Without a Net

by Kimberly Cooper Griffin

  “This is Danny, what can I do you for?”, a gravelly male voice asked through the phone.

  “Hello, Mr. Thomas. My name is Fiona MacGregor and I’m calling about a listing you posted on a website offering your practice for sale.”

  “Now, that’s interesting.” Daniel Thomas suddenly sounded more like an attorney than a feedstore owner. “My practice is for sale, but I never listed it on a website… oh… wait a sec…” he said, and Fiona heard the woman who had answered the phone saying something in the background.

  “You did?” Fiona heard Daniel Thomas ask, his voice muffled slightly. “I would never have thought... You kids and your computers… I reckon that’s where she saw it then. Thanks, Katie!”

  Fiona felt like a voyeur listening in on the easy exchange. The man’s voice was back in her ear.

  “Ms. MacGregor? Sorry about that. It looks like my assistant Katie posted it. How can I help you?”

  “I’m in the area and I was hoping I could drop in and talk to you for a few minutes,” Fiona said, although she had no idea what she would say. The easygoing attitude of both voices on the other end of the line eased her discomfort in asking.

  “Sure. When did you have in mind?”

  “Well, to be honest, I’m parked across the street. Would right now be an inconvenience?”

  “Not at all. Come on over, but I have to warn you, today is delivery day and I’m in my work clothes.”

  Fiona heard a woman’s chuckle in the background.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Fiona closed her car door and looked down to make sure she wasn’t too rumpled. She was thankful it was delivery day at the feed store—she had forgotten she was in jeans. The rainy chill of the morning had made her decision for her when she got dressed. At least they were her best jeans and she had on a white button-up shirt, rather than the shorts and T-shirt she had planned to wear.

  Crossing the street toward the feed store, behind which stood an open-sided barn where two flatbed trucks were parked, she watched several men tossing heavy bales of hay as if they were made of Styrofoam, stacking them high under the barn overhang. Equipment arranged neatly in the open space near the barn indicated the store also rented farm apparatus.

  Fiona stepped onto the wooden planks of the sidewalk, and within a few strides, she was through the open doors of the feed store. Darkness pressed in around her in contrast to the bright sunshine of outside. Tinny country music played through speakers hung in the rafters of the store, and the smell of dry grain and something earthy tickled her sinuses as she stood inside the doorway and waited for her eyes to adjust. She looked up at the dirt streaked windows near the rafters of the tall open-ceilinged building, where dust motes drifted lazily in the bands of sunshine piercing the inside gloom. Rows of unlit industrial-style lights hung alongside a handful of gently rotating ceiling fans. Fiona swatted at a black housefly buzzing near her ear. Pallets piled with sacks were neatly displayed in long rows radiating from the narrow aisle cutting through the store before her. In the back of the store under an open loft, florescent lights illuminated an area where dry goods were displayed. To her right, a large door suddenly slid open, allowing the bright sunshine to pour in. A battered pickup truck backed up to the curb and a young man, dressed much like the cowboys she had seen leaving the general store, maneuvered a pallet jack under a stack of seed and deftly raised it up and moved it into the bed of the truck. The truck settled under the weight with a creaking groan.

  “You must be Ms. MacGregor,” the gravelly voice from the phone called from the rows of feed beside her. Fiona turned her attention from the truck to see a tall figure moving toward her. When he drew close, Fiona was surprised to see an older man, perhaps in his early seventies, though his walk suggested a much younger man. His voice on the phone didn’t even hint at his advanced age. He was dressed in what Fiona started to identify as the town’s uniform; cowboy hat, boots, jeans, blue work shirt, complete with bandana knotted at the neck. His shirt had a liberal dusting of straw dust on the shoulders. Fiona guessed he had been out back with the trucks when she called.

  “Yes, but please call me Fiona.” She smiled as she offered him her hand. His hand was huge and calloused, but his grasp was gentle when he took hers.

