“Lori’s here.”
Raine grinned from ear to ear, standing just outside Mason’s bedroom door.
He ran a hand over his unshaven face and pressed his fingers to his temples. Three cups of coffee and some pain meds hadn’t taken away his hangover headache. His pulse slammed against the inside of his skull.
“I’ll be right there,” he grumbled.
“I still can’t believe you agreed to go with her on her farm calls this morning.” The look in his sister’s eyes was downright gleeful. “I’ve tried to get you out of the house, and suggested you need to go back to work since the day you came home, but you’ve fought me tooth and nail. Yet, Lori asks once, and you roll over like a little puppy.”
Mason glared through hazy eyes. “I’m not rolling over. I was drunk when I agreed to go with her.”
“I don’t think you were quite that drunk, yet, but I’m glad the beer made you see reason.”
“Maybe I should tell her I changed my mind. I’m not feeling great this morning.”
Raine shook her head and strode into the room. “Oh, no, you don’t. You promised her you’d go, and she’s waiting in the kitchen. You can’t go back on your word.”
Mason scowled. He pulled a blue t-shirt over his head, then raked his fingers through his hair. What the hell had he gotten himself into? The conversation with Lori Emerson last night at the barbeque was still fuzzy, but he’d woken up this morning and she’d been the first thing on his mind.
One minute she’d thanked him for his diagnosis with the pig, the next she’d asked him to go on a vet call with her today to Rory Anderson’s place, one of the horse ranches a few miles out of town. When he’d laughed and asked her why, he’d sensed some evasiveness in her answer.
“If the ranchers are anything like the small animal owners, they won’t like putting their trust in a new vet. I simply thought having you along would put their minds at ease.” She’d paused, and her chest had heaved in a sigh. “To tell you the truth, I could use someone to put in a good word with them for me, and everyone respects you.”
Despite the alcohol-induced fog in his head, there was something she hadn’t told him. She might have told the truth, but not the whole story. It was more than simply feeling nervous about going on her first ranch call and needing someone along for the ride. An unexpected sense of protectiveness had come over him at that moment, fueled by the four beers in his system.
Doc Johnson was throwing her to the wolves, but that was his way. He’d always done the same with Mason. His mentor always said the best way to learn something was to just do it, and mistakes honed skills. Mason’s life had provided several advantages in that strategy that Lori didn’t have. Many of the ranchers would take one look at her, and dismiss her simply because of her small stature.
If she was going to be the new vet in town, she was going to have to go above and beyond to prove herself. Before he’d even had a chance to think about her question and tell her no, the alcohol had answered a resounding “Yes, Mason will be happy go with you on your ranch calls, Lori Emerson.”
Now he was stuck honoring that commitment. Mason leaned forward in his chair and tied his work boots. Not that he needed to wear them. He could simply sit in the truck and chat with Rory while Dr. Emerson examined her patient.
“Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re going. Shane is pulling your vet truck up to the house now. It’s been parked in the same barn where you’ve always parked it. I know you kept it well-stocked with supplies, so there shouldn’t be any issues with having what you’ll need for patients.”
“Why would we take my truck?”
Raine glanced up at the ceiling. Her lips twitched when she made eye contact with him again. “Lori didn’t come in Doc Johnson’s truck. She’s in her little two-door Honda.”
Mason rolled his eyes. “Please tell me she’s not wearing a skirt and high heels.”
Instead of an answer, Raine laughed. She left the room, and Mason followed his sister. Lori had better not be wearing high heels. What had Doc Johnson been thinking when he’d hired her?
Checking into her past since he’d met her at the clinic a few days ago had been easy. She’d graduated near the top of her class at Colorado State, then been offered an internship at one of the most prestigious small animal hospitals in Denver. Mason hadn’t been able to find out why she didn’t accept the position, or if she had, why she’d left after only a few months.
Growing up in Los Angeles, she’d graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Southern California. She’d turned down vet schools at Davis and Cornell, and opted for Colorado State. Her academic record was top notch.
There had been nothing, however, that indicated she had any prior experience with animals, or living anywhere but in a large city most of her life. Fort Collins had been about the most rural place she’d lived while going to vet school, and even that was a large city compared to Burnt River.
