by Stormy Glenn
“Jonny told me you were here, but he didn’t say why.” A small frown wrinkled the skin above his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
“No, but I’m working on it.” Adam couldn’t lie to Elliot, not after everything they had been through together, or what Elliot had come to mean to the family. Elliot had protected Jonny from their stepfather, and Jonny was the love of Russ’s life.
For that alone, Adam owed Elliot.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Adam shook his head. “I just need some time.”
“Okay.” Elliot gave Adam a pat on the arm. “You know we’re here if you need anything.”
“I do.”
It was one of the reasons he had come home. And so far, it was good to be home. Adam wasn’t positive things would be the same once he closed his eyes tonight. It was when he had time to think that his world went upside down.
“So.” Adam gave Elliot a small smile, the only thing he had in him at the moment. “What’s for dinner?”
Chapter Two
Adam stumbled across the kitchen to the coffee pot. It was still early enough that Russ hadn’t left for the field yet. The man was sitting at the dining room table, drinking his own cup of coffee.
Adam poured himself a cup and then walked over to sit down across from his brother. He took a couple of sips before glancing around the empty kitchen. “Where’s Jonny?”
“He switched shifts with Jamie. He won’t get off work for another couple of hours.”
Adam frowned. “Jamie Kent?”
Russ nodded. “He’s driving into the city to pick his in-laws up at the airport.”
“He married Jessica, right?”
Russ nodded again.
“Wasn’t she engaged to Nick?”
Russ snorted. “If you want the town gossip, I suggest you go hang out at Kapheri’s Koffee Korner or Fletcher’s Feed & Seed.”
Adam chuckled at the disgruntled look on his brother’s face. “I was just trying to figure out what was what. There are so many new people in town, I hardly recognize any of them.”
“Cade Creek is growing.”
Adam wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Too many people, and it would lose that special feel to it. “I’m headed back over to the Blaecleah ranch today to check on those new foals. Is there anything you need while I’m out?”
Russ took another sip of his coffee before nodding. “Gus has some new bailing wire on hold for me.”
“Do you need it right away or can I just bring it back with me when I come home?”
“There’s a break in the line down by the south field. Mitch and I aren’t planning to work on it until the day after tomorrow so you can just bring it back with you.”
“Okay.” Adam actually felt good that he could help his brother out in one small way.
Russ stood up and walked over to the sink to rinse out his cup before setting it on the dish drain. “Don’t forget to rinse out your coffee up or Elliot will have your nuts for garters.”
“I was raised by the same mama as you, bro. I remember my manners.”
Russ grunted as he grabbed a thermos from the counter and headed out. Adam smiled as he took another sip of his coffee. He had never understood his brother’s ability to say so much with just a grunt. He usually had problems saying one thing with an entire conversation.
Adam was still sitting at the table when Jonny came in. He nodded to the man as a way of greeting, but didn’t say anything. Jonny looked dog tired. Adam wasn’t surprised when the man bypassed the coffee machine and got some juice out of the fridge instead. As tired as he looked, he was sure to want to go straight to bed.
“I’m going to be running a few errands today,” Adam announced once Jonny had swallowed his juice. “Do you need anything from town?”
Jonny shook his head before turning toward the sink to rinse out his glass. “Naw, I spent most of the evening in town. We didn’t have a single call, which is always a good thing, so it gave us time to go to the store and stuff.”
“Are you on tonight?”
“No, thank god. I have the next two nights off.”
“Cool.” Adam kept his hands wrapped around his coffee cup as he set it down on the table. “Maybe we can go to the Rusty Nail for a beer after you’ve caught up on your sleep.”
Jonny’s eyes rounded just a bit. “That actually sounds like a really good idea.”
Adam grinned. “I thought so.”
“I’ll talk to Russ when he has lunch.”
“Won’t you be sleeping?”
