Crashing Into Tess (9 page)

Jake could pretend
to Lotts he was just being neighborly,
but he couldn’t take his eyes off Tess. When he felt her leg
against his under the table, blood surged everywhere but his
brain. He’d committed her to memory, her rosebud lips,
which she bit nervously from time to time, the strong, thin,
sensitive fingers that had handled the branding tools with
such precision earlier at the ranch.

The heat between them was affecting her, too, he could
tell, and he remembered how she clutched his back when
they’d kissed.
I’m getting in deeper and deeper here.
Maybe I should just give in. She’s damn near perfect. But
she’ll be gone in spring, and by then, I’ll be head over
heels. . .

A dark shadow loomed across their table, blocking the
overhead light. “Tess!” Aaron said enthusiastically.
“Hi, Aaron,” Tess answered, flashing him one of her
high wattage smiles.
“How’s the truck running?” Aaron asked, ignoring Jake.
He motioned to the spot next to her, and Tess scooted over
to let him in. Jealous, Jake turned to the game on the
television over the bar. Noise escalated around the pool
tables, then loud cheers erupted. Alice turned the jukebox
up. The bar was packed three deep. Jake pretended to watch
the game, hearing less and less of what Aaron and Tess
were saying.
Might as well bide my time.

Lotts caught Jake’s eye and grinned.
A chickenshit
stallion would get up politely, and leave Tess with Aaron,
his expression said. Jake stayed put, nursing his beer,
ignoring Lotts’ I-told-you-so grin.
He’s just sorry he didn’t
put money on this.

Aaron stood up a few minutes later, speaking to Jake.
“I’m going to get Tess a drink, you want a beer, man?”
Jake looked down at the inch of beer still left in his
glass. “I’m fine, thanks.” When Aaron left, he slid around
the table into the booth next to Tess and caught her eye.
“You shoot pool?”
“Not while anyone is watching,” she answered,
crinkling her nose.
“Having fun?” He touched one of her curls.
“It’s okay,” she shrugged, gazing at him with big blue
eyes. They asked a question he wanted to answer. Alice had
turned the jukebox up, and the first strains of a Dave
Matthews tune broke through the honky-tonk. She smiled
at him from the bar, and when he recognized the song she’d
chosen, he grinned back.
Jake grabbed Tess’s hand. “C’mon, Crash.” Her eyes
flashed with laughter as she recognized the familiar
melody, and he led her to the open area in front of the
jukebox. “Let’s dance,” he murmured, pulling her close.
His hands strayed to her waist, and she giggled but
stayed with him, lithe and fine, golden liquid in his arms.
He spun her around and she broke into a self-conscious grin
as he caught her. Putting her arms around his neck, she
leaned close and whispered, “Jake, in case you haven’t
noticed, we’re the only people dancing here.”
“We’re doing just fine, Crash. This is our song,” he
answered as Dave Matthews crooned, whispering the words
to “Crash” near her ear. She rested her head on his shoulder
and her hair brushed his cheek. The thread of desire that
had pulsed all day unfurled, warm and insistent. He
grabbed a chunk of the curls cascading down her back,
closed his eyes and gently kissed her lips, her forehead, her
eyelids.
She’s got me.
When the song ended, he held her
waist and whispered, “You want to get out of here?”
“Maybe,” she nodded, her smile a yes. Aaron had
disappeared into a crowd at the pool table.
“Wanna catch a movie?”
“What’s playing?”
“We can find out. Headlight’s fixed in the truck.
C’mon, let’s go.” Jake grabbed her vest from the pole
above the booth and helped her into it, then shrugged into
his suede jacket and led her out the door.
Lotts won this
time, and he’s sure to let me know about it.

To:
[email protected]
From:
[email protected]
Date: Thursday, October 4 11:46 PM

Sammi~
Icebreaker!! At Last! I learned a ton at Jake’s ranch
today, and got to see Cassie ride, too. She is SO amazing
on her little pony! Jake bought me a burger for dinner at
Green Forks, Alice put Dave Matthews on the juke box and
after we danced.......yes, the ONLY couple dancing in the
bar..... to CRASH! Then, he took me to the movies and fed
me popcorn. Have no idea what the movie was about but
YUM, his lips taste great butter flavored. Sammi, Green
Junction is the scariest thing I’ve ever done. I’m finally on
my own here, and now it’s starting to feel like I might even
belong! YES!

Tess pressed “Send” and climbed into her pajamas.
Snuggling under her down comforter and quilt, she could
still feel Jake’s soft flannel shirt on her cheek. The day at
the ranch had been amazingly special. When Jake pulled
her against him to dance, she’d felt something snap
between them, something concrete, and irrefutable.

