The Perfect Couple

by Valerie Hansen

  Chapter Twelve

  “You should have married the first guy you proposed to,” Tyler said, later.

  “What are you talking about?” Kara paused with a crispy, round hushpuppy halfway to her mouth and peered up at him. “I never proposed to anybody.”

  “Sure, you did. Remember the zoo expert on television? Susan said you were six years old when you wrote and offered to marry him. You volunteered to take care of all his animals for him, too.”

  Kara’s cheeks flushed pink. “So that’s the secret Susan blabbed! Well, it’s true. I didn’t know how to spell some of the words in my letter, though, so I asked my big sister for help. Naturally, she couldn’t keep a secret. Not about something as crazy as that. She told Mom what I was doing and I got in trouble.” Kara bit into the hot hushpuppy.

  “Mmm. Delicious. I love the onion flavor with the cornmeal.”

  “Me, too.” Tyler ate one off his own plate, then asked, “What made you decide you wanted to marry some old, gray-haired geezer?”

  “That’s easy. I thought all those exotic animals he showed on his TV program were his personal pets and I wanted desperately to live in a wonderful household like that. I could picture dozens of wild creatures running free in every room.” She laughed at herself, remembering her childish zeal. “It never occurred to me that they’d probably eat each other the first chance they got!”

  Tyler concentrated on his meal for several minutes before he made up his mind to ask, “Is that why you married somebody like Alex Shepherd? Was it his connection with veterinary medicine that appealed to you?”

  Kara finished the bite of deep-fried catfish she was eating, then blotted her lips with her napkin to delay answering. Finally, she spoke. “In retrospect, I suppose that was part of it. Alex and I met in vet school. At that time he seemed like a very compassionate man.” And I really didn’t want to go back to my parents’ home and listen to more of my mother’s unfair assertions about my father’s death, she added to herself, pushing her plate away.

  “Hey, don’t let my stupid questions spoil your dinner,” Tyler said solemnly.

  “I wasn’t as hungry as I thought, that’s all.”

  “What have you eaten so far, today?”

  “I don’t know. A little of this, a little of that.”

  ”Uh-huh. The brownie in your desk drawer?”

  She was surprised he remembered. “Nope. That’s long gone. I suspect Susan grabbed it when I wasn’t looking. Either that, or the mice are getting big enough to open and close drawers. If that’s the case, we’re all in trouble.”

  “Right.” Tyler returned to his dinner, eating automatically. He didn’t know why, but he'd begun to worry about every aspect of Kara’s daily life. Was she eating right? Had she gotten enough sleep? Was she capable of handling her largest patients without getting hurt? Was she coping okay financially?

  In the back of his mind lurked additional questions he knew he’d never ask. For instance, had she known how Alex ran their joint practice, yet kept quiet, condoning his unscrupulous methods by her silence? Had she been so intimidated by the man that she’d abandoned the strong code of ethics which now seemed to govern her work; her life?

  He didn’t want to believe any of that about Kara.

  He didn’t want to…but he did.

  Tyler got home to find Mark sitting on his front porch, waiting for him.

  Weary, he raised both hands in surrender. “Don’t worry. You can tell your wife I never laid a hand on her sister.”

  “Did Kara lay anything on you?”

  “Yeah. A guilt trip,” Tyler said. “Just about the time I think we understand each other, she starts acting moody all over again. I can’t figure her out.”

  “Do you have to? Figure her out, I mean.”

  Poking the brim of his Western hat with one finger to tilt it back on his head, Tyler propped his booted foot on the step beside Mark and leaned against a porch post, mulling over the question. “I’m not sure. It’s like Kara needs me. I don’t mean in the usual sense, man to woman, I mean something deeper.”

  Mark shrugged and shook his head. “I won’t pretend to know what you’re talking about. But then, I’ve never lost anybody who was close to me the way you two have. Maybe that’s it. Maybe Kara senses that you know how she feels.”