“Yeah, but Russ calls me every day when he has lunch. We talk while he’s eating.” Jonny shrugged. “I’ve kind of grown used to it. Sometimes, it’s the only way we get to spend any time together.”
Adam’s eyes grew rounder. “Russ talks?”
Jonny chuckled. “Yes, Russ talks.”
“Since when?”
Russ had always been the quiet one of the two of them.
“Since forever,” Jonny replied before frowning at Adam. “How do you not know this?”
“Uh, because my brother has said like a hundred words to me since the day I was born.”
“Phew!” Jonny waved a dismissive hand at Adam. “You just aren’t asking the right way.”
“Whoa! TMI, dude.” Adam got up and carried his cup to the sink. “I so don’t want to know the right way to ask him anything. I don’t need to talk to Russ that badly.”
Jonny chuckled, the twinkle in his eyes showing his delight.
Adam rinsed his cup out and set it in the dish drainer before turning to face Jonny. He clapped the man on the shoulder. “Have a good nap. I’ll see you when you surface this evening.”
“I should get a good six hours or so before your brother buzzes me.”
Adam wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Six measly hours weren’t nearly enough time to get the tired out of Jonny’s eyes. “Go to bed, Jonny. You’re falling asleep on your feet.”
Jonny blinked wildly after letting out a big yawn. “Yeah.”
Adam turned Jonny toward the stairs and gave him a little push. He watched until the man disappeared from sight and then grabbed his jacket and headed out to his truck. He wanted to run his errands and then get out to the Blaecleah ranch.
He was actually looking forward to going out tonight. It had been awhile since he had gone out, months. Not since before Michael died.
It was time.
He wasn’t going to run out and fall into the bed of the first man he saw, but he could do a night out with family and friends. Might even help with the aching hole in his gut.
Although, he wasn’t holding his breath. That ache had been there since he’d received that fateful knock on his door from the police about Michael’s death. He wasn’t sure it would ever go away.
A half hour later, Adam walked into Fletcher’s Feed and Seed. He was surprised to see a brown-haired man sitting behind the counter. As far as he knew, besides Happy, Gus didn’t have any other employees.
“Hi, I’m Adam Bozeman. I’m here to pick up some bailing wire for my brother Russ.”
The man smiled, which was nice. “I haven’t seen you in here before. You from out of town?”
A deep chuckle came from behind Adam. “Baby, Adam and his brother have been coming in here almost as long as I’ve had the place.”
Adam turned, smiling when he saw the big man behind him. “Hey, Gus. How’s it going?”
“Not too bad if I do say so myself.” He nodded his head to the man standing behind the counter. “This here is my husband, Robby.”
Adam’s eyebrows rose. “Your husband?” He made a quick glance at the man in question. The guy was a cutie. Not Adam’s type, but a cutie nonetheless. “Yeah, I could see it.”
Gus’s growl was cute, too.
“And who’s this?” Adam asked as a shaggy brown-haired dog walked out from behind the counter. He dropped down into a crouch and held his hand out to the pooch.
“That’s Charlie,�
� Robby said.
“Charlie, huh?”
“He’s a guard dog.”
“Yes, I can see that.” The darn thing’s tail was going a million miles a minute and he was licking Adam’s hand for all he was worth. “Vicious little thing, aren’t you?”
Maybe I should get a dog?
“Yeah, we got married so he wouldn’t grow up in a broken home.”
Adam was surprised. Robby said that with a completely straight face.
“Well.” He gave the dog one last pat on the top of the head before standing. “It’s always good to make sure they have a stable foundation.”
Robby grinned. “Exactly.”
Adam sent Robby a smile before turning to look back at Gus. “So, that bailing wire for Russ?”
“Oh, yeah, I have it in the back. Why don’t you bring your truck around to the loading dock and we’ll get you all fixed up.”
Adam gave the man a nod before glancing at Robby. “It was nice meeting you. Hopefully, we’ll see each other again.”
“You back to stay, Adam?” Gus asked.
That was the million-dollar question.