He was so careful and measured with her, contained,
like he was holding back, but safe, too, and solid, his liquid
eyes so affectionate and tender. It scared her, but she
wanted more. Hugging the covers around her, she tried to
sleep.

To:
[email protected]
From:
[email protected]
Date: Friday, October 5, 1: 26 am

Tess,
In a city with 10 eligible men per square foot, I’m stuck
w. blind dates that go nowhere. You’re in “no man’s land”
and turning them away. Makes me want to head for the
mountains!! Keep up the good work, girl ~ Love, Sister
Sam

Early Saturday morning, Tess’s cell rang. “Hey, Tess. I
just finished feeding horses. What are your plans for the
day?”

She felt her pulse quicken. Jake’s voice was as warm
and gentle as it had been Thursday night.
Calm down, silly.
“I’m just about to take Rhiannon for a run in the park.
Alice and I are at the clinic till noon, but after that, no
plans,” she said.
“The Green Junction pass up to the Sawatches will only
be open another week or so before it’s snowed in for winter.
There are some real pretty views up there. I wondered if
you and Rhiannon would like to ride up to take a look at it
with Van and I this afternoon?”
“Sounds great. I’ll be finished at the clinic around
noon.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you there. We can grab lunch at the
diner, then head up to the mountains.”
Tess arrived early to the clinic, but there were already
three cars in the parking lot; two emergencies and her first
appointment. She sutured and bandaged an Irish Setter with
a deep splinter and torn front pad while Alice tranquilized a
barn cat, a large unneutered male that had tangled with a
raccoon. Bea came in as Tess and Alice were inoculating a
new litter of eight Saint Bernard puppies. By the time Vicki
dropped Cassie off at nine, things were really humming.
“So, Dr. Tess, we are really busy today,” Cassie
announced importantly as she lead an older, balding man
with a cat carrier into the examining room.
“I don’t know what we’d do without you this morning,
Cass,” Tess said, giving the little girl a gentle squeeze
before lifting the cat carrier onto the high stainless steel
table.
“Now then, Mr. Zweigstich, let’s see to Harris.” The
man’s brow was furrowed with concern; his bushy
eyebrows almost met in the middle. She glanced at the
chart Alice handed her. The cat had been vomiting, but the
diagnosis, hair balls, was an easy one. “He’s a long haired
indoor cat, Mr. Zweigstich, have you tried wheat grass?”
“Wha-ell, the Doc suggested it, but ah forgot t’ tell the
Missus about it. Seems strange, but we’ll have t’ givvit a
try.”
The morning was a whirlwind, but somehow the four of
them managed to keep up. At ten-thirty, the tomcat caged in
the back room started to howl. “Did you weigh him before
you sedated him?” she asked Alice, alarmed.
“I did my best, Tess. He’s close to eighteen pounds. The
dose of sedative should have knocked him out for four
hours.”
“Yikes. Well, maybe he’ll settle down. Let’s give him a
few minutes.”
By eleven, the tomcat was on a screaming for
vengeance concert tour. “Okay, he’s a one cat Judas Priest
show back there,” Tess said. “It’ll back up the rest of our
appointments, but we don’t have much choice. It sounds
like we’re running a torture chamber back there. Let’s book
a room and sedate him again, Alice.”
“Do you want to do the castration now, too?”
“Did his owners feed him this morning?”
“They said just a bit of fish, to bribe him into the
carrier.”
“We might as well. Can Bea handle the desk? I’ll need
an extra set of hands.”
Tess and Alice worked quickly, but stitching and
castrating the tom took the better part of an hour. The
waiting room was standing room only when they’d
finished, and all the examining rooms were filled.
“Yikes, I’ll ask Bea to stay at the front desk, and help
you get caught up back here,” Alice offered. She
disinfected tables, dispensed medication and drew blood,
while Cassie ferried patients to the examining rooms. At ten
minutes past noon, they had almost caught up. Tess saw
Jake’s truck pull in behind the clinic. When she led her
patient out, he was standing in front of Alice’s desk.
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” Cassie asked,
clearly pleased.
“Ah, I needed to grab some wormer for the horses.
We’re out at the farm,” Jake said smoothly, pulling his
daughter up into his arms.
Her hands wrapping his neck, Cassie kissed his cheek.
“What a nice surprise. And you shaved. Your cheeks are
smooth, and you smell good.”
smooth, and you smell good.”
dose pack?” Alice asked, glancing towards the parking lot
nervously. Vicki’s car pulled in. Heavily made up, she
slammed her car door and marched up the ramp, sky high
heels clacking.
Tess guided a little boy and his mother with their
guinea pig into the closest examining room. “So this is
