Stray (8 page)

Megan left for lunch right after she ranted at me for being seen at the diner with Jon, so I had at least an hour of peace to look forward to. I stitched up the dog
’s ear and then flopped down in Megan’s chair behind the counter, too dispirited to go and clean the examining rooms I’d just used. It should have been Megan’s job when she got back, but fat chance.

The more I thought about her threat to tattle on me for my innocent but unwise encounter with Jon, the madder I got. I had no doubt she was serious this time, and it left me with more freedom than I’d felt before. I had all but given up the idea of taking my troubles with Megan to her father, certain he’d fire me if I complained about his spoiled darling. Now, what did I have to lose?

I looked at the schedule of the Simmons’ trips to town from their dig to replenish supplies. They had planned it precisely, knowing we couldn’t reach them by cell phone unless they were close to Cancun, or some other town large enough to have cell towers. This way, we could reach them on prearranged days unless an emergency made us send in heavy artillery. I was in luck, or I was if they were spending the night; this was one of their market days, but it was already mid-afternoon there, an hour ahead of our time. If they weren’t spending the night, they were gone again already.

Risking Megan walking in on my call, I dialed the number immediately. International calls were not part of my everyday experience, so I was nervous about it. When Chuck answered, I was so relieved to hear his voice that I almost cried before I ever started talking. It was an effort to pull myself together, especially when his first thought and question was for his daughter’s well-being.

“Yes, Megan’s fine. Well, as far as her health goes. I’m afraid her boyfriend dumped her, so she’s not exactly happy.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with those boys,” he complained. “She’s pretty, smart, and she has a comfortable future ahead of her. Why don’t they stick around?”

This was the time to tell him, because she’s a crazy bitch. But I didn’t. Instead, I started with what I thought would be the less volatile of my talking points.

“I don’t know, Chuck. But I have a couple of things I need to clear up with you. Got a minute?”

“Yes, of course. But keep it brief, these calls aren’t cheap.”

“Okay. First, a Jon Miles has been asking how to reach you. Megan thinks we shouldn’t give him your contact info, but I thought you’d better say whether you want to speak to him.”

“Miles? What does he want?”

“I don’t know, sir. I asked, but he wouldn’t say.”

“All right, I guess I can at least hear him out. Do you know how to reach him?”

“No, sir, but he usually comes to the clinic to visit with a dog he brought in after running over it. Don’t worry, we’ve got a good deposit for its care.” For some reason, I didn’t want Chuck to think badly of Jon, even though his daughter clearly did and I wasn’t sure.

“Don’t worry about that, he’s good for it. Okay, that settles it, we’ll spend the night here. If he comes in, give him my number. But make sure he knows he’d better call tonight, or he won’t be able to reach us for a couple of weeks.”

“Okay, thank you. The second question I have is whether I should be turning away patients if their owners are from the resort staff.”

“What? What gave you that idea? Of course not. Don’t ever turn away a patient.”

“Well, actually, Megan gave me that idea. She was rather upset that I was dealing with Mr. Miles, and gave me the idea that the town and the resort weren’t on speaking terms. In fact, I believe you’ll receive a call from her tonight regarding a chance encounter I had with him that turned into a date in the town gossip mill.”

Simmons had a hearty laugh at that, which relieved me some. “Well, I wouldn’t recommend Jon Miles to you as a steady date, if it came to that. He’s a bit of a player as I understand it. But Megan’s exaggerating. I’ll straighten her out. Anything else?”

I thought fast. If he wasn’t worried about what Megan was going to tell him, my job was safe, at least if she didn’t start complaining that I was making her clean messes. She probably wouldn’t do that since she knew very well that it was her job. But if I complained about her, I might be on shaky ground again. I decided to keep it to myself for now. At least I now knew what to do about treating the pets of the resort staff, and I knew I had been right to stay cool toward Jon’s advances, if that’s what they were.

