Second Chance Bride and Groom

by Iris Abbott

  Mandy huffed out her disdain at their mocking laughter. “Well, this must have been a truly sad work environment, because I’m not that funny,” Mandy insisted.

  “No, but you do brighten our day around here, that’s for sure. I’m really glad I hired you, Mandy. I knew this would be a match made in heaven.”

  Mandy wanted to give him a quick comeback, but the bell over the clinic door chimed letting everyone know there was a visitor. Mandy looked up at the smiling face of the pretty woman with sparkling blue eyes. It took Mandy a moment to recognize the visitor as Emma James. She greeted her new neighbor with a smile. “So how is married life treating you?” Mandy asked more out of politeness than any real interest in anything to do with marriage.

  Emma gushed with enthusiasm for the conversation topic she’d been presented. “Marriage to Landon is proving to be everything I thought it would be and more.”

  Mandy felt a little uncomfortable as Emma enthusiastically raved about the benefits of marriage. She was almost twenty-five years old and other than her embarrassing teenage crush on Jackson she’d never been in love. Obviously, she’d dated and had boyfriends. She’d even had sex with one of those boyfriends hoping it would create an emotional bond between them. It hadn’t worked.

  She just didn’t get it! She was pretty and intelligent. Men were drawn to her like bees to honey, all except Jackson of course. She pushed back the feelings of angst. There was no need to weigh down Emma with negative thoughts. She smiled and nodded while Emma continued to speak.

  “Anyway,” Emma continued. “The reason I stopped by is to invite both you and your mother,” she said while looking at Mandy, “and you and your mom,” she said while turning to look at Jackson, “to a small dinner just for neighbors. The dinner party is scheduled for a week from today at six o’clock.” She gave them a timid look. “I hope that works for everyone.”

  Jackson saw an opportunity to spend more time with Mandy outside of work. He took it immediately. He didn’t hesitate to answer for both of them. “Actually, Mandy and I are both on call this weekend, so we’ll be off on Monday evening, and we’d love to accept your invitation.”

  Emma noticed the frown that marred Mandy’s face and decided on a hasty retreat. She quite enjoyed playing matchmaker. She wasn’t giving anyone the chance to thwart her plans. “That would be great,” she said before blowing an air kiss to Jackson. “I’ve got to head over to the elementary school. My marriage to Landon was such short notice it was too late in the school year for me to get a teaching position here in Texas. Instead, I volunteer three times a week at the local school, and I don’t want to be late. I plan on applying for a job next year! Bye,” she exclaimed before dunking out the door with a look of glee on her face.

  Despite Landon’s warning not to interfere Emma couldn’t help herself. She just wanted everyone to be as happy as she was with Landon. Who could blame her for that? And if ever two people needed each other it was Jackson Walker and Mandy Tyler. She didn’t know how she knew, she just did.

  Mandy watched Emma James and her chance to refuse the dinner invitation disappear out the door and into the parking lot. Oh no, a sudden thought occurred to her. What if Jackson somehow thought she was behind the joint invitation? She threw both hands up in the age-old gesture of surrender. “I didn’t know anything about this dinner party, I swear. I’m just as surprised as you are.”

  Her wariness tugged at his heartstrings. “Honey,” the endearment slipped out before he could help himself. Once it was out, he wasn’t going to give her time to object. He continued on without missing a beat. “Landon already mentioned to me that Emma was planning to have both neighboring families over for dinner sometime soon. I guess I should have warned you, but I’ve had other more urgent issues to deal with and it just slipped my mind.”

  Instant relief swept through Mandy, all because Jackson wasn’t looking at her with suspicion-filled eyes over the invitation. Maybe this working together thing would turn out okay after all. “No problem, boss. We’ve all had a lot on our minds these past few days.” She gave him a saucy smile and sat down behind the counter to begin the filing for the day.

  She was so intent on what she was doing she didn’t see the scowl Jackson sent her at the use of the word boss. Daniel noticed, however. He laughed all the way to the door. He said his goodbyes and headed out to begin his examination of the few animals they were boarding in the clinic’s barn and stables.

