Laurie Salzer - A Kiss Before Dawn

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Laurie Salzer - A Kiss Before Dawn Page 9

by Laurie Salzer


  By the time she was ready to leave for home to do her own chores, Chris had almost finished splitting the wood. She begged off staying for dinner, despite Frances’s insistence. Three exhausted dogs climbed into her truck, leaving an equally worn-out Daisy lying on the porch. Chris’s tired muscles complained as she followed the dogs into the cab. She started the truck, waved, and went down the drive.

  When she arrived home, the dogs piled out and ran toward the house. They’d had a long day and were ready for dinner. “Come on,” Chris said, “we’ve got a few chores to do before we get to eat.” She strode to the barn to a chorus of expectant nickers.

  When she reached the feed room, she pulled a box from a shelf and doled out two biscuits to each dog. “There, that should hold you over till I’m done.” They crunched hungrily as she started down the aisle with the feed cart.

  The horses came into their stalls when Chris dumped feed into their pans. Everyone seemed happy and in one piece. The three racetrack mares were a little antsy, but since they’d graduated to going out on small runs, they could wait until tomorrow for some real exercise.

  Two days before, Chris had mounted panel gates to the outside of the barn to introduce the racetrack mares to the outdoors. She’d made the runs wide enough for them to turn comfortably, and the extra space allowed them more freedom to move around as well as enjoy basking in the sun. The pens weren’t long enough, however, for the horses to manage anything faster than a walk. The setup also helped the mares become accustomed to seeing each other and the rest of the herd.

  Because today had turned out to be so nice, the horses had kept their stalls clean—even Stetson, which was a blessing. She put the feed cart away and strolled down the aisle with the girls close behind. When she walked out of the barn, she suddenly realized how short the days had become.

  She stopped, leaned against the barn door, and looked up. Bright Jupiter hung in the eastern sky, and more stars were beginning to show. After a moment, she took a deep, cleansing breath and made her way back to the house. The absence of wind made the night seem warmer than the daylight hours had managed.

  She heard a lone owl hooting in the woods. They would be looking for mates in the coming weeks then nesting in the coldest months of winter.

  For some reason, although dead on her feet, Chris felt restless. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Maybe it was the change of seasons, or maybe it was time for a personal change. God knew she had changed a lot since the day her childhood ended, and she’d left her old life behind.

  She knew Frances was right about many things, but in Chris’s opinion, trust was a delicate gift, not something she gave away freely. As a child, you were supposed to learn to trust the one who had given birth to you, as well as the rest of the family, but she’d suffered terribly at the hands of relatives who had stopped caring for her. Had they ever cared? Because of their abuse, her own survival had become a priority, and she’d escaped. But she’d been incapable of escaping the nightmares.

  She brushed away thoughts of her past. Nothing good came of rehashing that time of anger, hate, frustration, and sorrow. Therapy had helped. It had taught her how to summon the strength to deal with all those memories and focus on staying alive and in control. Chris had Bill to thank for the strides she’d made. Through him, she had also learned she could hold somebody close to her heart. The horses and her dogs were her teachers now.

  She went inside, fed the dogs, and stood in front of the fridge with the door open, peering inside for ideas. Not finding any, she opted for a beer.

  After taking a spoon from the drawer, she went to the pantry, found the peanut butter jar and chocolate chips, and picked up her beer on the way out the door.

  It felt good to sit on the front steps. The repeated crouching and standing all day had taken a toll on her legs. Chris put a good handful of chocolate chips into the peanut butter. She stirred, lifted a large spoonful out of the jar, and nibbled as more thoughts raced through her head.

  Maybe she should make more of an effort to know Mary Jo. The woman had made an obvious attempt to flirt this morning. A good thing, since Chris wasn’t confident enough to make the first move. Even at the bar, she’d wait for someone to approach her to satisfy her physical needs. She wondered if that was why she avoided getting into a relationship. As she thought about the women she knew at Angie’s, she couldn’t imagine herself with any of them, even Sky, for anything other than sex.

