Chapter 1
Remington stood at the back door sipping iced tea, watching the morning sun come up over the Texas horizon with sweat already rolling down her back. Yesterday was a scorcher, and the night air hadn’t brought the relief like she had hoped. As the light touched her face, she closed her eyes, knowing the day would bring the same kind of heat as before. “Today will be another day of smelling piles of steaming cow manure, covered in flies, that as soon I step into the stable will be covering me too.” Remy sighed, turning to go into the house.
The mismatched furniture was all second-hand but clean, just like her place. Remy was all about having a place for everything and everything in its place. When her friends would come over, they tease her about it, but she informed them that she was trying to be a minimalist and was failing miserably at it. But that wasn’t the truth. Even as a veterinarian, the fact was that she didn’t make enough money to keep up with the bills, let alone niceties that weren’t necessities, like matching end tables or pictures on the wall.
Placing the twenty-five-cent mug with a crazy cat with morning hair in the sink, she walked into her room to prepare for another long day. It had only been a couple hours since she got home, enough time to shower and get three hours of sleep before the craziness started again.
With a fresh tumbler of coffee in hand, Remy hopped into her truck and threw her phone on the seat before starting it up; when she noticed a crap load of missed calls and then saw who they were from. The phone fell back to the seat as she took off her Stetson, sat back, and thought of the last time she had called her Memaw. It must have been a little over five months now. Their argument still ringing in her ears about coming home to make amends with her father. How her father missed her, and how Memaw and Pop-pop missed her. But Remy knew she could never return to the Trippel Star Ranch, no matter what her Memaw said.
She pushed loose red strands from her face and put the cowboy hat back on. “I’ll call her tonight when I get home from work,” she murmured and then rolled her eyes, knowing better than that. She pulled out of the driveway, hit the brakes, and glanced at the review mirror. She frowned, seeing the black circles under her bloodshot blue-green eyes, wanting to swear but didn’t. Her shoulders sank as she started off once again to the animal clinic. “Well, by Saturday at the latest,” she added.
When she got to work, Remy walked to the stables to check on the mare struggling with labor last night. The mama was eating, and the colt was on his feet, nursing. “I’m glad to see you two are doing better. Let’s pray that today will be calmer than yesterday. You know, maybe just some routine visits and all.” She smiled, loving her job, no matter how messy it got, and went to walk inside the office and get the day started.
If possible, the day was hotter and stickier than the day before. The clinic was busier with a cow with a flipped stomach, a skunk dog, and a couple of dogs with stuck porcupine quills. On top of that, a dog with mange and broken paws, a cat hit by a car, and a dog that came in with a wound the size of a fist filled with puss and exploded when it was popped… and it was only eleven.
Around four, the receptionist, Janet, came into the stables. “Remy, there’s a call for you in the office.”
Remy had both arms up a cow’s backside, trying to turn a calf inside, when she looked and saw a frown on her friend’s face. “Take a message for me, will ya’? I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“Normally I would, but the lady said it was really important that I get you,” Janet said, twisting her hands together.
“Darn it, okay, yeah. Tell them I’m coming.” She sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the other vet, a dark and handsome drink of water and a complete jokester. “Tom, do you mind?”
“You want me to give up the pleasure of watching you do this and instead have me take over what you’re doing?”
“Yup, that’s was the general idea.”
Tom made a face that had the vet tech giggle. “How about I take the call for you instead?”
“Tom!”
“Fine. If I must, I must.” He winked, stepping behind the cow.
“You’re hilarious, by the way.” Remy chuckled and pulled off the shoulder-high clear gloves throwing them into the trash.
“You know, I think so too,” Tom yelled back.
The cool air of the office hit her overheated body, feeling like heaven, as she wiped off some sweat from her brow before picking up the phone. “This is Remy,”
“I tried to get a hold of you last night, young lady. But you never called back.” Her memaw voice accused.
Remy’s hand went to her forehead, not wanting to get lectured at work, especially after the day she’d had. She looked around for someone to help her, maybe call out her name to say she was needed, but no one was around. Then, with a shake of her head, she took a deep breath and put a smile on her face. “My cell was inside my truck and died before I left last night. I just saw you called this morning after it was charged. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you. I was here all night with a mare having trouble birthing.”
“That’s fine,”
That had Remy pause, “Memaw, I’m telling you the truth. My phone did die,”
“Remington, I think it’s time for you to come home.”
“That is a conversation I really don’t want to get into for the millionth time, especially at work. Memaw, I love you and Pop-pop more than life itself, you know that. I’ll tell you what; I’ll call you when I get home, and we can chat about it.”
“I called you at your work, young lady because I can’t get a hold of you otherwise,”
Remy kicked the cupboards and scrunched her nose. “I know, I know, I’ve been busy, and I know I haven’t called you in a while, and I’m sorry about that. But since you’ve got me now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on,”
“Somethings happened,”
“What happened? Is Pop-pop okay?”
“Your Pop-pop is fine, dearest, just fine,”
Her hand went over her heart to keep it from beating out of her chest. “Memaw, you just about gave me a heart attack thinking something was wrong with Pop-pop,”
“He’s fine, but I need you to come home. I would prefer you come tonight.”
“You know I can’t just up and leave my life here. I have a job. Friends. A fish that needs me,”
“Dearest, your daddy had a heart attack.” Her Memaw interrupted.
Remy’s hand went to her sweaty forehead and slid down the wall. She sat on the floor, staring at the clumps of mud on her boots, trying to muster her next words. The last time she talked to her father, it was a terrible scene where her daddy almost lost his job and then blamed everything on her. “Is he dead?”
“No, he hasn’t passed. But he is in rough shape.”
“Is he in the hospital then?”
