My Cowboy of Convenience: Chapter 7

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This will be the last free chapter of My Cowboy of Convenience posted on the blog. If you want continue to read it you can find it in ebook, paperback, or on my newsletter.

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Chapter Seven

Erin

Whew, that was a close one. My hands shook as I made my way to my car. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want to tell Kaleb what I did. Once people found out what I did, they only saw me as a veterinarian. Not a person. I wanted to make real friends this time around. I tapped out a text message to my boss.

Me: I’m on my way. ETA 30 min.

Doc: Thank you. We’ll be ready when you get here.

Thankfully, I only had a half of a beer. Doc texted me that an emergency caesarean section on a dog walked in the door during his on-call shift. It was only a little after eight o’clock.

I climbed into my car and started toward Sunnydale. My thoughts strayed to our conversation. Two thousand dollars! That was a lot of money. It would definitely help me get back on my feet. I could pay off some of the debt from the wedding that never happened. Once I got out from under those credit cards, I could actually save money to buy real furniture. How nice would that be! No more sleeping on the futon. A bed, a dresser, a couch, and maybe even a TV. I’d just have to make sure that Doc doesn’t think that we are dating. I couldn’t afford to lose my job, especially since I liked working for him.

Thirty minutes later, my car swung into the gravel lot of the veterinary clinic. The lights from inside shone out into the parking lot. I parked on the side and let myself in through the side door, locking it behind me.

“Oh good, you’re here.” Patty rushed out of the laundry room with an armload of towels. “Doc finished the presurgical bloodwork. Connie and Louisa are placing the catheter. All systems are a go.”

“I’ll be right there. Let me change into scrubs.” I jogged to my office. From the bottom drawer of my desk, I pulled out my lucky scrubs with cartoon dogs and cats on it. I changed out of my dance clothes and hustled into the surgery preparation room.

An English bulldog sat on the exam table. Her abdomen heaved with each contraction. Her tongue rolled out the side of her mouth. The intravenous fluid line dripped into the catheter in her foreleg.

“Soon, pretty girl, you’ll have a litter of gorgeous puppies,” Louisa cooed in the dog’s ear. She rubbed a hand down the back of head. The dog turned toward her and panted at Louisa’s words.

“Is that Mauve?” I walked over to the chart, sitting on the counter.

“Yes. She’s the one you saw last week to discuss her birthing plan.” Louisa adjusted the drip rate of the fluids.

“Patty said you were here.” Doc walked out of the surgery room. A surgery cap hid his gray hair. He tied on a surgical mask. “Suit up, Dr. Murphy. This girl’s ready to have her puppies.”

“Aye, Aye, Doc.” I went to the sink to scrub up for surgery.

“I’ll get her anaesthetized and on the table. Do you want to be lead surgeon or assistant?” Doc pulled up a syringe full of anesthetic.

I paused at the sink. The warm water ran over my hands washing the surgical scrub away. I looked over my shoulder at him. A smile creased his face.

“Really, I can do the surgery? But it’s your emergency?” When I was in Iowa, the other veterinarians never shared surgeries with me. I fought tooth and nail to get do the exciting surgeries.

“I’m offering.” He slid the needle into the IV port and injected the medication.

The bulldog drooped on the table. Louisa held open the bulldog’s mouth while Connie slid an intubation tube down her trachea. She hooked the dog up to the anesthesia machine and monitors.

“Oh yah, I’ll do it.” I happy danced at the sink before restarting my surgical scrub.

#####

I folded my hands behind my back and rocked back on my heels. “The surgery went well. Mauve is waking up right now.”

The bulldog’s owner smiled up at me from her seat on the bench in the waiting room. “How are the puppies?”

“They are also doing good. There are two boys and one girl. They are pretty big puppies. It’s a good thing that you brought her in right away.”

The owner fiddled with the blanket in the laundry basket she’d brought with her. “I was worried about that, especially when you only saw three puppies on x-ray earlier last week.” Tears dripped from her eyes. She wiped at them with the back of her hand. “I’m so happy everyone is doing good.”

“It will be a few more minutes before she is able to get up on her own. Would you like to come back and sit with her?”

The owner nodded. She gathered up her purse and basket and followed me into the recovery area. Mauve laid in the bottom kennel on a heated blanket. Her intubation tube stuck out the side of her mouth like a cigar. She blinked at her owner and her stub of a tail thumped against the stainless-steel side.