  “Call me Danny. Hell, half the town calls me worse!” he joked. “Can I offer you a cup of coffee? We have an espresso machine.”

  She liked the old cowboy immediately. “Water would be great, if it isn’t too much trouble. I don’t want to keep you too long if you’re busy. I was passing through town and thought I’d see if you were available, otherwise I would have made an appointment.”

  “Water’s no trouble at all, and, for the record, I am always available for interruption when it’s delivery day,” Danny said with a wink. “I have two pairs of strong hands working here at the store for the heavy lifting and they can do it by themselves. Not to mention the two young bucks who drive the rigs. But the macho man in me won’t shut up until I get in there with them. My old-timer’s back thanks you for your good timing!” He laughed as he walked them toward the back of the building. Fiona was again surprised at Danny’s ease of movement. He may have joked about being an old-timer, but Fiona had no trouble imagining him hoisting the bales of hay.

  Following Danny past the dry goods section toward the office, Fiona saw a woman, who looked to be in her early forties, sitting on a stool behind an ancient cash register. Like Danny, she wore a blue work shirt, jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat. The woman absently turned the pages of a magazine, but her eyes followed Danny and Fiona. She tucked her curly red hair behind her ear as she watched them walk into the office. Before he shut the door, Danny poked his head out.

  “Fiona and I have some business to discuss, Katie. Can you hold down the fort for a little bit?”

  Katie looked up from her magazine. “Sure thing, Danny. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Danny chuckled and shook his head as he shut the door. “I’m sure you’ll know before I do.”

  “Excuse me?” Fiona wasn’t sure if Danny was talking to her.

  “I’ll bet you a shiny new quarter Katie’s got her ear to the door already. We don’t get visitors often.”

  Fiona laughed and looked around the large office as Danny grabbed a clean coffee cup from a row hanging next to a water cooler. She had expected a more utilitarian office, but a beautiful antique desk dominated the spotless wood-floored room. There were no windows, but a pair of Tiffany-style lamps on either corner of the desk provided soft lighting, as did a standing lamp in the corner of the office. An antique cast iron stove stood quietly along one wall, and Fiona guessed it was used for heat during the winter. Two comfortable looking stuffed chairs sat upon an expensive looking rug facing the desk, and a couple of antique wooden filing cabinets flanked the door. A handful of beautiful landscape paintings adorned the walls. The office was exactly what she would have expected of an established lawyer in a much larger city—not Daniel Thomas of Winthrop, Washington.

  Danny handed her the water and propped himself against the desk. He took off his hat and set it down on the gleaming wood surface, running a hand over the top of his thick, salt and pepper head of hair, before crossing his feet at the ankles and stuffing his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans. He was the epitome of a modern cowboy getting ready to chat with his buddies down at the corner store. He hadn’t asked her to sit, so Fiona stood where she was, sipping her water.

  “You say you saw the listing Katie posted for me, huh?” Danny tilted his head.

  Fiona nodded. “I did.” She had a thousand questions she wanted to ask, but she was happy to let him take the lead in the conversation.

  He rubbed a hand down his face. “One of the reasons I’m retiring is I’m just too old to keep up with all that computer stuff. I go online to check my e-mail and stocks, read the news, and to do a little shopping, bu
t not much else. Katie takes care of all of the work-related stuff. My clients deserve someone who is a bit more current with technology.”

  “I can understand,” Fiona said. “Most of my current caseload requires hours of online research.”

  Danny nodded. “I’m sure you’re a wiz with the Internet. Young people today seem to be born with technical skills. No offense intended about the young people remark. In fact, I’m amazed at how easily young people pick it all up.”

  Fiona liked Danny the more they chatted. She smiled. “My aunt used to say the same thing.”

  “I take it you’re not from around here.”

  “No. I happened to be in the area, so I thought I’d chance meeting you. I work at a firm in New York City, but I’m thinking of making a change. I’m just exploring my options.”

  “You’re a long way from New York,” Danny observed with an easy grin.

  “It almost feels like a different world.”