  Jackson thought about correcting her, but she seemed hard at work and content for the moment. He refused to do anything else that might give him another black mark. He pulled on a lab coat over his jeans and knit polo shirt and followed Daniel out the door. He needed an update of everything that happened over the weekend anyway.

  Mandy pretended to be engrossed in the morning paperwork and her filing. She waited for Jackson to walk out of the office. Then she silently released the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding. It was really hard not to fantasize about Jackson and what it would feel like to be really loved by someone as awe-inspiring as Jackson Walker.

  Mandy mentally gave herself a shake and returned to work. She’d blown her chance to impress Jackson several years ago. If he were inclined to think of her as anything other than a neighbor and coworker, one thought of how she’d annoyingly dogged his every step that summer six years ago would probably put a stop to that.

  ****

  Mandy had been working for about an hour when the office phone rang. A frantic foreman from one of the neighboring ranches was calling about an overly amorous bull. It had gored a heifer when the young cow shied away from the bull’s advances. The man knew he couldn’t transfer the cow in the shape it was in and needed a veterinarian in a hurry. Mandy knew that Jackson and Daniel both were still at the clinic. She promised the very worried and upset ranch foreman that one if not both of the veterinarians would be on hand as soon as possible.

  Mandy grabbed the office mobile phone and pressed the push-to-talk button. After a couple of seconds, Jackson answered. “Now how did I know you couldn’t make it until lunch without hearing the sound of my voice,” Jackson teased.

  “Not funny,” Mandy fired back. “The clinic just got an emergency call from Fred Jefferson, the foreman over at Willow Bend Ranch. One of his prized bulls got a little rough with a heifer. Mr. Jefferson is not sure how much damage was done, but there’s a lot of blood. The cow may need emergency surgery, but it’s impossible for him to transport her to the clinic. I told him that someone would be out there right away.”

  “Give me a minute,” Jackson ordered. He released the talk button and looked over at Daniel. “I guess you heard all that. “I’ll take Mandy with me, and we’ll handle the initial care at the ranch. You finish the rounds here. I’ll call you if we need to transport the cow back to the clinic for further treatment. Stand ready to prepare a surgical area if necessary. I’ll be in contact when we know more about the injury.”

  Jackson waited a second for Daniel’s nod of agreement. He was fighting a silent battle. He could come up with several valid reasons for taking Mandy instead of Daniel to Willow Bend Ranch. Including the fact that Daniel needed to be at the clinic in case another emergency call came in only a veterinarian could handle. Mandy needed to be more comfortable around him too if they were going to continue to work together. The only way he knew to accomplish that feat was for her to spend more time with him. Time and familiarity should put her more at ease in his presence. Taking her with him on this call had nothing to do with his new-found desire to be near Mandy, nothing at all.

  Jackson shook his head hard. Whoa where had that thought come from, he asked himself. Not that he expected an answer. The sound of wood scraping against wood brought Jackson back to the task at hand. He pressed the talk button to get Mandy’s attention. “Mandy turn on the office’s answering machine. Then grab your bag of supplies and meet me at the clinic’s truck and trailer.” He didn’t give her time to respond. He had his focus back on th
e job. There were several preparations he needed to make for this house call. He couldn’t afford to be distracted. No matter how intriguing the distraction.

  Mandy sat up straighter in the office chair. Jackson was all business now, and she didn’t want to let him down. She thrived in this type of environment. And she wanted Jackson to see her hire as a sound business decision, and an asset to the practice, not just charity to a neighbor in need. She jumped up, grabbed her emergency bag with various supplies, and started walking to the truck Jackson had indicated they would use.

  There was no sign of Jackson when she arrived at the vehicle. She took the time to tidy her hair. She made sure her long blond hair was tightly secured in the French braid. Her hair was her one indulgence as far as looks went. She refused to cut it, even for the job. She was always careful to keep several elastic bands on hand in her car, her supply bag, and in the office. That way she could tie it back when assisting a veterinarian or when she was on call.

