12-Alarm Cowboys

by Cora Seton

  Mabee chuckled. “True but remember that many of the ranches and farms are owned by older, well-established families with generations of tradition. Change can be hard for some.”

  “Well, welcome to the new world,” she said with a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the old guys love me.”

  “I have no doubt,” James said.

  They loaded up into the clinic’s mobile vet van and headed out.

  “How many ranches are we going to hit today?”

  “I’m hoping for ten at least, maybe fifteen. It’s not the number that’s the problem, but how spread out they all are. Some of these ranches are comprised of thousands of acres, so driving from one to the next is time-consuming.”

  “Got it. How often do you have to go to the patient instead of the patient coming to you?”

  They discussed his usual schedule, surgery on Wednesdays, half-days on Saturdays and such. The time passed quickly and before she realized it, they were turning into the gravel drive of Flying Eagle Cattle Company.

  “This place belongs to the Marshall family. Shoot, I guess they only go back two generations here.” He grinned. “One of our newer families.”

  The drive, while dirt and gravel, was well maintained. Both sides were lined with fence, and beyond the fence, fat cattle stood under shade trees or belly-deep in the ponds. The grass was wilted, but the cattle that were eating seemed to like it just fine.

  As they made the final turn, a large, white, two-story farm house came into view. Well-kept, the house sported fresh paint, a wrap-around porch with oversized rocking chairs and flower boxes dotting all the windows. An ancient oak spread thick limbs over the drive and house providing protection from the baking sun overhead.

  A few hundred yards away, a red barn with a tin roof stood with the doors open and straw strewn on the ground. A man with thick dark hair pushed a wheelbarrow laden with straw-infused manure through the barn doors and stopped. After setting it down, he rose to his full height and Georgie realized he was very tall, much like the firefighter from yesterday.

  He waved and headed toward the clinic van, a welcoming smile crossing his face.

  Georgie’s breath caught. It was the rude fireman from yesterday. What was he doing here pretending to be a cowboy?

  “James,” the man said, his hand outstretched. “Good to see you.”

  “Morning, Tanner. I told you I’d be bringing Dr. Greyson around.” Mabee turned back toward the van. “Georgie. This is Tanner Marshall. Tanner, this is Dr. Greyson.”

  Georgie stepped from the passenger side, rounded the van’s hood and extended her hand.

  “I believe we’ve met.”

  The smile on Tanner’s face faltered. “You.”

  “Me,” Georgie agreed.

  Mabee’s face contorted into confusion. “You two know each other?”

  Georgie lowered her hand and turned to Mabee. “I had a little trouble at the house yesterday. Nothing serious,” she hurried to add. “Mr. Marshall here came by and gave me a hand.”

  Mabee’s hunched shoulders relaxed. “Ah. Then. Good thing you’ve already met, given you’re neighbors and all.”

  Tanner Marshall remained mute with his stunned expression in place.

  “Neighbors? That can’t be right. The place I’m renting is over on Albright Road. We’re on Marshall Road, right?”

  “Correct,” James said and then pointed toward a field with an obviously pregnant mare watching them. “As the crow flies, your place is that way. It butts up to the backend of the Flying Eagle.”

  “It’s easy to get turned around,” Tanner said, his first words. “In fact, James, all these backroads to the ranches are mostly not labeled. Might be better if the lady stayed with your city practice and you let old Doc Brian take care of whatever needs doing out here. He knows these roads like the veins on the back of his hand.”

  Georgie’s back stiffened. “This lady is a doctor of veterinary medicine. Not only can I handle large animal medicine, I enjoy it. If I need Dr. Brian to cover the town clinic while I’m out here in the country, I’ll be the one to make that determination.”

  “Now, don’t get your drawers in a twist,” Tanner said, his tone a little too condescending. “I just meant that it can be easy to get lost on all the unmarked, dirt roads.”

  “Not only are my drawers not in a twist, you’re making a huge assumption that I’m wearing any, and that is something you’ll never personally know.”

  James Mabee’s head had twisted back and forth between Tanner and her as though watching the championship match at Wimbledon.

