Aidan: Loyal Cowboy: Aidan: Loyal CowboyThe Family Plan

by Cathy McDavid

  Blue Ridge had never had a small-animal veterinarian practice before. Anyone seeking treatment for their four-legged companions took them to Pineville. Out of necessity, some of the residents had learned to care for their own animals and didn’t much see the need for a vet. It was Chase’s goal to change their way of thinking.

  “I assume you’ll be going to the open house,” Dottie said.

  “Of course. Early, in fact. Just in case there’s a last-minute repair.”

  Chase had also insisted Jolyn stay for the entire afternoon. He was convinced that once people saw firsthand the quality of her work, jobs would come pouring in.

  She’d be returning on Sunday, as well. Not for the clinic, but for Mandy’s birthday party. The little girl had invited Jolyn when she’d delivered the flyer for the open house. Jolyn had promptly accepted. While the gesture might seem small to some, Jolyn knew it was a big step for Mandy. Hopefully the party would also help to keep Jolyn from worrying about her mother’s surgery.

  “This looks great, Mom.” Jolyn put the bid in a manila file folder and set it aside for the morning.

  Her mother didn’t leave her seat right away. “I noticed you and Chase were pretty friendly at the dance the other night.”

  Her and twenty or thirty of their friends and neighbors. Though no one had witnessed Jolyn and Chase’s scorching kiss behind the officials’ booth, word had spread with the swiftness of a raging brushfire. Since they couldn’t stop the gossip, they’d agreed to ignore it. Dottie hadn’t mentioned the dance all week—probably because she was busy battling her insurance company. Jolyn couldn’t help but wonder why her mother was bringing it up now.

  “We’ve always gotten along well,” she answered.

  “Especially well of late.” After a brief pause, Dottie came right out with it. “Are you two involved?”

  “No, we’re not.”

  “Oh. I thought maybe—”

  “Not yet,” Jolyn clarified.

  “So, you might.”

  “We haven’t decided.”

  She considered every answer before she gave it, not yet ready to divulge details to her mother. She’d told Chase her family problem would be resolved on Monday. Because of the glitch with the insurance company, that had turned out not to be the case. He hadn’t pressured her when she explained there’d been a delay, but then he was having a busy week himself what with the open house tomorrow and Mandy’s birthday on Sunday.

  “Is Chase holding back because of me?” Dottie asked.

  “Actually, I’m the reluctant one.”

  “Honey, you must know I don’t want to interfere with your happiness.” Dottie leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table, her expression earnest.

  “You might not want to, but will you?”

  “A person’s outlook changes when they realize they may not have long to live.” Her mouth curved in a philosophical frown. “You haven’t told Chase about the lumps, have you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  Jolyn’s mother had sworn the family to silence. “That’s good.”

  “I’m not sure why you’re being so secretive. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Once people find out you have cancer, that’s all they ever talk about. And we decided not to dwell on the negative.”

  “Talking doesn’t have to be negative.”

  “I’m not ready,” Dottie said resolutely. “No more decisions until after the biopsy.”

  “Decisions?” There was something odd in the way her mother said the word.

  “Yes.” Rising, Dottie went back to her chair at the computer station. “I’ve done a lot of soul-searching this week. If the biopsy comes back negative, I won’t bother Chase about the DNA testing ever again.”

  “Really?”

  “But if it doesn’t—”

  “It will.” Jolyn cut in before she could finish.

  “If it doesn’t,” Dottie repeated, “if I have breast cancer, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “Mom.”

  “I just hate the thought of leaving this world without that little girl knowing I’m her grandmother.”

  “You aren’t the only one with something important at stake here.”

  “I’m the only one who might have cancer.”

  If her mother could be blunt, so could Jolyn. “Dying doesn’t give you the right to break up a loving family.”

  Dottie had no comeback to that.

  * * *

  CHASE LIFTED THE X-ray film and clipped it to a wall-mounted light panel. Anita stood beside him, and together they analyzed the image.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “It doesn’t look good.” She gave a solemn shake of her head. “Not good at all.”

  “Hmm,” Chase concurred thoughtfully. “Pennies, I say. Three of them.”

  “Definitely pennies.” Anita tapped the film with the tip of a pencil. “You can see Lincoln’s head here.”

  They both turned around. Only Chase spoke. “Ma’am, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but Raggedy Ann has swallowed three pennies. We’ll have to operate or she could die.”

  “Oh, Daddy.” Mandy rolled her eyes. “She’s a doll. She can’t swallow anything.”

  “Then how do you explain the pennies?” Hard as it was for him, he kept a straight face.

  “They’re in her pocket.” Mandy grabbed the doll off the X-ray table and dug in the front pocket of its apron. “See.” She fished out three coins and held them in the flat of her palm for his inspection.

  “Huh.” Chase scratched his head. “How do you suppose those got in there?”

  Mandy’s my-father-is-so-dumb-sometimes expression said it all.

  Anita broke into laughter. “Your X-ray machine seems to be working perfectly.”