  “I can imagine, though I’ve never been east of the Mississippi.” Danny moved the chairs in front of the desk so they faced each other. “Why don’t we take a load off? My feet are killing me. What kinds of questions can I answer for you?”

  Fiona settled into one of the chairs. “I hadn’t thought past driving by for a look, to be honest. I guess the main thing on my mind, and I hope this isn’t too personal, but how do you support yourself with what I imagine is a limited client base?”

  She was relieved to ask the one question she had been mulling over since she started thinking about leaving the city for a smaller town.

  Danny didn’t appear bothered by her direct question and answered her easily as he sat down behind the big desk. She finally saw a glimpse of his age in the way he eased himself down onto the chair.

  “My main source of income comes from contracts with three large ranches and the township which retains me. We also have fairly big contracts with the City of Seattle, Winthrop, and another with Okanogan. Then there’s local folks with sporadic divorce filings, drawing up of wills, and other legal work requiring an attorney, which combine to make a tidy living. Then there’s the feed store, which does pretty well. I’m sure it doesn’t compare to a big city attorney’s salary, but out here, where the cost of living is next to nothing, it’s more than enough to live on comfortably.”

  “Would all of the contracts and clients come with the sale of the practice?” Fiona asked.

  “The contracts would transfer directly, but you would have to renegotiate them when their terms come up. If I remember correctly, they each have a year or more to go. As far as the ranches go, you would have to reach out to them yourself, but I’ve talked to each of them and they’re willing to give a new attorney a chance. I’m not sure about Roy out at Long Mesa Ranch. He’s a great client, but he’s definitely a good old boy, and he may have an issue with a woman representing him. We’ve never talked about it, but he’s mentioned poker nights and hunting trips with the new lawyer. Between that and his sense of humor… well, we can discuss it later if you decide you’re interested. If so, I would give you the contact information for each of my clients, old and new. The feed store comes with the price of the practice.”

  Fiona’s mind was racing with the information they discussed, inspiring more questions. She was trying to figure out what they should skim over now so she could think about it and go into more detail later if it came down to it. Then there was the feed store… wait….

  “Did I hear you correctly? The store comes with the practice?”

  “Yep.” Danny nodded.

  She didn’t know anything about running a store. “Is it a deal breaker?”

  Danny crossed his arms. “Think about the feed store as your marketing tool. Most everyone in the area comes here for tack and feed for their animals. Even the ones who don’t have farm animals usually have a dog or cat, and everyone needs jeans. We’re the only retail store for forty miles around. They come in for dog chow and they leave with an appointment to have a will drawn up.” Danny winked at her. “Besides, I’m too old for running this store and no one around here wants to buy it, or if they do, they don’t have the money. The town relies on this store and a small handful of others for economic stability. I can’t just close it down. Ergo, the store goes with the practice.”

  She told him she understood his logic and he opened her eyes to many factors she had never considered before. They chatted for a little while longer before she headed back to Okanogan, telling him that she would definitely be in touch. As she opened the office door to leave, she wasn’t surprised to hear a rustle on the other side and to see Katie scurrying to her seat.

  *****

  “Claudia thinks we can buy some land outside of town to open a large animal clinic. She hasn’t been able to pursue the idea because she’s so busy on her own. Once I come on staff, we can get a couple more vet techs and expand.” Meg pulled the comforter down on the bed and climbed in.

  Fiona was happy to see Meg so excited about everything she and Claudia had discussed while she’d been visiting Winthrop. Her mind was going over her own visit with Danny, while she and Meg got ready for bed in the guest room at Claudia and Samuel’s house. She tried hard to actively listen, but she was grateful Meg was too preoccupied to notice her distraction.