Sylvester?” she asked the little boy, taking the brown and
white spotted cavy from his carrier and nestling him in her
palm.
“Uh-huh,” the little boy replied shyly. “He needs his
teeth clipped, we think.”
Flashing an encouraging smile, she stroked the little
rodent’s back and said, “Hmm, well, let’s just have a look.
Could you hold Sylvester, Jimmy?”
Setting the guinea pig on the table, she pulled up gently
on the skin around its incisors, trying to ignore the
commotion in the reception area.
“Just what is going on here?” she heard Vicki screech,
and wished she’d left the tom cat until last.
He’d drown out
Vicki’s squalls, anyway.
“See, those are the little pouches where he holds his
food,” she said to the little boy.
“He has chubby cheeks,” Jimmy agreed.
“His teeth could use a bit of attention,” Tess agreed,
“Does Sylvester mind having them filed?”
“Doc’s done it before,” Jimmy’s mom smiled.
Tess heard Bea’s low calming voice pass the examining
room door as she walked Vicki to the back. “Mom, what
are you so upset about?” Cassie asked tentatively. They
were right outside the door now, and Tess heard Vicki snap,
“You wouldn’t understand, Cassie. Please, get your things
and wait for me out front.”
“I’ll just grab a small file and clippers for his toes, then,
okay?” Tess asked, and Jimmy and his mom nodded.
Darting into the dispensary, she was surprised to find
Vicki seated at the table, a big purple leather purse open at
her feet. Vicki glared at her. Flashing a quick smile, Tess
rooted nervously through the drawers until she found her
tools. Back in the examining room, she nipped the little
rodent’s nails and hit his teeth ever so gently with an emery
board. After she’d finished, she gently tucked the little
guinea pig back in his carrier.
“Thank you, Doctor Tess,” Jimmy smiled, picking up
Sylvester’s carrier.
“You bet, Jimmy.” She walked Jimmy and his mother
out to the reception area, where Cassie waited in her coat
and hat. Holding her backpack, she looked upset and
anxious.
Tess disinfected her tools and stepped back into the
dispensary, surprised to find Vicki still there. Startled to see
Tess, Vicki snapped her big leather bag shut and brushed
past her rudely, face averted. Once in the hall, Vicki called
sharply, “Come on, Cassie, we’re leaving!”
Why was Vicki still back here?
Feeling unnerved, Tess
tucked her tools into the drawer and moved to where Vicki
had been standing. The glass cabinet door was unlocked,
partially open. When she saw what was behind the glass,
her breath caught.
Tranquilizers and barbiturates.
Disturbed, Tess slid the door shut, locked it, and walked
briskly down the hall.
Vicki stood in the reception area, fumbling with the
buttons on her fancy long coat. Jimmy’s mom was finishing
with their bill, and she and Jimmy moved towards the door,
waving goodbye to Cassie. Cassie waved back, then
crossed her arms and pouted, clearly unhappy.
She’s been
waiting for her mother for some time.
Purse over her
shoulder, Vicki tossed her hair. “Okay, let’s go, squirt.”
Flinging herself forward, Cassie wrapped her arms
around Tess. Tess touched her woolen cap, meeting the
little girl’s troubled eyes. “Thanks for your help, today,
Cass,” she said.
Vicki grimaced, and rolled her eyes impatiently, while
Bea hurried out, a bill folded in her hand. “Here, Cassie,
Doc wouldn’t forgive me if I forgot to give you this. See
you during the week?”
Vicki’s eyes flashed.“I’m not so sure she’ll be by this
week, Aunt Bea.” Her lipstick’d mouth twitched and she
motioned towards Tess. “We better just see you and Doc at
the house, for awhile. I’m not sure the clinic is the best
place for her to visit.”
Cassie, her arms still tangled around Tess’s waist,
looked crestfallen. Tess saw regret in Bea’s eyes.
“Whatever you think best, dear. Doc and I are always
glad to see you.” Hastily tying her coat belt, Bea continued
smoothly, “I’ll walk you out. Good-bye girls, thanks for
your help today.” As she waved to Alice and Tess, Bea’s
eyes flashed apology. Tess felt terrible as she watched a
dejected Cassie walk to her mother’s car.
After the door had closed, Alice exhaled. “Whoa. I
don’t remember twenty minutes that tense around here,
ever. It was a crazy morning to begin with. Count on Vicki
to ratchet things up to a full boil. Poor Cass.”
“Cassie was stuck square in the middle,” Tess said
uncomfortably. “I can’t believe her mother won’t let her
come by anymore. I can probably kiss visits at my
apartment good bye, too. Maybe dating Jake isn’t such a
good idea. I never wanted to cause trouble for Cassie.”
Alice eyed her sympathetically.“Tess, Vicki will always
be a handful. It’s no fun for Cassie, but remember, you’re a
bright spot for her. That little kid adores you, and Jake
needs a life too. I saw the way he looked at you when you
two were dancing Thursday night. You’ll just have to
