by Lori Ryan
“It must have slipped.”
“Man,” she shook her head as she seasoned her eggs, “you really do need to relax.”
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“Uh-oh,” she said, scooping up a forkful of eggs. “What’s that?”
“I’ll take time off if you take some time off and do some things with me—around town I mean. There’s lots of stuff to do around the mountain.”
She saw something dark flash in Aaron’s eyes. She wanted to ask what had happened in Chicago, but she didn’t want to force him. “I don’t have time to take off. Eat,” she nodded toward his pancakes, “before they get cold.”
“Yeah, okay,” he said. Was that disappointment in his tone?
She studied the man as he neatly aligned his silverware with the edges of his plate, like the meticulous surgeon he was. She wondered how many people he’d saved with those hands. How many more he would save once he left Canyon Creek. She threw aside the thought. Maybe she should take a few days and hang out. It wouldn’t hurt.
Maggie’s warning ran through her mind. Don’t sleep with Aaron.
Surely her friend wasn’t serious? There wasn’t really any harm to her hanging out with Maggie’s brother-in-law if they both knew things weren’t going to go anywhere serious.
“What are you doing later this afternoon?” Kayleigh asked.
“Shit,” he said under his breath.
Kayleigh watched as he gripped his knife in his hand, but it shook just a bit.
“Fuck it.” He dropped the knife and dug into the pancakes with his fork only.
Aaron might be here to rest and relax, but Kayleigh could see he hadn’t come willingly. She’d bet her medical degree on that, even if it was a pet degree.
“Have you ever ridden a horse?” she asked.
Aaron glanced up and stared at her. “Some. Why?”
“I’ve got to go out to Rutherford Ranch later this afternoon and check on a pregnant mare.”
“The one who cut her head?”
“You remember?” For some reason that made Kayleigh happy that Aaron had remembered their time together, but more importantly a specific detail about her work.
She didn’t wait for his response. “Yes, I need to check on Sunshine. Sometimes I go for a trail ride after I’m done. Alan’s property runs along Canyon Creek. Horses love it down there.”
“You ride?” he asked, brows wide.
“Don’t seem so surprised.”
“Did you grow up around horses?”
Kayleigh didn’t want to get into her history. The fact she’d been competing in eventing and dressage when she was young wasn’t something she usually shared. Right now, she understood that Aaron needed something else to think about, though, so she went with it.
“I rode when I was young.”
“Are you any good?” He shoveled pancakes in his mouth and she smiled.
“What?” he asked around his food.
“Nice manners.”
He grabbed his water and swallowed down a gulp. “Sorry. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“Must have been all those Downward Facing Dogs and Table Tops.”
Aaron sputtered.
“Do you want to ride or not?”
He cocked a brow. “Are we talking about the horses, or something else?”
“Let’s start with the horses first and we’ll see how you do.” Aaron fell back into the booth, howling with laughter, and Kayleigh couldn’t help but feel like she’d just done something miraculous.
Chapter Ten
“Wow,” Aaron said, staring out the window of Kayleigh’s Jeep. “I don’t remember the Rutherford Ranch being this huge.”
Kayleigh had pointed out the beginning of the ranch by the southern fence line at least a mile ago.
“Yeah, they’ve added on as surrounding property came on the market.”
“How many acres?”
“Um, I’m not exactly sure but I think it’s close to a thousand now, but they’re really innovative with their rotational grazing. The ranch is implementing a lot of techniques that let them run a large number of cattle for that acreage.”
Aaron whistled. “Wow.”
“Over 900 head of cattle,” she said. “It’s twice what they were able to do before they started rotational grazing.”
Aaron craned his neck and stared. “And you take care of all of them?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Alan has a great staff. I help with the more serious cases, or when an animal needs meds or something, but they do the day-to-day things like worming and a lot of their own vaccinating.”
“Still, that’s got to be a lot of work.”
“I help take care of their horses, too. They have a dozen they use for ranching.”
