Burnt River August 2017
Mason leaned forward in his chair and gave his mother a hug. The woman struggled in her wheelchair, her hand trembling as she raised her arm in an uncoordinated fashion. With the support of her full-time nurse, she was able to reach out and touch Mason on the shoulder. Her lips moved in what could have been a smile. Mason shot a grateful look at the caregiver for her help.
“Hey, Mom. It’s good to be home. We make quite a pair, don’t we?”
Mason returned his mother’s smile and kissed her on the cheek. She opened her mouth and a sound came out that could have been his name. Her hand patted his arm. At least she recognized him this time.
When he’d come home from vet school three years ago, it had taken nearly a week for her to fully know him again. Most of the time she’d thought he was his twin brother, Shane. The few short visits home during his eight years spent in school in Missoula and then Colorado hadn’t been enough time to jog her memory that she had two sons. This time was different. He hadn’t been away that long. Only about six months, and now he was home for good.
Mason glanced around the expansive living room of the Taggart Ranch. It was good to be home, in a way. While he’d been here a month ago for his brother’s wedding, he’d only stayed a couple of days. He’d needed to be back in Salt Lake City to finish his rehab. The doctors had now told him they’d done all they could for him, and he would be better off at home. Missoula was much closer for weekly physical therapy sessions and his case could be handled by one of the doctors there.
Mason’s eyes fell on his brother, who stood slightly apart from their mom, studying him intently. Mason nudged his chin at Shane and continued to grin. They’d always been close growing up. Things hadn’t been the same between them, however, since the accident six months ago. Shane needed to get over it and stop blaming himself.
Alley, his new bride, strode into the room at that moment with a satisfied smile on her face. She carried something on a tray that resembled a clod of dirt, but was probably intended to be a chocolate-frosted cake.
“My first attempt at making a cake that didn’t come out of a box may not look pretty, but I think it’ll taste better than its appearance would indicate.”
Shane took the tray from her. “Now that we’re all here, how about we go and sample it in the dining room?” He leaned forward to kiss his wife on the cheek, putting the lopsided cake in a precarious position, in danger of tipping over completely and crash-landing on the hardwood floor.
Alley glanced at Mason. “I heard chocolate cake was your favorite, so that’s what I attempted to make.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to so much fuss because of me.”
“No, but it was a good excuse for Alley to experiment in the kitchen. I think she misses her lab and chemistry sets she had to leave behind in New York.” Raine, the little sister Mason and Shane had always loved to tease, calling her the baby in the family, sauntered into the room.
“Baking is a lot like chemistry,” Alley defended. “It’s all about precision and mixing ingredients the correct way and in the proper order. Every measurement has to be exact, or the cake won’t turn out right.”
“And from what I saw when you were weighing and measuring everything and then mixing it together, a precise cake is exactly what we’re getting.” Raine shot a wicked grin at the cake, then at Alley. “Except when it came time to assembling and frosting it. Then you created the Leaning Tower of Pisa.” She strode over and bent down to wrap her arms around Mason’s neck. “It’s so good to have you home,” she whispered against his ear.
Mason reached up and returned the hug. “It’s good to be home.”
How many times would he have to repeat that statement? Was it really good to be home? Maybe if he said it a few more times, he’d start believing it. If these first few moments since his arrival were any indication, home might be the last place he wanted to be.
The uneasy looks everyone cast at him and exchanged between themselves were hard to ignore. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around him. Hell. They all acted as if he had some terminal illness and wouldn’t live much longer. Mason plastered his practiced grin on his face again.
“I’m anxious to taste the cake.”
He straightened in his chair and wheeled himself through the room and into the adjoining dining room. Shane set the cake down in the center of the table and rushed forward to remove the chair at Mason’s usual spot to make room for the wheelchair. Shane’s jaw visibly tensed. No doubt he was cursing himself that he should have thought to get rid of the chair before Mason’s arrival. It was just one more reminder that he was paralyzed.
“Guess you can take that thing to the barn and use it there.”
