Forever a Family

Zeke introduced the assortment. Three horses, two cows, three pigs and four sheep. The new patients were stabled in the front stalls. After making some notes, Zeke headed back to his office. Joey trailed behind, surreptitiously checking out the grounds and other buildings. Zeke hid a grin. His little ranch wasn’t any Disneyland, but it was a lot more interesting to a twelve-year-old than school.

Once back inside, Zeke checked blood results with Angie. Glancing up, Zeke noticed that Joey had wandered over to the aquarium. But this time he kept his arms at his sides, not touching the glass, just watching the fish. Quick learner.

“Angie, how many appointments this afternoon?”

She looked at the computer screen. “Besides the puffball, not too many.” They’d had to make up appointments they had canceled the day before with the chick debacle.

“We should be okay, then.” Zeke strolled over to Joey, wanting to know more about this boy who had never been allowed a pet other than a turtle. “Joey, while Angie’s prepping the first patient, watch the phones.”

Joey spun around, his eyes wide. “And answer them?”

Zeke thought of Olivia’s delayed reaction when the chicks had first scattered. Definitely related to his mother. “Yes.”

“But I don’t know what to say.”

“Answer ‘Harrison Veterinary.’ If it’s routine, take a message. If it’s an emergency, come get Angie or me.”

His eyes grew even bigger. “How do I know if it’s an emergency?”

Zeke smiled to himself. The boy wasn’t as indifferent as he pretended. “Most people know when it’s serious and they’ll tell you. If they don’t know, ask one of us.”

Joey’s Adam’s apple rose up and down as he visibly swallowed.

Zeke pointed to a few labels on the multibutton phone. “Our beeper and cell numbers are marked.” He lifted a spindle from the desk. “Messages go here.”

The boy ran nervous hands down the legs of his jeans.

“If you’re sure it’s an emergency, beep us with the number 911.” He pointed again to the phone. “It’s preset right here.”

Joey gingerly sat in the chair behind the desk. Heading to the barn, Zeke mentally ticked off the afternoon’s procedures, all routine: one case of bovine mastitis, a split hoof, some mild colic and an infected ear. Just one horse had him concerned.

Zeke patted the filly, confident about the ultimate outcome. “She’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, Doc,” the grateful owner responded.

Zeke stroked the horse’s silky mane. “And you stay away from milkweed, my friend.” The words barely out, his beeper went off.

911.

* * *

“Mom!” Joey yanked the phone out of Olivia’s hand.

Zeke burst through the door on a dead run into the clinic.

“There’s no emergency,” Joey rushed to explain, glaring up at his mother.

Olivia winced. “Joey was showing me the beeper on the phone and I accidentally pushed the preset button.” Zeke’s face filled with disbelief.

And Olivia didn’t blame him a bit. “I’m really sorry. I seem to fumble everything these days.” The man must think she was an absolute idiot.

“Better to find out it wasn’t an emergency,” he replied, releasing a whoosh of relief. “Not that I’d encourage any more false alarms.”

“Of course not.” She flushed, her face hot. “Um, I hope this won’t be counted against Joey. For his community service.”

Zeke turned toward Joey. “What do you think? Should we let her off?”

Joey smirked. “I’d have to do more volunteer work.”

Zeke scrunched his brow in concentration. “I think you’ve got something there.”

Olivia blinked. “You’re not serious?”

“You did push the 911 button.”

She looked at Zeke, then Joey. “Fine. Do you want me to start tonight or will tomorrow morning be soon enough?”

Zeke stroked his firm jaw, appearing to deliberate. “Morning ought to be soon enough.”

“I’ll wear my jeans and an old T-shirt.”

Grinning, Zeke started to speak when the door opened and a rush of perfume and yapping pushed inside. Zeke’s benign smile disappeared and Olivia could see a tic in his clenched jaw.

“Belinda,” Zeke said curtly to the woman.

Olivia looked over, hoping she hid her surprise. The woman was decked out in designer clothes she would have expected to see in Houston’s Galleria or on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, but not in little Rosewood. Although she hadn’t visited veterinary clinics herself, Olivia guessed most people didn’t dress for their appointments the way this woman did.

Angie pushed open the door and made her way to the desk. “You can have a seat, Belinda. The doctor will see you in a few minutes.”

