Chapter 7
Tegan turned off the light in the barn and headed to the house. He’d completely redone the inside of the old farmhouse. He tore down walls, rewired the electricity, added a primary suite and bath, and built a huge wraparound porch with a free-standing fireplace in the back. All the work kept him busy, and once upon a time, he worked on the house because he had the idea he would settle down with someone and raise a family. Now, he considered it an investment for the ranch. Sooner or later, he’d be too old to tend to it and would need to sell. Having a modern home would be a draw. Or at least he hoped so.
As he hit the latch on the gate and opened it, Doodle galloped over to him. “You act like I’ve kept you locked up all day. You were in the pasture and played with Leon. I saw you racing around.” Tegan dropped down to one knee and loved on the miniature horse. Doodle was spoiled beyond belief and thought he ran the ranch, even though he was only twenty-seven inches tall at the wither. Doodle was not happy about being left in the yard while Tegan tended to Max. The new horse”s isolation was necessary, though, to ensure the health of the rest of his animals. And if Doodle got out, he’d make a beeline for the barn to check out the new inhabitant. It was better to keep him in the pasture during the day and in the yard at night. However, to Doodle, not following Tegan everywhere he went was tantamount to treason and mini horse torture.
Tegan reached for Doodle’s ball and tossed it, and the horse scooted after it. He watched as Doodle ran. He’d have Josh, his farrier, check his shoes when he came out Monday night to work on Max’s overgrown hooves. Josh had crafted Doodle’s shoes to help keep his legs straighter. Doodle was a Dwarf and prone to many medical problems, but Tegan ensured he had the best life possible.
Doodle came back with the beachball-sized super-strength red rubber ball clenched in his teeth. He trotted around Tegan and then bolted back to the backyard, still playing with the ball. Tegan laughed and made his way into the house.
He went to the back porch door and opened it. Though Doodle pranced up to the door, Tegan stopped him. “Not with the ball.”
The horse stomped his foot but eventually dropped the ball. Doodle pushed past Tegan and went straight into the utility room, where his feed was stored in a plastic container. The horse lipped at the handle, trying to open it.
Tegan opened the bin and fought past Doodle’s head and neck to scoop out some corn, oats, and barley. He placed it in the elevated feeding dish before locking up the feed. “You eat. I’m going to do the same.”
Tegan had just sat down to eat the sandwich he’d made when his phone vibrated in his back pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the number, which he didn’t recognize. He activated the screen and read the text.
> Did you know my dad and Edna had a thing?
Tegan frowned. He typed:
>> Depends on who this is and what you mean by thing.
He watched as the bubbles formed.
>It’s me, Kate, and you know what I mean by thing. Don’t make me say sex and Edna in the same sentence.
>>You just did.
> And I may have thrown up a little.
Tegan chuckled and moved to the top of the phone and hit the call button.
“Do people still talk on the phone?” she asked by way of greeting.
“My talking is better than my texting, and you know how bad my talking is.”
“You don’t have a problem talking. You get nervous around judgy people like your mom.” She sighed.
“Mom had her problems,” Tegan agreed.
“I don’t want to bash her, but you know she should be in jail. The way she treated you was illegal. Mental abuse is still abuse.”
“I know. Still, that’s water under the bridge.” He shrugged. What could he do now?
Kate sighed. “She’s the reason you’re so shy around women. You don’t want to make a mistake, which keeps you from talking.”
“True,” he agreed. “But you saw through that problem.”
“How could I not? I saw you. You’re an amazing man. People who don’t look past the surface don’t get to see the man I know. The man who’s beyond amazing and would give anyone the shirt off his back.”
He felt himself blush. “I’m not that great.”
“Bullshit.” Kate laughed. “But I’ll get off that topic.” She sighed and said, “How did this happen, Tegan? Edna and my dad and Pete and my mom.”
Tegan frowned, snapping back to the previous conversation. “I don’t know who Pete is.”
“You wouldn’t. He lived in Colorado. My parents were still married but seeing other people. Both of them.”
Tegan didn’t know what she wanted him to say, so he went with generic. “They were adults. I guess as long as no one got hurt?”
Kate made a scoffing noise. “Do you honestly believe that?”
Tegan leaned back in the kitchen chair. “No, but maybe they did.” He believed in the sanctity of marriage. His grandfather and grandmother were a perfect example of happily ever after.