  “Don’t worry, lady–”

  “Dr. Greyson,” she interrupted.

  “Dr. Greyson,” Tanner acknowledged. “Your underthings are not of interest. However, the possibility of you burning down my ranch is.”

  “Excuse me?” Mabee said, a frown furrowing his brow. “I think I’m missing something here.”

  Georgie waved her hand as though swatting away a mosquito. “I had a little fire yesterday and Cowboy Fireman overreacted.”

  “Firefighter, not fireman,” Tanner corrected. “A fireman would start the fire. That would be you. A firefighter would control and extinguish the fire. That would be me.”

  Georgie rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  The three adults were standing there, all probably trying to figure out what to say when a white truck covered in dirt and dried mud clots came flying into the drive. A younger version of Tanner Marshall jumped out of the driver’s seat.

  “You must be Dr. Greyson. Heard all about you in town just now,” he said, walking toward her with his hand extended. “I’m Zack Marshall. I’m the good-looking Marshall.”

  Georgie laughed and shook his hand. “I’m Georgina Greyson. My friends call me Georgie.”

  “Since I think we’ll be good friends, Georgie it is,” he said, a wide smile brightening his face. “Have you had a chance to meet Jolene?”

  “Jolene?”

  “God, Tanner. You haven’t even introduced her to Jolene?” Zack rolled his eyes in a dramatic gesture. “Tanner might be the oldest but obviously our parents did a terrible job trainin’ manners into him.” Georgie laughed as the gregarious man tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Let me do the honors.”

  They walked over to the corral where a shiny, black beauty watched them. The mare’s sides protruded with an obvious late-term pregnancy.

  “Jolene,” Zack said seriously. “This is Dr. Greyson, your new doctor. Georgie, this is Jolene.”

  “Oh, she’s beautiful,” Georgie said. “I love her name. Jolene is one of my favorite songs.”

  Zack smiled. “My mom’s too.”

  “How far along is she?” She glanced back at Mabee.

  “She’s got about four weeks left,” Mabee said, joining them at the fence.

  “I’m a little surprised to have a pregnant mare under my care at this time of the year.”

  “Unusual, yes but not unprecedented. The stud Tanner wanted to use wasn’t available for a spring delivery, we stimulated Jolene into a fall cycle for breeding.”

  Georgie nodded. “I’ve studied the concept of doing that, but haven’t ever done it myself. How is she doing?”

  “So far, a totally uneventful pregnancy,” Mabee replied.

  “Just the way we like ’em,” Georgie said. “I should have brought along some treats today.”

  A hand shot into view with a ruby red apple resting in the palm. “Jolene has a passion for these.”

  Georgie looked into Tanner’s soulful blue eyes. Her heart flipped over at the care she saw there for his horse.

  “She loves apples.” Pulling a knife from his front pocket, he quickly cut the apple into quarters. “But trust me, she’ll use you just for the treats.”

  Georgie laughed. “I’d like to go in and examine her.”

  Tanner gave a sharp nod and lifted the latch holding the gate closed. “I’ll go with you.”

  His deep voice with
its southern drawl almost sent her to her knees. Growing up in the wilds of Maine, she’d never heard anything as sexy as the molasses-thick accent of Tanner Marshall.

  She picked a couple of quarters of apple and headed for Jolene. “How old is she?”

  “Turned four a couple of months ago.”

  She nodded. “Good morning, little momma,” she cooed. “How about a little apple for a morning snack?”

  Holding out the palm of her hand with the apple quarter, she approached the horse slowly. Jolene’s big eyes watched her with a nervous edge.

  “Don’t blame you for being a little leery. I’m a new person, but we’re going to be good friends.”

  She kept her voice calm, and as soothing as possible. Jolene held her ground and let Georgie get next to her. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed at the apple before using her teeth to gently lift it from Georgie’s hand. Georgie smiled and ran her hand down the mare’s neck.

  “Good girl.” She continued to talk to Jolene in a quiet voice as she felt along the horse’s sides. “Hello, baby.” When she spoke, the foal kicked against her hands. “Active one, huh?”