  Chris licked the spoon clean, finished her beer, and got up. After a last look at the star-filled sky, she went into the house and found the girls waiting for her just inside the door.

  “Okay, I’m beat,” she said. “How about we go upstairs, grab a shower, and hit the hay?”

  The dogs responded by bounding up the stairs. When she reached the top, Chris found them flopped on her bed. Despite complaining muscles, she stripped and dropped her clothes where she stood. She took a quick look around at the floor and noticed a few other identical piles. “God, the laundry is still there. I’m going to teach you guys how to run the washer one of these days.”

  She turned the shower to hot and waited a moment for the water to heat. Once inside, she closed her eyes as warm water massaged her aching muscles. She barely had the energy to rub a bar of soap over her body. Her nipples involuntarily hardened as her hand moved over her breasts. Without much thought, her other hand moved down to her thighs.

  Steam billowed around her as her hand crept lower. Her fingers found her clitoris and began a slow circular movement as she tried to satisfy her need without success.

  She leaned her head against the shower wall, sighed, and decided she was just too tired. She turned the water off and exited the shower. After toweling herself dry, she was almost comatose when she joined the sleeping dogs on the bed.

  Despite her exhaustion, Chris lay in bed awhile, thinking about the impact Mary Jo might have in her life. Frances seemed to like her a lot. Maybe it was time to tear down a wall and let some fresh air in.

  As if that decision had eased some part of her mind, she gave in to sleep.

  Chapter 9

  The stallion’s head drooped low, his eyes glazed, and his lips hung loosely. His body started to sway as the anesthesia took effect. Doc pushed the horse’s hip while Mary Jo held the lead attached to the halter. She pulled the stallion’s neck out straight, encouraging him to go down gently. “Easy big guy, easy there,” she said when his knees buckled. She took a step to the left as Doc pushed to the right; they wanted the horse in the center of the surgical room so they could maneuver him onto the floor-level table. The drugs coursing through his bloodstream took over, and the horse finally went down as planned.

  Doc moved to the controls, and the table and horse rose up four inches. Mary Jo tied the horse’s legs on the right side to the restraint loops, and Doc assisted her with the other side. The left hind leg had to be suspended, allowing access to the stallion’s belly, and then Doc was able to raise the table to waist height.

  Mary Jo put the trachea tube in and hooked it to the breathing machine. Donna, who’d had the machine running before the horse went to sleep, adjusted the oxygen and anesthesia mix. She would time the horse’s respiratory and heart rates while the two doctors worked.

  “How old is this horse?” Donna asked.

  “Six years old,” Mary Jo answered. She and Doc, already dressed in scrubs, helped each other get into their surgical gowns. They put on sterile gloves and masks, opened the instrument trays, and set to work.

  “Why is it that people wait so long to geld cryptorchids?” Donna complained, more to herself than anyone.

  As the owners had only consulted Doc, he answered, “They were waiting to see if the other testicle would drop, then they could’ve gelded him in the pasture. But the horse got too aggressive, and they decided to have the surgery.”

  “Well, duh,” Donna said. “I’d be ornery, too, if I had one of those balls stuck up inside me.” She squirted Betadine onto the horse and
began to scrub the surgical area.

  Mary Jo giggled from behind her mask and added, “There’s reason number two to be thankful I’m a woman.”

  “What’s number one?” Doc asked, his eyes twinkling wickedly over his mask.

  Mary Jo blushed. “You weren’t supposed to ask that.” She stole a look at Donna, who sported a devilish grin herself and continued, “Okay, fine. Since you insist, it’s sex. I think sex is better for women. There, can we get to work?”

  Obviously not willing to let her off the hook yet, Doc badgered her. “Better for women and men? Or better for women and women?”

  Mary Jo knew whatever she said, she was going to leave herself wide open to Doc’s further amusement. She also knew he was giving her the perfect opportunity to come out. She was sure he and his wife already knew, but they’d never discussed it. Oh, sweet Jesus, why now? How do I get myself into these things?