  It was warm and humid outside, typical for late summer in Texas. Mandy didn’t wait for Jackson. She knew the keys were above the visor. She slid into the passenger seat and flipped down the visor. The keys dropped down making a soft clanking noise as they fell. She grabbed them and started the truck.

  She fastened her seatbelt, but it didn’t keep her still. She crossed and then uncrossed her legs. She fidgeted until she was getting on her own nerves. Where was Jackson? She cracked the windows and cranked up the air conditioner. That way it wouldn’t be like an oven when Jackson arrived. She pushed back the nagging thought of why she even cared about Jackson’s comfort. After all, she was the one that was currently sitting in the sauna of a vehicle.

  She only had to wait a couple of more minutes. She watched as Jackson put his medical bag in the back of the double cab truck. He swung himself up into the driver’s seat next to her. He absently threw her a half smile. Immediately Mandy knew his mind was already on the emergency call and what they would find when they got to Willow Bend Ranch.

  She got her mind back on task too. “I already called the foreman back to let him know that a veterinarian was on the way. They were afraid to move the injured cow, so all the ranch hands on the property are working to corral the other animals. We will have plenty of space to work. They have also separated the bull from the main population and put him back in his own paddock.”

  Jackson nodded his approval. “Excellent. I’ve worked with Fred before. He is a competent foreman. I’m sure he’ll do all he can before we get there.” And Jackson was thankful for that. If they hadn’t been able to remove the bull from the immediate area, he would have had to waste precious time the cow might not have to sedate the bull. There was no way he was taking Mandy into a potentially life-threatening situation. If he’d been alone or accompanied by Daniel, he wouldn’t have even considered the danger or postponing care of the injured animal for even a second. That was a warning to him that Mandy meant more to him than just an employee. It was a warning he would be wise to heed.

  He took his eyes off the road for just a second to glance at Mandy. “Are you ready for this,” he asked a little harsher than was necessary. He was angry because his focus and attention should be on the injured animal and not Mandy. All he could think about right now, however, was how she was going to react to the blood and gore they might find at the ranch. “I’ve only seen a case like this once before, and it was bloody. There was a lot of damage, and in the end, we couldn’t save the cow, it bled out.”

  Mandy didn’t know if Jackson was purposefully trying to scare her or if he was just testing her. Either way, she had no intention of failing him. “I’ve never seen another cow gored by a bull before, but I have seen the damage they can do. I can handle a little blood, Jackson. Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.”

  That’s exactly what Jackson was afraid of. Mandy had been nothing but impressive since they’d started working together. He didn’t respond to her comment. He just pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator and kept driving. He had about ten more minutes to focus on the job. That meant pushing Mandy to the back of his mind, not verbally sparring with her until they reached their destination.

  Mandy took the hint from Jackson and kept silent the rest of the way to Willow Bend Ranch. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to upset him, but clearly, she had done something. She took the opportunity to take several slow deep breaths in an attempt to find her center. Her former boss had remarked on her calm demeanor during a crisis more than once. She’d need every ounce of that calmness now to keep her in good standing with Jackson it appeared. And there was no way she was going to disappoint him, not today.

  ****

  The cow was already in an isolated stall where it would stay until it was back on its feet. Mandy’s first thought was that the foreman had been right. There was a lot of blood. She slipped on latex gloves. “Do you want me to sedate her or give her a painkiller first?” she asked Jackson. She hadn’t worked with him enough in the field yet to have his routine down pat.

  Jackson was grateful that Mandy was focused on the job at hand with a calm and reassuring manner. All the education and training in the world couldn’t help a person there. They were either calm in a crisis, or they weren’t. “I need to sedate her immediately to slow down the blood flow and calm her so that we can get close enough to do what we need to do.” He was already reaching inside his medical bag for a syringe and supplies while he talked. “While I am doing that I want you to give her a full dose of the standard pain medication we carry in our bags.”