  “The little guy has given his mom lots of kicks lately,” Tanner said. “I think she’s tired of being pregnant.”

  Georgie chuckled. “From what I hear, most women are by this time. And you’re going to be a great momma, right Jolene?” She looked toward Mabee. “You got a stethoscope on you? I’d like to check out our little momma while I’m here.”

  James pulled one from his pocket. With long strides, Tanner had the scope and was back at her side in seconds.

  “Thanks.”

  He only nodded in reply.

  She listened to both Jolene and her baby’s heartbeats. Both were strong and regular. The foal was active, kicking against the stethoscope bell and producing a loud THUMP in Georgie’s ears. From her initial assessment, Jolene was a strong, healthy mare who should have no problems.

  “She’s as healthy as a horse,” she joked.

  Tanner didn’t laugh, but she might have seen a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

  “The foal’s pretty active too,” she added.

  “Foal’s been active for a while,” Zack said from the fence. “We might be starting our own line of broncs if that little guy is any indication.”

  Georgie laughed.

  Before she left the corral, she fed the rest of the apple to Jolene, who gobbled the last three pieces with the enthusiasm she had for the first one.

  “Have you set up a place for the foaling?”

  Tanner nodded while Zack answered, “Yup. Want to see it?”

  Georgie looked at Mabee, who shook his head. “We need to get moving, guys. We’ve got a number of ranches to visit today. I’m sure Dr. Greyson can make it back by before Jolene foals and you can show her the set-up.”

  Tanner opened the gate to let Georgie back into the yard.

  “I’d love to check on Jolene again,” Georgie said.

  “Anytime, Georgie,” Zack said.

  “We don’t want to keep you any longer,” Tanner said. “James, good to see you as always. Have a great time in Australia. Dr. Greyson, it was a pleasure to see you without matches in your hand.” He touched the brim of his hat. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to finish my chores.” He started to leave and then turned back. “Make sure we have a direct phone number for Dr. Brian…just in case, you know?”

  His last comment knocked her back like a kick from a horse. She’d thought the visit had gone well. Obviously she’d been wrong. It was hard to believe that in this day and time a man as intelligent as Tanner Marshall appeared could let the lack of a penis be the deciding factor of a person’s qualifications.

  She and Mabee visited ten additional ranches. Her reception at all of them was friendly, but she got the distinct impression that her abilities as a large animal vet were suspect for most of the men. The women she met were a little more accepting.

  “Looks like I’m going to have to prove myself around here.”

  Mabee snorted lightly. “I warned you, but I’m not worried. I know you can handle the animals, and their menfolk.”

  “I think so,” she said with a laugh.

  The only man that gave her cause to worry was Tanner Marshall. And the list of ways Tanner bugged her would fill a notebook.

  Chapter Three

  ‡

  Most of what Georgie saw the first week on her own in the clinic were dogs, cats and the occasional turtle. One of the ranches, Trickle Down, had called in Dr. Brian for a colicky horse. Since she had more than enough to do, it shouldn’t have hurt her feelings, but it had stung a little.

  “Have you given any thought to what you’ll need on Saturday?”

  Georgie looked up from the chart she was reading. Janet, her clinic assistant, was leaning against the office door, a pad in one hand and a pen in the other.

  “I usually like to make a list so I don’t forget anything.”

  Georgie searched her brain for what Janet was talking about and then frowned. “I am seriously at a loss here. What are we talking about?”

  “The county fair booth. Didn’t Dr. Mabee mention that to you?”

  “Gosh, let me think.” She rubbed her forehead. “Man. Seems like way in the back of my brain there’s something about a fair but…” She shook her head. “Clue me in. I’m lost.”

  “The Whispering Springs County Fair starts on Thursday.”

  “Am I a judge or something?”

  Janet laughed. “Yeah. The or something. You, a couple of vets from Dallas and a couple of local ranchers are doing the judging for the 4-H animals Saturday morning. Plus, you’re scheduled on Saturday from noon until three to man the 4-H booth.”