“And you said Sunshine is pregnant.”
“Yeah, this is her third foal. They probably won’t breed her again for a while because they don’t need another horse, but when she’s not pregnant she has such a sweet temperament. They wanted at least one more foal from her.”
“And you’re the only vet for the clinic in town, too?”
Kayleigh nodded as she steered her Jeep into the elaborate entrance of the Rutherford Ranch.
He’d gone to school with the oldest son, Grayson. Aaron didn’t know him well. Grayson had been in band and the Future Farmers of America, which wasn’t surprising, seeing as he grew up on a ranch. Aaron had been in the math and science club so their paths hadn’t crossed much.
“Does Grayson still live here?” He asked.
Kayleigh maneuvered the Jeep around the country road. “Yeah. He works on the ranch.”
Aaron didn’t miss the grin on her face and wondered what that was about. “What is that smile for?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head.
“So he’s still here?”
“Yeah, Grayson helps run the ranch with the ranch manager, George Lucado. He’s a master AI guy in the state.”
“A what guy?”
“AI. Artificial insemination.”
What the hell?
“The cattle.” She laughed. “Not women. Although,” she paused, bringing the Jeep to a stop in front of a huge barn, “there are a lot of women in the tri-county area who’d like to be inseminated by Grayson Rutherford.”
Aaron felt a ball of jealousy burn in his gut. “Are you one of them?”
Kayleigh turned to face him. “Why?”
Aaron shrugged. “No reason.”
“Come on,” she said, sliding out of the Jeep. “I’ve got to get some stuff from the back.”
It didn’t escape Aaron that she never answered his question. And the fact perturbed him greatly. He slipped out of the Jeep, shutting the door with a little more force than necessary. What was wrong with him? It was Grayson friggin’ Rutherford. He’d been a scrawny kid in high school, getting turned down by all the girls.
Aaron made his way around to the back.
Kayleigh was bent over, reaching for something deep in her Jeep.
Aaron stared at her ass, tantalizingly showcased in tight jeans. She’d changed out of her scrubs before they left in preparation to ride. Images of her riding him popped into his mind. He shifted his feet and coughed.
“Here,” he said, stepping up beside her. “Let me get that.”
“I’ve got it.” She swatted his hand away.
She pulled out two stuffed bags and hefted them onto her shoulder. Combined, the two looked like they weighed more than she did.
“Here.” He grabbed for the larger one.
She twisted out of his grasp and walked in front of him. “I’ve got it.”
“Obviously,” he muttered as he followed behind.
“Hey, Kayleigh.”
Aaron glanced up at the sound of a man’s voice. Standing in the doorway of the barn was a tall, good looking man, broad shouldered and lean.
“Hey, Grayson.” Kayleigh smiled.
Wait, Grayson? Shit, this was Grayson Rutherford?
“Oh, hey, Aaron. How’s it going?” Grayson moved toward them with the ease of a cowboy, extending his hand. “It’s good to see you. Been a while.”
“Yeah, it has.” Aaron gripped Grayson’s hand and for some strange reason, felt the need to grip it just a little tighter. “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you. You’ve changed a bit since high school.”
“Hard labor does that to a man.” Kayleigh hit Grayson’s chest a few times and smiled up at him.
Aaron felt a surge of testosterone coursing through his body, and a primitive need to mark his territory. What the hell?
“How’s Sunshine?” Kayleigh asked, seemingly oblivious to Aaron’s annoyance.
“She’s better. The cut is healing. Thanks for coming out last week,” Aaron noticed Grayson’s gaze rake over Kayleigh which, for some reason, perturbed the shit out of him. “I know it was late.”
Kayleigh smiled up at Grayson as she rounded the corner into the barn.
Aaron shook off his annoyance and studied the layout. It was obvious the Rutherfords had money. A lot more than he remembered when they’d been growing up.
“Hey,” Grayson glanced behind him, “I’m really sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks,” Aaron said, wandering around the barn. There were at least twelve stalls, all filled with horses, he noted.