  “Except half the time I don’t,” Tyler admitted ruefully. “It’s as if she’s two different people. She can be so moody she drives me crazy, or so playful we wind up having fun together. To tell you the truth, it scares me.”

  Chuckling low, Mark got to his feet. “Sounds to me like everything is normal. That alone is a miracle. Susan says Kara hardly ever used to cut loose and have a good time when they were kids. She kept to herself a lot, studying or reading or doctoring some stray animal and trying to keep it hidden in her room so their father wouldn’t see it and blow his stack.”

  “That reminds me. What else can you tell me about his death?” Pausing for a moment, Tyler guessed, “It had something to do with Kara, didn’t it?”

  Mark nodded. “Maybe. In a roundabout way. She’d brought home an abused horse, of all things, and stashed it in the garage. Her father heard a noise, opened the garage door, and came face-to-face with the poor old nag. He yelled at Kara till his blood pressure was probably going through the roof. A couple hours later he had his first stroke.”

  “First stroke? He didn’t die then?”

  ”No. But he wound up paralyzed on one side. Susan tried to smooth things over with their mother. It didn’t work. Kara got all the blame for him being stuck in a wheelchair.”

  Tyler’s heart went out to the altruistic young woman. “How old was she then?”

  “Let’s see…” Mark thought for a few seconds. “It was after Susan and I got married. Kara must have been almost eighteen. She won a scholarship and went away to college that summer.”

  “And married Alex Shepherd.”

  “Not right away. Vets have to have as much training as MDs. She met Alex when she finished college and started in the veterinary program at Purdue.”

  Tyler took off his hat and raked his fingers through his hair, combing it back while he pondered what he’d just learned and tried to put it into logical perspective. Except for Susan and Mark, it looked like Kara had no family to rely on, no one else to support her emotionally and help her heal. No wonder she was still suffering so.

  The more he thought about it, the more Tyler began to see the Lord’s hand in what was currently taking place. Kara just needed someone to lean on for a little while. Someone who understood what she’d been through. Someone to show her that no one could change the past, no matter how hard they prayed or how much they wished things had turned out differently.

  Someone who had cursed and shouted at God for what had happened to Dee—and still been forgiven.

  Someone like him.

  Kara had tucked Tyler’s list in her purse. As soon as she got home, she kicked off her shoes, brewed a cup of hot chocolate, curled up in the corner of her sofa with Speedy at her feet, and unfolded the paper.

  It started out predictably with, “no kissing,” then progressed to, “no unnecessary hugging.” So far, so good.

  Below that, he’d made two columns. The one on the left was headed with a big, Yes. Kara scanned that, first. It listed teasing, winking, squirting with a hose, sneaking out of church, sharing a busted-up dog, eating cold pizza, acting silly and kissing behind the barn. He’d crossed out the part about kissing but left enough of it showing that she could tell what had been written there.

  Chuckling to herself, Kara took a small sip of her hot chocolate and started to read the No column. She nearly strangled. Gasping, she blew chocolate all over her lap, peppering the yellow paper. The first items dealt with neck and ear nibbling! After that, the list got even more ridiculous, including rolling in the hay and eloping! Why couldn’t the man ever be serious?

  As soon as she got her coughing under control, she grabbed the telephone dire
ctory and dialed his number, not caring how late it was.

  Tyler answered on the third ring. “If you’re selling something, go away. I’m beat.”

  “I’m not selling, and I’m not giving anything away, either. I’m not that kind of woman, in spite of what you seem to think.”

  “Ah.” He was laughing. “Who is this? Could it be the cute little vet who dumped a mutt on my doorstep?”

  “You know very well who it is,” Kara said. His comment about her being cute was pleasing but she wasn’t too thrilled with the little reference.

  “I take it you finally got around to actually reading my list. I wondered why you took it so calmly when I showed it to you when we were at Bea’s.”

  “This is not funny, Tyler.”

  “Sure, it is. Give yourself time. You’ll eventually see the humor.”