“He was, but he threw a fit about being unable to handle business at the ranch. So, Doctor Cruz said he could come home and rest,”
“It’s always about the ranch,” Remy murmured.
“But it was all by default, of course. Your father was being a complete horse’s ass that he is. Doctor Cruz thought it best for him to be sent home before he worked himself into apoplexy.”
“Did this all happen last night?”
The line was quiet, and then her Memaw spoke. “Well, it’s been a couple weeks now,”
“A couple weeks, and you’re just now calling me?”
“Your daddy didn’t want me to bother you, dearest.” There was a long silence between them after that. “I know you and your daddy haven’t talked in a long time, but sometimes someone has to make the first move to repair what’s been damaged.”
“And I suppose you’re saying that it should be me.”
“Someone has to be the adult, and I know you’re a good girl and do what’s right,”
“No,”
“No? What do you mean no?”
“I mean, I can’t come home right now. Maybe sometime later,”
“Young lady, you need to buck up and get your butt back home. Your daddy might not be here all that much longer!”
“What do you want from me, Memaw, really? He didn’t want you to call me. He didn’t want me to come home. Daddy made how he felt about me very clear the last night we saw each other. Isn’t it obvious that he meant what he said? He had a heart attack and didn’t want to call and let me know about it. So, why would he want to see me?” She asked as the tiredness finally set in from the last two days.
“Remington Louise Lawson, you know how your daddy is. He’s a stubborn jackass, just like you’re a stubborn jackass. It has been nine years since me and your Pop-pop have seen you. Isn’t it about time for you to mend bridges before you can’t,”
“Have you thought that maybe I was just fine leaving bridges un-mended?”
“Damnation, child! I wish you had more of your mamma in you. She was such a sweet-tempered, caring young thing,”
“Yeah, and then that bastard pretty much killed her too,” Remy whispered, knowing she shouldn’t have but couldn’t stop herself.
“Young lady, I will not have you talking such sass about your father! He’s a good man and loved your momma; he just didn’t know how to show it all too well.”
“That’s a no-brainer,”
“He loves you too, Remington. But it’s time for you to suck up your pride and come home to see your family, girl.”
Remy’s head fell back and stared at the water stains on the ceiling. “Alright, you win, Memaw. I’ll pack up and head back home when I get out of work. It will be late when I get into Oklahoma, though.”
“That’s my good girl. I knew you had the smarts to do what’s right. I’ll see you in a few hours and leave the front porch light on for you.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you soon, then.” She said before hanging up. Her hands covered her face. “Ah, damn it. Going back home was the last thing I wanted to do. Especially after the week I’ve had.”
“Everything okay in here, Rem?” Tom asked, coming around the counter.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” She murmured, but then her hands fell to the floor. “Well, no, I suppose it isn’t fine. My dad had a heart attack a couple weeks ago, and my Memaw wants me to come home and see him. So, it looks like I’m heading home to Oklahoma tonight.” She sighed, getting up from the floor. “I’m not sure how long I might be gone. It could be a day; it could be a week.”
Tom stepped closer and tapped his boot to hers. “You do what you’ve got to do. We’ve got it covered around here.”
“Really?”
“Of course,”
“Thanks, I really appreciate that,” She smiled, rubbing his arm, and started to walk away when Tom took her by the hand, making her turn around.
“Hey, I know this might not be the best time to ask you this, but”
“But what?”
“When you get back, what do you think about maybe you and me going out to dinner together?”
Remy glanced at his hand holding hers and then at Tom’s grin. “You mean like you and me going to dinner kind of date, or you and me getting a bite at the taco cart kind of dinner date?”
“Like a real dinner, just you and me. Where we get dressed up, I come to your place, pick you up, and then take you out to get something to eat, maybe a movie. And if the night leads us to the parking point, I’ll see if I can steal a kiss or two,”
“Why, Tom MacClarey, you askin’ me out on a date?”
“Yes, ma’am, I guess I am.”
She bit her lip and looked into chocolate brown eyes. “Then I think I’d like that very much.”
“Would ya now?” Tom smirk.
“Don’t get cocky there. I might have to turn you down if you do.”
“Alright, no need to get hostile. Why don’t you call it a day? I’ve got just about everything wrapped up here.”
“Are you sure it’ll be okay if I head out? That one cow could still have some problems?” She asked, longing for a cool shower and then getting on the road, but she didn’t want to leave Tom in a pinch.
“Yeah, I’ll call Mike in and let him get his hands dirty. He’s been asking to help around here more. What a better time than now for him to do just that?” He said, with a grin dancing on his lips.
“You’re going to give him all the crap jobs, aren’t you?”
“But of course,”
“Oh, you are just plain evil,” Remy laughed.
“Hey, sometimes you get what you ask for,”
“That much I know for sure,” She sighed, thinking of her family, and waved bye. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw the hot-looking vet watching her leave and felt a rush of heat to her cheeks.
When she got outside, she swore under her breath. Men were the last thing she needed in her life right now. She had spent the last nine years running away from men and all the problems they bring.
Remington knew what her goals were in life. She was going to own her own ranch, her own home, a place where she would never have to leave. If she got sidetracked by lovely eyes and hot buns, who knows how long it could be before she got back on track again? She’d already been burned once by a man and vowed to never let that happen again.
Tom Mac Clarey was just a guy, a really yummy, super nice guy, but a guy nonetheless. “Idiot.” She murmured, getting her 1985 Ford F-150 keys and hoping in. After a quick glance at herself in the rearview mirror, she sighed. Her face was covered in dirt and grime, so heavy she could barely see her freckled-covered face. “Well, don’t you look like a sexy thing?” She groaned and then started the truck and headed out. It was a three-hour drive from Fort Worth to Woodward, Oklahoma, and it wouldn’t be long enough.