As I thought about it, there hadn’t been a time I could remember when he was actually out of line. It was all in my head. He must think I’m a fool, I thought, warding off advances that he didn’t make. I resolved to take a deep breath and count to ten before making any more snap judgments or speaking without thinking it through. It wouldn’t stop me from thinking about him, but maybe it would keep me from making a fool of myself any more.

~*~

Megan came back from her two-hour lunch just before I called the police to report her missing. Okay, I wouldn
’t have done that, but I was seriously annoyed. Several patients had come in, which meant I had to leave the front unmanned while I took care of them. Someone could have come in and walked out with the cash register, since I couldn’t lock the door during office hours.

“It’s about time you showed up, Megan. When I told you to go get yourself some lunch, I didn’t mean in Boulder.” Before the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. There was never any point in baiting Megan, and she was better at it than I was.

“Yeah? But it’s okay for you to get a little afternoon delight on
your
lunch hour, with Jon Miles?” I gasped. That was so patently untrue that it was beneath even Megan, but she’d said it. Furious, I left the room, not trusting myself to speak. She followed me.

“Wait until I tell my dad. He’s in Cancun today, and I’m calling him right now.”

“Listen, you little witch. If you tell your father that lie about me, I will snatch you baldheaded, do you understand me? It’s one thing to refuse to do your job, undermine me at every chance and make yourself so unpleasant that I can’t stand to work with you. But that would be slander, and if your dad even scolds me about it, I will sue you.”

Megan turned white and opened her mouth for a retort, but I beat her to it. “Don’t say another word. Get out. Go back to your post and do your job, or I’ll be the one to talk to your dad about this.” If looks could kill, as they say, I would have been a greasy spot on the floor, but she did leave the room without speaking again. I slumped against the examining table, exhausted by my rage and by my impossible situation. What I’d just said to her meant all-out war, I was certain. Dr. Simmons couldn’t return soon enough for me. If I had to, I’d borrow money from my mom or my dad to move home.

Just before closing time, Jon showed up. I heard him say something to Megan and then he was there, looking annoyed and too hot to handle. I remembered my resolution and took a deep breath, but I only got to five before he interrupted my count.

“Do you ever want to take that girl over your knee and give her a good paddling?” The thought, echoing the very thing I’d said to Doc McGraw, was so delicious that it startled a laugh out of me.

“Frequently. What did she do?”

“Told me that I wasn’t welcome here and I should stay away until it was time to take my mangy dog home. She’s the second woman today to call Max mangy.”

I was appalled. “Please don’t pay any attention to her. I don’t know what her problem is, but you are certainly welcome to visit Max any time. And he’s not mangy. Who else called him that?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He turned to Max and began petting him through the wires of the kennel. “Would it be okay for me to take him out for a walk?”

“I don’t think he’ll be up for a long one. But if you want to take him out back for his afternoon constitutional, that would be okay.”

“Sure.”

Jon and Max went out back, while I peeked into the waiting room to see if any more patients had showed up. Megan was ringing up some dog food for a regular, but there were no patients in sight. As soon as the customer left, I confronted Megan.

“Megan,” I hissed. “You are not to be rude to any owner or customer, no matter where they come from. I spoke to your dad today, and that is his decision.”

“Fine,” she sulked. I turned away before I could see her actually stick her tongue out at me, afraid that if she did I would have to do something awful, like spray it with disinfectant to clean up her foul language. With nothing better to do, I got out the cleaning supplies and went ahead and cleaned up the examining rooms I’d used earlier, wishing that this day would end already. It felt like a week since I’d arrived at work this morning.

A voice in the doorway startled me into rising too quickly, which caused me to bump my head on the underside of the examining table. “Ow!”

“Sorry,” Jon said, though his twinkling eyes and amused tone belied the apology. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I wanted to know if you’d found out whether it was okay to give me Chuck’s contact information.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot. He said you’d have to call him today or wait two more weeks. I should have said earlier.”

