Chapter Twenty-Six

        She’d barely made it around the corner of the building, heading toward the parking lot, when she heard her name called. She turned her head to find Dr. Fetterman waving her down.

        “Hey,” he said, jogging up to her. “How are you?”

        “I’m fine, thanks. You?”

        He gave her a funny look. “You sure about that?”

        Exasperated, she sighed. “Yes.”

        “Okay. Are you busy? I was just about to head into Bucky’s if you’d care to join me?”

        “Ah, well, I’m not really hungry, so…”

        “Cup of coffee, then?”

        Torn between not wanting company and not wanting to be rude, she wavered, but ultimately let him cajole her into agreeing to a cup of coffee. She braced herself as they walked into the diner, expecting looks of pity. It was something she was used to. Folks always looked at her that way once they’d heard the gossip- Cody Sampson hits his wife. Now, she was getting those same looks for a different reason- Emma Jean Sampson lost her husband. It was funny how death suddenly changed people’s opinions. Cody was a no-good wife beater when he was alive, but he was a tragic figure in death, and poor Emma Jean had to go on living without him. She rolled her eyes at the fickle nature of it all.

        They sat themselves in a red vinyl-covered booth and placed their order for coffee.

        “I’m starving. You don’t mind if I eat, do you?”

        “No, not at all. I had brunch with my parents, so I’m good. You get whatever you want.”

        He added the Sunday special to his coffee order and gave the waitress a flirty wink, causing Emma Jean to hide a grin behind her hand.

        Fresh coffee in hand, Abel relaxed back into his side of the booth and eyed Emma Jean silently for a few breaths. “Did you know I have two kids?”

        “What?” She was genuinely surprised. She hadn’t even known he was married and said so.

        “I’m not,” he refuted. “Divorced. Going on seven years now.”

        “I had no idea.”

        “Yeah, well, it’s not like the topic has much of an opportunity to come up in the midst of neutering dogs and birthing calves,” he grinned.

        “True.”

        “My ex-wife, Cynthia, is a corrections officer in Helena. She and the kids moved there when she got transferred out of Billings about six years ago. That’s when I took the opportunity to move to Medicine Wheel and open up my own practice.” He stopped speaking to pull out his phone. Flipping it around, he showed her a photo of two teenagers. “My son, Rider, is sixteen now. Everly, my girl, just turned fourteen.”

        “They’re beautiful.”

        “Thanks,” he said, putting his phone away.

        “Do you see them often?”

        “Not as much as I’d like, but Cynthia does her best to make sure we stay in constant contact.”

        “It was amicable then? The divorce?”

        Abel nodded. “Very. We got married young, and we just eventually grew apart. There’s no bad blood there.”

        “That’s good.”

        “Yeah.” He chewed his lip like he wasn’t sure how to broach what he wanted to say next. “Cynthia and I got together in college. But before she and I hooked up, she was dating this guy. Jeff.” His gaze drifted to the window, but he wasn’t looking outside, he was recalling something. “Jeff was your stereotypical frat boy. Liked to party. Booze. Drugs. Women. One night, Cynthia was at Jeff’s fraternity house. It was a party to celebrate the end of midterms, I think. Anyway, Cynthia went to get a drink, and by the time she came back, Jeff was gone. She looked all over the house for him, only to find him in one of the bedrooms with another girl. Cynthia told me she freaked out. Started yelling at Jeff. Apparently, she had suspected that he had been cheating, but she never had any proof. Suddenly, there it was, right in front of her. So, she’s yelling at him, and he starts yelling back.” Abel paused to swallow loudly. “Then it got physical. Jeff backhanded her. She fell, hit her head. He kept yelling, then he kept hitting. Eventually, the other girl managed to get the attention of some of Jeff’s fraternity brothers. They pulled him off Cynthia while the other girl called the police.” Abel brought his gaze back to Emma Jean. “I’ll spare you the details, but Cyn was in rough shape. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. She was dangerously close to failing out of school. Alienated herself from everyone who cared about her. She struggled. Until someone, a friend, talked her into getting help. Eventually, she turned herself around. Got her grades up and changed her major from Communications to Criminal Justice.”

        “Why are you telling me this?”

        He gave her a sympathetic look. “You know why.”

        Her head shook in denial.

        “You’re smart, Emma Jean. Stronger than you think. But being strong doesn’t mean you have to carry the weight on your own. Let the people who care about you help. I can guarantee, the people who love you felt just as helpless as you did during your marriage. But, you’re not helpless anymore. You’re turning your life into something amazing. Let them be a part of that.”

        “I don’t know if I’m strong enough,” she croaked, overwhelmed.

        Abel smiled then. “You remind me of her. So damned determined to do it all on your own and still unable to recognize your own mettle.”

        “Did you just compare me to your ex-wife?”

        “I did, and it was a compliment. To this day, I’m still in awe of what Cynthia has managed to accomplish. Not only is she a badass corrections officer, but she also moonlights as a domestic violence counselor. And she’s a great mom to our kids.”

        Sniffling, she said, “She sounds pretty awesome.”

        “She is. Maybe I’ll introduce you someday. I’m betting you’d like her.”

        “I’m betting I would.”

        Once Abel’s meal came, the conversation turned to lighter topics. He talked a little bit about his kids, and then they chatted about the clinic schedule for the upcoming week and the fact that Marissa was on the mend.

        “You did a fantastic job last week, by the way. I don’t think I got the chance to tell you that before.”

        “Oh, uh, thank you. I’m just glad I could help and it wasn’t a disaster.”

        “You know,” he started around a mouthful of French fry, “I could ask Marissa to show you the ropes around the clinic. Might be a good idea to get your vet tech certification while you’re studying for your vet license. That way you get more hands-on experience. Plus, the pay is better,” he grinned.

        “I may have already asked Marissa to show me a few things,” she admitted shyly.

        Abel chuckled. “Of course, you have. You’re proactive. I should have known.”

        Her mirroring smile fell from her face when he muttered an ‘uh oh.’

        She turned her head slightly, following his gaze out the window, and saw Noah standing on the sidewalk. He was looking between the two of them and scowling. The devastation on his face echoed that which sliced through her chest, and whatever spark of hope she might have been carrying regarding a reconciliation was snuffed out when she realized what he must be thinking seeing her with Abel.

        “Maybe you should go talk to him,” Abel said as she watched Noah walk away.

        “Maybe I should,” she agreed. “But I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

        Abel shot her a look of disbelief. “I think that’s exactly what he wants.”

        But Abel was wrong, she knew. She’d screwed up what she had with Noah, and no matter how much she might wish for Noah to still love her, it was clear that fate had set them on different paths. She was going to have to find a way to make peace with that.