  She and Meg hadn’t had a moment alone since Fiona had returned from her drive to Winthrop. The evening had been busy with meeting the other two Jordans—Meg’s Uncle Samuel and her eleven-year-old nephew, Raphael. Dinner had been followed by games, and before she knew it, it had been time for bed. All of the activity had helped Fiona push aside thoughts about the vast new set of options opening up for her, but now, with the day winding down, her mind was filled with questions and possibilities. Some were exciting, some were scary, and all of them seemed to require way too much energy to concentrate on right then, but her mind wouldn’t let go. Part of her wanted to talk to Meg about it, but she had reservations about laying all of it on her when she was busy contemplating changes of her own. It was completely unfair to expect Meg to deal with a baby and a new girlfriend on top of everything else. Fiona decided to think some more and get things figured out before she brought anything up with Meg.

  Fiona situated herself in bed, her mind churning over the excitement filling her since she’d gotten back from the visit with Danny. She liked him. She liked Winthrop. She liked Washington. Everything just seemed right. And she couldn’t help but feel something guiding her here. The feeling was so intense, in fact, she had to consciously force herself not to discuss a possible offer with Danny before she left. The desire to take the leap right then had surprised her. But the strength of the urge had scared her, too. She wasn’t impulsive like that. She was a thinker. A planner. Yet, as she had driven out of Winthrop, she had looked in her rearview mirror, knowing she was going to be back.

  Meg switched the light off and Fiona lay in the semi-dark, the only illumination coming from the moonlight from the open windows. Meg looked so beautiful in the silver light. All thoughts of the day fled Fiona’s mind as an intense feeling of love unfurled within her chest. She’d gotten used to the powerful rush of emotion, but she hadn’t had the courage to tell her yet. Fear and excitement welled within her as the words filled her throat.

  Meg reached over and pulled her close. Her lips were warm against her mouth.

  “Are you doing okay?” Meg trailed kisses along her jaw. “You’ve seemed kind of quiet this evening.”

  “I’m just taking things in, but I am so much better than okay.” Fiona brushed her fingers along Meg’s warm neck. The familiar touch of Meg’s skin made everything all right. It always did.

  “Good, because I want one-hundred-percent of your attention for the next several minutes.”

  Fiona’s stomach tightened and her core pulsed as Meg began the slow process of removing her pajamas.

  70

  They took their time dri
ving back to Seattle after having lunch with Aunt Claudia again. Meg stopped at many of the scenic overlooks along the way, and took a few short side trips so Fiona could take in the scenery. She wasn’t sure if it was the company or the scenery flowing by, but Meg was filled with a sense of almost overwhelming well-being. Everything was as it should be and the future was a vast and exciting realm of opportunity and possibility. She had no idea what the future held, exactly, but she knew she wanted it to include Fiona.

  By the time they got into Seattle, the damp steady rain they had left had been replaced by deep blue skies, and a gorgeous sunset was descending over the Puget Sound. This was the Seattle she wanted Fiona to see, off the highway, resplendent in green, with beautiful skies.

  Nearly home, Meg pulled over to wait for the sun to go down over the water. The overlook she selected was deserted and far enough away from the highway. From their view, they had the whole world to themselves.

  They got out of the car and faced the colorful horizon. Meg pulled Fiona to her so Fiona had her back against her chest, and they watched the dark red sun start to slide behind the islands across the indigo ocean. The cool air off the sound gently blowing into their faces carried a slight chill, and Meg caressed the tiny goosebumps on Fiona’s arms. She ran her hands up and down Fiona’s chilled skin, nuzzling Fiona’s neck. A small shiver ran through Fiona, who leaned into the gesture.

  “Are you cold?” Meg asked quietly, her lips near Fiona’s ear.

  “Not in your arms, I’m not.” Fiona pulled her head back and looked into Meg’s eyes. What Meg saw in Fiona’s gaze made the rest of the world recede. The soft light of the setting sun reflected in her eyes, and her face was bathed in the fading light, making it appear as if it were lit from within. “God, you are so beautiful, Fiona. You take my breath away.” Her heart ached with enormous emotion, filling her chest and body to the very edges. So powerful was the feeling, the hairs on the back of her neck and scalp stood on end. She began to tremble.