  “Like a charm.” Chase squinted one eye at Mandy. “I’m not so sure about Raggedy Ann. We may have to take a second X-ray.”

  “No.” Mandy clutched the precious toy to her chest.

  They’d used the doll to give the X-ray machine a test run. Chase would have favored a live subject over a stuffed one, but Buzz and Lickety weren’t being cooperative. Like many pets, they’d developed a distinct dislike of veterinary clinics, even when the clinic belonged to their owner. With the open house scheduled to start in an hour, Chase didn’t want to stress the dogs out. They needed to be on their best behavior for the canine, feline, feathered and reptilian guests expected to attend.

  A vehicle, big by the sound of the engine, pulled up to the clinic entrance.

  “I hope that’s the caterers.” Anita flew out of the examination room. She’d singlehandedly put together the entire open house, for which Chase was truly thankful. He commended himself again for his excellent eye when it came to choosing an assistant.

  “Can I help?” Mandy ran after Anita to meet the truck.

  The caterer was actually Harold Sage, owner of Sage’s Bar and Grill. He was remarkably talented in the kitchen and had embraced the challenge of creating hors d’oeuvres for both people and pets.

  Chase straightened the film of Raggedy Ann, leaving the light on so when guests asked him about the X-ray machine, he could explain using show-and-tell.

  “You ready for the big day?” a familiar voice asked.

  “Just about.” He spun around to see Jolyn standing in the doorway. Whatever else he’d intended to say fled his mind at the sight of her. Slack jawed and tongue tied, he stared,
taking a long moment to fully appreciate her appearance. “You’re wearing a dress.”

  “Yeah.” She plucked at the silky folds of fabric, her mouth pursed. “Too fancy, do you think? I could go home and change.” She let go of the skirt, and it floated down to fall softly around her legs.

  Legs!

  “Don’t do that.” He hadn’t seen her in anything but jeans since the day she came home and was in no hurry for her to revert back to her old habits. This one suited him just fine.

  The hem of the floral sundress covered her knees but only by an inch at most. Enough bare calves and shoulders were exposed to give him a testosterone rush the likes of which he hadn’t felt in years. Brightly painted toenails peeked out from a pair of slim, high-heeled sandals, so different from the athletic shoes or cowboy boots she typically wore. Her hair had been curled and styled and pinned back with a simple, yet elegant, clasp.

  “You look great.” Only the presence of Anita, Mandy and Harold in the reception area kept his feet glued to the floor. If they were alone, he’d…

  “Thanks.” She smiled shyly. “Probably not the best outfit for a construction company owner to wear.”

  “It’s exactly the best outfit to wear.” He must have been ogling her pretty hard because her cheeks turned an appealing shade of pink.

  “I should go help set up the food.” She retreated a step.

  “Not yet.” Kissing her was preferable but with so many people in the vicinity, he’d have to settle for a simple, fleeting touch. He came out from behind the examination table and strode toward her. In the doorway, he stopped to gaze down at her. “I’ve missed you.” He raised his hand and stroked the line of her jaw with his knuckles.

  Her laugh was soft and feminine and utterly enchanting. “We just saw each other yesterday.”

  “That was business.” He stepped closer. “And not what I was referring to.”

  He drew an invisible line down the side of her neck and then along the length of her collarbone. She tilted her head, shivered slightly and held her breath until he stopped. Not by choice. Any more of this, of her response to him, and he’d do something drastic. Wouldn’t his guests just love that?

  Backing up a step, then two, he leaned a hip against the counter and fought for control. He won. Barely. “Are things any better at home?”

  “Yes and no.” She sighed and pushed a strand of gold-streaked hair away from her face.

  He waited for her to elaborate. She’d told him at the dance last Saturday that the situation at home would be resolved on Monday. It hadn’t been. And it was obvious to anyone who knew the Sutherlands that the lack of resolution was wearing on them.

  “We’ve made progress, at least,” she said. “And should know more this week.”

  “Good.”

  “Knowing may or may not be good.” She swallowed and cleared her throat, visibly struggling to rein in her emotions.

  “Oh, sweetheart.” Screw proprieties. He went to her and put an arm around her, pulling her flush against him.

  “Sorry.” She sniffed. “It’s been a rough week.”

  “No need to apologize.”

  “My parents had a particularly unpleasant blowup this morning.”

  Jolyn rarely discussed her family with him. That she mentioned something so personal showed—more than the kisses they’d shared—how their relationship was changing.

  “Parents fight on occasion. And it’s never easy on the kids. Even when those kids are adults.”

  “They’ve made up already. But it was tough going for an hour there.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I should freshen up.”

  “If you need anything, call me. I’m a good listener.”

  “I know you are,” she said, and pressed a hand to his chest.

  That small touch was enough to break Chase’s resolve. At the exact moment he decided kissing her would be an excellent idea after all, Anita and Mandy thundered down the hall. Chase and Jolyn sprang apart like a pair of guilty lovers.