“Maybe. What are you doing?”
“Just sat down to eat.”
“What? It’s almost ten.”
He glanced at the clock. “I had a long day, and then I spent some time with the new horse.”
“What kind?” Kate asked. Tegan told her about Max and why he bought the horse. “That’s so sweet. Do you do that often?”
“I usually end up with a couple of calves every year. Little scraggily guys that don’t have much chance without round-the-clock care. I’ve got some other acquisitions I couldn’t say no to when they were offered. I’ve only lost one calf, but he was in a bad way when I got him.”
“That had to have been tough.” Kate’s voice held compassion, which wasn’t surprising. She loved animals, too.
“It was. Right after that happened, I got the call to head out to Denver to pick up Doodle.”
“You have a Doodle? I love those dogs. They’re so sweet and don’t shed.”
Tegan looked up as Doodle clopped into the kitchen and rested his head on Tegan’s lap. “Um, Doodle isn’t a dog.”
“Okay … what exactly is a Doodle?”
“Well, hold on.” He took a picture of the mini horse and sent it to her.
“That’s a horse. He’s inside. You have a horse in your … Is that your kitchen?”
“It is, and he’s a mini horse. He’s only two feet at the wither. He may or may not think he’s a dog. Although I have no idea where he got that from. The only animals I don’t have are dogs and cats.”
“Tegan, he’s inside the house; I mean, is he housebroken?”
Tegan laughed. “He doesn’t stay in the house when I’m not here. He has a small barn in the backyard he shares with a llama, and they enjoy playing in the pasture during the day. They sleep side by side, which I understand is not the norm for llamas, but they’ve decided they’re family.”
“So, why is he in the house?” Kate asked.
“I let him come in to feed him. He’s never messed up the house.”
Kate was quiet for a minute. “Okay, I have to see this, and I want to meet all your rescues. Invite me over tomorrow.” That was Kate. Direct and to the point.
“Anytime you want to come over, you’re welcome. I’ll be home all day.” Sunday was his catch up on chores day, but he could power through those in the morning and spend time with her in the afternoon.
“Tomorrow afternoon, early, about one,” Kate replied. “Do the kids know you have a mini horse?”
Tegan shrugged. “I don’t know. Lawrence hasn’t brought them over since Bridgette got sick, so they haven’t seen him, but someone might have told them.”
“Is he nice to kids?”
“Doodle is nice to everyone. Well, except Josh, my farrier. He doesn’t like his hooves being messed with too much. I usually have to bribe him with pieces of apple to distract him.” He scratched Doodle’s neck, and the little guy’s top lip started dancing.
“Anyway, back to my original topic. Did you know about Edna and my dad?”
“No, I had no idea. I don’t think anyone does because that would have spread like wildfire. Remember, you’re back in a small, small town. Everyone is in everyone else’s business. Edna has been a widower for as long as I can remember. I think she married her husband when she was really young; at least, that’s what I remember.”
“Well, let’s not tell anyone. I don’t want Edna embarrassed,” Kate mused.
“Who would I tell? Noah?” Tegan couldn’t help the laugh that sprung from him.
“What’s so funny?”
“Well, I think Noah may have tried to put a dibs on you today.” Tegan pushed his plate away from the edge of the table where Doodle was trying to lip it. He roughed up the little guy”s mane and scratched him under the chin.
“Excuse me? What now?” She sounded shocked.
“When I got into my truck, the bag with the supplements in it had the word dibs written on it. I think he wants the first shot at you.”
“How is that a thing? That is so … misogynistic. And just for clarity here, I’m really good with rekindling what we used to have, so there are no dibs to be had.” Kate made a sound of frustration. “Men.”
Ah, maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. Obviously, he’d screwed up the words and pissed her off. He didn’t know how, but somehow, he’d managed. “Don’t be mad. Noah and I have been friends for years. He was probably just yanking my chain. He saw the impact you had on me when you walked in today. Everyone in that diner saw it. You almost killed me.” Tegan could feel his face heating. Would he ever stop being embarrassed so easily?
“I’m not mad. A little irked, possibly, but not mad. And I like having an impact on you.”
