1: Smacked
Tessa Branigan sat at a window table inside Dixie's Cuppa Joe Coffee Shop and watched the comings and goings in her hometown of Paxtonville, Colorado. She had forty minutes of her lunch break remaining. She spooned a bite of yogurt.
She'd returned home five months previous after finally leaving her abusive ex. Even now she couldn't believe she'd been so blind as to marry the man who had taunted and teased her when they were children. After two years of marriage, she'd so despised him that in her divorce papers, she'd been adamant about changing her last name back to her maiden one. No way was she going to be saddled with the name of that low-life.
Cecelia MacKenzie, the owner of the coffee shop and a close friend of Tessa and her family stepped to her table carrying a tall, lidded coffee. "Here's one for the road, kiddo. You can take it back to work with you."
Tessa grinned and shook her head. "You know, don't you, that you wear invisible angel wings."
Cecelia laughed. "Tell that to my daughter, Merry. Six years old and she thinks she knows everything. There are only two people she idolizes, her big sister and her father."
Tessa started to respond when movement outside the window jerked her to attention. "Oh, no!" she cried and jumped from her chair.
"What's wrong?" Cecelia called as Tessa ran toward the door.
Tessa didn't pause or respond. She was focused on preventing an accident. Vaguely she heard chairs scraping as patrons turned to see what was happening beyond the windows.
Outside, she shouted at a raggedy-looking dog, but he kept barging across the street. Flailing her arms at the approaching sports car, she tried to get the driver's attention. He appeared to be glancing at something in his passenger seat.
The scene became surreal when the dog stopped three quarters of the way across the road just as the driver returned his attention forward. He slammed on his brakes, but it was too late. The dog got smacked by the fender of the car.
Tessa squealed and raced to the large, reddish-brown animal that looked to be part golden retriever and maybe lab. She knelt beside the dog and assessed the damage. He was unconscious and his front leg appeared broken. She wanted to cry, but she could do that later. She reached into the pocket of her slacks for her cell phone and punched speed dial. Because she was usually the one answering the telephone at Tanner Veterinary Clinic, calls had been forwarded to voicemail during her lunch hour. So, instead of calling the clinic, she called Toby's direct line. Pick up. Pick up.
The man driving the car was now kneeling beside her but she kept her eyes on the dog and prayed that Toby would answer his phone. The guy reached a tanned forearm out to touch the pooch, but she placed her hand over his to stop him. She warned, "Even though he's unconscious, he could awaken and bite you because he's hurt and scared. I'm calling the vet right now–"
A voice sounded on the other end of her phone. "Hi Tessa, what's up?"
"Toby, we've got an emergency. A dog was hit in front of Dixie's Cuppa Joe. He's unconscious and it looks like his right front leg is broken."
"I'm on my way."
Tessa disconnected the call, stuck the phone back in her pocket, and turned toward the man. "The vet's on his way." The guy was staring at her. Her mouth dropped open and she exclaimed, "Sean, what are you doing in Paxtonville? Last I heard you were on tour on the east coast."
He replied, "Hi, Tessa," and shrugged. "I got a reprieve for a few months."
Tessa couldn't believe she was talking to Sean Barfield, her teenage friend, and now a famous rock star.
She asked, "Are you staying with your parents?"
"I don't know. I just drove into town." His eyes moved back to the dog. "I sure hope he lives. I didn't see him. It's my fault because I spilled soda all over and was trying to mop it up."
Behind them, Cecelia repeated Tessa's earlier question, "Sean, what are you doing here?"
"Hi, Cecelia. I wanted to surprise you and Dad. I've got some R and R time and was hoping to stay with the family for awhile."
Cecelia knelt beside the animal, too. "Of course, honey. You're always welcome."
One of Paxtonville's locals had started directing traffic around the scene and now motioned the vet's van around Sean's car. Toby Tanner braked and jumped out of the van, rushing toward the dog. When he saw Sean he said, "Hi Sean," but didn't pause in his mission. He assessed the dog by feeling for his pulse and then opened his bag. "His heart rate is good, his breathing is labored. I'm going to give him a pain shot and get him started on an IV. Tessa, you can put some of your training to use now, I'll need your help moving him onto the gurney."
"Okay, Toby."
Toby worked quickly and was soon giving Tessa instructions on how to lift the backend of the dog onto an emergency board while he lifted the frontend. The board was then placed on a gurney. Since being hired by the Tanner twins four months previous, they'd been training her to eventually become a veterinarian's assistant. She loved animals and the job had been perfect after being on the receiving end of an abusive marriage. She could shower the animals with the love she had wanted to give her husband.