by Roni Adams
She glanced up, saw the concern and stiffened her spine. She had to stop being such a baby. He needed to go home and be with his family, not here babysitting her. She pushed at his chest. “No. Definitely not. It was just seeing him for the first time last night. Today, I'm fine. Honest."
He hoisted his laptop bag to his shoulder, picked up his jacket, and stared down seriously. “Remember, you're not the same person you were when he left. You're stronger and you've moved on."
Not sure about either of those statements, Beth tucked her hands in the front pockets of her jeans and nodded. “Yep. You're right. Drive safe, okay?"
Grant opened the door, winked, and then left.
She stood for a minute, staring at the closed door and let her breath out on a long sigh. Turning, she headed towards the back of the house. She pushed open the door that led to the now empty indoor/outdoor corral and crossed over to the connected clinic. Once inside, she switched on the lights, put on a pot of coffee in the kitchenette, and sat down behind her desk.
The folders with notes as to their status were in front of her. She picked up the file for the ranch she'd be visiting on Monday, then leaned back in her chair. An hour or so later, a cup of coffee at her side, she typed up notes from the patients she'd seen yesterday. Office work was one of the worst parts of the job. She and Grant had both decided they needed to find local part-time help, but neither had had the time to even begin to start the hiring process.
She stood and stretched. Might as well get some lunch before finishing. She hadn't taken two steps when the phone rang.
"Sweet Meadow Animal Clinic, Beth speaking."
"Dr. Sampson?” a gruff deep voice asked.
"Yes."
"This is Brody Cranston over at the Rocking R."
"What can I do for you, Brody?” Her mind conjured the rough spoken foreman of the ranch two towns away.
"Our regular vet is away for the holiday and, well, I hate to call you but I've done all I can."
"Don't worry about that Brody. Dr. Everett told me he'd be away this week. What can I do for you?"
"It's Jet. He's over fifteen now, and I know he's getting up there but—"
Beth's heart lurched when she heard the catch in the cowboy's voice. “Why don't you bring him right in, or I can come there."
"I can bring him over."
After hanging up, she walked out towards the small reception area and put the blinds up on the front door. This was not the easy part of being a vet. She hated telling a tough old cowboy that his best friend was going to have to go to the big cow pasture in the sky. She shuddered. Hopefully, whatever was ailing the Border Collie she could fix. She drew a steadying breath and fingered the stethoscope she'd slipped around her neck as she headed to ready the examination room.
About twenty minutes later, a slamming door drew her back to the front and she swung the main door open. It wasn't the old truck that caught her eye, or the older ranch hand who walked around the back end. It was Tyler. Tyler who she didn't expect, and who now aided the older man in opening the tailgate.
Her shock at having to deal with him again this morning was overshadowed immediately by the sight of the large dog he lifted from the truck. By the time the two men reached the porch, she'd shifted into professional mode.
Tyler's gaze met hers, and she looked away. She hated the way he made her feel off balance and insecure.
He stepped past her into the reception area. “Where should I put him?"
Beth glanced back at Brody who followed close on Tyler's heels and pushed her personal thoughts aside to deal with her patient. “Down the hall, first room on the left."
With both men in the small room, and the dog lying still on the cloth covered table, she felt as if they were in a broom closet. Beth tried to move around Tyler without any part of her brushing him, but it was impossible. When she tripped over his boot, his hand shot out and steadied her by grabbing her hip. She glared, and he widened his eyes as if he had no idea what she was mad about.
What the hell is he doing here?
Beth forced a confident expression on her face and faced Brody instead. “How long has he been like this?"
"He was acting kind of funny yesterday, maybe even the day before I suppose."
Beth nodded, listening carefully for any clues as to what was wrong with her patient. Jet whimpered on the table, shifted, but didn't lift his head. She pushed around to the other side of the table and pressed her stethoscope to the old dog's side to listen. His heartbeat was slow, way too slow and a lot of gurgling echoed inside. After reading the rectal thermometer, her concern increased. She shined her small flashlight into his dull eyes, glad to see they still responded to the light.
