Forever a Family

“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.”