CHAPTER FOURTEEN
There was a lot of land here, I discovered about twenty minutes into my jog. So much land that it’d be extremely easy to get lost. I followed the fence line of the property, but I knew there was no way I’d make it all the way around. There was also a slight fog that hovered over the grass this morning, so I couldn’t even see half the length of a football field in front of me, much less see how much further I had to go.
I turned around.
When I made it within close distance of the house, I changed course and headed to the stable. I didn’t want to see Tony, so I wasn’t taking any chances.
I was surprised when I didn’t see anyone out and about. It had to have been a good thirty minute jog and people were usually out here by now.
The smell that hit my nose upon entering the stable was refreshing. Bizarre… maybe, but I loved the smell of horse and hay. There was something peaceful about horses; calming. There was a horse in nearly every stall I passed and smiled and said “Good morning” to them in a soft, low voice so they wouldn’t spook. Horses, racing horses in particular, weren’t known for making friends easily, but when they loved, they loved hard. And I loved them. I loved all animals. I didn’t become a Vet for nothing.
Odd thing though, I was scared to death of riding horses. I’d been on one when I was a kid, it was supposed to be trained, but as soon as my butt hit that saddle, the horse went nuts and nearly threw me. It was probably just scared, but that sealed the deal for me… no riding. I’ll love on them, hug them, pet them, heal them, but ride them?
I think not.
I gave major props to those jockeys for being brave enough to sit on the back of one every day.
I walked until I finally came to the opposite end of the stable. When I looked to the last stall on my right, I saw a red marker taped outside the door and I knew the horse with Lyme disease was inside. I couldn’t see her from where I stood, so I moved to get a closer look.
“Hey there! I see you found our sick girl,” I heard Shane call out from behind and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Oh my goodness, you scared the crap out of me,” I breathed, facing him now, and I rested my hand on my upper chest in effort to slow down my heart rate, but it was useless. Looking at Shane made it worse.
He wore dark jeans with a black leather belt, a black polo shirt, and black leather boots that, if I wasn’t mistaken, looked just like motorcycle boots. His sandy blonde, medium length hair was brushed back, off his face, to the sides and appeared to be the natural flow, not styled that way intentionally.
“Yes, I found her. How long did you say she’s been here?” I asked in a breathy voice that couldn’t be helped.
He smiled knowingly.
“A little over a month now. Her name is Starla. Her owner brought her here because he was having a difficult time keeping up with her grooming and it was obvious after I put her through the standard examination. No horse gets through those doors,” he pointed to the entry, “Without a clean bill of health and she was covered in ticks. In any case, a few weeks ago one of the stable boys, Jordan, reported that Starla was having a difficult time walking. If I didn’t already know her history, I’d have thought it was simple arteritis, or that her body was adjusting to the new living conditions, but I did know. She’s positive for Lyme disease. Poor girl,” he responded, and by the time he finished, we were both stood at Starla’s stall looking through the grill on the top half of the wooden, two-piece door.
She was a beautiful horse with a solid dark brown body and black mane and tail. She wouldn’t look at us though. She didn’t appear energetic, not even curious. She looked sad, miserable and probably in pain. I could feel her pain. I could almost. I wanted to pet her, but she didn’t know me yet.
“Have you started her antibiotics yet?” I asked Shane and I felt the moment his eyes hit my face.
“Of course. I’ve no idea how long treatment will take, but her owner isn’t a bad man. He was just too busy to care for her properly. He wants her treated for as long as needed.”
“I’d like to visit with her while I’m here. If you don’t mind, I’d love to give her the antibiotics. I know you asked if I’d be interested in helping your practice, and… well… Tony and I are not in a good place at the moment so I’d rather not ask him.”
“I know who you are, Trish,” he said and I faced him. “Larry told me about your previous relationship with Tony, and to be honest with you, I’m a little surprised you feel like you have to ask him for permission at all.”
I stiffened at his brutal honesty.
“I don’t ask for permission from anyone, for anything. You might know about my ancient history with Tony, but you obviously have no idea why I’m here now. If you did, you wouldn’t have said something so absurd. Believe me when I say that I’m not here because he wants me here… I don’t even want to be here.”
“I apologize and you’re right. I have no idea why you’re here… I admit I assumed at first, but when I saw Bobbie Jo leave the other morning and you were still here, I knew my assumption was wrong. Anyway, it’s none of my business and I shouldn’t have said anything.” He looked so genuine that I felt bad for snapping at him.
“It’s all right,” I said.
“Look, I haven’t had breakfast yet. How about I take you to grab something to eat in town to make up for being an arse? We can talk about Starla and her treatment options. My treat.”
I knew if the situation had been different, Tony wouldn’t like it if I left with Shane, but now, I was pretty damn sure he couldn’t care less. Plus, Shane was right. I didn’t need to ask for permission to do shit.
“Okay. Can you just give me five minutes to take a shower? I was jogging before I came in here.”
His eyebrows lifted questioningly. “A woman that can take a five minute shower,” he chuckled, “I’ll wait just to see that happen.”
I glared at him. “Oh be quiet. I’ll be right back.” And I would. I’d just have to go without makeup.
It took me six minutes, and as I walked out of the house, Shane howled with laughter. I had to smile because it was pretty funny.
“In my defense, it took at least two minutes for me to walk from the stable to the house,” I said which only made him laugh harder.
It was nice to finally smile.
I hadn’t smiled since before I arrived here.
As I followed a still laughing Shane to his silver F-250 Harley Davidson Edition truck, I realized that Tony’s truck was gone. I wondered when he left, but I decided not to think of Tony at all; it would be impossible, but I was going to try my best.
The diner Shane took me to was old and rustic in appearance. I adored it. There was something charming about the way the waitresses greeted us sweetly when we walked in. The place was packed, so I was happy when we were able to sit in a booth near a window.
I was deep in menu concentration when I heard, “Hey, Shane,” said in a gentle, yet raspy and sexy feminine voice. I looked. A beautiful waitress stood at the end of the table and she was staring right at Shane.
She had light brown hair pulled into a pony tail, and when her eyes hit mine, they were the most vibrant green I’d ever seen. Her eyes were so bright that it almost took away from the dark bags under her eyes... almost, but not quite.
The bags made her look older, but she couldn’t be older than me. She was pale, her skin flawless, slender, but not skinny. I couldn’t stop staring. She smiled, her lips tipped up with genuine warmth and she held out her hand, “Hi there, I’m Shannon,” she said.