She was in for a rude awakening in a few months, when winter came to Montana. What was a girl like her doing in a place like Burnt River? The more he’d dug to find out about Lori Emerson, the more curious he’d become. He’d told himself repeatedly that boredom had prompted him to learn more about her, but even his alcohol-induced mind last evening hadn’t been able to deny his attraction to the woman, especially since she seemed so lost and vulnerable.
Mason wheeled down the hall and toward women’s voices coming from the kitchen. Lori was talking to both Raine and Alley. Last night, she and his sister-in-law seemed to have gotten along well together.
Alley had already mentioned the possibility of starting a diagnostics lab where blood and other samples could be analyzed for quicker turnaround, if the large animal complex was going to get built at the old Cramer place. Lori had been more than enthusiastic about the idea. Apparently, Doc Johnson’s diagnostic tools were a bit outdated or slow for her, which Mason had to agree was true.
“Shane has the truck out front,” Raine said as Mason rounded the corner into the kitchen.
“I couldn’t find the keys to Dr. Johnson’s truck, and he didn’t answer his phone.” Lori sounded apologetic. “I had no choice but to come in my car.”
“He keeps the keys in the upside-down dog skull that’s on the end of the bookshelf in his office, and he most likely put his cell phone in his suitcase.” Mason grinned at Lori, who spun around to face him when he answered the comment she’d directed at Raine.
“Well, why didn’t I think to look in the dog skull first?” Lori rolled her eyes, but her wide smile left Mason gaping like a carp gasping for air.
He glanced at the jeans she wore, and the barn boots. His lips twitched as his grin returned. Those boots were clean and shiny as if they’d just come off the store shelf. She’d probably worn them at school, and then packed them away after scrubbing them clean. At least she wasn’t in high heels. His eyes rose to her face when she came up to him.
“Thanks again for agreeing to go with me, Mason. I really appreciate it.”
Mason frowned. “To tell you the truth, it was the beer that agreed to go with you, not me. I’ll let you borrow my truck, though.” Mason’s eyes traveled from her face to her booted feet. “But on second thought, I’m not sure the seat will move forward enough for you to even touch the gas pedal.”
“I’ll drive your truck, but you have to come with me, since the beer can’t,” she countered, tossing that lovely smile at him. “And your insults aren’t going to get you out of the promise the alcohol made on your behalf.”
His surly mood vanished with each passing second that Lori stood there. Her quick wit was enjoyable, but the silent plea in her eyes left him puzzled. What was she so afraid of? His grin returned.
“It wasn’t an insult, but a statement of fact.”
“Well, then, if you’d rather drive . . .” She let the rest of the comment hang in the air like a challenge.
“Damn alcohol,” he muttered. To Lori, he said, “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
Without looking at her again, he wheeled out of the kitchen and to the front door. At the sink, Raine and Alley stood with their heads together and smug looks on their faces.
He passed Shane on the way out the door. His brother handed him the keys to the truck.
“I’ve been set up,” Mason grumbled at his brother. “Raine and Alley planned this.”
Shane’s lips twitched in a smile. “You know Raine. When she gets something in her head, she doesn’t stop. I don’t think she had anything to do with this, though.” He glanced up and stopped talking. Mason looked over his shoulder. Lori was right behind him.
“Can I help with something to get you situated in the truck?” Her gaze went from Mason to Shane.
Mason cursed under his breath. Feeling useless all week was nothing compared to what he was feeling now, in front of Lori. Broken, damaged, worthless. He needed her help like a little kid.
“I can get into the truck myself. You’ll have to put my chair in the back seat.”
He didn’t look at her when he wheeled to the passenger side of the truck and reached up to open the door. At least he had the upper body strength to hoist himself up into the seat. He gripped his legs and positioned them, and waited for Lori to pull the chair away before slamming the door shut.
Never in his life had he wanted to crawl into a dark corner and hide more than he did at this moment. His dignity and pride were gone. It was bad enough to feel like an invalid in front of his family, but in front of Lori Emerson, a woman he found attractive, was ten times worse.
Lori dumped a stack of heavy books into the back of the cab, then climbed behind the wheel and adjusted her seat as far forward as possible. She started the engine. The sound and feel of his veterinary truck sent a renewed wave of frustration through Mason. Why had he agreed to go with her, dammit?