  Unfortunately, she already did. Stifling a giggle, she pantomimed an exaggerated look of disdain at the telephone in place of scowling at him in person. “Did you really think it was necessary to tell me not to do all those things?”

  “I don’t know. Was it?” He heard her muffled, predictable grumbling and broke into loud laughter. Getting control of himself he finally said, “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I know you’d never elope with me. Not even if I promised to take you all the way to Tahiti.”

  “That’s right, mister. Go find yourself another pretend girlfriend. I quit.”

  “Uh-oh. I think we’re having our first lovers’ quarrel.”

  Kara was really having trouble sounding mad. She couldn’t think of the right words to express her supposed anger. “Tyler Corbett, you are the most…”

  “Yes? Go on. I’m all ears.”

  “You’re all something, all right, but it isn’t ears,” she retorted. There was no way to hide the smile in her voice or her delight with the absurd conversation they were having. “I’ll fix the list and have it ready the next time I see you.”

  “Well, okay, but leave the part about no neck nibbling in public. I have a reputation to protect, you know.”

  That did it. Kara managed to hang up the receiver moments before bursting into giggles. Reacting to her upbeat mood, Speedy jumped halfway into her lap, eager to share in the fun.

  She hugged him, speaking as if he could understand every word. “Oh, that Tyler Corbett. He’s a…a…” Describing the situation rationally, even when talking to a dog, was impossible. The things about Tyler that kept coming to mind were so complimentary they were embarrassing. Visualizing his kind face gave her a peace she’d never known. His sparkling gaze blessed her all the way to her soul, even when he wasn’t smiling. And that smile! It warmed her all the way to her toes. Half the time it made her feel like she was floating.

  “Know what the best part about him is, Speedy?” Kara cupped the dog’s narrow face in her hands and held him still so she could look into his eyes as she spoke. “The man makes me laugh. Really, truly laugh. I don’t remember ever feeling this way before.”

  The greyhound’s tongue shot out, aiming for her face, but Kara was too quick for him. “Oh, no, you don’t. No face licking.” She giggled. “Would you believe it? That’s on his goofy list, too!”

  Kara’s bedside phone rang just before dawn. Groggy, she answered with a slurred, “Hello?”

  “Kara. It’s me. Tyler.”

  “Mmm. If you think it’s funny to wake me up like this, just because I called you so late last night, you’re wrong. I’m not laughing. Bye, Tyler.” She started to replace the receiver, heard him shout, and brought it back to her ear. “What is it? Is Susan okay?”

  There was profound sadness in his voice. “Susan’s fine. It’s Buster. I went to let him outside this morning, just like I always do, and when he tried to get up, he couldn’t walk.”

  Kara was suddenly wide-awake. She sat up in bed. “No other symptoms?”

  “Not that I can tell. He’s been eating well and hasn’t seemed run down or sick. I thought maybe he had a muscle cramp or something like that, so I lifted him into a standing position. He collapsed the minute I let go.”

  “How about his pupils? Are they equal and reactive?” She rephrased. “I mean, do they both dilate at the same speed and look the same size?”

  “I don’t know. Hang on. I’ll check.”

  While Tyler was away from the phone, Kara quickly began to dress. She had the receiver tucked between her ear and shoulder and was fastening her jeans when he returned.

  “It’s hard to tell for sure. I think both his eyes look the same,” Tyler said, breathless. “What should I do?”

  Kara hesitated for a moment, praying the problem wasn’t serious. “If you can carry him to your truck without hurting him, it would be best if I saw him at the office so I have all my equipment handy in case I need it.”

  “I’ll get him there. Just say when.”

  “I live out on Peace Valley Road. It’ll be driving time from here to Hardy. I’m leaving right away.”

  “Okay. We’ll meet you there.”

  Kara headed for the door, hopping on one foot while she tried to slip her other foot into a sandal. The fact that Tyler had called her for help was pretty profound, considering his former negative opinion of her practice. She didn’t even want to think about how he’d feel—how she’d feel—if poor old Buster didn’t pull through.

