Eli Dalton ran his hand over his pregnant mare’s side. He breathed in the scents of leather, straw, old wood and the dampness from snow that had begun to fall. Worry niggled in his gut. He’d been around horses all his life, and something just didn’t seem right with Amber’s labor. She’d been a wild mustang, and he’d gentled her himself. He couldn’t let something go wrong. He couldn’t lose her foal.
Leaving her for a few moments to get some perspective, he went to the barn door and peered out. Two or three inches of snow had already fallen. Any other time, somebody else would be around to give him an opinion. Of course, this weekend of all weekends, everyone was gone from the ranch. His parents had left for Missoula for an equipment auction, and Derek, the only sibling who was still living at home, had gone with them, as had his uncle and cousins. One of his sisters, Kristen, might have been some help, but she’d flown to LA with her husband to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with him. Eli’s gaze ran over the miles of fencing on the Circle D. Ranching and caring for horses had been embedded deeply in his soul from before he could remember.
He heard a noise coming from Amber’s stall. She was down. He rushed to her and ran his hand over her belly...looked into her eyes. She whinnied at him, and he knew there was only one thing to do. Call the veterinarian.
* * *
“Don’t you know your biological clock is ticking?”
Hadley Strickland pushed her wavy dark brown hair away from her face and glanced around the kitchen at the dishes being prepared for the Strickland clan, wondering how to exit this conversation. Her sister Tessa, who lived in LA, had a vacation home on Falls Mountain and was here for Thanksgiving, didn’t hesitate to probe, question or bully. Ever since she’d found her “happily-ever-after,” she was worse. Hadley was just glad her sister Claire wasn’t in the kitchen right now to weigh in on this conversation as well.
Hadley cast her dark brown eyes on her grandmother Melba Strickland, who was matriarchal and grandmotherly all at the same time. But her grandmother was no help at all because she asked, “Have you dated in the past few months?”
There were so many ways to answer that question. Hadley put in long hours at the veterinary clinic where she worked in Bozeman. She often covered for other vets when it wasn’t her turn in the rotation. She kept up on all the latest veterinary journals. On top of all that, she was qualifying for her pilot’s license. However, the simplest answer could usually turn the subject of the conversation in another direction much faster. She didn’t want anybody dwelling on her personal life.
She added cherry tomatoes to the salad she’d been fixing and said offhandedly, “I’m too busy to date.”
As a small animal vet, she was thinking of expanding horizons by owning her own practice someday. But for now, if she became a pilot, she might be able to help animals at a greater distance or in the wild. She knew someday her life would come together. But she also knew it might never include romance again. Her family didn’t know her secret, a secret that was embarrassing and showed how foolish a woman could be when she was wildly attracted to a man.
She could see Tessa was gearing up for another question when the cell phone attached to Hadley’s belt buzzed. She kept it there from habit because she was never without it. Gratefully, she plucked it out of its case, gave a sheepish smile to her grandmother and sister and checked the screen.
“It’s Brooks Smith,” she murmured. He was the town’s main veterinarian. She always stopped in when she was in Rust Creek Falls to check out his practice and talk to him about the latest advances in animal care. She even helped him now and then. Maybe he wanted to set up a time they could get together while she was in town. He and his wife, Jazzy, ran a horse rescue ranch, and Hadley was always fascinated by the work they did there.
She held up her finger to her sister and grandmother, indicating she was going to take the call. “Hi, Brooks,” she said.
“Hey, Hadley. How are you?”
“I’m good. What’s up?”
“I need a favor.”
“What can I do?”
“I’m tied up on a ranch near Kalispell. Dr. Wellington, a vet working with me, quit unexpectedly, and my backup vet, my dad, just had knee replacement surgery.”
Hadley knew Brooks and his dad coordinated their practices even though they were in separate locations. Brooks’s dad had been gearing back, hoping to retire soon.
“What’s the favor?” Maybe he wanted her to go in and check on animals at his practice.
“There’s a mare in labor at the Circle D, and Eli thinks she’s in trouble. No obvious signs, but he knows horses. She’s down in her stall, and he’s worried.”
Her grandfather, Old Gene as he was called, came into the kitchen and was studying the women with a probing eye. He spotted Hadley on the phone.
“So you want me to drive to the Dalton ranch and see if he needs help?”
“That sums it up. I know it’s snowing and you’re spending time with your family, but Eli wouldn’t put out a call without good reason.”
“I have all-wheel drive. I’ll be fine. Does he know you’re calling me?”
“He doesn’t know I’m specifically calling you. I told him I’d try to get somebody out there. I’ll call him back and let him know. Thanks for doing this, Hadley. I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing. You know, Brooks, I mostly handle small animals. Horses aren’t my specialty.”
“You’re a vet, Hadley. That counts right now. I’ll tell Eli you’re coming, and I’ll text you his number in case you need it.”
Drew and Benjamin, two of Hadley’s cousins who were here for Thanksgiving, suddenly made an appearance in the kitchen doorway. Hosting family for the holidays, her grandparents had a full house. Drew and Benjamin were over six feet tall, and with their sudden male presence, the kitchen seemed very small.
“Are you really going out in this?” Old Gene asked.
Drew studied her with a worried expression. “This is supposed to be a monster storm. We could get a lot of snow in a short amount of time.”
“Then I’d better get going,” she said. “There’s a mare who needs me.”
And before anyone else could protest or stop her, she left the kitchen to dress in warmer clothes and boots.
* * *
Hadley veered down the lane to the Circle D, her vehicle’s tires churning up snow as she drove. She’d almost been relieved to leave her grandmother’s boardinghouse, and that was unusual. She enjoyed being with family. But on this visit there seemed to be pressure from her sisters, her grandparents