“You do. Believe me, you do.” Tegan’s cock had been semi-hard all day. Kate was something special, and he knew it. “You’ve had an impact on me since the first time our lips touched.”
“Oh.” Kate paused, and he heard a sigh. “That was beautiful.”
He swallowed hard. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“You never need to be embarrassed around me, Tegan. I thought you knew that.” Kate’s voice was low, but he could hear the smile in it.
“I know. I’ve always known. You’re the only one who has ever seen me, Kate. The real me.”
“The real you has stayed in my thoughts and in my heart for twelve years, Tegan.” She was silent for a moment. “I’m so glad I’m home for good, and as much as it sounds bad for me to say this, I’m glad no one else saw the man I know.”
“I’m glad, too.” Tegan managed the words but was silent after that.
After a long thirty seconds or so, Kate asked, “Tegan, do you think Noah was serious about the offer to start my own business?”
“I do. He works every day. I don’t remember the last time he had time off. And honestly, though he takes care of pets, his forte is ranch animals.” Tegan cleared his throat. “Actually, while I was curry combing Max, I had a thought I’d like to run by you.”
“What’s that?” she asked, and he could hear the curiosity in her voice.
“I can ask Mr. Hollister if you can use a couple of the rooms at the stockyard as your office. It’s close to town, and we don’t use all the facility except for when we have auctions.”
“I could close on those days,” Kate suggested. “Just to keep out of your way.”
“You wouldn’t need to do that, but the parking lot is crammed, and it might be hard for anyone to get in to see you.” Tegan had been thinking about Kate working out of Noah’s house, which was where he had his small animal clinic. He wasn’t too keen on that idea, and keeping her closer to him wasn’t a bad trade-off.
His jealousy was a bit of a surprise. He chewed on that for a long time, talking it out with Max. The truth was, he was probably already halfway in love with Kate. More than that, if he were honest. But it had been twelve years. Years where she’d seen the world and he’d just marked time. His little animal rescue aside, he’d fixed up the ranch and bought some acreage when the small ranch next to him wanted to sell. Tegan had been the first to offer a fair price on the land when his neighbor talked about moving, and because it wasn’t adjacent to either the Hollister or Marshall ranch, neither of the big guns was interested in the land. His grandfather had saved and invested well, so Tegan had no debt and never would. He wasn’t a bad bet as far as a relationship went, but Kate was at another level. She was a doctor. He went to trade school and managed the stockyard.
Kate finally said, “You know what, I think that really is a great idea. But I’d need to do some work on whatever space he allows me, too. Then there are the logistics of getting an x-ray machine and installing a secure area for the drugs I’d need to maintain. It wouldn’t be as simple as borrowing the office space.” She paused for a moment. “Maybe it would be better to arrange a date and time for Mr. Hollister and me to talk.” Kate’s directness in attacking the problem was one of the things that had impressed him when they’d first met. She was her own person and didn’t need anyone, which made the fact she chose to allow him into her life twelve years ago all the more special.
“I can do that on Monday. I’ll be over at the Hollisters’, and I’ll stop by the house before I leave for the night to talk to Senior.” Senior was always looking for ways to improve the little town. Tegan imagined the man would check with Noah first, not wanting to take any business from the man, but it seemed like something Senior would entertain.
“Make sure he knows I’m just looking into things. But the location would be perfect. Starting to work on the clinic could take a couple of months, if not longer. My paperwork for my license is in the process with the state. Getting the equipment I need could take a hot minute. Plus, I don’t want to desert Lawrence. Oh.” She lowered her voice. “He’s going to go see Dr. Wheeler.”
“Good. He won’t be sorry.” Tegan hoped. Everything he’d ever heard about Dr. Wheeler had been positive. Tegan knew him, of course, but not as a professional, just as an acquaintance.
“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kate said after a couple of seconds of silence.
“I’ll be waiting for you.” He rubbed Doodle’s face.
“I’ll see you then.” She sighed the words, and the connection dropped.
He put the phone down and cupped Doodle’s head in his hands. “Do you believe dreams can come true, Bud?” The little horse leaned into him. “Yeah, you probably do, huh.” Tegan patted his companion’s shoulders. “Let me eat this, and then I’ll take you out to the barn.” The horse didn’t move, so Tegan ate with one hand and pet Doodle with the other. It wasn’t the first time he’d done so, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.