  “Well, in my many years of experience,” she began in her gravest tone, “I think sex is better with whomever you’re attracted to, or in love with.”

  “Uh-huh.” Doc was already distracted by the task at hand. “Okay, we’ll continue this later over coffee, shall we?”

  Relief washed over her, although she knew it was only temporary. She hadn’t ever denied her sexuality, she’d just never found the right moment to admit it to them. She knew they wouldn’t think ill of her. Doc and Donna would accept it and that would be the end of it. Then why do I feel like a deer caught in the headlights?

  She shrugged, took a deep breath, and began mentally reciting the surgical steps she’d be performing. Doc had told her yesterday she would be lead surgeon on the procedure. She had performed it a couple of times at school but never as lead. She was slightly nervous until she selected her scalpel and began the incision. Once she exposed the first layer of tissue, her training took over, and she delved into the surgery with more poise.

  An hour later as Mary Jo stitched the abdomen closed, Doc said, “As soon as he’s up, we’ll have that coffee break.”

  Renewed nervousness swept through her, and she automatically stiffened.

  Normal protocol dictated leading the semiconscious horse to the recovery stall, where one or both vets would keep vigil until they were sure the horse wasn’t suffering any complications. Heart and gut sounds were monitored every ten minutes. Once he was semi-alert and breathing comfortably, she’d pull the trachea tube. When he came fully awake, the horse would be led back to his original stall.

  While she and Doc kept an eye on the horse, Donna cleaned the table and counted the instruments. She took them to the sink, thoroughly washed them, and returned them to the tray. After wrapping the entire assortment in surgical drape material, she put it into the autoclave for sterilization.

  Donna finished her task and left Mary Jo alone with Doc. The wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the door a few minutes later, and Donna reappeared in the office doorway with three full mugs balanced on a surgical tray.

  “You’re a goddess,” Doc said, his affection clear as he took his coffee.

  “And don’t you forget that, big guy,” Donna replied.

  Doc handed Mary Jo a mug of coffee. “You know I was just fooling with you earlier, MJ.”

  Mary Jo playfully punched him on the arm, “Yeah, I know.” She purposely stalled by blowing on her coffee and then took a long sip. “I guess I should’ve come clean a long time ago.”

  Doc raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  Donna jumped to her rescue. “Richard, will you quit making this so hard on her?” She gave Mary Jo a sly grin. “MJ, we love you no matter what. I hope you know that.”

  “I do, but he’s going to make me say it, isn’t he?” Mary Jo said. “Yes, I’m a lesbian. No, I’m not dating anybody. Okay?”

  Donna and Doc laughed. “I just love screwing with you,” Doc said. “Well, not literally of course.” He put an arm around Donna’s shoulders and the other around MJ’s “You know, you should get to know Chris Martel better.”

  Mary Jo gasped in mock horror. “I cannot believe you just outed her like that. Frances wouldn’t even say anything about Chris’s lifestyle.” She pushed the vision of a naked Chris out of her mind. “Anyway, as if it’s any of your business, we talked about what happened at her place and everything’s fine. She seems nice, and we kind of made up.”

  “That’s great,” Doc said. “Oh, before I forget, I want to discuss something with you. You know how busy we’ve been this summer, but winter’s coming and those months are chronically slow. What I’ve come up with should give us both some downtime. On days that aren’t busy, one of us will take care of appointments, and the other will be on call for emergencies. Then we’ll just swap the next time. Obviously, we won’t do that every day, but it should give us each some more leisure time. How’s that sound?”

  Mary Jo brightened. “That’ll be great.”

  Donna patted Doc’s chest and reminded him he had a call to go to. Mary Jo volunteered to remain at the clinic for a while to monitor the horse. She found herself intrigued with Doc’s proposal. Plain and simple, her social life had sucked since she took the job, although she wouldn’t trade the work for the world.

