Vetted Further

  VETTED FURTHER

  A Novel by K’Anne Meinel

  Kindle Edition

  Published by:

  Shadoe Publishing for

  K’Anne Meinel on Kindle

  Copyright © K’Anne Meinel September 2018

  VETTED FURTHER

  Kindle Edition License Notes:

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  K’Anne Meinel is available for comments at KAnneMeinel@aim.com as well as on Facebook, her blog @ http://kannemeinel.wordpress.com/ or on Twitter @ kannemeinelaim.com, or on her website @ www.kannemeinel.com if you would like to follow her to find out about stories and book’s releases or check with

  www.ShadoePublishing.com or http://ShadoePublishing.wordpress.com/.

  Dedicated to anyone who

  thinks I’m writing about them.

  I am.

  K’Anne

  CHAPTER ONE

  The sound of pounding hooves on the turf broke through the early morning stillness. Birds ceased tweeting as the two horses raced by and a few flew off their perches in their agitation. The cadence of the hoofbeats corresponded with the women’s heartbeats, or so it seemed to the riders. Faster and faster, they urged their mounts on, each striving to beat the other. Some days, one would win. Other days, the other would win. They exchanged frequent glances of competition, of camaraderie, and of love and warmth. The horses eyed one another, each sure they could best the other and entering in the spirit of their friendly competition. They were coming to the make or break point. Suddenly, the younger woman let out a yell. “Yee-haw!” Her horse shot ahead as though it had been fired out of a cannon. Her long tresses streamed behind her, blowing in the wind created by her horse. She slowed her horse a while later as she crossed their imaginary finish line. She didn’t have to pull hard, just a light tug to let the horse know to slow. It progressed from a gallop, to a canter, to a trot, and then, finally, to a walk as the other horse came up and its rider guided it through the same progression. The horses were breathing hard from their race and so were the women.

  “You cheated,” the loser contended.

  “How was that,” she indicated where she had shouted ‘yee-haw’ and shot ahead, “cheating?”

  “I don’t know,” she shook her head, nearly dislodging the cowboy hat sitting on her short, brown hair, “but somehow I think it was.”

  Taking the good-natured argument with a grain of salt, she cocked her eyebrow and asked, “Are you only mad because you didn’t think of it first?”

  Nodding to acknowledge the validity of the argument, she answered, “Well, that too.” They shared a grin and then, by mutual consent, leaned over to share a kiss. The horses moved together for just an instant before veering apart. It was okay. That instant was enough for the women to get in their peck of a kiss. One of the horses snorted as though to say, “Enough of that!” They chuckled as they walked along, letting their horses breathe and cool down in the morning air. They enjoyed their early morning ride while pointing out interesting sights in the landscape to share and chat about. Alone time didn’t happen often enough for either of the women, but they enjoyed it immensely when it did.

  Too often, Fiona, or Fey as she liked her best friends to call her, was summoned for a veterinarian call. Her schedule had been very hectic the last month or so. Some of it was due to the ranchers and farmers in the area pulling their stock in closer to home in preparation for winter and inoculating some. And often, it was because the ranchers and farmers wanted to meet the famous, gun-slinging vet, Doctor Fiona Herriot. Her defense of her ranch against rustlers hadn’t gone unnoticed. It impressed many people that she was willing to strap on a gun, shoot to kill, and defend the ranch her grandparents had left her. The fact she was married to a younger woman, who had also drawn her guns and fought alongside her wife, impressed even more. A young, city-bred gal, who had pulled on her boots and was making the ranch a home for the two of them, she inspired quite a few people. And many people wanted to meet them both now. It helped that the local press, the tv station, the radio, and the newspapers had all spread the word.

  Allyssa had never gotten so many calls for their large animal practice. She not only got calls for the doctor’s services, but also invitations to dinners and lunches from some of the interested farmers’ wives and daughters. They had been invited to picnics, barbeques, and other social events, but all had to be put off until the rush of harvest and preparations for winter were out of the way. The opportunities for the doctor and her wife to get away together were few and far between. Everyone wanted to meet them both. Some had already met the doctor. A lucky few had met her wife too as she ran the office for Fiona and took care of the ranch when the doctor was called away.

  They walked the horses to the gate that separated their ranch yard from the range where cattle and wild horses roamed. Leaning down, Fiona opened it and they rode through. Allyssa leaned down to close the gate behind them as they rode up to the large barn that dominated their ranch yard. They both glanced at the charred remains of their dream house as they passed the site where it had once stood. It was just barely up before it was burned to the ground by the rustlers.

  “I gotta get to that,” Allyssa thought as she dismounted her horse and led it inside.

  Fiona looked at the llama, who was silently watching the two humans while chewing her hay in a decidedly thoughtful manner. When are you going to have that baby? she thought. It was at least a couple weeks overdue according to her calculations, which were based on the date the rancher assured the vet she had been bred. Still, the animal showed no signs of stress, disease, or discomfort. The baby was firmly lodged in her and not yet beginning to head down the birth canal in preparation for being born. She sighed, knowing it would probably happen when she wasn’t there to tend to the animal. She dismounted and followed her wife into the barn where they stripped the horses of their gear, slipped on halters, and tied them to the wall to clean their sweaty coats.