Her eyebrows raised at Angie’s brisk instructions, Belinda frowned at a chair, then perched on its edge as though not wanting to muss her expensive clothes. The dog sat beside her, its glittering collar and leash seeming glaringly out of place.

Olivia hadn’t seen anyone like this woman in Rosewood, and it was all she could do not to stare.

Zeke took her elbow.

Surprised, Olivia forced herself to act casual.

He walked her to the door and seemed preoccupied as they stepped outside.

Olivia cleared a nervous knot in her throat. “So, Joey, you about ready to head home?”

Joey glanced at Zeke for approval.

Surprised, Olivia was at a loss for words. Lately Joey had barely acknowledged the need for approval from anyone.

Zeke agreed, “Works for me. Get here early tomorrow and I’ll make buckwheat pancakes.”

“With maple syrup?” Joey questioned, as though she never cooked pancakes for him.

“Warm maple syrup,” Zeke promised.

Olivia tried to regain a little control. “That’s not necessary.”

Zeke shrugged. “I have a taste for them, so I’ll be up early cooking.”

Clearly she was outnumbered. Having worried about Joey all day, Olivia was taken aback to see that he was handling the entire situation better than she was.

“I’m curious.” Zeke drew his dark eyebrows together in contemplation. “Just when did Joey call you?”

“Well...”

“He was with me out in the barn earlier for a few hours. He came back inside to relieve Angie on the phones...what, five minutes before you pressed the emergency beeper? It raises the question, how did you get out here from town before Joey had time to call you?”

Squirming inwardly, Olivia searched for an explanation that wouldn’t mortify her son. Yes, he was twelve now, but he was still her baby. One she worried about constantly now that Ted was gone. It was as though Joey was now even more vulnerable, more susceptible to anything that could harm him.

Her worry wasn’t grounded in fact, but having experienced how quickly a life could be snatched away... Joey should be safe in Rosewood, probably safer than anywhere else. And the veterinary clinic was hardly a dangerous place, but it didn’t dampen her concern. Overprotective, the Colonel was always saying. So much so that he thought she wasn’t raising Joey right, not disciplining him as she should.

“Mom?” Joey stared at her, his face scrunched in question.

Olivia shook her head. “Sorry. Zeke, do you want Joey to stay longer today? I can come back later.”

Zeke’s usual cheerfulness was absent as he studied her quizzically. “No need. He put in enough time for today.”

“In that case, Joey can use the rest of the afternoon to do his school assignments.” Feeling oddly out of step, as though the rest of the world were revolving just a minute or so faster than she was, Olivia clutched her keys.

“See you in the morning,” Zeke replied quietly.

“Okay,” she agreed.

Watching her leave, Zeke concentrated more on her face than her form. Not that she wasn’t just as attractive, but the haunting vulnerability in her eyes struck him. In those few moments she’d looked as though something awful was about to happen. Having lost her husband was terrible enough. What could be worse?

“Zeke?” Angie prodded, having followed him outside.

He exhaled. “Sorry, long day.”

“Once you see Her Highness, we can take a break.”

Sighing, Zeke forced himself to turn around. Maybe Angie was right. It was about time Belinda took her dog to another vet. He didn’t need a living reminder. Like a pebble in his shoe, Belinda was a memory he couldn’t ignore.

* * *

Apparently feeling protective, Angie didn’t leave his side while he examined Fluffy.

Belinda practically purred as she spoke. And he didn’t imagine the satisfaction in her eyes.

Once she and Fluffy were gone, Angie threw open a window. “That woman wears enough perfume for half the town.”

There had been a time when he’d saved up all his allowance and most of what he made at his after-school job to buy her perfume. Not the expensive one she was wearing. Come to think of it, he didn’t remember her ever wearing the perfume he had bought her. His bulb had been dim, blind and deaf. “How’s the appointment book looking, Angie?”

“Good news on that front. We’re caught up. Just had a cancellation for our last appointment. Except for our resident menagerie, we can pack it in for today.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he listened with only half an ear. “Go on home, Angie. I’ll take care of the stock.”

“But what about the kennel and—”

“I can use the time with our patients.”

She studied him for a moment. “And I can use the time to catch up at home. See you tomorrow.”

