Chapter 5
Tegan finished his administrative work and locked up the offices of the stockyard. He’d spent most of the night with his new horse, working in the stall and, in general, just letting the animal know he was safe and wouldn’t be abused. Fresh hay, fresh water, and nutritious feed were simple things, but Max had been denied them for a long time.
He drove into town and parked in front of the diner. The bell rang as he entered. As usual, Edna Michaelson and her cronies were at the corner booth. Noah looked as if he’d just sat down since there were no dishes or drinks in front of him. The vet waved him over. “Have a seat. I just sat down myself.”
Tegan nodded at the ladies in the corner and slid into the booth. Noah leaned back and asked, “How’s the new acquisition?”
“He’s trying to figure things out.” Tegan took off his cowboy hat and set it on the seat next to him. “Doodle was upset Max is in quarantine, but …”
“He’ll get over it.” Noah laughed.
Corrie came over. “Sorry, guys, I was in the back. What can I get you to drink besides coffee?” She turned over their cups and poured them each a mug full.
“I’m good with coffee,” Noah said.
Tegan nodded. “Same. Thank you.”
“Tacos today. I’ll bring you your plates out in just a minute.” She headed over to Edna’s crew and refilled their cups. Alex Thompson and one of the men who worked and lived out at the Marshall ranch came in and sat at the bar. He’d seen the guy many times before but had never been introduced. Oversight or intentional, Tegan knew to give anyone from the ranch a wide birth. Both he and Noah acknowledged them when they came in. The town owed the people who worked at the Marshall and the Hollister ranches all the respect in the world, and Tegan would damn sure do his part by giving it to them. He didn’t ask what the people out at the Marshall ranch did—didn’t figure it involved him—but the influx of people to Hollister had saved the tiny town from withering to dust.
“Off today?” Tegan asked Noah after a sip of his coffee.
“I wish. I was out at the Kinzers’ this morning bright and early. One of their cows has an udder infection, and it isn’t going away with the usual precautions. Did he ever talk to you about wiring his new milking machine?”
Tegan blinked. “No, why?”
“He’s got a whole shed full of new equipment. I was just wondering who was going to wire it in.” Noah shrugged.
“My license is up to date, and I don’t have any jobs on the schedule, so I can do it for him. He just needs to ask. Wouldn’t take more than a weekend if the power needs for this system are the same.”
“He’s likely waiting until the last possible minute. He can pinch a penny and make it scream. I figure that old system is a fire hazard and told Charlie that, too, but he just grunted and pointed at his cow’s udder.” Noah laughed.
“I’ll head over there tomorrow and see what’s up.” He’d gone to school to learn to be an electrician when his grandfather was still alive. After his grandpa passed and left the ranch to him, he’d kept up his license. It was his way of giving to the community. He never charged for it, but the people of Hollister paid him tenfold for his work. He figured he’d have fresh milk from the Kinzers for a year or so as payment.
Alex turned around from where he sat at the counter. “Charlie hasn’t replaced that machine yet? I overhauled it two winters ago. It was on its last bolt and screw then.”
Noah shook his head. “Has all the new equipment in an old shed, all boxed up.”
Edna’s head popped up from her work. “Dana Kinzer has been trying to pry that old man’s wallet open all her life. Ain’t nothing going to change his mentality. He’ll wait until it’s past fixing. Then Dana will call for help.”
“That sounds about right.” Alex shook his head. “Tegan, heard you got a new horse yesterday.”
Ken Zorn, the sheriff, walked in, stopping the conversation momentarily. Everyone said hello before Ken sat at the counter.
“What kind of horse?” Alex asked when Ciera was filling Ken’s coffee cup.
“A draft horse. I’m thinking mostly Belgian. Nice dapple gray,” Noah answered for him.
“Why do you need a draft horse?” Ken spun on his stool to join the conversation.
“I don’t, but I wasn’t going to let that …” he glanced at the women before finishing, “stranger take him back. He’d been abused.”
Ken leaned forward, holding his coffee cup and planting his elbows on his knees. “What do you mean?”
Tegan shrugged. “Scars and marks of beating, skin and bones, hooves overgrown and cracked.”
“And the horse is anemic.” Noah glanced at Tegan. “I was heading to your place after lunch. I have supplements in my truck I want you to add to his feed.”
Tegan nodded. “Let me know how much I owe you.”
“You said this guy was a stranger?” Ken’s brow was furrowed.
“I think maybe he’s one of those people who moved in up north by the state line.”
Ken pursed his lips. “Not my county, but I’ll talk with Vince and have him drive by and do a check-in on those people.”
“Better make sure he announces himself, sheriff. From what we’ve heard, those people are either doing or making drugs. Don’t want any law getting shot at,” Doris Altham, one of Edna’s friends, said from the corner booth.