“I tried to say hi to you at the funeral, but it was pretty packed.”
Aaron swallowed down the ache in his chest. His father had passed away over six months ago, but he still felt the loss every day. ”Thanks,” he said, knowing he should say more, but not really able to do it.
“He was a great man. He’ll be missed.”
“Thank you,” Aaron said quietly.
“Let me get Manny and George real quick.” Grayson jogged out of the barn.
Something squeezed Aaron’s arm. He glanced down to find Kayleigh’s hands around his bicep.
“You okay?” she asked, concern in her blue eyes.
He gave a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“Your father was a good man.” Her hands slid around his waist and she gave Aaron a tight squeeze.
Instinctively, Aaron wrapped his arms around her shoulders and he pulled her into an embrace. “Thanks.” He glanced down and saw the top of her head. Without thought or reservation, he leaned down and kissed her hair.
She tilted her head back and stared up at him, her blue eyes darker as she smiled.
They stood for several seconds, wrapped in one another’s arms. Just as Aaron was about to lean down further, a horse whinnied and kicked in the stall beside them.
“Sunshine’s pretty jealous.” Kayleigh released him and walked toward the horse.
Aaron went to stand next to her. The horse’s forehead still held the sutures, the skin puckering slightly around them.
“Is she gay?”
Kayleigh laughed. “She’s not jealous of you. She’s jealous of me being with you.”
“What are you saying. Your horse likes me?”
“She’s boy crazy, what can I say? She likes all the men’s attention.”
Aaron couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a little crazy.”
“I know,” Kayleigh smiled, “pregnant women, right?” She turned back to the horse and rubbed the side of her neck. “Hey girl, how you doing today?”
Aaron watched with trepidation as Kayleigh released the latch on the stall door and slid it to the left before letting herself inside. She didn’t shut the door again, but there was a webbed covering that attached to both sides of the opening to keep the horse in.
A pang of fear hit him in the gut at seeing her inside with the large animal. Anything could happen to her in that stall.
He reminded himself that Kayleigh was a veterinarian, she was used to working with large animals. Wasn’t she? Either way, he knew she damned sure wouldn’t appreciate him trying to protect her.
“How’s that baby girl of yours doing, Sunshine?” Kayleigh set her bag on the ground and pulled a small bottle of hand sanitizer from her pocket. She squeezed out a liberal amount and rubbed the gel into the skin on her hands and wrists.
“She’s having a girl? You can tell?” Aaron stepped back when the mare flicked her ears back as she looked his way. Was she glaring at him? He remembered Kayleigh saying the mare was always moody when she was pregnant. Moments ago, she seemed like she wanted to flirt with him. Now, she was eyeing him like she might like to toss him across the room with a good head butt.
Kayleigh ran her hands over the mare’s sides and belly, then underneath to what Aaron could see were the horse’s breasts, but he had no clue what you called them. He didn’t know if they were udders, like a cow or something else. He wasn’t about to ask.
“No, not for sure,” she said. “Unless an owner wants to pay for an extra ultrasound, or something medical mandates the procedure later in the pregnancy, we don’t usually do one to check for gender. Manny’s daughter, Izzie, is convinced Sunshine is having a girl though. And since everyone pretty much considers Sunshine her horse, we’d all say if anyone would know, it would be Izzie.”
“Are these horses for show?” Aaron looked around the barn.
“Most are work horses like Sunshine. The other stalls Mr. Rutherford leases out to horse owners and some of them compete in horse shows.”
Sunshine flipped her head and neighed as Kayleigh took a small machine out of her pocket. Aaron recognized it as a fetal doppler from his rotation in OB/Gyn. She was getting ready to listen to the foal’s heartbeat.
Aaron stepped up to the closed door. “Do you need any help?”
