Cowboy Doctor

“Oh, no. I need the walk. We’ll see you in the dining room at seven for a special dinner to kick off the summer season. And remember, come on over to the ranch house anytime if you need someone to talk to. I know there are times when I do.” Fran put the front door key on the table before leaving.

That sounded like a lonely statement to Tracey.

While mulling it over, she walked into the bedroom with its two twin beds, dressers and closet. The other door of the main room led to the bathroom. She liked the blue-green-and-white-plaid decor of the cabin.

A painting of the Sapphire Mountains hung on the log wall over the small couch. With a mini fridge, microwave, TV and internet, she would be perfectly happy here.

The first thing she did was sit down at the table and call her parents. Most of all she wanted to thank her grandpa and tell him about the daisies John had left for her. After a tearful conversation with him while she expressed her gratitude, Tracey freshened up and drove her car over to the barn to unload her saddle and gear.

A sandy-haired guy who looked to be college age caught sight of her. “Hey—need help?” He walked up to her with a smile you couldn’t miss. “I’m Grady Cox.”

“Hi, Grady. I’m Tracey Marcroft and will be helping on the trail rides. If you could show me the tack room?”

“Let me carry your saddle.”

“Thank you.” She brought the rest of the gear and followed him through the long barn to the end room. “Were you hired for the summer?”

“That’s right. I’m a student at Montana State. This will be my third year working with the horses. Occasionally I help on the trail rides, too. Are you from around here? In college?”

She chuckled. He worked fast. “I graduated from the University of Montana two years ago and teach elementary school in Polson.”

He shook his head. “I never remember having a schoolteacher who looked like you. This has to be my lucky day.”

She smiled, but she wasn’t attracted to him, and put her gear away, not wanting to give him any encouragement by responding. “Mr. Hunter told me Wes is in charge of the stable. Is he on duty? I need to pick out a horse I can ride while I’m here.”

“I’ll help you do that while he’s gone.”

“Will it be all right?”

“That’s my job. Do you have a preference?”

“Not really. I’m sure Mr. Hunter wouldn’t have anything but the best horses.”

“You’re right about that. Why don’t we walk to the corral? Any one of the quarter horses out there would be a great choice for you. I’ve been exercising them. Of course, we have more here in the barn if you want to look them over, too.”

“Thank you.”

She was glad he had other things to do and left her alone in the corral. For the next hour, Tracey examined each horse and walked it around. She took her measure of the three mares: a sorrel, a black and a bay. The three other horses were geldings, all of them buckskins.

When she’d finished, she walked into the barn to look over the other horses before she made a decision. When she came to the dun gelding, she knew the splendid horse was the one she wanted, and Tracey walked him out of his stall to the corral.

But as she was leading him around, she noticed his right front leg was limping a little. That wasn’t good. She lifted his hoof to inspect it. When she applied pressure to the sole, the horse let out a distressed grunt.

“You poor thing.” She patted his neck to settle him before calling to Grady, who’d gone out to the corral. “Come and look. This horse is in pain.”

He walked over with a frown. “That’s Wes’s horse.”

“Oh! I thought all the horses were available.”

“Sorry. Not Chief. I should have said something. He’s off-limits.”

“Still, he’s limping and needs attention.”

“I’ve never noticed him do that before. Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“You’d better take him back to the stall. I’ll talk to Wes about it as soon as he shows up. He went to town several hours ago.”

“I’m afraid something should be done soon,” she said, as she slowly walked him back inside. “Chief needs a vet, don’t you, boy?” She hugged his neck.

Grady watched her, looking uncertain and upset. “I’m sure you’re right.”

“Tell you what. I’m going back to the ranch house now to talk to John about this.”

“Maybe you should wait for Wes.”

Why did he seem so hesitant? “What if he can’t get back right away? The horse needs help. John will know what to do.”

Surely Grady Cox didn’t want to see the horse suffer. You needed to be proactive to keep animals safe and healthy. She’d learned the same thing working with children. When something went wrong, you didn’t wait. “Thanks for your help, Grady. See you later.”

“For sure. I assume you’re staying in one of the cabins for the summer, too.” His eyes played over her with the kind of male interest she didn’t want. Since they’d be forced to work together over the summer, she needed to establish a boundary now.

“Yes. I’ve already settled in.”

Without hesitation, she hurried to her car and drove to the ranch house. When she walked in, no one was at the front desk. Tracey took the initiative and walked around the counter to John’s office. To her frustration, he wasn’t there, either.

She went back outside to her car. Dinner wouldn’t be for another hour. The only thing to do was return to her cabin and change. Because they were having a special welcome dinner, she decided to wear her denim skirt and a Western blouse with snaps.

Though she couldn’t bear to see an animal in pain, she had no choice but to wait until then. Hopefully, Wes might have returned and Grady would have already told him about Chief. By now she hoped their vet would have been called.

At five to seven she drove back to the ranch house, where the family had started to gather in the big dining room. She spotted John behind the counter and rushed over to talk to him.

He gave her a big smile. “Have you had a good afternoon?”

“It’s been terrific, but I’m worried about one of your horses.” She told him what she’d discovered. “Wes wasn’t there, but I pointed out the problem to Grady.”

His brows met. “Grady didn’t know he was limping?”

“No. He seemed surprised.”

“Well, you’re absolutely right. Chief needs a vet, but I don’t know that much about the one we’ve just inherited. Our old vet passed away recently. Still, I’ll call him now. Come in the office with me before we have dinner.”

Tracey followed him down the hall, gratified because he recognized the emergency situation and would take care of it. She sat down and listened while he looked up the number on his computer and made the phone call.

In a minute he hung up and shook his head. “Dr. Cruz isn’t available until Monday.”

“Does he practice here in Hamilton?”