A frown from his brother was the response to Mason’s teasing remark. Telling Shane to stop looking so serious would have to wait. No sense getting into a potential argument in the first hour of his homecoming, and especially not in front of their mother. Her stroke had left her without speech and with poor coordination, but she was still their mother, and she got visibly agitated when there was arguing in her presence.
“You’ll be sitting in your usual seat again soon, I’m sure. For now it can stay in the corner and out of the way.” Shane pulled a chair out for Alley to sit while responding to Mason’s remark, then did the same for Raine. There was already an empty spot at the head of the table for their mother’s wheelchair.
Mason mumbled under his breath. “I wouldn’t count on it.”
The doctors had given him a fifty-fifty chance of regaining the ability to walk again. No one had been able to make a definitive diagnosis six months ago when he’d been admitted for an incomplete spinal cord injury caused by a horse that had slipped and fallen on him. Everyone had said, “Wait and see. We won’t know for sure what the extent of the injury is until the swelling goes down.”
So far, the swelling hadn’t gone down completely, but the doctors were still optimistic that there was no complete severing of the spinal cord. After his initial internal injuries had healed, he’d entered rehab to regain as much mobility as possible. His upper body had never been stronger, but his legs were a problem. He still had no feeling from his waist down, and couldn’t move his legs, no matter how hard he concentrated. Discussing these things with his family was best avoided.
Alley dished up the cake, serving Mason first, while Raine poured coffee.
“You’re treating me like a guest, Alley. I’ve lived here a lot longer than you.” Mason winked at his sister-in-law.
“I know you have, but today is a special day for all of us, and you’re sort of the guest of honor. Tomorrow we’ll be putting you to work.”
Mason shrugged. The psychiatrist had said it could be like this for a while. People would treat him as if he were completely broken and couldn’t do anything for himself. It would be up to him to prove them otherwise.
“I’ll hold you to it.”
He picked up his fork and took a bite of cake to keep from saying anything else. Despite its appearance, the cake tasted pretty good. Chocolate had always been his favorite, and his mother had gone out of her way to make it for him and Shane on their birthday when they were growing up.
“Speaking of work, did Shane talk to you last month at the wedding about his plans?”
Mason glanced from his sister, who’d posed the question, to Shane. “What plans?”
Shane glared at Raine. Clearly, it wasn’t something he’d wanted to discuss, at least not right now. Raine’s brows rose, and she looked contrite, as if she’d realized she’d once again opened her mouth and said something she shouldn’t have. It had been a lifelong habit.
Shane shifted in his seat, but met his brother’s gaze. “I bought the Cramer place shortly before the wedding.” He glanced quickly at his wife. “Alley’s grandpa still lives there, but he’s done with the horse business. We’re getting his last crop of two-year-olds ready to race this fall, and hopefully sold.”
Mason smiled and pointed his fork at Alley. “And you got the girl in the deal.”
Shane’s hand reached up to cover Alley’s, which rested on the table. A tender look of love passed between the couple. “Yeah, I got the girl in the deal.”
“What are you planning to do with the farm, then? I suppose Taggart Ranch can always use more pastureland.”
Shane nodded. “Yes, a few more pastures never hurt, but I bought that place primarily for its location.”
Mason shrugged. “Yeah, good location, since it borders Taggart Ranch.” Why would Raine make an apparent big deal out of this particular business transaction? Shane made deals that benefitted the ranch all the time, and none of them came with the kind of fanfare his sister made this one out to be.
“I bought it with a different purpose in mind than a horse farm,” Shane continued. He glanced around the table, his eyes once again resting on Raine with a displeased look. “I think it’s a great location for a large animal veterinary practice to expand Doc Johnson’s place in town. I mentioned it to him, and he seemed excited about the idea.”
Mason swallowed the bite of cake in his mouth. He nearly choked, and reached for the cup of coffee next to his plate to wash the food down his gullet. His body tensed for a brief moment, then he forced a smile.
“Sounds like the old doc isn’t ready to retire, then. Good for him. He’s like an icon in this community.” He rested his gaze on his brother again. “And you’re right. Cramer Farm is in a great location.”
