Safeguarding Miley Read online

  "Yeah. It was too late last night by the time I got there; visiting hours were over." Cowboy ran his fingers through his hair then rubbed his neck. "Is he any better?"

  Rissa turned and sat on the railing next to his coffee cup. The two of them had always gotten along well and never pulled punches with each other. He knew she would tell him the truth - no matter if he wanted to hear it or not.

  "Honestly, Alcide, I'm not sure. When Momma found him last week barely breathing and running a high fever, I thought he was gonna die. I could tell even the flight nurse was afraid; he wouldn't answer any of our questions. Momma says he's better. They've been able to bring the fever down out of the dangerous range, but he's not out of the woods. I know he's strong. I know he can beat this. What I don't know is if the cancer is flaring up in his body again. As long as he's weak with the infection, he can't take the treatments which means it could be spreading. His oncologist wants to do a scan in a couple of days, and I'm dreading it."

  Cowboy didn't want to think about how close his father had been to dying. Instead, he steered the conversation in a different direction. "How are you doing, Rissa?"

  She picked up his cup and took a drink out of it then grimaced. "Jesus, haven't you ever heard of sugar or cream?" She made a face then shuddered.

  He laughed. "Serves you right for taking mine. There's a full pot in the kitchen, you know."

  "Yeah I know, but it's all the way in the kitchen. Yours is right here. I guess that's something you learned in the SEALs, huh?"

  Cowboy nodded and turned his cup on the railing, watching the water ring grow marginally underneath. "I learned all kinds of things in the service, but we aren't talking about that. I asked how you were doing?"

  Rissa lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "About as good as can be expected, I suppose."

  "And Drake?"

  "Gah," Rissa rolled her eyes at her brother. "You just had to go there. Well, if you must know, he called it off. Again."

  Cowboy growled and tightened his fingers around the post until the old wood creaked in protest. "I swear to God when I get my hands on him..."

  "You'll do nothing." She finished. "Drake is my problem to handle, not yours, Alcide. He's not ready." Rissa laughed wryly. "At least this time we didn't have a date set. I told him if he felt pressure to get married and that was the only reason he was doing it, then we shouldn't. I need to be with someone that wanted me for me, not because someone said we had to get married."

  "Yeah." Cowboy nodded. "But still doesn't give him the right to keep you dangling on." Rissa's engagement with Drake Walston had been in a constant state of flux ever since he had proposed to her six years ago. He knew his sister loved the guy, but he wasn't so sure about Drake's feelings. They had dated since junior high school, and everyone expected them to get married someday. In fact, Drake's father all but insisted. Cowboy remembered the Christmas that Drake had proposed. It had been right after dinner with him fumbling and muttering as he floundered helplessly. The look on his face said anything but happy as Rissa squealed and showed off her new ring. God help her, but his sister loved the weasel of a man and was content to wait until he was ready to go through with the ceremony.

  "Rissa, maybe it's time to call it quits," he said softly. "I mean, if he keeps putting off the ceremony then maybe that's telling you something here. He may not ever be ready to get married. I don't want to watch you waste your life on someone that doesn't want the same things."

  She shook her head, tossing her long brown curls back and forth. "He loves me, Alcide. He does, I know it. We're meant to be together. It'll happen, when it's time, so please don't pressure him. He's still trying to find his way." She grinned slyly. "He got a new job."

  Cowboy released the death grip he had on the railing and took a step back, staring at her a moment. "A new job? I thought he worked his Dad's place."

  "Yeah he did, but he doesn't like cattle. He's always wanted to work with horses, and a new place opened up near Garnett Lake. I think it's a dude ranch kind of place where visitors can go pretend to be a cowpoke. Double H, I think the name was. A fellow came by here asking about Diablo, Nugget, and Sperry. That was back before Dad went down this time. He told him we weren't selling. The guy didn't seem too happy, but he left a card and said to let him know if we needed to sell any horses." She made a raspberry noise. "Like we would sell our best breeders. Drake went to see him and got hired on the spot. He said they're paying him five hundred dollars a day plus room and board. He's going to save up his money for a year or two and then find us a place together. He said that was why he has been so unsettled - he didn't like us moving into here or his folk's place. We need our own space."