She took the stethoscope out of her ears and stroked the old dog's head, then glanced up at Brody. The weathered foreman stood back, watching nervously. Tyler moved into position next to the animal as if they worked side by side every day. He held the dog's head and talked in a soothing voice while Beth plunged a syringe filled with antibiotics into his thigh muscle. She stroked her patient. She had to save him. No one should lose their dog at Christmas.
"I'm going to have to keep him here, Brody."
"Oh, I don't know. I mean, I don't think Jet would be comfortable in a cage."
Beth squeezed his arm. “I would never put him in a cage. I have a wonderful area with a nice warm blanket and cushion. I'll make sure he's not left alone, I promise. But I need to keep him here so I can see if the antibiotics are going to work. This way, if they don't, I can try something else."
The worried foreman rested his large hand on the dog's head and then nodded abruptly. “Okay. But I want you to call my cell phone if anything changes."
Purposefully, Beth kept her gaze on the dog as she spoke to Tyler. “Would you stay with Jet for a minute while I get Brody's information?"
Tyler nodded even though Beth had already walked out of the room. He stroked the dog's soft fur. “You gotta pull through this, pal, he needs you.” From the other room, he could hear Beth's soft reassuring tones as she spoke with Brody. Squatting down, Tyler rubbed Jet's ears. “And she will be devastated if she loses you."
A sound from the doorway brought his head up. Beth eyes held warmth towards him for the first time, instead of cool distaste from last night. “Would you mind carrying Jet to the house for me? I'll stay there with him tonight."
He hoisted the dog into his arms and followed Beth down the back hall. Throwing open the door, she stepped down into the inside corral.
Tyler glanced around; this was his first time in here since he'd finished the building. “Does that corral work out as good as I'd thought?"
Beth stiffened slightly but nodded. “It's perfect. I can keep them closed in here in bad weather and then, when it's nice out, I simply push the button and out they go."
"I'd hoped it'd work out that way.” The vision he had for her clinic and attached small house appeared to be working well.
Beth opened the door to the house. “There's an area off the kitchen that we've set up for situations like this."
Whoa, we? Tyler wondered about that, but Jet was getting heavy, and he was more anxious to find out where she wanted him. Beth led the way and flipped on a light. A thick pad covered in fleece lay on the floor, and he gently settled the dog in the middle of the oversized mattress. After he moved out of the way, Beth drew a small gate around Jet, leaving him plenty of room for standing up and moving about, but keeping him safely enclosed.
"Not that I think he'll go anywhere, but I don't want him wandering around just in case."
Three kittens darted in and wound around Tyler's legs. Beth picked up a fluffy white one and snuggled it against her chin. “Plus, it will keep these three from pestering him."
He smiled at the small puffs of fur and picked up a grey one. “They look suspiciously like Tabby."
Beth grinned. “They do, don't they? No, these were abandoned. One of the cowboys found them."
Tyler h
eld his hand out straight and the tiny kitten perched there looking around.
"Those hands of yours dwarf the poor thing,” Beth teased.
His gaze slammed into hers. She used to say that when he touched her, cupped her breasts in his hands. An image flashed in his mind of Beth half naked, arching her back while he slowly made love to her. His groin tightened painfully.
Red stain crept into her cheeks. She spun around and left the room. He heard water running a short time later. When she came back, she carried a stainless steel bowl and set it inside the pen near the dog.
Tyler set the kitten down. It scampered over to jump on its sibling and they tumbled around on the floor.
She stared at him; her arms crossed over her chest. “Why did you come by?"
Obviously the momentary truce was over.
He pulled the candy box from his shirt pocket. “Flo sent these over for you ... and I wanted to apologize for last night. I didn't mean to ruin your evening."