A frown appeared between his eyebrows. “Is it too late to call?”

“Oh, no. He and Mrs. Simmons are in Cancun, and they’re spending the night. It’s only an hour later there than it is here. You could call from here if you’d like.” Now I was babbling again. It didn’t seem to matter how innocuous the encounter was, I either babbled, hurt myself, or got mad at him for no reason. I told myself to just hang in there while Max’s leg healed, and then I needn’t ever see Jon again.

Unfortunately, I knew I was in for at least a couple of months’ contact with him, because I estimated Max to be at least three years old. He wouldn’t heal as fast as a young puppy. He’d need an x-ray every couple of weeks to determine when the cast could come off, and there would be no point in looking for a permanent home for him before that. People didn’t want to adopt a dog that required expensive medical care right away. I would just have to do my best to tolerate the twin annoyances of Jon’s presence and Megan’s hostility toward him.

I had almost forgotten my offer to let Jon call from the clinic as these thoughts raced through my mind. He was looking at me oddly now. “What?”

“I asked if there were somewhere private to make my call from,” he said.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t hear the question. Of course, just pick any examining room. No one will disturb you.”

He threw me another puzzled look as he turned from the doorway and walked down the hall. I snorted. ‘Didn’t hear the question,’ how stupid. How could I not have heard the question? The examining room couldn’t have been more than ten by ten, and I was in the middle of it, less than five feet from the doorway. What was he doing here, anyway? He’d said he had appointments all afternoon.

 “Dr. Simmons, thanks for taking my call,” I said after a series of whirls and clicks that made me wonder if we were going to make a connection.

“Certainly, Miles. What can I do for you?” His voice was cordial, which gave me hope that I’d have a chance. It was getting to near-panic time if I couldn’t persuade him to let me have his proxy.

“It’s a little delicate, Dr. Simmons, but briefly, I’d like the opportunity to stop construction on the new resort hotel. If you agree that it’s a bad idea to build another one, you could help me do that.”

“Oh? I guess I haven’t been paying attention. They’re planning a new one?”

“Yes, sir. The announcement was in the last quarterly newsletter. You should have received one with your share statement.”

“Oh, I never read those things. Full of bragging about all the great stuff they’re doing. Far as I’m concerned, they’ve ruined that town. When we get back, I’m thinking of selling out and moving.”

“I agree they’ve—we’ve—not kept the promises my dad and Jamie McGraw made at the beginning. But, I don’t think it’s too late to salvage something, not unless they build this new hotel. I’m afraid it will be the last straw.”

“So, what is it you’re doing? Is Angus McGraw on board?” Here was the moment of truth. Simmons would normally follow McGraw’s lead, but he was talking to me and Doc wasn’t. I decided only the unvarnished truth would do.

“No, sir, he isn’t. Doc McGraw won’t talk to me, won’t take my calls. He even threw me out of his office this morning. But, I’ve gathered enough proxy votes that, with yours, I can succeed in forcing Bruce Egren out and take over myself, as long as Doc doesn’t vote against me. I’ll put a stop to the new hotel. I’m sure if Doc McGraw knew what I intend, he’d be on board, but I haven’t been able to get through to him.”

Simmons chuckled. “I wouldn’t be too sure. Your dad made some fancy promises, too. What assurances do I have that you’ll keep your word if I do give you my proxy?”

“How’s this? I’ll place in escrow your asking price for your clinic, no questions asked. If you don’t like what you see when you get home, I’ll close the deal and you can move, like you said. If you want to stay, that’s up to you.”

“Why don’t you just offer to buy my shares?” he hedged.

“Would you sell them?” I’d be happy to buy them, but his answer was what I expected.

“Hell, no. I may not like that damned resort, but I like the income. Are mine enough? Who else do you have?” I named a few small shareholders, as he snorted in derision at each name. Then I pulled out my ace in the hole. “Emily Padgett.”

“You got that old bat on board? How’d you manage that?”