“Here, I’ll get it.” Grayson stepped beside Aaron and gently nudged him to the side. “Let me help you, Kayleigh.” He moved inside the stall and closed the sliding door Kayleigh had left open earlier so that Aaron was left looking through the bars on the top half of the stall door. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed. He didn’t want Aaron inside.
“It’s for safety reasons,” Grayson said, as if reading Aaron’s thoughts.
“I’m good, Grayson. I’ve got it under control,” Kayleigh said as she adjusted the device.
Aaron was learning quickly that Kayleigh did not like accepting help or giving up control. Of course, many times he’d been accused of the same thing.
“Hey, Kayleigh, you here?” Another man asked from the barn door.
“In with Sunshine,” she called, then she turned her attention toward moving the wand of the doppler machine over the belly of the mare.
Aaron turned toward the voice. A man in his mid-thirties with dark skin and black hair walked toward them. He wore jeans that had seen better days, and boots in about the same shape. An older man trailed behind him in the same uniform, still working his way toward them.
The man stepped up next to Aaron and extended his hand, much the same way Grayson had.
“Manny Rodriguez,” the man said, “and this is George Lucado. We work here at the ranch.”
Aaron shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Manny. Hey, George.” He waved at the older man, who he remembered from his youth.
“Hey, Dr. Sumner.” George grinned at him. “Still sounds funny every time I say it.”
“You’re a doctor?” Manny asked, a look of concern in his eyes that Aaron saw frequently.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Oh, okay.” Manny rubbed the back of his neck.
He sensed the man had a question. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“No, no,” Manny said. “I should probably bring her to Doc Olson. I called the other day, but maybe I should bring her in...”
Kayleigh popped up on the other side of the stall, peeking through the metal bars. “What’s wrong with Izzie?”
“She’s had a fever and sore throat for a couple days,” Manny said.
Aaron could hear the anxiety in the man’s voice. “How high has the fever been?” he asked, switching comfortably into his doctor role.
“It got up
to 103.4 last night.”
“Has it come down with medicine?” he asked. “With ibuprofen and acetaminophen?”
“Yes.” Manny nodded. “Doc said as long as it didn’t stay high it was okay. But if it lasted for another day I should bring her in.”
“Is she drinking fluids?” Aaron asked.
“She’s been trying, but it’s been hard because her throat hurts so bad. Her grandmother lives here on the ranch with us, but not even she can convince Izzie to drink.”
Aaron could see the question in the man’s eyes and didn’t want to make him ask it out loud. He was obviously a proud man.
“Why don’t I take a look at her?” Aaron offered. “I don’t have my equipment—”
“Here.” Kayleigh removed the stethoscope she’d hung around her neck and held it out. “There’s an ophthalmoscope in my bag.” She pointed to where her bag sat on the floor.
“You wouldn’t mind?” Manny said. “I can pay you.”
Aaron waved his hand in the air. “I don’t mind at all. And you’re not going to pay me.”
“It would mean so much to me and my mom. We’ve been worried sick about Izzie.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take a look and check her vitals. It sounds like it could be strep, though. If that’s the case, Doc Olson will need to run a culture.”
“It’s just so busy here at the ranch right now and my mom doesn’t drive,” Manny said. “But I can run her into town if that’s what she needs.”
“I could always bring a strep kit out here,” Aaron said, not truly knowing if that was an option, but he would bet Doc Olson would let him.
Manny rubbed a hand over his face and Aaron noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He got the sense it was hard for this man to ask for help, like someone else he knew. But he obviously cared for his daughter.
“Tell you what,” Aaron said, trying to rescue the man’s pride, “let’s go take a look at her while Kayleigh checks out Sunshine. Then we can decide if we need to do more. Sound good?”
Manny sighed, his hand falling as a small smile creased his worn cheeks. “Yeah,” he nodded, “that would be great. Thanks, Doc.”
Doc? There was only one Doc in Canyon Creek, and it sure as hell wasn’t him.
“You two go,” George said. “I’ll stay here and help Kayleigh.”