“Right.” His mind full, he wandered outside, stopping first at the brooder. Olivia immediately came to mind. She’d been something, chasing down that flock of scattering chicks. Checking, he saw the brooder’s temperature was high enough for the baby chickens. There weren’t as many chicks as usual, since he’d taken the infamous batch to the 4-H club. Vehemently opposed to the sickening conditions of many commercial chicken-and-egg producers, he had a small operation of free-range chickens. And the chicks were always in demand by the locals.

Hearing a pickup truck traveling up the long driveway, he poked his head outside and recognized his father’s old Chevy. Robert Harrison could afford a new one but claimed it wouldn’t have the personality of his well-worn vehicle.

Zeke carefully secured the brooder, then raised a hand in greeting, always glad to see his father.

Robert climbed from the cab of the truck, still agile and active although he was in his late sixties now. “You in the middle of something?”

“Nope. Just checking on the residents. And I was thinking I ought to make a fresh pot of coffee.”

“Reminds me.” Robert reached back into the cab of the truck. “Your mother sent some stew and half a chocolate-fudge cake. Says I’ll finish off the cake if it’s in our kitchen.”

Zeke grinned, much of his Belinda-induced fatigue fading. “Good thing I’m hungry. Might just have to eat some of that cake. Only polite to share.”

It didn’t take long to get the coffee brewing and pull out plates for cake. He stuck the plastic bowl of stew in the microwave.

“You are hungry.”

“Just one of those days, Dad. Playing catch-up on some missed appointments.” His father knew the nature of the business made that fairly common. After he sliced a hefty chunk of cake for his father and emptied his now-warm stew into a stoneware bowl, Zeke filled him in on Olivia and the chick debacle.

Robert was laughing before Zeke finished the story. “Too bad you didn’t get that on video.”

Zeke speared a wedge of potato. “They were moving too fast for me to think about anything except catching them.”

“Coffee’s done.” Robert got up and filled the two mugs sitting on the counter. He put the mugs on the table and then grabbed a carton of cream from the fridge. “Now I can dig into that cake.”

Concentrating on the stew, Zeke finished it before lifting his own mug.

“You’d better eat at least as much cake as I do. Beats me how, but your mother will know if I get the lion’s share.”

“Don’t have to twist my arm.” Zeke cut a healthy piece for himself and started eating it with the same enthusiasm he’d had for the stew.

Robert watched him for a few moments. “How long since you’ve eaten?”

“Breakfast. Like I said, really crammed schedule.”

“From the chicken woman,” Robert noted. “Which messed up yesterday’s appointments. Nothing serious while you were gone?”

“Nope.”

“Doesn’t sound like she meant to cause any trouble.”

“Nah. It was an accident. Good thing.” Remembering, he shook his head, unable to suppress a grin. “Hate to think what she could have done if she was trying.”

Chuckling, Robert reached for another bite of cake. “Sounds like someone worth getting to know.”

Zeke remembered the look in her eyes before she left with Joey. “Why?”

“She sure wouldn’t be dull.”

“And with my track record, I need someone more like the chicken woman?”

“Son, you’ve got to let go of the past. You were a kid when you met Belinda. And by college she’d... I’ll be kind and say changed. It’s best that you found out her true colors before marriage.”

Zeke snorted. “You forgetting that she refused to marry me? Wasn’t my choice.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re still better off.” Robert paused, his fork midair. “You don’t still have feelings for Belinda, do you?”

“No. Can’t see now why I ever did.”

Robert exhaled. “That’s a relief. I was beginning to think I’d never see you get married.”

“Well, don’t get out the rice just yet. Still don’t trust my judgment enough to marry someone. Look at Penny—I couldn’t figure out she was still in love with her ex-husband.”

Frowning, Robert put his fork down. “You loved Penny’s kids more than her.”

“You just made my case, Dad. I don’t have good sense when it comes to women.”

“But, son, you’re going to be wind up lonely—”

Zeke held up one hand. “First off, with a family our size, I’ll never be lonely. And I date, Dad. You married the best woman on the planet and now the pickings are way too slim.”

“You telling me that of all the women you’ve dated since college, you haven’t been tempted?”

Just with Penny. Considering the children, going back with her ex was the best outcome for her. But it had reinforced his certainty that when it came to relationships, his judgment was flat-out bad. Otherwise, he would have realized that she’d still loved her ex. Zeke shook his head. “Just not in the cards for me, Dad. I’ll leave marriage to the experts like you and Mom.”

“We’d like to see you settled with a woman who has a heart as good as yours.”