“These guys have smaller tracheas than normal dogs their size. They like to hang out with their tubes in because they can breathe easier.” I opened the kennel door.

“How’s my brave girl doing?” The owner knelt down next to her and rubbed the top of her head. Mauve scooted over to place her head in the owner’s lap.

Doc wheeled the three puppies over in the incubator. “They are doing good. Everyone is squeaking and moving around.”

Within the glass case, the puppies made little puppy noises and crawled over each other, blindly looking for their mother. Mauve’s head raised at the sounds and her eyes brightened. She swallowed a couple of times.

“Alright, pretty girl. Time to take this out.” I extracted the tube from between her teeth. Her pink tongue flicked in and out of her mouth.

The owner crawled into the kennel with Mauve, laying her down on her side. Connie and Louisa brought the puppies over. They squirmed and crawled over her enlarged glands looking for a place to get her milk. Within a few minutes, all the puppies were attached and nursing vigorously. Mauve closed her eyes, resting her head on her owner’s hand.

“Ain’t that something.” Doc smiled and clapped me on the back. “Good job, Dr. Murphy.”

“It’s one of the best parts of the job.” I blinked back tears that threatened to fall.

“Sure is. Why don’t you get the discharge instructions and billing done? I’ll help the girls clean up so we can all go home to catch some sleep before the office opens.” He handed me the medical charts before heading back into the surgery room.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. The big hand ticked around to the twelve, making it one o’clock in the morning. Only a few hours of sleep, but it was going to be worth it.

#####

The rest of the week flew by. I didn’t have time to think about the dance class or Kaleb as work kept me busy with appointments and emergencies.

I walked through the door Saturday morning, carrying a box of cinnamon rolls from Susie’s Café. Connie looked up from her perch behind the front desk.

“Ya sure know how to brighten a girl’s mornin’.” She sniffed the air and eyed the box in my hands.

“I thought we deserved a little treat after the week we had.” I tilted the box so she could see the glistening cinnamon rolls.

“We certainly do.” She grabbed a paper towel roll and followed me into the break room. “It’s just you and me today.” The six cinnamon rolls steamed up the cellophane window with cream cheese frosting dripping off the sides. My mouth watered and stomach groaned.

“We can’t let them go to waste,” I said.

“Oh, no.” Connie opened the lid and slid one out. “That would be a cryin’ shame.”

Placing one cinnamon roll on a paper towel, I swiped a glob of frosting with my finger. “It would. I forgot we work Saturdays with a short staff.” I plopped it into my mouth. “Hmm, so good.”

“Well, their loss. I’m not sharing.” She laughed. The phone rang. She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Time to start the day. Thanks, Doc.” She hustled to the front to catch it on the fourth ring.

Connie started the coffee pot earlier. It percolated and buzzed on the counter. I filled a mug and added a dash of cream to it. Carrying the mug and the cinnamon roll, I settled into my office chair. Pressing the start button, my office computer blinked to life. My schedule for the day was light with the only scheduled appointments booked for the first couple of hours. Patty explained that this way there was time to see emergencies and we wouldn’t be working all day on Saturday.

My cell phone rang. Mom’s name flashed in the caller ID. My heart raced a little. It was too early in the day for a call from my mom. “Hi, Mom. Everything okay? It’s awfully early for a call.”

“I wanted to catch you before you started your day,” she said.

Dread settled in the center of my chest. “Is Dad alright?”

“Yes, everyone here at home is fine. I needed to tell you something before you heard it from anyone else.” She paused.

I rolled my eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “Mom, if I don’t hear it from you, I’m not hearing it from anyone else.”

“I don’t know…this is big news.”

“Do you want to tell me or should I guess?” I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. I didn’t want to know anything.

Connie stood in the doorway to the office. She waved a clipboard with the check-in for the first appointment and extended her index finger to signal they were in room one.

I nodded to her and motioned that I’d be there in a second. “Mom, I’m at work and my patients are waiting. Can I call you back or is this something I need to know now?”

“Um…”

I pictured my mom in her fuzzy pink bathrobe standing at the sink of their old farmhouse and holding a cup of coffee. Her gray curly hair frizzed from sleeping. She probably shifted her weight from foot to foot as that is what she did when she was nervous.

I sipped my coffee. The computer screen refreshed itself when Connie made appointments. Several new puppy and kitten vaccines. A horse with a possible abscess. Not bad for a Saturday.

“I didn’t realize you were at work. Call me when you are done.”

“Not a problem. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good morning.”