  The last time she’d spoken with Frances, she’d been invited to the Thursday morning breakfast ritual, which Chris habitually attended. With more time off, she’d be able to go. The possibility of spending more time with someone she found so attractive caused her to grin, and a rush of anticipation coursed through her.

  On the other hand, she hoped by accepting the invitation, she wouldn’t be intruding into the relationship between Chris and Frances.

  Mary Jo checked the horse’s vitals and his incision one more time. All were within regular parameters, the incision was clean and dry, and the alert horse had started to nibble on some hay.

  When Mary Jo wandered back to the office, Donna was working on the billing. Mary Jo knew the business was doing great with an extra vet in the office, and Doc had given her a modest salary with the possibility of raises if he could afford it.

  She wasn’t in any great need of funds and wished Doc would put the extra money back into the practice by buying new and updated equipment. Her parents had set up a trust fund for her when she was little, so her wages went toward rent, meals, and saving for a house of her own. She used the dividends from the trust fund for play.

  “Need any help?” Mary Jo stood by Donna’s chair as she worked.

  “Nope, I’m actually almost done. But if you wait a few minutes, you can take this stuff to the post office on your way home.”

  “Sure, that’s not a problem.” A curious thought struck her. “Donna, how long have you guys known I’m a lesbian?”

  Donna turned and looked up at her. “Well, being the worldly people that we are, we sort of knew when we saw the rainbow decal on your truck.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s not being subtle at all, huh?”

  “It doesn’t bother us, you know. I’ve always believed that the person you want to spend your life with should be the person you’ve fallen in love with, whether they’re male or female.”

  Mary Jo put a hand on Donna’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  “Okay, I’m finished here for the day. I’ll have Richard check the horse when he gets home. You have your cell, so you might as well head out of here. Thanks for going to the post office.”

  “You are so welcome. It’s on my way home anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Mary Jo picked up the stack of mail and headed out the door to her truck, full of renewed love for Donna and Doc. Like family but better. At least I can talk to them in person.

  She sighed in contentment as she drove. She glanced at the houses she passed and wondered how she had gotten lucky enough to live in such a great place.

  The post office was on the edge of town. She pulled into the drive, stopped next to a mailbox, stuffed in the envelopes, and continued on her way. From here on, the number of farms increa
sed. She passed dairy farms and a few farms with sheep, but the majority were private residences with barns in the backyard. In her experience, most of them had one or two horses that were more pasture pets than working animals.

  Enjoying the feel of the sun and the breeze as she drove, she held her arm out the window, palm open, and tried to capture some of the wind until a big beetle hit her hand and exploded.

  “Ow! Oh shit, that’s just gross.” She tried to keep her eyes on the road while she looked for something to wipe off the splattered bug guts. She eventually found a McDonald’s napkin and tried to clean her hand.

  Somewhat successful, she drove with her palm turned up in her lap until she could get home to wash it. “Gross, gross, gross,” she chanted and started to giggle. By the time she arrived home, laughter-induced tears were running down her cheeks.

  Still chuckling to herself about the bug incident, she found herself dying to tell someone. She picked up the phone to call her parents but quickly realized they were on a cruise somewhere and unreachable. Of course, they probably wouldn’t get the humor of it anyway. Chris instantly came to mind, but she dared not call.

  She hoped Chris and Frances would help her fill up some of the promised free time. If they didn’t, she honestly wasn’t sure what she’d do with herself.

  Chapter 10

  Frances heard gravel crunching as a vehicle came to a stop in her driveway. Daisy’s familiar impatient bark signaled the visitor’s arrival.

  “Oh good, Chris is here.” She wiped her hands dry, threw the towel over the edge of the sink, and went out to meet her.

  Chris let a swarm of eager dogs out of her truck’s backseat as Frances walked up to her. Frances’s automatic smile disappeared when Chris turned to her.

  Disheveled appearance and dark circles under her eyes made it obvious that Chris hadn’t gotten enough, if any, sleep. Frances suspected she’d been out last night.

 

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