  “This Saturday?”

  “Yup.”

  “Well crud. You’ve done this with Mabee before?”

  The blonde nodded. “Want me to pull out the same materials we used last year? You can look through them and see if you want me to take anything else.”

  “Perfect. Thanks. Remind me to buy you a lemonade on Saturday.”

  Janet laughed and left.

  Georgie dropped her forehead on the desk…three or four times. This was the one Saturday a month that Dr. Brian saw patients and she was off all day. She’d been looking forward to the down time or maybe taking a horse ride or even sleeping until nine.

  By Friday, all her clients were talking about the fair and the animal judging the next day. One mother had hinted that a first place in the sheep division for her daughter could go a long way in encouraging her to pursue animal husbandry. Georgie opted to not respond, other than to just nod and continue on with her exam of the lady’s overweight poodle.

  But the verbal hinting was only one subtle reminder that parents had as much stake in these animals as the kids. By the time she left for home on Friday, her car was loaded with three casseroles, a chocolate cake, a blueberry cobbler, a pecan pie, four jars of strawberry preserves, and eight dozen cookies. There was no way she would, or even could, eat all these. She’d be as big as Jolene.

  At that thought, she turned her truck toward Flying Eagle Ranch. She could check on Jolene and at the same time maybe unload some of her goodies on the guys. She knew from her staff that Tanner had been left in charge while Mr. and Mrs. Marshall took a long-overdue vacation around the United States.

  It’d been ten days since her first visit but the place pretty much looked the same. She crossed her fingers that Zack would be around, not that she was interested in him. She wasn’t. He was a cutie, with a personality to match, but mostly, she wanted not to run into Tanner. Cutie with a personality didn’t begin to describe the oldest Marshall. He was more like a heart-stopping hottie with a sharp tongue and no personality…or at least no personality that she’d experienced.

  When she climbed from her parked truck, a dark-haired teenage girl exited the barn.

  “Hi,” she called. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m Dr. Greyson,” Georgie said.
“I thought I’d stop by on my way home and check on Jolene.”

  The girl wiped her hands on her jeans. “Deborah Marshall. Call me Deb.”

  “Call me Georgie.”

  “Georgie. I like that.”

  “How’s Jolene?”

  “She’s doing great. Tanner is walking her around for exercise. Hold on. I’ll holler at him.”

  Before Georgie could say, “That’s okay,” Deb had her hands around her mouth. “Tanner, come here. Bring Jolene.”

  “I hate to bother him. Are they far away?”

  “Just around back. Tanner’s been getting her used to the foaling area he set up for her.”

  Georgie heard the clop-clop of horse hooves echoing in the barn. In a minute, tall, handsome and moody led Jolene into the front yard.

  “Georgie is here to see Jolene,” Deb said.

  “Georgie?” Tanner’s eyebrows arched.

  “That’s what she said I could call her,” Deb retorted in a tone only a teenager could manage.

  Tanner turned his gaze to Georgie, making her flinch from his high intensity laser stare.

  He tapped the brim of his hat. “Dr. Greyson.”

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Marshall.”

  Deb rolled her eyes. “Good lord. You sound like the people from Downton Abbey.”

  “Don’t you have homework, Deb?” Tanner said without moving his gaze off Georgie.

  “Yes,” she snapped.

  “Why don’t you get to it?”

  “Fine,” she huffed, whirling around, her long ponytail swinging. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

  “Wait,” Georgie said. “Before you go. I’ve been inundated with casseroles and desserts all week. New doctor in town and all that. Think you guys might take some of it? There’s no way I can begin to eat it.”

  “Sure,” Deb said.

  “Check my backseat,” Georgie said. “Leave the cookies!”

  The teen hurried off to the truck.

  “We’re not a charity, Dr. Greyson. I can feed my family.”

  Georgie whipped her gaze back to Tanner. “I never thought you couldn’t, but with you and your siblings, I just thought you all might enjoy some of the home-cooked meals. Like I said, most of it would go to waste at my place.”