“Well, she exacted a terrible price,” I laughed. “She made me apologize for all the rumors I started about her when I was a kid. Embarrassed the hell out of me that she knew. I actually like her. She’s something else.”  By the time I’d wound down, Simmons sounded as if he were having a fit.

“She’s something else all right,” he gasped. “God, I needed that laugh. Okay, you can have my proxy. But you have to do something for me, too.”

Uneasy, I hoped he wasn’t about to suggest I date
his
daughter. I may be a man-whore, but I draw the line at debauching underage girls. And as far as I’m concerned, they’re underage until they’re at least twenty-four, or ten years younger than me at a minimum. What he asked surprised me.

“I have a feeling my kid is giving the new vet a hard time. Could you nose around and see if everything’s okay? I’d hate to have to cut this trip short and come home to straighten things out, but Megan can be a handful. Can you do that for me? You can report to me in two weeks, when we’ll be back in Cancun.”

“No need,” I said. Maybe it was a risk, telling him like it was before I had the proxy papers in hand, but I’d seen his kid in full swing, and calling her a handful was like calling a hurricane a little breeze. “Your kid is rude, obnoxious and is driving the vet crazy. If I were you, I’d straighten her out. She told me flat-out that I wasn’t welcome at the clinic, and neither was my mangy dog.”

“Oh, that was you? Yeah, Erin told me about that, but it seems she downplayed it. I’m sorry, Miles, I guess I spoiled her. Okay, I’ll give my attorney a call tomorrow. Check with him the day after, and he should have your papers. When is all this going down?”

“Next board meeting, assuming I’ve got all the proxies that people have promised. I have to admit, I’d be more comfortable if I had McGraw’s, too. But I don’t see much chance of that.”

“If I have time tomorrow I’ll give him a call, see if I can soften him up for you. Get back to me in two weeks, let me know how things are going. And if Megan is rude to you again, tell her I’m going to dock her allowance.” He rang off, still laughing. I vowed that if I ever had a nineteen-year-old daughter who wasn’t in school, I wouldn’t be giving her an allowance.

I was almost home free. Granted, I didn’t have all of the paperwork, but if the people who’d promised expected me to deal straight with them, surely they’d deal straight with me. I was counting on that.

~*~

Erin was doing something in the supply closet when I stepped out of the room she
’d loaned me. Her back was to me, so I took the opportunity to get a good look at her from that angle, a fantastic view. She was as tall as I remembered noticing before, maybe five-eight, and had a healthy, athletic-looking body. It was the perfect ass that drew my gaze just then, though. I imagined it cupped in my hands, firm and ripe like a nice melon. Maybe she’d go to dinner with me this time, if I asked again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“Erin,” I said, then dived for the boxes of medications that went flying as she jumped half a mile. “Sorry! I don’t know why I’m always scaring you out of your wits. Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, breathing heavily, with a hand pressed to her chest, her arm nestled between her breasts where I’d like to put my face. “I just didn’t know anyone was there.”

I passed on reminding her she’d loaned me a room to make my call. Handing her the boxes, I tried on my most charming smile. At least, some women had told me it was charming. Between Ashleigh’s ball-busting, Megan’s inexplicable hatred and whatever it was about me that kept the vet so jumpy, I was beginning to lose confidence.

“Can I make it up to you? Have dinner with me.”’

The blush that spread across her cheekbones was lovely, but disappointing. She was going to turn me down again. Damn, what did I have to do to get to spend some time with her? Sure, I’d like to sleep with her, but right now I’d take an hour across a restaurant table, just to get to know her.

“I, I really don’t think I should,” she said, her head down.
Come on, Erin,
I thought
. Look me in the eye. Throw me a bone, here, I’m dying.

What I said was, “My timing must suck. Rain check?”