decide if putting up with Vicki is worth it. I wish I could
say something more hopeful, but honestly, I doubt it will
get much better.”
Chagrined, Tess tidied up the lab and checked on the
tom cat, thinking hard about what had happened. She felt
terrible about how callous Vicki had been to Cassie, the
hurt she’d seen on the little girl’s face.
Is any of it worth it,
if Vicki hurts Cassie and Jake because of me?
She wanted
to tell Alice about Vicki’s strange behavior in the
dispensary.
But what did I see, really? If I say something, it
might seem to Alice or Bea that I’m making trouble for
Vicki.
The sound of Jake’s truck engine cutting out, the front
door opening and closing made her stomach clutch.
It will
be hard enough to see Cassie from now on. It’s probably
not worth the fuss.
She threw her lab coat into the laundry bag. Alice
bustled back, handing Tess her jacket and knapsack. “I’ll
finish, here, you get going.”
“Um, Alice? I noticed the medication doors were open
in back today. I know we were really busy, but let’s make
sure we keep those cabinet doors locked, okay?”
“You’re absolutely right, Tess. Keeping the key in the
drawer just below isn’t safe. I’ll get wrist holders
tomorrow. We can wear the keys from now on.”
“I think we should Alice, thanks.”
Still feeling tense, Tess walked into the reception area,
shrugging into her jacket. With a quick, apologetic smile,
Jake took her knapsack, grabbing her hand. Tess saw Van in
the back of the truck, smiling and wagging his tail.
“I sure didn’t mean to cause a commotion in there,”
Jake said as he opened the truck door for her.
“It was unfortunate, especially for Cassie,” Tess
answered, tossing her bag on the seat and climbing in.
Holding the door, Jake met her eyes soberly. “Was
Vicki really hard on her?”
“I’d say so.”
“Vicki was tearing for a fight from the second she
arrived, that’s for sure,” Jake said, shaking his head. He
shut Tess’s door, walked around the front of the truck and
climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Vicki won’t let Cassie come back to the clinic this
week,” she said quietly as he put the key in the ignition.
She wanted to be diplomatic, but she couldn’t hide
anything, either.
“What?” he looked stunned.
“Vicki told Bea Cassie wouldn’t be back for awhile.
Maybe we should skip the diner. The way Vicki looked at
me, it was clear I was the problem. I don’t want to cause
any more trouble for Cassie. She’s devastated already.”
“Tess, I am so sorry.” He thrummed his hands on the
steering wheel, eyes sober. “Look, I know you’re upset. I
am too, but let’s not let Vicki ruin the rest of our day. It’s
beautiful out. Do you want to head up to the mountains?
We won’t have too many more of these days the road closes
for winter.”
Remembering the almost desperate way Cassie had
hugged her when she said goodbye, Tess couldn’t forget
what she’d seen in the dispensary.
Should I say something
to him about it? He’s trying to make the best of it, and that
would just open another can of worms for him. I wish I was
clearer about what happened.
“I’ll call over for a pizza. We can grab it on our way out
of town, and picnic in the truck, okay?”
The road into the Sawatch Mountains doubled back and
around, climbing higher and higher. Her ears popped as she
balanced the warm pizza box on her knees.
Close to the tree line, Jake pulled into the lookout.
They were surrounded by deep white snow, shimmering
sunlight and the bluest of skies.
It’s mesmerizing.
They sat in the warm truck, munching pizza, looking at
the wide, picturesque valley spread far below, and she put
the stress of the morning aside.
Leaning over, Jake wiped a bit of tomato off her chin
with his napkin. “I’ve got snowshoes in the back, Crash,
when you’re ready to go. There’s another lookout just
above us, less than a mile up the trail.”
“Wow, there’s more? There’s so much to see from
here.”
“Lots more. C’mon, you ready?” He helped her adjust
the snowshoes to her boots, handed her poles, and they
started up the switchback to the first lookout. “It’ll be
avalanche season up here before too long.” Jake looked
towards the steep inclines above them. “There won’t be too
many more hikes, but you’ll be fine shoeing in the park for
the winter, if you like it. There are trails at the ranch I can
show you, too.”
The dogs stayed nearby, barking and playing in chest
deep fresh powder. When they’d reached the lookout, he
handed her binoculars and stood behind her, pointing out
landmarks in the foothills, the different ranches she knew in
the valley.“See the old rail line below the interstate over
there, where it cuts through the mountain?”
She adjusted the focus. “Wow, I see it!” He pointed out
other spots in the village. She saw the spires of the
churches in town, and the cupola of borough hall, the diner
and even the tall white Victorian where she lived, all in
miniature so far below.