Chapter 18
Kate dropped the kids off at school, then made her way to the diner. It looked like someone had scraped off the main roads, and as she passed the service station, she figured out who it was. Either Phil or his … nephew-in-law … which was a weird term. She shook her head anyway … The plow was mounted on an old tractor in front of the gas station. She looked at herself in the mirror, eyeing the ballcap she wore with a ponytail out the back. The cap kept her staples hidden. She parked and headed into the diner, where Edna waved at her. As she walked to the booth and sat down, Edna happily shared, “I ordered you a caramel roll, and today, I’m paying.”
Kate smiled warmly at the woman. “Well, then, thank you in advance. How have you been?”
Edna brushed off her question. “Good, good. Did you know someone tore up the stockyard and broke into Tegan’s house?”
“I did know,” she admitted. “What did you hear?” She leaned forward in anticipation.
“Well, from what my sources said”—Edna looked around to make sure no one else in the diner was listening—“they shot one of the Hollisters’ cows and knocked through a whole bunch of fencing at the stockyard. I haven’t heard much about what happened out at Tegan’s house, but I figured you’d know.”
Ciera appeared with a cup of coffee for her, two rolls, cinnamon for Edna and caramel for her. She also put down a dish of butter and two glasses of water. “Anything else I can get you ladies?”
“No, thank you.” Kate smiled at her. “Did Cody have fun on Saturday?”
“Oh, man, did he ever.” Ciera laughed. “We have heard all about the horses and, of course, Doodle.” She shook her head. “Now Cody wants a mini horse on top of a saddle horse.”
Kate smiled and shook her head. “Doodle is as spoiled as they come, but he’s a great little horse. Cody is a good rider, and he’s welcome to come out any time. I’m just glad we had nice weather on Saturday to go out. It’s been snowing since Saturday night.”
“Nonstop,” Ciera agreed. “But that’s one of the things you accept about living in South Dakota.”
“True,” Edna agreed with a bite of cinnamon roll in her mouth.
Ciera was called over to a booth. “Be right there.” She turned back to Kate. “Tell Lawrence it’s our turn to have the kids over, so anytime they want to come over, they’re welcome.”
“I’ll let him know.” Kate picked up her fork and knife. Edna looked at her. “What’s a Doodle?”
“Tegan’s mini horse. He’s adorable,” Kate said and took a bite of her roll with a small swipe of butter for good measure. The flavor was just as wonderful as she’d remembered. She rolled her eyes and pointed to the roll. “Addictive.”
Edna nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “So, do you know what happened at Tegan’s?”
Kate nodded, put down her fork and knife, and picked up her coffee cup. “Tegan was tied up working on fixing the damage to the stockyard. Lawrence and I came in to help—Lawrence to help with the fencing and me to take Tegan’s horse and Doodle home. He stopped on the way back from our ranch because we were riding with the kids. Anyway, he stopped to check on the cattle, and that’s when he found the damage.”
“So, how did you find out about the break-in?” Edna took another bite of her roll.
Kate took a sip of her coffee. “Lawrence stayed with Tegan; the sheriff and Senior were there. I drove Tegan’s truck and trailer out to his place. I turned out his horse, ensured all the animals were set, and headed to the house.”
“Wait!” Edna put her hand on Kate’s arm. “You found out it had been broken into.”
“Well, yeah.” Kate shrugged. “I backed away and called Tegan, but the guy who broke in hit me on the head with a horseshoe. I went down, and he got away.”
All the blood had drained from Edna’s face, and her eyes were as big as silver dollars. “Were you hurt?”
“No, not too much. A little cut on the head.”
Edna finally blinked. “What did he take?”
“That, I don’t know. I had to come to the clinic so Zeke could staple my head back together, and by the time I got back to Tegan’s, he was done with the sheriff. I never thought to ask what was taken.”
Edna gasped, and her hand grasped her throat. “What? Staples.” Edna was visibly shaking.
Kate waved the concern away. “Honestly, it sounds so much worse than it actually was. I’m here; I’m fine.”
Edna kind of flopped back against the booth’s cushion. “But he hit you. A woman. He hit a woman. What kind of person does that? What type of criminal does that?”
“I can’t answer that question. Maybe you should ask the sheriff the next time you see him.”
“Oh, believe me, I will. I need to know if the women who live alone in the town and the surrounding areas are safe.” Edna shook her head. “The fact this man attacked you is beyond the pale.”
“You know, I think he just wanted to escape with whatever he took from Tegan’s house. I don’t think he cared if I were a man or a woman.” Kate shrugged. “And I wouldn’t get too worried. With this snow, he’s probably long gone.” Or at least she hoped like hell he was. If the guy were on foot, he’d either be frozen or near death by then. It wasn’t as cold as it could be, but the snow had been relentless, and the temperatures in the teens.
Edna crossed her arms over her chest. “We’ve had some classes on self-defense. One of the ladies from the Marshalls’ ranch had a couple of classes.” Edna chuckled. “That little bit of a thing threw the men who’d volunteered to help out around like they were rag dolls. I picked up a few things, but I think I’ll trust my Winchester more than my self-defense moves.”
“But …” Kate pointed her fork at Edna, “you need to be extremely careful. What if one of your girlfriends comes over to visit? You don’t want to shoot someone accidentally.”