“At least you’re wearing proper clothes today,” he said, simply to say something. If he taunted or insulted her, it wouldn’t matter. If she got angry with him, maybe she’d turn around and take him home.
“Proper clothes?” Lori stepped on the gas and off they went.
Mason grinned despite his foul mood and hangover headache. “Yeah. I was worried you’d show up in a skirt and high heels.”
Lori glanced at him for a brief second. “I thought about it. If I had, maybe I would have had an excuse not to do my job.” She turned her head to him again. “Like you.”
Mason stiffened. The only defense to her comment was to go on the offensive. His grin widened to hide his frustration.
“So, what are you afraid of, Dr. Emerson? Why ask me to go with you? And don’t feed me some bull that you want me there to introduce you to the ranchers. You can do that on your own.”
Surprisingly, her hands tightened around the steering wheel, making her knuckles turn white. She didn’t respond, keeping her head straight as she stared down the road. Her body had gone rigid. Mason leaned forward to see her face better. His eyes narrowed.
“What are you afraid of, Lori?” he prompted again.
He glanced at the backseat where she’d set her volumes of books on horses. Mason frowned, tilted his head, and studied her. “Are you scared of horses?”
His question was nothing but a guess pulled from thin air, more like a taunt, really, but her reaction confirmed he’d hit a bullseye. She didn’t say anything. The ashen look on her face said it all.
“How did you get through large animal rotation in school if you’re afraid of horses? What about cows?”
Her chest heaved as she inhaled. “I flew under the radar,” she whispered after several seconds of silence. “I spoke up during treatments and diagnostics, but I took a back seat when it came time to perform procedures. No one seemed to notice.”
Mason raised his brows. What had started as a taunt by him had turned into something serious. “You do understand that this is a farming and ranching community? Doc Johnson treats everything from Steve, the pet guinea pig, to Buster, Boone Macklin’s prized Angus bull. He even cured a toothache in an elephant once, and there’s a farm outside of town that keeps several camels, alpacas, and ostriches that receive regular veterinary care. They are now your patients.” To lighten the mood, he added, “Of course, Doc always says he has a great recipe for barbequed camel.”
Lori’s eyes widened. She looked horrified for a second. His light-hearted comment hadn’t cheered her up. Instead, tears shimmered in her eyes. “I didn’t grow up around animals. I went to vet school because I didn’t want to be like the rest of my family. The dogs and cats and other small animals were okay, but I’ve never been around large animals before.”
Mason ran his hands through his hair. A vet who was afraid of animals? She’d have to get over that fear really fast if she wanted to stay in this town.
“I didn’t think I’d ever have to treat large animals after graduation,” Lori continued. “I really enjoyed small animal ophthalmology in school, and it’s something I was hoping to pursue.”
“Ophthalmology?” Mason scoffed. “You’ll see plenty of cases of eye infections. I’ve treated horses that suffer from moon blindness. You’ll see those kinds of ophthalmology patients, along with the occasional foreign body in the eye and corneal ulcers, but you have to be versatile if you want to stay in Burnt River.”
Lori turned down the lane that led to Rory Anderson’s place. “I know that, and that’s why I’m asking for your help, Mason.”
He mentally shook his head. She was asking him for help? How did he get himself ensnared in this? He scoffed, then laughed.
“What do you find so funny?” Lori glared at him.
“How the hell am I supposed to be able to help you when I can’t do my job?”
Lori pulled the truck to the side of the road when the first barn came into view. She let it idle while she shifted in her seat and faced him. Her gaze bore straight into him like a laser knife making a precise incision.
“You love your job, and you have a real passion for it. It shows. There’s no reason why you can’t come back and practice your profession, but if you’re afraid to try, at least teach me.”
Mason ran his hand over his face. Something wasn’t adding up. Why would she ask him for help? She could just as easily ask Doc Johnson.
“Why did you leave a prestigious internship in Denver after only three months, Lori? Doc Johnson must know, yet he hired you. What happened?”
Lori stared at him. A look of fear, and something close to panic, flooded her eyes. She looked away, glancing out the windshield while her knuckles turned even whiter. Abruptly, she faced him again.
“I’ll tell you what happened, if you agree to help me with these farm calls.”