Lori pulled into the parking lot of the clinic. Time to forget about the ranchers and concentrate on her small-animal patients for the rest of the day. Soon after Mason followed her into the clinic, her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. Her brows rose and her stomach turned in knots as her heart sped up.
“I’m going to take this call.” Without waiting for a response from Mason, she headed up the stairs to her apartment. Inhaling a quick breath, she pushed the button on the screen to answer the call.
“Hello, Dad.”
Lori braced for a lecture. Maybe it would have been better not to answer the call, but it was too late now. She opened the door to her apartment and closed it quickly behind her. She hadn’t talked to her parents in over a month. The last time her mother had called, they’d once again gotten into an argument about Lori’s choice of profession, and whether she’d lost her sanity for moving to “a small country town in the middle of nowhere,” as she’d put it.
“How are you, sweetheart? It’s been months since we talked.”
Lori pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it as if she was looking at her father. He seemed to be in an awfully cheerful mood. Something was up.
“I’m doing fine, how about you and Mom?”
“Your mother is upset that you never call.”
Lori rolled her eyes. “That’s because whenever I do call, she lectures me that I shouldn’t be living in a tiny town where there are no people and no modern conveniences, and that I should move back home. She makes it sound as if I’ve time traveled to the nineteenth century.” She didn’t mention her mother’s suggestion about starting over and going to medical school.
A restrained chuckle was the reply.
“Well, she’s simply worried about you, and so am I. That’s why I’m calling.”
“Because you’re worried about me?” Lori sighed. “I’m doing fine, Dad.”
“I’m sure you are, honey, but hear me out. I think I’ve found the best solution for you.” Dad’s voice sounded a bit too indulgent, as if he were quietly trying to appease a toddler having a meltdown.
“Solution for what?” Lori tilted her head back and raised her eyes to the ceiling, counting the water stains from past leaks in the roof. Hopefully they’d all been patched and sealed. She might have to have someone come and take a look before the rainy season started.
“Lori, are you listening?”
Lori held the phone away from her ear for a second. Her father didn’t sound angry, at least not yet, but he’d raised his voice enough to make her ear hurt.
“Of course,” she stammered. What had he said that she’d missed? “You said you have a solution for me, but I’m confused, because I’m not looking for one. I’m perfectly happy where I am.”
“Your mother and I understand that we can’t convince you to give up this veterinary business and go back to school to become a real doctor.”
“Dad, I am a real doctor.” Lori’s voice rose, and so did her temper.
“Yes, of course, sweetheart. I know things haven’t been easy for you, especially after what happened in Denver. What a tragedy, but you always said you would love to specialize in ophthalmology.”
Her priorities had changed over the last couple months. Ophthalmology was still a special interest she had, but as a country vet, she needed to treat every kind of animal and every kind of illness. Lori smiled. Mason’s lectures to her were coming back to haunt her.
Her father cleared his throat and continued, “I asked around and made a few phone calls, Lori. One of the country’s top canine ophthalmologists has his practice right here in L.A. I told him about you, and he’d like to meet you. You could do a specialized internship, and make your mother and me happy by coming home, all at the same time.”
Lori blinked. She stepped up to her kitchen window, which looked out at the parking lot and the main street of Burnt River. Several months ago, maybe even as little as a month ago, she would have jumped at the chance to work for an ophthalmologist. That had all changed the night Mason had kissed her for the first time.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I work in Burnt River. My priorities have changed.”
“Think about it, Lori. An opportunity like this doesn’t come along very often. Your mother and I thought that’s what you wanted. It’s what you’ve been talking about since before you graduated.”
“Yes, but things changed.”
Her father continued as if he hadn’t heard her response. “There’s no emergency work involved, or critical patient care. You can be a successful veterinary ophthalmologist, rather than working in a small town that’s barely on the map, playing country vet.”
“I happen to like being a country vet.”
His voice rose slightly. “You enjoy getting kicked or stomped on, or even worse, by those dastardly farm animals? Lori, see reason and come home. We’re not going to judge you anymore about your career decision, but you’re much better than that. Put your degree to some better use than working in a small farming town.”
She shook her head and squeezed her eyes together for a moment. Dad was right. An opportunity like that didn’t come along every day. Was she making the right choice? She loved it here in Burnt River. She loved the slower pace of a small town compared to the big city, she loved her work, and most of all, she loved Mason Taggart. If only the clients would warm up to her more, her life would be perfect.
She smiled. It was almost perfect. Not only did she have a good position, she had a great boyfriend, a man she adored. While Mason hadn’t yet said those three special words to her, she had no doubt he had the same feelings for her as she did for him, and it was only a matter of time before he told her.
“I’m staying here, Dad. I’m sorry. I need to get back to work. Please tell Mom I said hi.” She didn’t wait for a reply, and disconnected the call. If she talked to her dad much longer, she’d be too flustered and upset to see patients.
Lori slowly blew air out of her mouth. She laughed softly. She’d just turned down a possible ophthalmology position. Her father was right. It was something she’d talked about for a long time. She shook her head. She was doing the right thing. She was needed here. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, she headed back down the stairs to the clinic.