Edna snorted. “Girl, I learned how to hunt before you were born. Nobody shoots at something they can’t see. That’s just a recipe for disaster. Most of the people around here are seasoned hunters.” Edna shrugged.
“But fear does weird things to the mind. Just take that extra second, okay?” Kate took another forkful of her roll.
Edna nodded. “I can do that.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m going to skedaddle. If I go to the church before Doris and Belinda get done, I’ll be able to warn a few of the other women who work with them.” Edna grabbed her purse and opened it.
Kate reached across the table. “Edna, don’t scare them. We don’t know this wasn’t an isolated incident. Scaring people does no good and can actually do a lot of harm.” She smiled at the older woman. “I would advise you to wait and talk to the sheriff. He has so much more information than I do. He’d be able to help you make a plan to keep your friends safe. And it would be a productive plan in cooperation with local law enforcement. You’d be working with authority.”
Kate saw a light come to Edna’s eyes. “You’re right. Of course, yes, of course, you’re absolutely correct.”
Ciera stopped by to refill their coffee cups. “Anything else for you ladies?”
Edna shook her head. “No, I’m good. When Belinda and Doris show up, could you bring them coffee and a cinnamon roll to split?”
“Absolutely, I know the order by heart.” Ciera smiled and went back behind the counter.
The door opened, and Senior walked in. Edna frowned. “I wonder what brought him in so early?”
“Me,” Kate said. “I’m going to talk to him about a place for my small animal practice.”
Edna smiled widely. “Well, don’t let me keep you.”
“Thanks.” Kate stood and grabbed her coffee mug. “And remember, nothing until you talk to the sheriff.”
Edna nodded. “I don’t want to cause damage. I’ll wait.”
“Good. See you next Monday?” Kate asked.
“I’m looking forward to it.” Edna winked at her and started in on her cinnamon roll again.
Kate walked over to Senior’s table. “Sir, how are you today? I’m Kate Johnson.” She extended her hand.
Senior stood up, took her hand, and held it in both of his. “I’m charmed to meet you in person, finally. I saw you at the stockyard briefly, but unfortunately, we were both busy doing other things. Please, have a seat.”
Kate slid into the booth, and Senior did the same. “Would you like breakfast?”
“No, thank you. I had a monster roll with Edna. We meet every Monday morning to visit.”
Senior’s eyebrows lifted. “By choice?”
Kate laughed. “Yes, she knew my dad and has always been nice to me.”
Senior’s eyebrows didn’t lower much as he said, “Well, that’s a first.”
Kate hid her smile with her coffee cup, and Senior took a sip of the one Ciera had given him when he’d arrived. He glanced at her and asked, “How much experience do you have with military working dogs?”
“Twelve years of almost exclusive work with them both on bases and in the war zone.” She set her cup down. “What does that have to do with me opening a small animal practice here in Hollister?”
Senior smiled at her. “You’re an astute young woman.”
“I’m straightforward. I’d appreciate it if you were, too.” Kate mentally said touché as she bandied words with the gentleman in front of her.
“Oh, I think I’m going to like you.” Senior chuckled. “Do you have a security clearance?”
“I do. It’s valid past the time I leave the military, but again, why are you asking?” She took a sip of her coffee.
“I have an acquaintance in the area who will soon be kenneling and hosting a training area for explosive dogs. In addition to working at a small animal clinic, I was wondering if you would be available to take on six to eight dogs in a training program.”
Kate leaned back and looked at Senior. “That depends.”
“On what?” Senior asked.
Kate leaned forward with her forearms on the table. “Who was doing the training? I’d want to see how the dogs are treated. I’d need to know if the trainer actually knows what they are doing with the animals. They’d have to be exercised regularly and fed properly. Working dogs have a high drive and need to be exercised and given a job. Without that, they can become hard to handle and aggressive. Credentials and CVs on the trainer or trainers are an absolute must, as is my being able to pop in at any time to check on the health and welfare of the animals.”
Senior nodded. “I can see if I can arrange that.”
“If you can’t, can I still use your building for my practice?” Kate took another sip of her coffee.
“Oh, absolutely. That was a foregone conclusion. You pick out whatever offices work best for you. Tell Tegan to configure them however you need them.”
“And rent?”
“None for the first year.” He held up a hand when she started to object. “This is Hollister, ma’am. This isn’t a big town. I know how hard it is to start up a business. My goal is for businesses to thrive, so they stay planted. No rent for the first year. After that, we’ll discuss a fair rate. This town is my legacy to my boy and his son. I want it to flourish, and I will give every legitimate business the chance to do just that.”
Kate digested that bit of information before speaking again. “I’ll need four offices minimum. One for reception, two exam rooms, and an office to keep veterinarian drugs and medical equipment.”
“What about your office?”
“I can work out of the back room where we’ll store the equipment.”
Senior tipped his head. “Five offices, or you don’t get even one.”
Kate blinked at him and then narrowed her eyes. “What branch of the military were you in?”
Senior laughed. “None, but I know the art of negotiation. Do we have a deal, Dr. Johnson?”
Kate lifted an eyebrow. “Only if you call me Kate.”
Senior extended his hand. “You’ve got a deal, Kate. Move in when you’re ready.”
“Thank you, sir, and let me know about the kennel work,” she said as she slid out of the booth.
“I’ll do that.” Senior stood up when she did. She waved at Edna and then pulled her coat a bit closer as she nipped out into the cold and got into her truck. The excitement she was feeling made her vibrate with happiness.