“Sure,” she said, her voice shaky. I didn’t get it. I really didn’t. Not to brag, but I’m not used to being turned down. She’d been like a cat on hot coals ever since I met her, except when we were discussing the dog or she was treating him. Then she was confident, all business and sexy as hell. Worth the pursuit; I’d just have to step up my game, as soon as I could break up with Ashleigh.

“Chuck had a request for me,” I mentioned, as if it were just a casual remark.

“Oh? What was that?”

“He wanted to know if his kid was giving you a hard time. I told him she was rude and obnoxious and was driving you crazy.” I wanted to get a rise out of her, and it worked like a charm. Her blush was back, her eyes wide and sparkling and her hand flew to her mouth.

“You didn’t!” she exclaimed.

“I did.”

“Oh, my God. What did he say to that? Did it ruin your business?”

“No, actually he got quite a kick out of it. But he did say he didn’t want to have to cut his trip short. I think he’ll be having a word with her.”

“Oh, no. That’ll probably make it worse. But thanks for the thought, you meant well.”

Shit, I just couldn’t win. I might as well go back to the resort, have a nice dinner by myself, and turn in. It appeared I wasn’t getting any action tonight.

It was just my luck that when I walked into the Eagle’s Nest on the top floor of my hotel I was almost mowed down by Ashleigh and two of her friends. Wonderful, a tag team. I steeled myself for the tirade, but it didn’t happen. I couldn’t believe my ears.

“Oh, hi, hon,” she purred. “The girls and I were just having an early cocktail. Is this where we’re eating tonight? You’ve been so busy, I feel like we’ve been ships passing in the night.” Ashleigh’s tinkling fake laugh punctuated the cliché.

“Um, yeah, I was just going to grab a bite,” I offered, not wanting to commit to a dinner date with her. Maybe she hadn’t been back to the suite to find my stuff gone. The last thing I wanted was a scene, especially when I was outnumbered. I wondered if we could ditch the harpy twins, her entourage.

“Oh, goodie!” Ashleigh gushed. “Just let me see the girls down to the lobby, and then I’ll be right back. Go ahead and get us a table.” Before I could dodge, she planted a wet kiss on my lips and groped my ass, making her friends giggle. There was nothing to do but get the table and wait. Maybe I could pass it off as a misunderstanding when we got back to the suite. I wasn’t sure exactly how I’d do that, but it was my only hope unless I wanted an ugly scene. If nothing else, at least the ugly scene would take place in private.

Ashleigh disabused me of that notion as soon as she returned to the restaurant. Instead of the giggling, flirty Ashleigh who’d performed the role perfectly in front of her friends, the harridan showed up.

“Just what are you playing at, Jon?” she hissed, thankfully keeping her voice down so the other diners didn’t notice. “Don’t think you can just move out of our suite into another room and leave me all alone in there! You move back in tonight or I’m telling Daddy how you’re treating me.”

One more risky action before I was ready—could I do it? Could I actually tell her to get lost and I didn’t care if she told Daddy? What would be the consequence? More immediately, what would be the advantage? True, I was getting tired of her tantrums. On the other hand, I didn’t have anything else going, since the elusive Dr. Timms had shut me down again. What was one more night with Ashleigh? Or two, or three? However long it took to get all of the proxy papers in my hands.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Your bags are gone from the suite. They told me at the front desk that you’d requested another room and your luggage was moved there.”

“What? No! There must be some mistake.”

“There certainly is, and you made it. Don’t try to deny it. But I’ll forgive you if you move back to the suite tonight. We’ve hardly spent any time together. I want you to make love to me.”

A sick feeling in my stomach took my appetite, but I’d dodged the bullet for now. How long I’d be able to keep up the pretense was anyone’s guess. Now I knew how streetwalkers felt, and they had my full sympathy.

The only way I could think of to perform was to pretend Ashleigh was Erin. Mentally, I apologized to Erin, even though it wouldn’t be the first time. It was a rotten way to treat the vet, whether she knew it or not. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. After dinner, I meekly sent for my bags and followed Ashleigh back to our suite, hating myself with every step.