  Judging from her happy, carefree expression, Mandy didn’t appear to have noticed anything amiss. No surprise there. Between the open house today and her birthday party tomorrow, she was wrapped up in her own little world.

  Anita was a different matter. She’d clearly seen Chase and Jolyn on the verge of locking lips. However, the only thing she said was, “You might want to come out here. Folks are starting to arrive.”

  Smart woman.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “These are darn tasty.” Russell Meyer plucked an hors d’oeuvre from one of the many trays set out in the reception area and popped it into his mouth.

  “How many have you had?” Jolyn hid a smirk.

  “Three. I love sardines. My wife won’t let me have them,” he whispered. “She hates the smell of fish.”

  “You do know those are cat hors d’oeuvres?”

  “Cat?” His eyes bulged.

  “Yes.” Jolyn chuckled.

  “Will they hurt me?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Whew!” He wiped his eyebrow. “Because I wouldn’t want to get sick.” He stole another kitty treat, swallowing it whole.

  “Mr. Meyer!”

  He cast a worried glance over her shoulder. “Don’t say anything.”

  A second later, his wife, Barbara, joined them. An English bulldog with a severe underbite trailed at the end of the leash Mrs. Meyer held. The dog jumped up on Mr. Meyer’s leg, sniffed his hand and started licking his fingers.

  “Behave, Sir Adorable.” Barbara shook a disapproving finger at the dog and then her husband. “Russell, don’t let him do that.”

  He flashed Jolyn a guilty look before pushing the dog down.

  “Jolyn, this clinic is just wonderful.” Mrs. Meyer linked arms with Jolyn. “Seriously, I had no idea you were so talented.”

  “Thank you.” Had the backhanded compliment come from anyone besides the self-absorbed but sweet-underneath-it-all co-owner of the Blue Ridge Inn, Jolyn might have been offended.

  “You do know we’re expanding the inn.” She spoke in the same conspiratorial whisper her husband had used not two minutes earlier.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Tell her about it, dear.”

  She elbowed her husband, who was eyeing a tray of bacon-wrapped chicken livers intended for the likes of Sir Adorable, not him. Jolyn considered suggesting he try the baked brie rounds instead.

  “Ah, yeah.” He returned his attention to Jolyn. “A new wing with three additional rooms and an inground swimming pool.”

  “Swimming pool?”

  Jolyn could count on one hand the number of people in Blue Ridge who owned above-ground circular pools. In-ground ones were unheard of.

  “We’d like you to bid the job,” Mrs. Meyer said determinedly. “Wouldn’t we, Russell?”

  “Why, yes.” He recovered quickly from his wife’s obviously unexpected announcement.

  Outwardly, Jolyn smiled politely. Inwardly, she was jumping up and down like a maniac. This could be the job, the one to generate enough income to carry her company for the coming months. Quickly running numbers in her head, she estimated the job to be twice, if not three times, the size of Chase’s clinic.

  “I’d like very much to bid your job,” she said in her best professional voice, cautioning herself to stay calm.

  Just because she quoted them a price didn’t mean she’d get th
e job. So many things could go awry, especially in a project this size. Financing could fall through. Permits could be denied because of zoning restrictions. An engineering report could come back showing the ground unsuitable for a swimming pool.

  And there was always the chance another contractor might underbid her. The Meyers were intelligent business people. They would obtain more than one bid, and loyalty to the hometown girl only went so far.

  “When are you looking to start construction?” she inquired.

  “Soon,” Mrs. Meyer answered. “Two months at the very most. We’d like to be finished before December.”

  “We’re always booked to capacity during the holidays,” Mr. Meyer explained. “And could use those rooms.”

  “We’ll call you the first of the week. Set up an appointment.” Mrs. Meyer tugged on Sir Adorable’s leash, and the dog obediently ceased sniffing a poodle’s hind end.

  “Would you like my business card?” Jolyn reached for one from the stack on the counter. Chase had insisted she put them out, and she couldn’t help noticing that half were gone.

  “Yes. Thank you.” Mr. Meyer took the card from Jolyn’s hand and while his wife’s back was turned, swiped another sardine appetizer. Swallowing it whole, he grinned at Jolyn, then he and his wife and Sir Adorable moved on to continue mingling.

  A group of excited children gathered around a table where Mandy was distributing coupons for half off on a first visit—something which pleased the children’s parents—and free goldfish in small plastic containers, which didn’t please the parents nearly so much.

  As Jolyn walked from room to room, she was constantly stopped and engaged in conversation. She admired pets, most of them dogs but also a kitten that hadn’t stopped yowling since it arrived, a two-foot iguana, a parrot that rode on its owner’s arm and sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” when prompted and a pair of very nervous hamsters. She also accepted compliments on the construction and got two leads on nice, albeit small, jobs.

  More than once she looked across a room or down the hall to catch Chase’s dark brown eyes watching her. His smile seemed to say This is your party, too. Your celebration. Enjoy it.