She lifted her chin and her blue eyes glinted like ice. “Who says you ruined my evening?"
She was so damn beautiful. Even glaring like she wanted to choke him, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Probably that wouldn't be the best move he could make; still, he wondered what she'd do.
"Well, I'm certainly glad about that. I thought I upset you.” He crossed his own arms over his chest. Maybe it was the time they'd been apart that made him see her differently, but even with the short hair that he thought he'd hate, she looked fantastic. Petite, barely five feet two, she always looked like the typical girl next door in jeans and a T-shirt. Last night, in those high heels and that short skirt, the grown woman had taken his breath away.
She moved towards the far corner of the room and opened a drawer. “That's never bothered you before, why start now."
She picked up what looked like a walkie-talkie and set it on the counter. Lifting the edge of her sweatshirt, she clipped the second one to the waistband of her jeans.
The sight of her bare belly kicked a thrill through him. The shirt was back in place in a heartbeat, and he caught himself staring. So did she. One eyebrow rose, but she didn't comment; instead, she spun on her heel and walked out.
He would have liked to looked around to see how she was settled into the house. Then again, maybe not. He pushed away the fact that, when he began this project, it was the intention that they'd live here together.
By the time he caught up with Beth, she was through the door and heading across to the clinic.
"Do you like the house?"
She spun back. “If you're waiting for me to thank you for all this, you'll have a long wait."
Tyler frowned. “I tried to make it everything you dreamed of."
"Everything I dreamed of?” She frowned. “Are you kidding me? I came home from graduation expecting to find my loving fiancé waiting to welcome me back. All this"—she waved her arms in a wide circle—"was just to ease your conscience."
"That's not why I built it,” he argued, but inside, a part of him admitted what she said was true.
She snorted and swung back around, headed to the clinic.
Tyler closed the space and grabbed her arm. “I didn't do it all out of guilt. I wanted you to have everything you needed."
She narrowed her eyes and yanked her arm away. “Then you failed."
He stood there and watched her go back into the clinic.
What did he expect? If the tables were turned, would he forgive her?
Not willing to push her any further, he left the corral through the side door and headed back across the yard.
* * * *
Heaving a fortifying breath, Tyler knocked on the door to the den.
"Come on in,” Cord's voice resounded through the heavy oak doors.
Tyler turned the thick knob and stepped inside. Beau Sampson had been gone for over three years now, but it was impossible to walk into the ranch office and not expect to see Beth's father seated behind the massive desk. How many times had he been summoned to this office as a teenager over this or that?
He swallowed hard and stiffened his spine. He wasn't a kid anymore. Cord hadn't summoned him here; he'd asked to meet with him.
Cord pushed his chair back and met him half way across the room. A smile split his brother's face and he held out his hand. “I know I said it last night, but I'm so glad you're home.” He clasped one hand on his shoulder and squeezed the other in a handshake. Cord stepped back and looked him over. “It looks like Charli's cooking agrees with you."
Tyler grinned. “Is there anyone who it wouldn't agree with?” Chase Boyd's daughter was a trained culinary genius.
His brother gestured to the two leather arm chairs in front of the fireplace. Tyler swiped his hat off his head and sat down.
Cord sat in the opposite chair. “Flo just brought me fresh coffee, want a cup?"
Tyler shook his head. “In the afternoon? Wow, you really are getting old aren't you. I bet she brought cookies too, didn't she?"
"I could lie and say I know it makes her feel good so I put up with it, but, truth is, it's become a bad habit of mine."
"I know what you mean.” Tyler nodded. “Charli spoils her father when she's home, and for some reason, it extended to me as well."
His brother tipped his head and a questioning look passed over his eyes.
"Don't even go there.” Tyler leaned back against the chair. “Charli's a great gal, but I'm not man enough for that firecracker.” He grinned. “Besides, we all know who Charli's set her sights on."