“Naw. I just came back for a little family time.”
“Well.” Gus rubbed his chin. “If you’ve a mind to, there’s an opening at the vet’s. Markel Sr. done gone and married a poodle breeder and ran off to Beverly Hills to raise little poodlettes.”
Adam raised his eyebrows as his eyes widened. “No kidding?”
Jonathon Markel had been the veterinarian in town for decades. The man was like ninety or something. Well, maybe not that old, but close enough. He was really old.
“Donald still running the place?” Donald Markel had taken after his father and gone into the family vet business.
Gus nodded. “And he’s having a hell of a time getting someone to move out here from the city. Everyone seems to want to stay in town where they can take care of all those little ankle biters and poofy cats. No one wants to work in the country.”
“Well.” Adam almost laughed at the disgruntled look on Gus’s face. “It’s a tad different sticking your hand up a cow’s ass to pull a calf out than it is getting a hairball out of Princess’s fur.”
Robby shuddered. “I’ll stick to selling hay and bailing wire, thank you very much.”
Adam chuckled. He liked this guy. From the smile on Gus’s face and the adoration in his eyes, he did, too. “Okay, I’ll get the truck and meet you around back.”
Once Gus nodded, Adam headed for the door. He knew the cost of the bailing wire would be added to the farm’s account, which Russ or Mitch would come in and pay at the end of the month. That system had been set up years ago when Mitch’s parents had owned the farm. He doubted it had changed.
It didn’t take long to get everything loaded up into the back of the truck and get back out on the road again. As he drove toward the Blaecleah ranch, Adam started thinking about what Gus had said about the empty veterinarian position.
Was it something he was interested in?
He had completed his schooling and was working on internships in different areas of veterinarian medicine. The plan had been to get some much-needed hands-on experience in as many areas of vet care as he could. He wanted to be a well-rounded veterinarian, not just one who treated cats and dogs.
In the city, there were animal clinics practically on every corner. In Cade Creek, there was one. Donald Markel wouldn’t be able to handle all of that work on his own. It would be a good position, but Adam wasn’t sure he was ready to move home. On the other hand, he wasn’t sure he wasn’t ready. As of late, city life had not been as desirable as it had been when he first went away to college.
It was definitely something to think about.
And Adam thought about it a lot as he drove out to the Blaecleah ranch. It was almost all he thought about. At this point, he didn’t even know if Donald would be interested in hiring him. For all he knew, the man had already found someone to fill the position.
Lachlan and his father were waiting for Adam when he arrived. Adam parked his truck close to the barn and then climbed out. He nodded to each man as they walked up. “Morning.”
“Morning, Adam,” Da Blaecleah greeted him.
Lachlan just kind of grunted.
Adam chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “Late night?”
“Early morning,” the man grumbled.
Adam wasn’t touching that statement with a ten-foot pole.
“Any problems?” he asked as he grabbed his bag. He didn’t administer any drugs, but he did have vitamins and basic vaccines, plus all of his examination supplies in his bag. The bag itself had been a present from his parents when he’d graduated.
“Had a foal drop last night,” Da said. “Not sure this one is gonna make it, though. The dam wants nothing to do with the little guy.”
Well, that wasn’t good.
“Well, let’s go take a look.”
It was clear as soon as the little guy came into view that he was having problems. He was curled up in the corner of one of the stalls, his head tucked down low. Adam dropped his bag onto the floor and then knelt down in the straw next to the foal.
A cursory examination told him right away what the problem was, as well as why the mother might have abandoned her young. Not only was the colt underweight, there was something wrong with his back leg. It was normal until the hoof, which was curved off to one side. Adam doubted he would ever run and play like other foals. He might not even walk.
“Do you have the breeding data on this guy?”
“Yes.” Da nodded. “The dam wasn’t due to drop for another couple of weeks.”
As Adam had expected.
“I’m going to be honest here, guys. He’s underweight and his hoof is deformed. He’s not going to be much use to you as a working horse.”