“Figure he knows that, Doris, but I’ll make sure to pass your concerns for his safety along.” Ken smiled at the woman.
“Lunch.” Ciera came out with a tray as big as she was. She delivered five platters to the men and made sure everyone was set for drinks before returning to the kitchen.
Tegan and Noah dug in. As he was finishing his first taco, the door opened. Tegan looked up and inhaled quickly, causing him to damn near choke to death. Noah was beside him, whapping his back, and Edna grabbed his arms, pulling them up into the air.
Tegan managed not to die and extract himself from his friends. He wiped his eyes as he glanced back at the woman who’d entered. “Damn.” He coughed again.
“Well, hello to you, too, Tegan. A friend of mine told me I’d be revisiting my past. I’m glad she was right.” Kate Johnson laughed as she walked over to him while waving at Edna, who was getting back into her booth. Turning her attention back to him, she scanned him head to toe. A shiver of desire raced through him. Damn, she looked wonderful. She smiled. “It’s been a long time.”
He stood up and offered her a seat. She slid into the booth, still smiling. Tegan glanced over at Noah. “Noah Macy, this is Kate Johnson. She’s an old friend.” He glanced over at the counter, and Alex, Ken, and the Marshall man were smiling like crazy men. He narrowed his eyes at them, and they turned around, but he could hear the soft laughter from the three men who were acting like preschoolers. Assholes.
Kate didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she reached out her hand. “Macy, as in Doc Macy, the veterinarian?”
“Yes, ma’am. Nice to meet you.” Noah shook her hand.
“Kate is a vet, too,” Tegan said, still trying to clear the irritation in his throat. Damn it, of all the people in the world, he never expected to see Kate Johnson again. But she was one hell of a sight. Age had given her curves, and her thick, wavy hair had grown down to the middle of her back. She was still as beautiful as he remembered. The last time he saw her, she was wearing her uniform at Bridgette’s funeral. He would have gone up to her, but she’d had her hands full.
“Really?” Doc leaned his elbows on the table. Tegan didn’t like that interest in Noah’s eyes. He was pretty sure it wasn’t there because Kate was in the same profession.
There was no doubt about it: Kate was beautiful. Light brown hair, hazel eyes, and lips that were incredibly kissable. He could attest to that because one summer before Kate went into the Army, they’d had a moment … or twenty.
“It’s true, but I’m a small animal specialist. Dogs, cats, hamsters, and such. I’m transitioning out of the Army and staying with my brother and his kids.”
Noah’s smile disappeared. “Can I hire you? I have a small animal clinic twice a week and the occasional emergency call. I haven’t had a day off in as long as I can remember, and a vacation is absolutely out of the picture.”
Kate blinked from Noah to him. “Are you serious?”
“One hundred percent. I’ll let you use my office and keep whatever profit you make on the appointments. Just reimburse me for the supplies used. It would give me a chance to rest. Believe me, I need it. I love the animals I work with, but I’m on the edge of burnout.”
Kate stared at Noah for a minute. “I tell you what. I’m not going to hold you to that offer. I’m going to let you stew on it for a week or so. I have some things I need to do before I can start even thinking about working again.”
“I’m not going to change my mind,” Noah said. “You take as much time as you need, but the offer stands. I’d even go so far as to say, put out your shingle and take on all the small animal practice. I wouldn’t mind. I’m busy enough with the ranchers and their livestock.”
Ciera stopped at the table just then. “Hey, Kate, I’ll head up in a minute to get the kids. I need to do a few things first. I could call up to Scott if you’re in a hurry?”
“No, don’t worry about it. Tegan and I are old friends. We can catch up. Take your time.”
Ciera glanced at him, and he could feel his face flame. He pretended to be interested in his coffee. “Good, I have a huge sheet of baklava coming out of the oven in about twenty minutes, and I need to douse it in honey syrup while it’s warm. Let me bring you some coffee.”
“Sounds good.” Kate smiled at him. “How have you been? It’s been what, twelve years?”
Tegan wiped his mouth and nodded. “Why are you getting out of the Army?”
Kate shrugged. “I’m needed here.”
He glanced at Noah. They both knew Lawrence had been having a hard time after losing his wife. Tegan couldn’t imagine the pain that family had gone through. “I’m sure Lawrence appreciates it. I check in on him from time to time.” Not as often as he’d like, but when he couldn’t get out there, he called.
Noah’s phone rang, and he answered it. “Ah, yeah. How bad? Yeah, I’m leaving from the diner. Keep him still.” He glanced up. “Sorry, duty calls. Bull versus a metal bar. The bar is winning, and the bull doesn’t seem impressed. It was nice meeting you.” Noah got up and tossed down a ten-dollar bill. “I’ll throw those supplements into your truck. We can settle up later.”