  "As long as you're okay with it, I don't see where I can complain. However, if he breaks your heart..."

  "I'll stomp a mud hole in him myself," she finished then grinned. "Don't worry about me, big brother. I can take care of myself."

  "I know you can."

  The two watched the inky sky lighten to grey with bands of pink and orange low on the horizon. All around them, the sounds of a new day greeted their ears. Cowboy picked up his cup and drained the last of his coffee before putting it down on the railing. "Let's get the chores done. If we hurry, we can drop by Ellie's and grab Mom some lunch. I'm sure she's about tired of hospital food."

  Rissa hopped off the rail and nodded. "Sounds good. You muck out the stables, and I'll refill the hay and water."

  "Woah, brat. Why do you get to refill and I get the shit job?"

  She grinned. "Because since Dad has been down, I've had to do both. Your turn."

  Cowboy frowned. "You've been doing both? Why aren't the hands doing that?"

  She shrugged. "We had to let most of them go. There's only Jim, Pete and Cedric now. They take care of the fields and the harder stuff. The barn is my responsibility now that the garden is done for the year. They're out rounding up the stragglers today and tomorrow. We're supposed to get a bad storm later this week, and Jim said the first snow would be coming in by Thanksgiving, so it's best to go ahead and get everyone closer. We scheduled Miley to come out on Friday to do a round of vaccines."

  At the mention of the new veterinarian's name, Cowboy chuckled. "She's still hanging around? I thought you said she was ready to head back home the last time I was here."

  Rissa lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "She has responsibilities. Yeah, she would prefer to do small animal practice, but around here, there's not a lot of household pets to treat. She doesn't even talk about leaving anymore."

  He wrinkled his brow. That sounded like she had given up. Knowing what little he did about his sister's friend, that didn't sit right. Miley was a spitfire, full of energy and very vocal about what she thought and wanted. He didn't like the thought of her letting go of her dreams.

  Cowboy's attention was drawn out of his thoughts by a loud bang. Off in the distance, Diablo whinnied and threw himself against the railing. Cowboy jumped down the steps and ran to the paddock to let the temperamental stallion out to the pasture before he succeeded in kicking down the fence. It felt good to be home again, and as Cowboy opened the gate letting the spirited horse out, he let his fears about his family escape as well. The Montgomerys were strong and held on to each other with a ferocity that rivaled any grizzly. He didn't like leaving his sister here to do the brunt of the work, but the situation couldn't be helped. All he could do was leave the ranch in better shape than it was currently so she and the three remaining hands could take care of things when he had to return to California in twelve days. He watched Diablo run around for a few minutes before climbing over the fence and into the barn. The quicker he got this done, the faster he could get to Cody to see his father. Something told him there wouldn't be a lot of these visits left to him, so he planned on cherishing every one he could.

  Chapter 3

  If asked, most people would say Friday or Saturday was their favorite day. Not so for Miley. To her, Tuesdays were the best day of the week. She looked forw
ard to Tuesdays with the same single-minded focus of a kid waiting for Christmas. That was the day she dedicated to being in the clinic and working with small animals. She lived for Tuesdays.

  Topping off the travel mug of her favorite caffeine-laden citrus drink, Miley hopped down the three steps of her camper and locked the door. Old habits died hard for her, and she couldn't get into the habit so many had in this small community of 1500 by leaving her home unlocked. Pocketing her keys, she walked the thirty yards from her place to the back door of the clinic. She noticed one of the outdoor runs was occupied with a large calico dog. Squatting, she stuck her fingers through the mesh.

  "Good morning, Darby," she crooned softly. "You're looking much better today." Craning her neck, she noted the food bowl was almost empty. "Good appetite now. I think you're about ready to go home." She ran her fingers through the fur of the Australian shepherd's muzzle as the tail wagged happily. "Give me a few minutes to get situated. We'll get you checked over and call your mama."