Embarrassed at the praise, Zeke pushed it aside. “One who wants to take in every stray like I do?” Remembering, he softened his voice. “Like you and Mom when you took me in?”

“Best thing we ever did.” Robert cleared his throat. “We want to make sure you stay happy.”

Those first months as their foster kid, he’d driven his new family well beyond the edge of their patience and then some, but they never gave up on him. “Dad, I’m happy.” He gestured out the window at the acres of land his small ranch encompassed, the well-kept outbuildings and barn that allowed him to practice as he wanted. “Look at all I have. Wouldn’t have happened without your guidance.”

“And your hard work,” his father insisted. “We still got the best end of the deal.” Robert swallowed the last bite of his cake. “You think any of your brothers or sisters would have shared this?”

“Mom’s cake is worth tussling over.”

“So, you haven’t told me.”

Puzzled, Zeke looked at him in question.

“About the woman who scattered your brood.”

“I told you what happened.”

His father’s eyes remained steady. “But not about her.”

Zeke raised his eyebrows. “I’m guessing right now her life is as scattered as those chicks were.”

“That all you noticed about her?”

Zeke hadn’t forgotten the jolt of sensation when she’d accidentally grabbed his hands or the vulnerability in her unusual violet eyes. “She’s got plenty of troubles without adding me to the mix.”

“Hmm.” Robert glanced at the remaining cake.

Smiling, Zeke cut another wedge and placed it on his father’s plate.

“Too bad,” Robert continued. “She sounds like a corker. Nothing better than a woman with spunk.”

Chapter Four

“That’s not one of your old T-shirts.” Joey paused at the entrance of the clinic.

Olivia nudged him forward. “Concentrate on your work, not me.” Still, she tugged at the tail of her lavender T-shirt, hoping it wouldn’t look new to Zeke. Technically it wasn’t new. She’d bought it weeks ago; she just hadn’t worn it before.

“I smell pancakes,” Joey announced. “If I gotta come here, let’s eat.” The door to the private quarters was fully open. Not hesitating, he trotted past the doorway. Seemed hunger had trumped rebellion. In moments he’d disappeared.

Olivia felt far more uncertain.

“Come on in,” Zeke hollered from somewhere in the back.

Joey had probably already reached the kitchen, but Olivia wasn’t as confident, certainly not as bold. Clearly a man’s home, the room held a large well-used leather chair the color of mahogany—much like most of the wood pieces, including the crowded bookcase and the side tables filled with veterinary magazines. A tall, wide fireplace dominated one wall. Unlit because of the warm temperatures, the imposing hearth proclaimed its prominence with raw, rough-hewn granite. Wide-planked oak floors creaked slightly beneath her feet as she trod inside.

She could envision Zeke, his long legs stretched out so that his boots rested on the scarred coffee table, face buried in one of the hundreds of books.

“Mom!” Joey appeared, looking annoyed. “Zeke says if you want to eat, come on.”

Wondering if that was a direct quote, Olivia answered him. “Okay.” Following her sure-footed son, she lagged behind. Venturing into yet another strange place reminded her of all the new schools she’d had to enter each time her father had been transferred, the stares of the other kids, none of whom would remain longtime friends, because she would have moved on again before that could happen.

A spatula in his right hand, Zeke pointed with the other to a coffeepot. “Just brewed. Hope you like it strong.”

She spotted a mug rack and took one emblazoned with a Texas A&M logo, the university with the best veterinary program in the state. No doubt Zeke’s alma mater.

“Cream’s in the fridge,” Zeke told her, flipping a pancake. “Sugar’s on the table.”

“I want milk. I can get the cream,” Joey offered, clearly already acquainted with the kitchen. “They’re on the same shelf.”

“We use the kitchen for a break room during work hours, so Joey was in here yesterday,” Zeke explained. “Gives me more space on the other side for supplies and indoor kenneling.”

“Kenneling?”

“Small animals I’ve operated on that need to stay through the night.” He flipped another pancake. “For observation.”

“So you have someone who works the night shift?”

Zeke shook his head.

“Then who watches the overnight animals?”

“I have an intercom and I’m a light sleeper.”

Joey shoved a small carton of cream at her. Accepting it, she didn’t pour any into her cup. Early as it was, Zeke looked like a mass of energy despite any nighttime interruptions.

