the years, while he’d seen her in passing, since her parents owned the ranch next to his family’s ranch, he hadn’t had to talk to her. But in the weeks she’d been here, dealing with her had opened up old hurts, shame and embarrassment. He was way too raw to consider romance again.
A delicate snore drew his attention back to Tessa.
The mare woke and started to nibble the hay and caught several strands of Tessa’s hair. Tessa woke with a jerk. The horse lipped another few stalks of hay. Tessa reached up and rubbed the horse’s nose. “That’s right, Momma, eat the hay, not the vet’s hair. We want a healthy momma and baby, not a bald vet.” Turning her head, Tessa noticed him. “Is that coffee for me?”
“It is. I’ve already finished my cup and thought you might need some fortification.”
“A man after my own heart.” The instant the last word fell from her lips, her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink. The words made him feel a little awkward, too, but he couldn’t help but smile when she looked so cute.
“Huh, I mean—”
Shaking his head, he said, “I know what you meant.” He handed her the mug. Cradling it between her hands, she sipped the brew.
“That’s so good.” She took another sip. “Thanks.”
He didn’t think anything about his actions. It was simply a gesture he would’ve made for anyone who’d worked as hard as she had, but he doubted he would’ve felt the same happiness at her thanks if the person doing the thanking was Ollie, the old grizzled foreman at his brother’s therapy ranch. What was going on with him?
“How’s this girl doing?” he asked as he fed the mare another handful of hay, eager to change the subject.
“So-so but steady.” Tessa stood and checked the bag of fluid. “I need to get another one of these.” Setting down her cup on the stool, she disappeared around the door of the stall.
She soon returned to the entrance to the stall with a new IV bag. She quickly changed out the bag. Another yawn seized her.
“Why don’t you grab a couple hours of shut-eye? I’ll watch these two.”
“Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but don’t you need to get back home?”
“I talked with my folks around midnight, updating them on the rescue. I told them I’d probably spend the night here, helping. It’s not the first time Doc and I have been babysitting sick, rescued animals.”
She studied him, and he knew she was evaluating him. Apparently, he passed the test because she nodded. “Thanks.” She disappeared down the aisle.
The foal made her way to her momma and began to nurse. Ethan had to smile at the new life that Tessa and he had a hand in. They worked well together.
And that made him antsy. He didn’t want to let another woman into his life. Not yet, maybe not ever again.
* * *
A few hours later, Dr. Adams appeared in the stall opening. “You ready to eat some breakfast?”
Ethan looked at the sleeping foal. She seemed stronger, but still favored her right front leg. “I am. The horses seem to be doing well.”
“Good. The rest of the horses are faring well, too. Come on into the kitchen and have some breakfast. I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to get busy sooner than we want. Other ranchers will be coming today to get horses to house.”
With a final glance, Ethan stood and stretched. He joined Doc outside the stall and closed the door behind him. As they walked through the screened-in breezeway that ran from the barn past the operating room and offices to the house, Ethan nailed Doc with a look. “Imagine my surprise yesterday, when I walked into my barn and found this unknown person handling Ranger.”
A mischievous smile crossed Doc’s face. “That so?”
“Yup.”
“Your dad knew Tessa and I had divided up the calls after the storm,” the older man offered innocently. “Your folks were here right after Tessa arrived. Your mom fixed up the spare room for her. Besides, you knew I’d hired a new vet.”
Doc scored a point. “True. I remember you saying you hired a Dr. T. Grant who graduated from Purdue. No one mentioned the T stood for Tessa, not Tony or Terry, nor did you mention when Dr. Grant would get here.”
“Does it matter, Ethan?”
Ethan blushed. “No, but—”
Doc opened the door to the kitchen. “But what?”
“I wasn’t expecting a girl,” he sputtered, feeling supremely stupid.
“Catch up with the times, son. Tessa graduated in the top 10 percent of her class, and when I learned she grew up on a horse farm in Kentucky, I knew we’d be lucky to have her. I just prayed that she’d be willing to come out here. New Mexico is beautiful but in a different way from Kentucky. If this land doesn’t call to your heart, then you won’t be happy.”
Ethan grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself some coffee. What Doc said was true. If you didn’t feel easy with this rugged land, then you wouldn’t be happy, as evidenced by the vet who came for six months to sub for Doc when he went home to see his family. When Doc returned to the clinic, he asked the young vet if he wanted to stay and join Doc’s practice. He politely declined and went back to Wisconsin. Doc tried a couple of other times, but to no avail. If Tessa truly did settle in, Ethan knew it would be a load off Doc’s mind. But was Tessa really the right choice for their community?
“Put some bread in the toaster,” Doc ordered from his position by the stove. There were eggs in a skillet and bacon on a plate next to him.
Ethan knew this kitchen as well as he knew the kitchen at home. He’d spent many an hour in here with Doc talking. “Since you came from that part of the country, weren’t you worried about her coming?”
Doc served up the eggs. He made three plates and brought two of them to the table. After placing several strips of bacon on the third plate, he brought the rest to the table. “I gave it a fifty-fifty chance. Horse country in Kentucky is some of the most beautiful I’ve seen.”
“So why’d you come out to New Mexico?” Ethan asked. Up to this moment, it had never occurred to him to ask.
His eyes took on a faraway look. Ethan thought Doc might not answer him. Ethan had shared with this man the darkest secrets of his life, and Doc had not betrayed that confidence. But as Ethan thought about it, Doc had shared sparingly about his life before he came here.
Finally, Doc said, “I needed a new beginning.”
The answer shocked Ethan. He wanted to ask more, but looking at the older man, Ethan knew not to push.
Doc dug into his eggs. “This land has a beauty that I’ve come to love, and I hope Tessa will come to love it, too.”
As they quietly ate, Ethan’s mind filled with questions about Doc’s past.
“I was glad to have Tessa yesterday,”