  Standing, Miley pressed the code that gained her entrance through the back. It was one of the improvements she had implemented since taking over Pop-pop's practice. In an emergency, putting in a code was preferable to trying to juggle keys. That had been the case two days ago when she had been awakened at three am by a frantic Silva McMillan beating on the door of her trailer. Darby, one of their working dogs, was non-responsive. With her mind on her patient, Miley didn't have time to hunt down her keys. Those few minutes may not have made a difference, but then again, they may have.

  Miley walked through the clinic to the front room. Her veterinarian tech and only employee sat at the front counter watching the news playing softly on the television mounted on the wall. "Morning, Chloe."

  "Morning, Doc. We've got three appointments this morning including a neuter. It looks like we may be out of here by two unless something happens."

  Miley took a drink of her cup and grunted. Placing the mug on the counter, she leaned on it and watched a few minutes of the broadcast. They were still talking about the capture of that al-Bashir terrorist in the Middle East a couple of weeks ago by a team of Navy SEALs. She knew that people like that existed in the world, but it was so far removed from her reference it was almost fiction. It was said he masterminded the attack on a book convention in Phoenix earlier this year. Miley grimaced. She didn't know if she really believed that to be true. Why would a man living half a globe away care about a little book thing in the US? It was crazy.

  "Darby's ready to go home. Would you call Silva and let her know?"

  Chloe nodded and turned the channel to a local one. Standing, she stretched and placed the remote under the counter. "Ever figure out what was going on with her?"

  Miley shook her head. "It's like she was poisoned, but the contents of her stomach came back negative." She shrugged. "At first, I thought it was larkspur, but dogs aren't normally drawn to them like cattle are. Then I thought it might be intentional like anti-freeze but with the stomach contents negative, I don't know. She's doing much better now."

  "What about those places on her paws?"

  "Silva said Darby likes to climb rocks on the back side of their property, so I think it's scrapes that got infected. She perked up a lot after we cleaned them out and started her on fluids and antibiotics."

  Chloe nodded in agreement. "That reminds me. Did you ask Silva if it was true about her son and that Hollywood starlet?"

  "No, and I'm not going to. It's none of my business." Miley frowned.

  "Come on, Doc. That's all the town is talking about right now. Allen Bishop said he was at the feed store last month and saw the two of them drive through town together. He said they were in some fancy car all decked out." Chloe's eyes gleamed. "It was all over the news that night. Don't you think that's exciting?"

  "I think we have better things to do than to gossip about Allen Bishop's celebrity watch." Miley slapped her hand down on the counter. "And I think we need to concentrate on our own business. Go call Silva. And Chloe, when she gets here, I don't want you bringing up Ryker or Demma to her. Our concerns are with her animals, not her family."

  "Yes, Ma'am," Chloe sighed heavily. "I think it's amazing we know someone who has actually met the Demma St. John." She walked through the back toward the runs. "It's not like we get a lot of excitement around here, you know," she called out as she disappeared.

  Miley took a drink and chuckled to herself. She knew the rumor mill was cranking hard these days when it came to gossip surrounding Silva and Dean McMillan's only son, Ryker. If one believed them, Ryker was more than just Ms. St. John's personal guard assigned to her by some swanky publicity firm in Cali. She hadn't met Ryker, so reserved her judgment.

  The bell sounded, and she turned. A tall, thin man in his thirties walked through the door and pulled off his sunshades. Miley grinned largely and moved around the counter. "Jessie! I was asking Pop-pop about you a couple of days ago. He said he hadn't heard from you in a while. How are you doing?" She stepped up and hugged the man tightly.

  "I'm doing well, kiddo." He returned the hug and stepped back. "You're looking fantastic."

  "Not so much of a 'kiddo' anymore. What are you doing slumming in Wyoming? I figured you would have run so far away from here there would be smoke on your heels." She leaned back on the counter.

  He laughed as he looked around the place. "Yeah, well you know what they say, you can leave home, but home never leaves you. I miss being here."