  Tyler was waiting when Kara arrived. She skidded her truck to a stop next to his and leaped out. “Where is he?”

  “Here. On the front seat,” Tyler said, opening the door wider. “He seemed happy to be taken for a ride, even if I did have to lift him into the truck.”

  “Oh, good.” Kara let the dog sniff her hand, then began to systematically touch his whole body, beginning at his head. When she got to his hips, he winced.

  Tyler crowded in behind her to watch. “What is it?”

  “Probably an injury. Maybe hip dysplasia. I can’t tell without an X ray. He wasn’t showing signs of breaking down when I saw him in your kitchen with Roady, so I suspect he just hurt himself.”

  “Will he be okay?”

  The poignant note in Tyler’s voice touched Kara all the way to her soul. If there was ever a time she needed to pull off a miracle, it was now. Keeping one hand on Buster so he wouldn’t try to move and make things worse, she looked up into the man’s eyes and spoke honestly. “I think he’ll be fine. But no one can give you a positive guarantee about something like this. All I can say is that I’ve had a lot of experience with big dogs and I’ll do my best to help him.”

  “That’s all I ask,” Tyler said soberly. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Yes. You can carry him inside for me as soon as I unlock the door and get an exam room ready.”

  “Of course. Anything else?”

  She thought about how she’d been asking the Lord for help ever since Tyler’s call had awakened her. “Well, I don’t think it’s against any rules to pray for a pet.”

  “If it is, it shouldn’t be.”

  Kara saw the beginnings of a smile lift the corners of his mouth and her heart warmed. This was why she’d gone into veterinary medicine in the first place; to help animals and to soothe the people who loved them. Expressions of her personal faith didn’t always fit the situation but she didn’t hide her beliefs, either. In a case like Tyler’s, where she knew how he felt, she saw no reason not to include God in the equation.

  “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” Kara said kindly. “If you’re upset, Buster will pick up on your mood and he’ll worry, too.”

  “I hate to imagine what he was thinking when I found him, then. He sure scared me.”

  Kara laid her hand lightly on his arm. “I understand. I know how special he is to you.” With a little smile, she added, “And I’m flattered that you brought him to me. Just wait here a minute. I’ll come back and get you when I have everything ready.”

  Tyler’s jaw went slack as he watched Kara unlock the door and disappear inside. When she’d said she was flattered to be chos
en, he’d realized that he hadn’t even considered looking for a different vet. He’d found Buster ailing, panicked, and immediately called Kara, as if she were the only one qualified to help.

  And she’d responded exactly as he’d known she would. Promptly and without reservation.

  Buster was panting. Tyler stroked his side and spoke softly to help keep him calm. “I don’t know whether you look better because you liked the ride over here, or if you just wanted to come see Kara again. Either way, you scared me silly, you know that?”

  The golden Labrador thumped his tail and looked at his master as if he understood every word.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. I feel better now that we’re here, too. There is something special about Kara, isn’t there? You wouldn’t happen to know what that special something is, would you old pal?”

  Buster cocked his head, looking supremely intelligent but remaining silent.

  “No, I didn’t think you would. You’re every bit as bumfuzzled by her as I am, aren’t you? There are times when she really gets to me.”

  Tyler broke off. He didn’t even want to contemplate the possible significance of what he’d just admitted. “Thank goodness you can’t talk the way those dogs in the TV commercials do,” he told Buster. “I could be in real trouble if you told anybody what I just said.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tyler was an emotional wreck by the time Kara had finished X-raying and treating Buster.

  “He’ll be groggy for a while,” she said as she and Tyler slid the dog into a small holding cage to keep him from moving around too much. “He needs to be kept inactive until the anesthetic wears off. I don’t want him trying to get up and falling.”

  “You’re sure it’s not serious?”

  “Like I said, his hip snapped back into its socket when we stretched him out for the X-ray. There’s very little sign of wear on the joint, so it should stay in place. I’ll give him some muscle relaxants and painkillers when he’s fully conscious. You should be able to take him home late this afternoon.”