Mason’s deep laughter came from Dr. Johnson’s office, followed by the old vet’s voice. Lori slowed her steps.
“I just don’t understand it, Mason. I thought I knew her history.”
“Didn’t you look into it before making your decision to bring her onboard?”
“Well, yes, but it’s worse than what I thought. I completely misjudged her, simply looking at her papers. I can’t afford to make those kinds of mistakes.” Dr. Johnson paused before adding, “It’s time for me to clean house and start fresh. You have no idea how glad I am that you’re back.”
"I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come back, Doc. I wish I could have been there for you when you were trying to figure things out. I’m back now, though, and ready to take over fully. The good thing about this situation is, you can let her go.”
Lori’s heart thumped in her chest. The blood rushed to her temples, where her pulse throbbed. A wave of nausea hit her. She shouldn’t be listening to the conversation, but it was good that she’d overheard. They were discussing her.
All this time, she’d assumed Dr. Johnson was happy with her. And Mason? He was so quick and ready to tell him to fire her, now that he was back?
Pain tore at her heart at Dr. Johnson’s words, but even more at what Mason had said. She blinked back tears, while at the same time wanted to laugh at the stupid irony. Maybe she could call Dad back and apologize, and tell him she was interested in the ophthalmology position, after all. Turning around, she rushed back up the stairs and locked herself in her apartment.
Chapter 14
“I’ll give it some thought, Doc, and let you know what might be the best solution.”
Mason used hi
s crutches to help him get out of the chair in Doc Johnson’s small office. Getting up from a sitting position was probably still his most difficult challenge. Walking was getting easier every day, at least with the aid of his crutches.
“Well, I’ll leave the rest of the day to you, then.” Doc held out his hand, and Mason shook it. “I’m just glad to have you back. I was getting mighty worried for a while. Now I can retire in peace.”
Mason chuckled. “I doubt you’ll ever completely retire, but at least now you can spend more time fishing or watching your horses run.”
Doc Johnson smiled and nodded. “Ah, two things I’ve really missed. I’ll see you after the weekend, Mason.”
Mason watched the old man leave the office. Doc Johnson had served the community of Burnt River for many decades. He’d dedicated his life to this town as the sole veterinarian for so long. His clients loved and trusted him, but he was at an age where he wanted to retire.
Since Mason had walked into his office as a sixteen-year-old, asking for a job cleaning kennels, it had been his goal to someday take over the practice. Doc Johnson had groomed him for the position since then. While that dream had been shattered for the better part of the year, Mason was fully focused on his goals once again.
He headed out of the office, and into the treatment room. Three patients were currently hospitalized, and four others were spending the day, either for observation, or waiting for their owners to pick them up. A young hound thumped his tail against the steel walls of his cage when he saw Mason. His loud brays echoed through the entire building.
“Can I please call the owner and tell them to pick up Rowdy?” Vanessa shot him a pleading look. She sat on a stool, holding her hands over her ears. “I’m going to go insane if he keeps up the howling.”
Mason grinned. “Check his vitals and incision, and if there’s no bleeding, he can go.”
Vanessa smiled in relief. “Your first office call of the afternoon is waiting in Room One. Mrs. Gamble with Daisy. Looks like she has another ear infection.” She held out the patient’s record.
“Have you seen Dr. Emerson? There’s something I need to discuss with her,” Mason asked before Vanessa sprang from her stool. By now, Lori should have been back downstairs. Her phone call must have been urgent or she wouldn’t have rushed off so quickly to go to her apartment.
Vanessa shook her head. “I haven’t seen her. I thought she was with you.”
Mason took the chart. Hopefully the afternoon wouldn’t be too busy. After his talk with Doc Johnson a few minutes ago, it was time to talk to Lori. His heart sped up at the thought of what he would say to her.
After prescribing some antibiotics for Daisy’s ears, and listening to the owner tell him how glad she was to see him back, Mason stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to Lori’s apartment. He couldn’t go up there. Stairs were still a problem for him. He reached for his cell phone and dialed her number. It rang. Since it didn’t go directly to voicemail, she’d most likely finished her other call.
“Hello.” Lori’s voice on the other end didn’t sound cheerful.
“Are you coming down, or am I going to have to see all the afternoon patients?” Mason kept his voice light.
There was a slight hesitation on the other end. “I think, since you’re back to full capacity, you can handle it.”
Mason frowned at the icy tone in her voice. “Sure. I guess I can see the rest of the appointments today, if you want to take the afternoon off. I really need to talk to you about something, though. Can you give me a ride after work?”
“Of course. I need to go. Call me when you’re finished.” With that, she hung up.
Mason stared at his phone. She’d sounded mad at him, and by the slight rasp in her voice, she might have even been crying. The call she’d received earlier had clearly upset her. He stared at the staircase again, cursing under his breath that he couldn’t go up to see her, and offer a shoulder to cry on. He headed to reception to check the rest of today’s appointments.
“Unless it’s urgent or an emergency, don’t schedule anything else after the last one at four, Sally.”
