” Colour rose in the woman’s cheeks staining her fair skin red.

  “Don’t worry about Mary. She loves everyone, especially if there’s a chance she might get to play matchmaker. The woman has been trying to get
that brother of mine settled down for years. She probably thinks you’re a God send.”

  “Really?”

  “For sure. He has never, and I mean never, let one of his conquests move into the ranch. He even surprised me when he asked you to stay.”

  “I thought he did that just to piss you off.”

  “It did piss me off, but he wouldn’t risk his freedom just to aggravate me. Seems the lunk head must really care for you.” Michelle shook her head. “Who knew?”

  “Does this mean you don’t hate me anymore?” Stacey cocked her head to one side and met Michelle’s gaze.

  “I don’t hate you.” She had the grace to blush and feel ashamed. “It’s just, well you know about Rob and how he…”

  “I’ve heard the gossip, for sure. But from what I’ve seen recently, you’re better off without him.”

  “You got that right. But it doesn’t make me the most trusting soul on the planet. He really blindsided me when he disappeared and came back married. I mean, crap, I couldn’t drag him to the altar even though we’d been engaged forever. And then…Wham. Back he comes with a pretty little dressage queen wife in tow.”

  “Honest, Michelle. Cale and I are just friends. I’ve known him for a really long time. And, yeah, maybe I used to think about what it would be like to be more than friends.” She paused and held up a hand at the change in Michelle’s expression. “Hear me out. He just doesn’t think of me in that way. Cale sees me like a little sister, and after meeting your brother I have to say Cale was smarter than I am. He was right all along when he told me he wasn’t the one for me.”

  “You think George is? He’s like your knight in shining armour?” Michelle was hard put not to burst out laughing.

  “He is, Michelle. You might find it funny, but when Peggy introduced me to him last Christmas…I don’t know how to explain it…it felt like I’d known him all my life. He’s a hard man to get to know. Like he has all these walls I have to get around…”

  ‘In his defense, my brother has had to be the man of the house since Dad died and I haven’t always made it easy for him. He’s had to live up to Dad’s expectations for years and he worshiped Grampa. Dad was kind of tough on him ‘cause he was the oldest and his only son.”

  Stacey nodded. “He said something like that when we were talking one time. He felt he could never be as good as your dad and he was jealous of you because your father thought you walked on water and couldn’t do anything wrong in his eyes.”

  “He told you that?” Michelle’s eyebrows rose incredulously. “How drunk was he?”

  “Stone cold sober.”

  “Wow. You must have really got to him. Well, good luck to you, I say.” Michelle shook her head. “You sure I can’t help you clean up here?”

  “Nope, I’m good. You go on.”

  “Don’t you have chores to do at home? It’ll be dark before you get there.”

  “George is home today. He should be there before me and he said he take care of them.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize he was coming home today. I haven’t heard from him lately.”

  “We talk every day. I don’t think he’s sure of his reception if he called you. He asks about you all the time.”

  “I guess I can’t blame him. Maybe I’ll try and come over while he’s home this time. No guarantees we won’t try to kill each other though.”

  Stacey’s laughter followed Michelle out the door. She turned and stuck her head back in. “Tell Cale I’ll see him at home.”

  “Will do.” Stacey waved and disappeared into the back of the clinic.

  Michelle closed the door and strode to her truck. Once in the cab she started the engine and paused to redial Mary. She almost hung up on the fourth ring when Mary answered.

  “Chelly?”

  “Hey, Mary. You still in Calgary?”

  “I just left Luke. He’s doing good. Being his cantankerous old self, giving those poor nurses grief.”

  “I can only imagine.” Michelle laughed. “Any idea when he can come home?”

  “That nice young doctor said maybe day after tomorrow, as long as he behaves himself.”

  “That’s a relief. It’ll be nice to have him back where he belongs. Are you still staying at Emma’s?”

  “I am. She’s been a dear, driving me back and forth and making sure I eat. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  “Good friends are hard to come by. When you get the go ahead to spring Doc give me a call and I’ll come pick you up and bring you home.”

  “Thanks, Chelly. Luke and I really appreciate it. I hear Stacey’s been filling in at the clinic.” There was a question behind Mary’s words.

  Michelle grinned. “Don’t worry, Mary. I haven’t scalped her or anything…yet.”

  “Michelle!”