Tegan didn’t have a chance to say anything else as Noah jogged out of the diner. “So, are you married, Tegan?”
Glancing at Kate, he felt his face turn torch bright red. “No. Are you?”
She laughed. “No. While I was gone, I never met a man who made me see stars, let alone play among them.”
Tegan jerked his head to look at her. She’d always said when they were together, she flew to the heavens and played in the stars. He could vividly recall her soft skin under him as she hummed those words. Damn, it was getting hot in the diner. He cleared his throat and asked, “That so?”
She nodded. “That’s so. Are you still doing electrical work?”
He shook his head. “No, Grandpa died, and I took over the ranch. I manage the stockyard now, work for the Hollisters some, and do wiring on the side if someone needs me to do it.”
He turned as he talked to her, matching her position, which was angled toward him. She said, “Tell me about what’s happened in the last twelve years.”
“It’s pretty much the same old thing with me. I work and tend my animals. Maybe catch a drink with the guys at the Bit and Spur. Not much else. What about you? Where have you been stationed?”
“Oh, wow. Well, I was deployed a lot.” She counted off the bases she’d been at and some of the countries she’d had missions in.
“Combat?” Tegan didn’t think doctors and vets went to combat.
“In combat areas. Special forces have dogs, and they need care. I carried an M-4, but I never shot it. Thank goodness. My last assignment was at Ramstein, which is an Air Force base. They had a big kennel and military working dogs from all the bases in Germany, and those returning from deployments moved through that location. We were always busy. We also worked for the public health portion of the hospital and made sure the food being sold on bases met standards. I did a short gig performing an audit on a manufacturing plant once, but I loved working with the animals the most.”
“It sounds like you’ve lived the life you wanted to. You said you wanted to see the world. Find out what’s out there.”
She chuckled. “Sometimes we need to be careful about what we wish for. Don’t get me wrong, I loved most of my time in the military, but after a while, the grind wears on you. Since I made the decision to get out and come home, a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.” She sighed. “But there’s still some heaviness.”
Tegan glanced at the others in the diner and lowered his voice. “How’s Lawrence doing? He always says he’s making it, but he’s not the same guy he was.”
Kate sighed and then lowered her voice to say, “I think he needs to talk to someone.” She glanced around. “What do you know about the doctor who works here in Hollister? Wheeler, I think Sam called him.”
Tegan saw Edna’s head pick up, and she looked over at them. “What do you say we go outside and visit?” He tipped his head ever so slightly toward Edna. She caught his meaning and nodded.
“I’ll tell Ciera I’ll be out front.”
Tegan got up, extended his hand to her to help her out of the booth, and dropped money on the table for his food. He walked to the bar and waited for Kate to come out of the kitchen.
“Are you sure you’re just old friends?” Ken said as he drank his coffee.
Tegan looked down at him and lifted his eyebrow. “Yes.”
Alex chuckled. “Leave him alone, Ken. He never dogged you about Sam.”
“True,” Ken said. “Sorry, man.”
“No worries.” Tegan let it slide.
When Kate came out, he introduced her to Ken, Alex, and then he hesitated because he didn’t know the other man’s name, although he’d seen him with Alex from time to time. “Mal.” The guy smiled at her.
“Nice to meet all of you,” Kate said politely before sending a wave to Edna as they left the diner.
“This is mine,” Tegan said, motioning to the truck. “Come on.” He went around the truck and dropped the tailgate. They sat down on it and let their feet dangle. “Dr. Wheeler is very good at what he does. I have a friend who had a psychological stutter or something like that, and Dr. Wheeler helped him. I also know this guy, Brian, who had PTSD and was using drugs to try to deal. Dr. Wheeler was able to help him, too. He’s good. But Lawrence knows that, too. He had it so rough. Watching the woman you love die like that. He had to have gone through hell. Do you think you can get him to go to an appointment?”
Kate shrugged. “Cancer is a son of a bitch, excuse my language. And yeah, I’m going to try to get him to go. I’ve introduced the idea to him. The kids are his life. Craig was so worried about his dad that he reached out to me. I think if I use logic and show him what’s happening from the kids and my point of view, he’ll come around—I hope.”
“Well, if logic doesn’t work, and you need him hog-tied and transported, I’ll help out.”
Kate laughed and bumped him with her shoulder. “I don’t know why you’re still single, Tegan. A good-looking guy like you should have been snapped up by now. And I know you’re good in other areas, too.”
Tegan felt his eyes round out, and no doubt they were the size of the saucers under the mugs in the café. “You did not just say that.”
“Sure, I did. Or am I remembering it wrong?”
Tegan about died when all the memories of the times they made love surfaced. “I remember it the same way. We were good.”
“Just good?” Kate put her hand on her chest and gasped.
Tegan shook his head and chuckled. “We were pretty amazing together.”