Sally smiled at him and nodded that she’d understood. A phone was pressed to her ear.
The afternoon dragged on slowly. Between office calls, Mason glanced at his phone. Should he call Lori again? It wasn’t like her to stay away from work. The cases this afternoon were fairly easy, and he didn’t need her help, but it was unlike her to not want to see patients. She’d been in such a good mood this morning, and if she had received bad news, he’d like to be there for her to comfort her. It might be the wrong time to bring up what he needed to discuss with her, though, but he’d already put it off long enough.
Four o’clock came, and Mason dialed her number. His heart rate jumped at the idea of what he had to say to her. How would he even approach the subject? For nearly a month, ever since he’d regained sensation in his legs and his future was back on track, he’d known he’d be having this conversation with her, but thinking about it made his stomach twist in knots.
Lori still sounded upset when she picked up the call.
“Can you give me a ride? I’m all done down here. I really need to talk to you.”
“I’ll be right down. There’s something I need to talk to you about, too.”
She didn’t even wait for a reply before hanging up. Mason stared at his phone. What was going on with her? He didn’t have long to wait. Lori appeared within five minutes, and headed out the door. Mason moved as fast as he could with his crutches to follow her. Something was definitely wrong. He stopped to give Vanessa some final instructions about the hospitalized patients, then rushed as quickly as he could out the door. Lori stood by her car, waiting.
“Would you mind telling me what’s wrong?” He stepped up to her and put his hand on her arm. He smiled. “You’ve been acting strange ever since you got that phone call.”
Lori looked up at him. Unshed tears shimmered in her eyes. She looked tired and dejected.
“Not here,” she whispered. She turned away from him and opened the door to the car. “If you’ll get in, I’ll take your crutches and put them in the back seat.”
“I think I can do it myself.” Mason walked around to the other side of the car.
“Of course. You don’t need anyone’s help anymore,” she mumbled.
Mason set the crutches on the back seat, then got in the car. He turned slightly to stare at her profile. Lori started the car and backed out of her parking spot, not looking at him.
“What was that comment supposed to mean? Would you mind telling me what’s wrong?”
Mason reached his hand out to touch her arm again. She jerked away. Whatever was up, it was going to be much more difficult to say the things he needed to tell her.
Instead of answering him, Lori asked, “Where am I taking you? Since you decided to leave so early, I’m assuming I’m not taking you directly to Taggart Ranch.”
Mason frowned. “No, there’s somewhere else I want to go first. Head in the direction of the ranch. I’ll tell you where to turn once we get closer.”
The silence that followed was unnerving. Should he talk to her in the car? No, it was best to wait. This was certainly not how he’d envisioned this conversation would start. He should probably find out what was bothering her before telling her what was on his mind. He’d thought of nothing else all afternoon. After his talk with Doc Johnson, he couldn’t wait any longer.
“Turn down this road.” Mason pointed at the unmarked dirt road that veered off the two-lane main road leading to Taggart Ranch. Wordlessly, Lori did as he asked.
A farmhouse and barn soon emerged on the left, and Mason pointed to indicate she should pull into the yard in front of the barn.
“Where are we?” Lori glanced at the barn, then turned off the engine, and stepped out of the car before he answered. She stepped to the other side and handed him his crutches without looking at him.
Mason stood with the aid of his c
rutches, then walked up to her. “This is the old Cramer place. My brother bought it a few months ago.”
Lori didn’t say anything. She looked at the barn, and simply nodded. Mason reached for her waist, and pulled her in close to him. He stared down at her when she glanced up.
“Will you please tell me what’s going on? Why are you upset, and why do I get the feeling you’re upset with me?”
Lori stood stiffly in his arms, as if she didn’t want him to hold her. She didn’t pull completely away, and Mason didn’t let go. Before he could say what was on his mind, he needed to find out what was wrong with her.
“That phone call earlier was from my father.” Her voice was devoid of emotion. She’d told him once before that her parents hadn’t been happy with her career choice, and especially that she’d moved to Burnt River.”
“Did you two get into an argument?” Mason ran his hand up along her arm to comfort her. If she’d fought with her parents, it would explain why she was upset.
“No.” Lori shook her head and snickered. “My father told me about a potential job offer from a veterinary ophthalmologist in L.A. It sounds perfect for me.”
Mason stiffened. His forehead scrunched and he searched her face. “And?” he fished.
“I’m going to go home, Mason. I’ve realized that I don’t belong here.”
Mason let go of her to take a step back. “You’re considering the job?” He continued to stare at her. Something painful twisted in his gut. “Why?”
Lori pulled fully away and glared at him. “Because I don’t fit in here, and I don’t think I ever will.” Her bracing tone was cold as ice.
Mason shook his head. “What are you running away from this time, Lori?”
“I’m not running away. Now that you’re back to work, I think it’s time for me to leave.”
Mason ran a hand over his face. She was making absolutely no sense. “What are you talking about? You’ve been the one who’s encouraged me all this time to come back to work.”
Mason's Rescue Page 13