Hanging up, I hurried to my first appointment. Connie handed me the check-in sheet as I walked by the front desk. People stood in the waiting room with dog food to check out. The phone blinked with calls waiting. A high-pitched yipping came from exam room one.

I knocked on the door and stepped into a room.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Murphy. It looks like Spud is here for his second set of puppy shots and a physical exam.”

The older man set the rat terrier puppy on the floor. Spud burst from between his feet and launched himself at my pant leg. I caught him mid-jump and picked him up. Spud’s pink tongue darted out to lick every inch of my face.

“He’s a friendly one,” the man laughed. “Not like my older dog. He hates coming to the vet.”

“Well, we’ll make sure Spud has a great visit.” I set him down on the exam table. “Now, how long have you had him?”

#####

The morning flew by fast. Spud ate all his puppy treats and received his second round of vaccines. A family brought in their four-month-old kitten for its last set of booster shots. One case of dirty, infected ears on a Labrador. An itching cat with a flea infestation.

I watched the cowboy trot his horse up and down the alleyway in the back. The head bobbed up whenever the horse landed on his right front foot.

“That’s good. Let’s look at Charlie’s foot.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The cowboy stopped the horse a few inches from me. The gray gelding blew out his breath into my hair when I rubbed his forehead.

I grabbed my hoof testers and ran my hand down the back of his right front leg. The horse lifted it up. The hoof testers pressed along the sole of his hoof. He stood still as a statue until the end of the exam. He flinched but never jerked his foot from my grasp.

“I think he’s working on an abscess in here.” I pulled out my hoof knife and parred away at the sore spot until a black spot appeared. “Just a little bit more.” One more swipe with my knife, pus squirted out from the spot and landed on the floor a foot away.

“That’s a good one.” The cowboy chuckled.

“Yep, he should feel better in no time.”

I packed his foot with a drawing salve and wrapped it up. “Now, leave that on until tomorrow and then take it off to soak his foot in warm water and Epsom salts.”

I straightened up, rubbing my hand over my lower back.

Charlie placed his hoof on the concrete, testing to see if it hurt. His eyes relaxed when he discovered the pressure in his hoof was gone.

“Well, look at that. He’s walking better already.” The cowboy led him forward. “Good job, Doc.”

I wiped my hands on my jean legs. “Load him up and stop inside. Connie will have your bill and some pain medication for him.”

“You giving him Bute?”

“Just for a couple of days.”

“I’ve got plenty at home. I’ll just pay the bill.” He clasped my hand in his. “Not bad for a lady doc.” He winked at me before leading his horse to the trailer.

Connie stood inside the door, smiling at his comment.

“Not bad at all, Dr. Murphy.”

I shrugged. “That was an easy one. What’s up? I thought he was the last appointment.”

“We just got a call from the Kisment ranch. One of their cows is calving and having a hard time.” She handed me their file and directions to the ranch. “It’s across the road from when you pulled those Coggins for the therapeutic riding stable.”

“Is this Kaleb Kisment?” I flipped through the papers.

“Yep, have you met?”

“Just briefly,” I lied.

“He’s a little prickly, but soft on the inside. My advice to you is to ignore his attitude. He has plenty of help, so I’ll stay here and hold down the fort until you get back.”

“Sounds good.” I jogged to the vet truck. He’s a little prickly? That’s not how I’d describe him. More like surly and awkward. I climbed into the truck, starting it. I pointed it on to the highway out of town, following Connie’s directions. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be too bad.

A large sign announced the drive for the Kisment Ranch. A rocking K sat under the Kisment name.

“This is it,” I said to myself and turned into the drive. The vet truck bounced through the ruts and potholes on the driveway. My teeth loosened in their sockets as I braced myself for another jolt. “The ranch looks impressive enough. Though, they could fix the drive,” I muttered.

With one last jar, the tires hit smooth gravel that tracked to the ranch house and barn. It wrapped around the barn to what looked like a bunkhouse. I braked in front of the barn and jumped out.

My heart pounded as Kaleb emerged from the shadows of the barn.

“Dr. Murphy, this isn’t how I wanted to meet you for the first time.” The smile slipped from his lips when his eyes met mine. “You’re not Dr. Aaron Murphy.” The now familiar scowl fell into the lines on his face.

If you want continue to read it you can find it in ebook, paperback, or on my newsletter.

The paperback link is an affiliate link. It doesn't cost anything to you, but I receive a small commission.

Happy reading! Hugs,

Allie