  Mandy rushed to do Jackson’s bidding, knowing that if the cow were in less pain, it would be more cooperative and less likely to injure itself or to hurt them. She injected the painkiller and turned to see Jackson already trying to control the bleeding. She used topical antibiotics to sterilize the injury then helped hold the sliced flesh together while Jackson sealed the wound. The cow which was anxious from all the activity and pain, put up one last fight as the tranquilizer took effect. In desperation, it kicked out its hind leg.

  The sharp hoof caught Mandy’s inner thigh, and she flinched in pain. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, but it didn’t matter. She glanced over to Jackson, and from the unadulterated anger on his face, she knew he had witnessed her most humiliating moment to date. “Don’t worry,” she rushed to reassure him in an attempt to disarm the anger she had misinterpreted. “I can still do my job. I won’t put the patient at risk.”

  The scowl on Jackson’s face deepened. “I’m almost done here. I’ll deal with you later.” Yes, he took his job seriously, but how could Mandy think the cow was more important to him than she was.

  The next forty minutes seemed to pass in a blur as they both worked quickly, efficiently, and silently. There had been a lot of superficial bleeding, but thank goodness, the gash hadn’t been as deep as it first appeared. Unless severe infection set in the cow would be back to its normal routine in a couple of weeks. Per Jackson’s orders, Mandy gave the cow a shot of high dose antibiotics to help ward off any infections and further complications.

  She helped Jackson gather their equipment. That task finished, she listened as Jackson explained aftercare to the ranch foreman. When he was done, he shook hands with the man and then promised to return for a follow-up exam in three days. Then he turned on his heel and headed for the truck at a brisk pace.

  Mandy figured she was supposed to follow. She set off after him at a much more leisurely pace. She could feel the anger emanating off of Jackson and just didn’t get it. Those things happened in the field sometimes no matter how careful veterinarians and their assistants were. She had kept calm and hadn’t done anything to endanger the patient. She couldn’t fathom why he was so upset. She was the one that was going to have one very nasty bruise in the very near future.

  She waited until he was driving toward the clinic before saying something. She wanted to give him a chance to vent first since he was the boss. When it didn’t look like he was going to say anyth
ing, she decided to take matters into her own hands. “There is no need for the silent treatment. It’s just a scratch, and no harm came to the patient. It’s not like I ran screaming from the job or anything.”

  Jackson took his eyes off the road long enough to send her an angry glare. “Do you think I really give a damn about that cow? You could have been seriously injured, Mandy. I am still not convinced that you weren’t. I saw you flinch. I want to see your leg as soon as we get back to the clinic.”

  Mandy blew out her breath in exasperation. “I’m not new at this job, Jackson. I know what I’m doing. You can’t deny that sometimes scratches, nicks, and bruises happen. It’s a part of the job when you’re dealing with sick and injured animals, especially animals a lot bigger than any human.”

  Jackson grunted out a sound meant to convey his displeasure at the conversation they were having. “Maybe it’s time you found a new job.” He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. If she found a new job, he wouldn’t see her every day. And he was beginning to realize that seeing Mandy Tyler was quickly becoming the highlight of his day.

  He banked down his worry and anger and tried to backtrack. “That didn’t come out the way I meant it to,” he insisted. “What I meant to say is I’m putting you on phone and medical records duty for a week to give your leg a chance to heal,” and my frazzled nerves a chance to settle he silently added.

  “What!” Mandy was so livid she didn’t care if Jackson knew he was getting to her. “You can’t do that!”

  “I can do anything I want, darling. It’s my clinic, and don’t you forget it.”

  “Fine,” Mandy admitted defeat. “You’ll have my resignation on your desk before I leave the clinic this afternoon. I could be a secretary anywhere. It’s not what I signed on to be.”

  Jackson definitely didn’t like the sound of that, but he wasn’t backing down. Her safety he discovered was more important to him than his practice. He wasn’t letting her go without a fight either. He liked having her in his life, and that was exactly where she was going to stay.