Chapter 2
The weather was warm, and sweat ran down my spine, permeating my clothes.
I finished treating a horse with a strained fetlock not long ago.
I’d applied liniment and wrapped it. If his owner lets him rest, he should heal fine.
I emphasized it to the owner, but sometimes they pushed the horse to return to work before it was fully healed.
When they did that, the outcome was rarely favorable.
Working at such a huge event was new for me.
I’d never attended a rodeo this large alone.
I’d helped Rafferty at various times, both during my internship and whenever I had the chance to work with him.
He was a master with tons to teach. I still learned things from him.
Rafferty liked to tease me, saying I was an expert now and wouldn’t need him again.
I doubted that would ever happen. I would tell him he forgot more than I’d ever know.
When he called and asked if I’d do him a favor and cover the rodeo’s National Championship, I was anxious, but I never thought to say no.
He’d done so much for me, and he was like family.
Rafferty hated to miss this one. It was the highlight of the rodeo season for him, but he had a family emergency.
Thankfully, I was able to adjust my schedule to cover it.
His equipment and stuff were already here, so I didn’t have to take time to drive my rig to Vegas and back home.
I flew in. That would save me a week. I wanted to get back to my practice as soon as possible after this was over.
The finals lasted for about a week and a half.
Rafferty had attended over half of it before he had to leave, leaving me to cover the last four days.
Since I’d trained with and helped him so many times, I knew where Raff kept his supplies and equipment, and how he preferred his things to be taken care of.
If one were lucky, the majority of the cases I took care of were minor overall, with a one-hundred percent chance of recovery.
However, there were times when it was a severe or even fatal case.
I hated it when I had to euthanize a horse or cattle.
What was worse was seeing a rider being taken away in an ambulance, with sirens blaring and the lights flashing.
I’d taken a walk a few hours ago to see what was going on in the various rings.
While I was here to work, I didn’t have to stay glued to the building I worked out of.
If I was needed, they had my cell number to call me.
I stayed within the rodeo grounds. Raff had done this for so many years that everyone knew where to find his setup—no need to ask around unless you were new.
The heat in Vegas was different from what I was used to back home.
The most significant difference was the humidity, or rather, the lack of moisture in Nevada.
The temperature was in the upper fifties during the day, only a handful of degrees below the average at home, except for there, where we had humidity.
However, it was nothing like what we experienced in the spring and summer months.
The smell of hay, dirt, and animals was comforting.
It made me feel at home. Growing up as a large animal veterinarian’s daughter, I’d been exposed to animals of all sizes and kinds since infancy.
It was never a possibility in my mind that I would be anything other than a vet, too.
It wasn’t because my dad was pressuring me. It was all me.
I knew what it would take to get through the many years of training and mentoring, so I worked diligently from middle school onward—the couple of years I was able to take dual credit classes and the classes I tested out of helped me graduate sooner than most of my peers.
The majority of those who flunked out or quit lacked a strong work ethic or were lazy.
I had no clue why they thought it would be easy, and someone would merely hand you your license. Dad warned me for years how intense it would be and what was required to make my dream come true. When I graduated, he and Mom were ecstatic. Everything Dad told me had been true.
Looking down at the instruments I had just put into the autoclave to disinfect, I let my mind wander.
I could do this on autopilot. It allowed me to think about the changes I was planning for my clinic back home.
I’d been saving to do it. I still had more money to save, but as soon as I had it, I’d implement. It was hard to wait.
It was the rumble of more than one male voice that caught my attention.
Straightening, I waited to see what kind of patient they were bringing me.
There was no sound of hooves. I may need to attend to an animal in the ring or in the containment pens outside the competition areas.
I moved toward my emergency medical bag.
It was similar to what a human doctor carried when they made house calls in the old days.
Through the open doorway, three guys walked in.
They were dressed like almost everyone around here, in the typical cowboy gear of jeans, boots, and hats.
I had to admit that something about the look was appealing.
However, I stayed away from most of them because, in my experience, they were cocky as hell and thought they were God’s gift.
I had no need of that. They were usually no better than alley cats when it came to sex.
I was no buckle bunny, nor would I be treated like one.
“How can I help you, fellas? Are you bringing the patient to me, or do you need me to go with you?” I asked.
When one of them chuckled, they elbowed each other and cast me suggestive glances.
I wanted to groan, then swear. Abruptly, the scent of alcohol hit me in the face.
Whew, they stank like they were a distillery.
Clearly, they had been drinking for most of the day, or maybe for days.
They weaved on their feet as they came closer.
“Darlin’, your sweet ass sure can come with us. We heard there was a better view in here than usual. Where did they find you? Did they finally kick Rafferty’s ass out? About time. I’ve found my new favorite place,” one of them, a blond, slurred.
“If you don’t have an injured horse or cattle, then please leave. I don’t have time for silly games. I’m busy. Rafferty is still the main vet. I’m merely assisting him,” I informed them firmly.
It made me want to punch men in the face when they pulled crap like this. It was one thing to find a woman attractive and talk to her. But to come up to me with your buddies, treat me like I was only here for your amusement, and to be drunk on top of it, was beyond insulting.
“Ah, come on, honey, don’t be that way. We’re nice guys. Let’s get to know each other. You don’t appear busy right now,” the tallest dark-haired guy said.
“Well, you’re wrong. And I’m not your honey. I’m about to visit a couple of patients I worked on earlier. You can’t be in here when I’m not.” I gestured toward the door they just came through as I picked up my bag.
I walked toward the entrance, making sure that I kept a safe distance between the men and me. I wasn’t leaving them an opportunity to grab me, if possible. If any of them lay hands on me, then I’d stop being nice.
They were so drunk, they didn’t realize that if animals needed to be checked, who had more than very minor injuries, and they were still on location, they were in the stable with me in a stall.
I was lying. I wanted them out of my way.
I did wish I had a hundred dollars for every time some cowboy or other man came on to me, thinking I’d be flattered to be treated as an airheaded sex object here for their pleasure.
“Hey, we’ll go with you. We’ll be your escort. You can’t be too careful around all these people,” the shorter dark-haired guy said. The other two nodded in agreement. No self-awareness that they were ones not to be trusted. I doubted they’d have that awareness if they were sober, either.
“I can’t allow that. It’s against regulations. Now, step outside so I can lock up,” I ordered.
I drew myself up to my full height. I knew I wasn’t physically imposing, but it was all I had.
Ignoring them, I marched out of the treatment stable.
I heard their footsteps shuffling after me.
I stood behind the door, so once they cleared the entry, I shut and locked it.
They stumbled around to face me, but I was quicker than they were.
I had it secured and was moving away before they collected their alcohol-soaked brain cells.
“Hey, wait for us!”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t be so standoffish.”
Those were their remarks thrown at my back.
I pretended not to hear any of them nor to respond.
I checked to be sure I wasn’t being followed after walking several hundred feet.
They were weaving their way through the crowd in the opposite direction.
Great. I’d make a lap around to be sure I had lost them, then go back.
Maybe grab a drink and a bite to eat. I hadn’t had anything since early this morning.
I’d see what was transpiring in the rings.