  Miley was instantly transported back to summers gone by when a teenage Jessie schlepped for Pop-pop as first an errand boy and later a vet tech. She remembered too fondly the crush she had developed the year she was sixteen and watched him as he worked. If Jessie knew about her feelings, he never mentioned it. He'd left a few years ago to pursue his animal science degree.

  "So, what can I do for you?"

  "Right to the point, Miley. Some things never change." Jessie wrinkled his brow. "The truth is I came over to see if you needed some help. Granny had a massive stroke last month. I had to put her into a full care facility. The other cousins are pissed at me but none of them are willing to take her in, and she can't live alone anymore. In the meantime, the internship I had in Idaho has ended, so I'm in a state of flux. I was hoping I could find somewhere to light until this thing with Granny is taken care of. In the meantime, I have a lot of student loans to pay back, so even though I'm staying in her house, I can't afford to slum around. I called Doc. He said you were the head honcho now, so I came over to throw myself on your mercy."

  Miley remembered how much Jessie enjoyed working with Pop-pop out in the meadows and fields. He had an awesome manner, and people trusted and loved him. A warm feeling filled her as possibilities blossomed in her mind. With him here, she would be a little freer. As it was, she was tied to her telephone 24/7 with no time just for herself. She grinned. "Well, I dunno, Jessie. Do you have any references?" she teased.

  The look on his face made her snort out loud. "You may have graduated two years before me, but I've been working in this place a lot longer."

  "Joking, Jess. Of course, you have a job here. The only thing is, you know how things are around here. Busy, busy, busy for weeks then nothing for days. So, I can't afford to pay you a steady salary for an internship."

  His face fell for just a minute. "Well, hourly is better than nothing."

  Miley shook her head at him. "No, Jess, I'm not going to put you on hourly either. I was thinking more along the lines of contract basis. You work when you want and take some on-call nights so I can unhook the umbilical to the cell. Truthfully, I've been thinking about finding someone to help out a little just to give me a sanity break if for no other reason. I'll have to crunch some numbers, but I'm sure we can come to an agreement we both can live with. This way, when you're ready to leave, you'll have practical skills to go with the internship and tech experience. What do you think?"

  Suddenly, Miley was snatched into a crushing hug. "What do I think? Jeez, Miley, that's bet
ter than I could hope for. It's a win-win for me. Thank you so much."

  She disentangled herself from his grasp and took a step back. "Fantastic. I've got a few appointments in the clinic today. How about we meet at Ellie's for lunch and we'll hammer out the schedule and such?" She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket and thrust it into his hands. "Throw your number in there, and I'll call you when I get free."

  He took the device and programmed his number in then sent himself a text so he would have hers in return. Handing it back to her, he grinned widely. "Thanks again, Miley. Unfortunately, I need to take a rain check on lunch. I need to go take care of some things for Granny in Cody."

  "Give a guy a great job, and he brushes you off. I see how you are, Jessie."

  He chuckled. "No worries, I'll give you lots of opportunities to pay for my lunch." The smile fell. "Seriously, Miley, thanks. I don't know what I would have done if you had told me no."

  The door opened, and a middle-aged man walked in. Scuffing his old boots to dislodge a dirt clod onto the mat, he pulled a beat-up straw hat from his head. "Doc? You got a minute?"

  Miley nodded. "Hey, Yancy. Yeah give me just a second, I'll be with you." Turning to Jessie, she smiled again. "I'll see you later, okay?"

  Jessie turned and walked to the door. "Sure thing. I'll give you a holler when I get back in town. Good morning, Mr. Yancy."

  "Mornin', Jessie. Good to see you again. Tell your Granny I said hi."

  "Will do."

  After he left, she turned to her client. "What can I do for you, Yancy?"

  "I've got a couple of head that are off their feed. I was wondering if you could come by and take a look at them later?"

  "Of course," Miley said with what she hoped was sincerity. "It will be this afternoon; I have appointments scheduled today. Unless you think it's an emergency?"

  Yancy shook his head. "Nah, it can wait. Come on out to the spread when you get done. If I'm not at the barn, I'll be in the southwest pasture." He grinned at her. "By the way, I finally got around to clearing out that place in the northeast corner and found what looks like a cellar hole."