Da sighed. “I suspected as much.”
“It’s going to take a lot of hands-on work to keep him alive, let alone get him to pack on some weight.”
“What about the leg?” Lachlan asked. “Can an angle grinder work on the hoof?”
Adam bent down to exam the hoof a little closer. He tried to be as gentle as he could as he lifted the leg and got a closer look. “It looks like the actual hoof is deformed. Surgery might fix it, but I can’t be sure without X-rays.”
“We’ll have to put him down,” Lachlan said. “We just don’t have time to nurse him back to health if there’s no guarantee he’ll produce for us.”
Sadly, Adam understood that. The Blaecleah ranch was a working ranch. It wasn’t there just to look pretty. They bred a strong breed of cattle. Some they kept for milk. Others were sold off to meat markets to be butchered for meat. The horses were kept for working the cattle. A horse who had walking problems wouldn’t be an asset.
Adam smiled when a long sandpapery tongue licked his hand. He glanced down to find the colt trying to suck on his fingers. The poor thing had to be so hungry.
When big, blinky blue eyes stared up at him, Adam was sunk. “I’ll buy him off of you.”
“You want to buy our defective horse?” Lachlan asked, his voice filled with astonishment.
“He’s not defective.” Adam stroked his hand over the top of the foal’s head, scratching behind his ears. “He’s just gone a little sideways.”
Adam was well acquainted with life going sideways.
He glanced up at Lachlan and Da. “What do you want for him?”
The music blasted Adam before he even opened the door of the Rusty Nail Bar and Grill. He was glad it was country music and not some of that alternative punk rock crap so popular in the city. He hated that shit.
He stepped inside and surveyed the room, looking for Jonny and Russ. After getting the colt from the Blaecleah’s, he’d had to postpone his night out, but he couldn’t say he was sad about that. He had taken quite the shine to the little guy, who was eating and trying to walk.
Adam figured another week or so and he could see about having Donald take a look at t
he colt, and also maybe ask him about a job. With a horse on his hands, going back to the city probably wasn’t going to happen. He knew he could leave the colt with his brother, but that just didn’t feel right. He wanted to care of the little guy himself.
Adam raised his chin in acknowledgment when Russ waved at him and then walked to the bar to order a beer. He waved to Harvey once he reached the counter and held up one finger. Harvey nodded and went to the cooler to grab him a beer.
“Thanks, Harvey.” Adam dropped some money on the bar top and took the beer Harvey handed to him a moment later.
As he turned, he caught a head of jet-black hair moving across the room out of the corner of his eye. Adam swallowed tightly and closed his eyes. He had to get over that shit. He needed to get past freaking out every time he saw jet-black hair or sky-blue eyes.
“Hey, man, you okay?”
Adam opened his eyes and turned to look at Harvey, giving him a weak smile. “Yeah, I’m good. I just thought I saw someone I knew.” Of course, that was impossible, but he could dream.
Adam tightened his grip around his beer bottle and then headed for the table where Russ and Jonny were sitting with a few other people. Some of them he recognized, some he did not. Considering how fast Cade Creek was growing, that didn’t surprise him.
He plastered a smile on his face as he drew up to the table, refusing to let anyone know how disturbed he had been by the sight of someone with black hair. He still hadn’t talked with his brother, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to do it at some bar.
“Hey, all,” he said as he stopped next to the table.
“Took ya long enough,” Russ griped, but there was no heat behind his words. Russ was just being Russ.
“Sorry, I had a date.”
Sort of.
Russ shot him a glare. “What in the hell are you going to do with that foal once you go back to the city?”
“I’m not sure I’m going back to the city, Russ.”
Russ lifted an eyebrow.
Adam ignored him and glanced at the others sitting at the table. A few of them, he recognized. “Ari, Vinnie,” he said before looking to the man he didn’t know.
“This is Race,” Vinnie said. “He’s ours.”