  “If you want to check the answering machine, I can finish in here,” Allyssa offered as she rubbed her horse’s damp coat. They were both efficient at this, having done it so often for the grateful horses.

  “Naw, I kinda want to have breakfast with you before we do that,” she answered, looking up, her eyes sparkling at her wife. She knew the machine might have messages that would pull her wife away from the ranch and her.

  Allyssa smiled at her best friend over the back of the horse. She had never thought she’d have a best friend like Fiona. It was a unique friendship, at least to her. It had led to a proposal, a marriage, and a dream she hadn’t thought she would ever realize much less have the audacity to contemplate. This ranch was slowly building up and so was her wife’s dream of having a large animal practice. The publicity from the fatal shooting of the rustlers had helped enormously, but they still needed to weed out the people who wanted to meet the now famous Doctor Herriot from those who legitimately had animals they wanted her to see. Allyssa already had a couple complaints from those who had called the doctor out and subsequently received a bill even though she saw no animals. Now, Allyssa told everyone up front that the doctor would charge a fee for traveling to their properties, especially new clients. Upon hearing this, a few had decided they didn’t need the veterinarian quite so urgently after all.

  They finished up and turned the horses out into the pasture. After being rubbed do
wn, brushed, and cleaned up, both horses promptly dropped and started rolling in the dirt, one of them even squealing in pleasure. The two women exchanged exasperated looks, rolling their eyes. They put away their tools and headed outside, pausing momentarily to look out at the view now that the sun was up over the horizon.

  It was worth the pause in their day. Their ranch yard was in a little valley that spread out to the range beyond it. That range hid hills, dips, streams, and even a lake among the high prairie. It went on for some ways before mountains rose up and snowcapped peaks enhanced the view. Already, there was a dusting of snow hiding the dark mountains.

  Both women glanced up at the old cabin they used as an office. It also housed a living room and a bedroom where they slept at night in the attic or loft. A large shepherd lay on the porch, his tail smacking the wood in his enthusiasm to greet them. He made no effort to rise, and when Fiona signaled him to stay, he obeyed…not because he was that well-behaved but because he still hurt too much to get up without help. The pillow collar around his neck kept him from licking his wounds after his nearly fatal participation in the fight to save their ranch.

  The two women headed for breakfast. They didn’t go to the cabin on their property, but instead, went around the barn to the mobile home parked behind it. It was an ugly mobile home. Someone had chosen yellow aluminum siding at one time, probably thinking to make it homey and pretty, but it had faded over the years and was now dreadful. The inside wasn’t much better, but it was clean despite being old and worn out. Still, until they were able to rebuild their house, it was all they had. That reminded Allyssa of something she’d forgotten to tell Fiona as they went inside the small accommodations to shower and make breakfast.

  “Hey, you know that quote we got for adding on to the cabin? That guy called yesterday to say he can do it before winter. He got a cancellation, and if we want he can start hauling the logs here and have his guys put in the stone foundation.”

  “That’s some good news. Anything on the house?” They both desperately wanted the farmhouse rebuilt but it looked like they would have to wait.

  “No, he didn’t call back yet. His secretary said he was out on a job site when I called the other day.”

  “He avoidin’ us?”

  “I don’t think so. He was pretty pissed when he found out all his work had gone up in flames,” she reminded her wife. He had come out to inspect the damage after the fire. After all, he and his crew had gotten to the point where there was just the indoor work left to finish, and now, their work was all for nothing. The insurance payments hadn’t come through yet, although they had promised quick results after their inspection. It was clearly arson, but not by the two ranchers, and with the state police and the sheriff backing up their story, the insurance company had promised to process their claim promptly. Weeks later, they were still dragging their feet, making the two women wait for the checks.

  “He said he’d start right away,” she pointed out as she pulled out a frying pan.

  “He can’t get the factory to build it any faster than they did before,” her wife pointed out as she began to undress before getting in the small cubicle that was their shower.

  Fiona stopped for a moment to watch the younger woman get naked. It was a beautiful sight and reminded her of a young colt. Her wife was long and lean and pretty as a picture. She was tempted to take her to bed here in the mobile home, but they had a very comfortable bed up in the cabin too. She sighed inwardly as she fought her desire for the younger woman and turned to get eggs and bacon out of the small fridge. She turned her back to her desirable young wife and started breakfast. By the time Allyssa finished her morning shower, breakfast was ready. They shared a meal, and then, Fiona popped into the back bedroom to undress and take her own shower. Their meal had given the small water heater time to heat more water, although neither of them took long showers. Meanwhile, Allyssa washed up their morning dishes and put everything away, tidying up their little domicile, so it would be clean when she headed over to make supper that evening. She kept sandwich fixings and a few frozen entrees in the fridge in the cabin for her lunches and the odd time for her supper if she knew Fey would be late. Having a microwave and small refrigerator up there sure was handy.