“So, you’re in agreement and are going to take over once the clinic is built?” Raine asked with great enthusiasm and a note of surprise in her voice.
Mason’s brows shot up. Once again, he darted looks from his sister to his brother. When they fell on Shane, his eyes narrowed. He shook his head.
“Wait a second. I never said anything about taking over.”
“But you were going to step in and take Doc Johnson’s place anyway. You’ve been his associate since you graduated. He felt you were more than ready to take the reins and was all set to retire, right before –”
Raine stopped in mid-sentence. For once, she must have realized that she’d said too much.
Mason’s jaw clenched. Anger ripped through him every time he thought about the unfortunate turn of events in his life. He’d been more than ready and willing to assume the role of Burnt River’s resident veterinarian, but now?
How could anyone think that he could continue in his chosen career? He was a cripple. It was impossible for him to even consider going back to practicing veterinary medicine. Being in a wheelchair made it impossible.
Everything he’d worked for, and dreamed of, for as long as he could remember, had all been taken away from him in the span of a few seconds. One unfortunate accident had cost him everything.
Mason plastered a smile on his face. “I think this is a bit sudden, don’t you think? I still have some rehab to think about before I decide when I’m going to go back to work.”
It was his standard answer, a safe answer. He wasn’t going to get angry with his family or let them see how much he hated what had happened to him. His brother had enough guilt over it. Not that he should. It wasn’t Shane’s fault that the young colt hadn’t been sedated enough and had panicked. Mason had already accepted full responsibility. It was part of the risk in his line of work. A line of work he’d enjoyed, but because of the accident, could never do again.
“I agree.” Shane stood from the table and started gathering plates. “Let’s give Mason some time to settle back into life on the ranch, and he can decide on his own when he’s ready.”
Alley stood and helped her husband carry dishes from the dining room into the kitchen. Maria, the caregiver, wheeled their mother from the room. Only Raine remained seated across from Mason. He was about to move his wheelchair away from the table when his gaze went to his sister. She stared at him with way too much perception in her eyes. Once everyone had left the dining room, she leaned forward on her arms, glaring at him.
“What are you afraid of, Mason?”
Mason flinched. He stared back at her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Raine.”
“Yes, you do. For months, you’ve avoided the subject of your career. Every time I’ve come to visit you in Salt Lake, and filled you in on what’s been going on with your patients, or passed along that Doc Johnson asked about you, you’ve always changed the subject.” She leaned in further. “There are ranchers in this community who have waited for you to come back. You’ve built a lot of trust with them.”
Mason gritted his teeth. He raked his fingers through his hair. Damn his little sister for always seeing through her brothers. “I’ve had other things on my mind lately, in case you haven’t noticed. I need to get through all my rehab first before I can decide what I want to do.”
“Don’t take too long to decide, Mason.” Raine stood from her seat, still glaring at him. “Doc Johnson is getting old. He can’t handle the work anymore on his own. He’s not going to wait around for you forever. In fact, he’s hired a new associate to help out until you decide to stop feeling sorry for yourself and quit throwing your entire career down the drain.” She raised her hands in front of her, making air quotes when she said the word “decide.” Her glare intensified, then she spun on her heel, and marched from the room.
Mason stiffened in his seat, staring after her. A jolt of foreboding rushed through him, as if another nail had been pounded in his career coffin. Raine was right. Doc Johnson was getting old, and he’d been looking forward to retirement.
If he’d hired an associate, it meant the work was taking its toll on him. The small animal practice in town would be easier to handle, but Burnt River was a farming and ranching community, and the veterinary practice had always been a mix of large and small animals. Anyone working there would be expected to treat everything from cats and dogs to horses, cattle, and an assortment of other farm animals.
Mason wheeled himself from the dining room. He stopped in the living room to stare out the large windows at the view of the expansive pastures and barns of Taggart Ranch. It was just as well that Doc Johnson had hired a new vet. It made Mason’s decision that he could never go back to practicing veterinary medicine that much easier.