  “Just kidding, woman. Honestly, we actually had a civilized conversation this afternoon. She really seems to be hooked on my idiot brother. Go figure.”

  “I’m glad you’re finally being reasonable about her. From what I’ve seen she’s not a bad person at all. Things okay between you and Cale? Luke talked to him earlier today and said the boy sounded upset about something.”

  “We had a bit of a set to earlier, but things will be okay. I’m headed home now. We’ll work it out, Mary. Tell Doc not to worry about anything but getting better. The clinic is doing fine and so are the rest of us. Stacey says George is home today, by the way.”

  “You need to mend fences with him too, Chelly.”

  “We’ll see. No promises. Look, I gotta go. Give Doc my love and call me the minute you know anything.”

  “Be nice to poor Cale, Chelly. The boy does love you. Don’t blow it, he’s the best thing that ever happened to you. Talk to you later.”

  “You make me sound like the wicked witch of the west, Mary. I love him too, you know…” She broke off when the connection was lost. “Dammit!”

  Tossing the phone on the passenger seat she slid the truck into gear and pulled onto the hardtop. She was still mulling over what to say to Cale when she passed the Wilson ranch lane. The lights were on in the barn and the house so George must have made it home already. She resisted the urge to turn down the familiar drive. Let Stacey and George have tonight for themselves. She wasn’t sure what she would say to him anyway, or if he even wanted to speak to her. Minutes later she parked in the yard at Cale’s. The sound of Storm and Crazy Puppy barking carried through the walls. She grinned at the sight of Crazy Puppy with his face smushed against the kitchen window, huge paws gripping the narrow sill.

  “Coming, mutts. Pipe down!”

  Wasting no time, she crossed the yard and let the dogs out. The puppy bounced everywhere, his tail waving over his back while Storm much more sedately went about doing her business. The wind had picked up when the sun went down, Michelle shivered as it howled in the overhead wires. She whistled for the dogs and let them in before following them, shutting the door firmly on the cold dark.

  Flicking on the lights Michelle started a pot of coffee and then filled the dog bowls with food and water, setting them back on the floor. While the coffee brewed she contemplated what to make for dinner. A glance at the clock said it was almost six. Should I call him and see if he’s left Stavely yet? She was suddenly shy about contacting him. Maybe I’ll just make a casserole, it’ll keep in the oven until Cale comes home. Ignoring the nagging little voice at the back of her mind that whispered she was taking the coward’s way out, she pulled ground beef out of the freezer and popped it into the microwave to thaw.

  Still no sign of Cale by seven o’clock. The casserole was in the oven keeping warm, she’d done what washing up there was and swept the floor clear of dog hair. Michelle cradled the hot coffee mug between her hands and rested her elbows on the table. Across the coulee the lights were out in the big barn so George must have finished chores. I wonder if Stacey is home yet? She should be by now, the roads are clear. Again, she resisted the urge to dial the familiar number.

&nb
sp; Unable to sit still a minute longer, she pushed back the chair and took her coffee into the office. Might as well do some invoicing and paper work while she waited. Storm and Crazy Puppy followed her and settled down by her feet. She stroked the puppy’s head while she waited for the program to boot up.

  “Michelle! Are you here?” Cale’s voice broke her concentration while she was struggling to make hide nor hair of the scribbled notes.

  “In the office.” The dogs scrambled to their feet and charged into the kitchen to greet him. Michelle stood and stretched to ease the kink in her back and followed more slowly. She paused in the doorway to the kitchen. “Long day?”

  “It was that,” he agreed.

  “Did you stop by the clinic before you came home?”

  Cale dropped into a chair by the table and shook his head. “Nope, I’m beat. Just wanted to get home, eat, and crash.”

  “Stacey called you about that dog didn’t she?”

  “The reception sucked. All I could decipher was that someone dropped off a stray dog?”

  “A stray dog with a face full of quills.”

  “Shit! I really don’t want to go back to the clinic, but I can’t leave the poor thing with a face full of quills. Any in the eyes?” Cale pushed himself upright and crossed the room to pour coffee into a travel mug.

  “He’s probably okay until morning. Stacey and I managed to remove the obvious ones. There are some that are broken off, but none in the eyes.”

  “Cale leaned a hip on the counter and regarded her over the rim of the mug as he took a huge swig. “Let me get this straight. You and Stacey actually worked together? She isn’t stuffed in the freezer at the clinic or something?”