Cord laughed through a flushed face. “She's something else, that girl.” He leaned forward and loosely clasped his hands between his legs, studying Tyler with deep brown eyes. “You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. And, I'm sorry, you know, for leaving the way I did."
Cord glanced down at his hands and then lifted his gaze back to Tyler's. “I can't help but feel if you'd come to me, we could have worked something out."
Not wanting to hurt his brother any further, he kept his thoughts of how that conversation would have gone to himself. “You're right, I should have talked to someone and not taken off like that."
"I'll admit I was relieved when we found out you ended up in Abilene. Chase is the type of man who can guide you without you resenting it. I figured it was good for you to be there. Though I wanted to, hauling you back here wouldn't have done any of us any good."
Tyler agreed. When he first left, he was terrified that Cord would show up and guilt him into going back home. When his brother hadn't come for him, he'd been almost disappointed. “Yeah, I needed some breathing room. To get away from here and figure out what I really wanted out of life."
"Do you? I mean, do you know what you want now?"
Tyler nodded. “I want to be a part of the Double B and take responsibility for my part in the business."
Eyes wide, Cord sat back. “Are you saying you're coming home for good?"
"Yes.” Tyler said it in such a way that brooked no argument. He didn't want Cord to think he was wavering in his conviction. He knew what he wanted. “I've already talked to Chase about it. To be honest, he's not too happy. He has this insane thought that the Circle S can't run without me anymore. He lost his longtime foreman last year, and I sort of filled his shoes. But that's not where I belong. I belong here."
"What about Beth?"
Tyler clenched his jaw. He wasn't going to talk to Cord about his relationship with Beth. “What about her?"
Cord tipped his head. “She's moved on."
"I'm aware of that."
"And you'll be able to live with that? With her being with Cole?"
Tyler met his brother's gaze steadily. “I fully intend to do everything in my power to win her back."
Cord stood and frowned down. “I don't think that's a good idea, for anybody."
Tyler rose slowly. Cord was the shortest of the Weston brothers and it gave Tyler, younger but taller, an immense measure of satisfaction to look down
on him. “I love her. I fully admit I screwed up, and have no right to ask her to give me a second chance, but I'm going to. Beth and I have been in love since before we were old enough to know what it meant. I won't give up on that easily."
Cord ran his hand around the back of his neck. “You're my brother, but what you did to that girl...” He paused and tipped his chin up. “The fact that you walked away from your responsibilities here and your role on this ranch, that we can get past."
"That's mighty big of you.” Tyler knew he was being sarcastic and didn't care.
"But the way you left Beth wasn't right. No man does that, and you were raised better than that. You should have stayed and told her face to face what your feelings were. You have no business toying with her now."
Biting back his own guilt and rising anger at his brother's intrusion in his personal business, Tyler shoved his hands in his pocket. “Beth's a grown woman and she's never had any problems handling me in the past. From the few interactions we've had, it's more than obvious she'd like nothing better than to skin me alive and leave me for the vultures. I'm smart enough to realize her taking me back will be a long shot at best."
Cord's eyes narrowed. “If you hurt her again, you will answer to me."
Tyler clenched his jaw. He wanted to hate his brother for saying that, but he was right. “I give you my word that I won't. It's the last thing I want to do."
"Okay. We'll leave it at that.” Cord relaxed and folded his hands casually over his chest. “So, what do you want to do? I mean, it's obvious from the conversations we've had on the phone that you've been doing some different things at the Circle S. Nothing says you have to come back here and work under Buck and Sam again. Tell me what your thoughts are."
"It's busy for everyone right now. I was thinking we could talk in more detail after Christmas."
Cord clasped his hand on his shoulder. “Fair enough."
His brother nodded then crossed the room and slipped into the massive leather chair behind the desk. Their father had died when Cord was only eighteen. He'd shouldered a lot of responsibilities these past twelve years. Tyler wondered if he ever wanted to run away. Did Cord ever wake up and think, ‘what if I just started driving and never came back?'