“Joey, you’d better throw a few plates on the table so we can eat,” Zeke instructed as he added another pancake to the growing stack.

She tried not to wince. Apparently Zeke didn’t remember that young boys often took comments literally. “Hope you don’t mind paper towels,” Zeke continued, grabbing a roll and plopping it on the table. “Don’t have many dinner guests.”

“It’s breakfast,” Joey pointed out.

“So it is.” Reaching back, Zeke grabbed a platter. “Silverware’s in the far left drawer.” He lifted his sturdy shoulders in a half shrug. “My mother says I have the whole kitchen set up backward.”

Olivia found her voice. “As long as it works for you.”

“I can only cook three things. She takes pity on me and sends over leftovers. And Angie brings in more food than I can eat.”

To her surprise, Olivia wondered if there was a yet-unmentioned girlfriend in the mix. She’d gotten the idea yesterday that he was single, but that was just an assumption. “You really didn’t have to make breakfast for us.”

“Just stirred up more batter. I was going to make pancakes anyway.”

Trying not to feel like an outsider as she had most of her life, Olivia put her mug on the table. “Can I do something to help?”

“Syrup’s in the microwave. You can grab that.”

Grateful for something to busy herself with, Olivia looked around the good-size kitchen and spotted the microwave. She never bothered to heat the syrup. She’d always thought that was something they just did in restaurants. She reached for the small bottle. Not thinking that it would be too hot, she jerked back at the heat on the glass container. The action splashed a small bit of the red-hot syrup on her hand. Brought up to never moan over what the Colonel termed a “small incident,” she didn’t say anything, instead looked for the sink.

Zeke turned around, sized up the situation and grabbed her good hand. “Thought you knew it’d be hot.” Leading her to the sink, he shook his head. “It’s like jam or filled doughnuts—they get hot as a greased pit in the microwave.”

“I can—”

But Zeke was already turning on the faucet. He quickly put her injured hand under the cool stream of water. “Joey, grab a big bowl from the hutch.”

“Hutch?”

“The big piece of furniture over there. Bowls are on the bottom shelf.”

“There’s no need to fuss—” Olivia began.

“Who’s fussing? Good grief, woman, you want a blister?”

“Of course not.” But it was hard to argue with him as he gently touched her hand, careful to make sure the water pressure wasn’t too forceful, that the reddened skin was handled with care. It had been so long since her hand had been held by a man. Or since she’d stood so close...

“This one okay?” Joey asked.

Startled, Olivia jerked her hand back, putting too much pressure on the burn.

Zeke’s puzzlement showed in his face, but he didn’t comment in front of Joey, instead taking the bowl and filling it with cold water.

To cover her flub, Olivia started to turn to the refrigerator. “I’ll get some ice.”

“No. That’ll just aggravate the burn. The cool water will keep the reddening down, and while your hand’s in the water, the air can’t get to it and make it hurt more. Then we’ll cut open a stalk of aloe vera, rub it on the welt and it’ll be good as new in a day.”

“Oh.” Well, he was a doctor, even though he worked on patients of the four-footed variety....

As though to contest her thoughts, she heard squawking from another room.

“Dilbert,” Zeke explained. “My parrot. Every now and then he decides to try to fly, then smacks into the furniture.”

“Why can’t he fly?”

“Wing damage.”

“And he just roams around free?” Instantly she imagined the amount of bird droppings.

“No, but he can pick locks better than most thieves. I’ll round him up after breakfast and put him back in his cage.”

“Why can’t he just walk around outside and not be in a cage?” Joey asked with a scowl.

“Because he’d wind up as somebody’s dinner. He doesn’t have any defenses and he wouldn’t be able to escape if a predator took after him. Coyotes, eagles.”

Still not looking mollified, Joey continued to scowl. “How’d he hurt his wing?”

Zeke shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“How come?” Joey demanded.

“Joey—” Olivia began.

“It’s okay. Somebody found him hurt in Fredericksburg. I got a call and, well, he’s been here ever since.”

Olivia frowned, as well. “Aren’t there veterinarians in Fredericksburg?”

“Of course. But not all of them have the space I do. People know I take in strays.” The bowl was now nearly full and Zeke took her hand and guided it into the water. “Keep it covered. Now, we’d better eat those pancakes before they turn into Frisbees. ’Course, if they’re cold, that hot syrup ought to warm them up.”