  “Ready to go?” Fiona asked as she finished buttoning her flannel shirt. She also had a long undershirt on under the flannel shirt that she could remove if she got too hot on her rounds. It was the time of year that she could get caught in an unexpected snowstorm in some places. They could get a dusting from the mountains, and it was cold enough a lot of the time that Fiona dressed in layers and kept her jacket handy. She also had blankets, a sleeping bag, and a heater in the camper on the back of her veterinarian truck. More than once, she had slept in it when she had too much work at some secluded ranch or farm and worked too late to make it home.

  “Yep,” her wife answered with a smile as she gathered their dirty clothes to take with them and wash in town. That was something she had been looking forward to in the new house—the new appliances. Fortunately, they hadn’t ordered them before the fire gutted the house. They had been planning to order them that very week, had really been looking forward to it, but once again, they would have to wait until their house was built.

  They walked around the barn together, Allyssa carrying not only their dirty clothes but a bag of dog food to feed their faithful companion. His tail thumped on the wood of the porch once again when he saw them, picking up speed when he saw the food. That tail was what inspired his original owners when they gave him his original name. Thumper had been his name until an accident had nearly ended his life. The car that hit him was driven by the blonde gal now leaning down to fill his food dish. Allyssa shoved the bowl between the large Anatolian Shepherd’s paws. Several cats hopped up on the porch to gaze raptly at the dog’s dish just in case he didn’t eat fast enough. Allyssa laughed down at the dog she had renamed Rex. She petted his head for a moment as he chomped appreciatively on the kibble. He looked up at her, eating with his large mouth open as though to thank her for his food. She let him eat in peace, eyeing the cats to see if they would take advantage of the injured canine and ready to wave them away if they tried.

  Fiona had gone into the cabin to get the messages off the machine. Messages came in night and day, and during the night, they both listened as they were recorded, monitoring in case any were emergencies. Sometimes the ranchers’ or farmers’ ideas of what constituted an emergency did not agree with the doctor’s idea, and Fiona would decide if it could wait until the next day. Going out in the middle of the night happened often enough that monitoring these calls had become necessary; answering every call encouraged people to call at all hours for the doctor’s advice or opinion, and Fiona needed her sleep. They’d learned not to answer calls after hours, letting the machine take them.

  “Anything?” Allyssa asked as she walked into the cabin. The walls were lined with antique cabinets, their glass fronts showing off the medicines and tools within all except one wall, which contained books. They were in what seemed an unending block of cabinets on both sides of the fireplace, along the back wall, and against the wall along the staircase. The glass was clean and bright, leaded and beveled, and looked beautiful as the sun came in the front windows and reflected off them. The desk—a barn door that had been sanded and varnished by Allyssa—held a laptop and a few pencils as well as the phone and answering machine. A newly-installed fax machine was now behind the desk on a stand against the wall in the corner. The steps leading upstairs were next to the desk. This prevented anyone who came to the office from going upstairs unnoticed. No one was ever invited into their private domain. Upstairs was where Fiona and Allyssa slept most nights. It was warm and cozy, and supposedly only temporary until their house was built.

  “Yes, I will have to stop out at Klein’s place at some point today. He has a bloated sheep or two,” she mused as she wrote in her wife’s message book, tore off the first copy, placed it in her own day planner, so
she wouldn’t lose it, and wrote herself a note.

  “What was the second call? I thought I heard another message?”

  “An admirer,” Fiona dismissed. That was code for all those people who wanted to meet her since the shooting. There was a pattern that many of those types followed. They would invite her out to their place, so they could meet her, disguising it as a supposed animal call for the vet. Still, Fiona would have Allyssa call them back in case it was legitimate. If so, she would set up a time and charge a fee. The fee helped weed out some of these people…not all, but some. Money was too tight on a farm or a ranch for most to waste it on unnecessary vet calls. “Well, I’m going to go warm up the truck. I just need…” she began absentmindedly.

  “Why don’t I go start it, so it warms while you get what you need?” Allyssa offered. “Don’t forget to write down what you take, so I can keep the stock orders up to date. You took the last of the liquid bandages the other day, and if I hadn’t noticed they were gone, we’d have run out,” she pointed out.

  “Okay,” her wife answered absentmindedly as she handed her the keys, already trying to remember what she had used from her well-stocked truck and what needed restocking. She would have to go out to the storage shed they used to stockpile some of the things that weren’t kept here in the glass cabinets. She caressed the wood of the cabinets, admiring them as she always did, grateful that her resourceful wife had purchased them. They were beautiful.

  Allyssa unlocked the truck and started it, driving it up to the cabin and stopping short of the porch, so if Fiona had to load anything from the cabin or the storage shed she didn’t have to walk far. Fiona normally restocked the truck at night after a full day’s work, but she had arrived too late last night to do anything other than wash up and go to bed. Allyssa had been surprised when she got her up for an early morning ride, something they had found they both enjoyed when they had time. It had only started a few weeks back, but they were loving their short bursts of time together, something they didn’t have enough of with Fiona’s busy schedule.