“It was a magical summer.”
“Yeah, it was.” His grandpa was still alive and strong; he’d passed his electrician’s licensing exam, and there were so many opportunities ahead of him. He and Kate met at Phil Granger’s garage, and for the next four months, they were inseparable. Both knew it was a temporary thing, but it hurt like hell to let her go. He could still feel that deep desolation that filled him after she left. He knew he let the best thing he’d ever had slip through his fingers. He never expected her to come back, and yet there she was.
Tegan remembered the day she left. They sat together on the old porch swing his grandpa had built, and to be truthful, there wasn’t a lot of talk. He didn’t want her to go, but she’d made a commitment to the military. “You’ll send me letters, right? Emails?” Kate asked him as they held hands.
He glanced over at her. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I will.” He swallowed hard. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know.” She nodded and wiped at a tear. “If I’d known you before I signed that contract …” She sniffed and straightened her back. “I can’t get out of it, so I need to accept that. So do you.”
Tegan nodded. “Sometimes life sucks.”
She shook her head. “No, sometimes timing sucks. I couldn’t say my life sucked because you’ve been it. I’m never going to regret that.”
Tegan put his arm across the back of the porch swing, and she leaned into him. He kissed her hair. “There’s nothing to regret except timing. You and I worked.”
“We’ll continue to work.” She said the words, but in his heart, he knew that long-distance relationships had low chances of surviving.
Out of the blue, Kate said, “You should have a family. You wanted a bunch of kids, right?”
“I like kids, and maybe if I ever found the right woman, I would. But I do have a family. It’s big, too.” He laughed thinking of the Brahma bull and his new draft horse, not to mention Leon, his llama, and his rescued mini pig that weighed in at over six hundred pounds. Yep, he had a huge family.
Kate frowned. “You do?”
“Yep. A family made up of animals I’ve rescued from bad situations.” He hoped that by mentioning his animals, he could get out of talking about the failed attempts at relationships he had and the reason he wasn’t married. Hell, his only long-term relationship had been with her, and that was twelve years ago.
She leaned forward, braced her arms on the tailgate, and kicked her legs forward and back. They sat in silence for a minute before Kate said, “I’d like to meet your family.”
Tegan glanced over at her, snapping out of his memories. “What? Really?”
“Yes. You know I love animals.”
He wanted to invite her over tomorrow, but that was a little desperate, wasn’t it? Yeah, that would make him look like he was desperate. He should play it cool, right? Maybe. He settled for, “You’re always welcome. Just let me know when it’s convenient for you to visit.” He closed his eyes. Damn it, that sounded too stuffy, didn’t it. “I mean–”
Kate bumped his shoulder again. “I know what you mean. You don’t have to worry, Tegan. I remember your words get tangled up sometimes, especially around women.” Kate sighed. “I never minded it, and I still don’t. Besides, you communicate effectively without words.” Tegan’s cock twitched in his jeans as he swung his gaze to hers. She lifted an eyebrow slightly, licked her lips, and said, “Highly effective.”
Kate leaned toward him, and his eyes dropped to her lips. Oh, hell, what he wouldn’t give to taste her again. He moved closer to her. The need in his gut moved from a simmer to a boil just that fast. It was the same reaction as he’d had when they first met. That summer together was explosive and emotional, and those memories had sustained him through one hell of a lot of lonely nights.
“Aunt Kate! I won.” Hailey burst from the door of the diner, and Tegan bolted upright, sliding off the tailgate in one movement. “Hi, Tegan.”
“Hey, squirt. How have you been?”
“Really good. Did you know Aunt Kate is home for good?”
“I heard.” Tegan watched as Craig came out of the diner with a large box. “Aunt Kate, Ciera said she put some kind of honey cakes in with our desserts.”
“Perfect. We’ll have some when we get home. Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah, really good. Thanks for letting us hang out.” Craig opened her truck door and helped Hailey into the cab.
“I’ll be right there.” She turned to him and stepped a bit closer. “I want to see your ranch, Tegan. Call me and ask me to come over.”
“I don’t have your number.” He wanted to put his hands on her hips, feel the curves of her body under his hands.
“You will. I’ll get yours from Lawrence’s phone and text you.” Kate turned and lifted his tailgate, shutting it. “I’m glad I ran into you today.”
“Likewise,” he said as he watched that tight, jean-clad ass walk past him and around the bed of her truck. Damn, she was everything he remembered and more. He waited until she backed out, then opened his truck door. A bag fell out when he opened it. He picked it up and did a double take. On the brown paper bag, Noah had written the word DIBS.
Tegan barked out a laugh. Noah couldn’t call dibs on the woman. He’d laid a claim to her twelve years ago, and he wasn’t going to give it up. Sorry, my friend, she’s mine.