Page 8 of Redeeming Harmony

Harper grinned happily. “You don’t have that one, right?”

Hal had collected vintage Wade figurines for as long as Harper could remember.

“It’s the last one I needed in the Endangered North American Animal Series IV,” Hal said.

“I know,” she said. “Dad sends me your spreadsheet every time you update it.”

He stared at the turtle figurine like a little kid staring at a bowl of ice cream. “I can’t… this is awesome, Harper.”

“I found it in some tiny, horrific smelling thrift shop in Brooklyn,” she said. “Cost me five bucks, even though I told the guy they went for a quarter at yard sales.” Harper laughed. “He told me to go buy it at a yard sale then.”

Hal carefully wrapped the figurine in the tissue paper before sliding it into the front pocket of his scrubs shirt. “Thanks, kid. This means a lot.”

“You’re welcome.” She glanced into her father’s office. “Is Dad around?”

Hal pointed to the surgical suite. “He just started surgery on Rocco Midson.”

“I thought that was this morning?” Harper said.

Hal grimaced. “He had to go out to Buchanan Ranch this morning. “King’s not doing well again.”

“Holy shit, King is still alive? I thought he was on death’s door before I moved to New York.”

“He’s been on death’s door for the last five years,” Hal said.

“Man, I don’t know why Tammy doesn’t put him out of his misery. He has to be what twenty-eight now?”

“Thirty,” Hal said. “And you know how Tammy is. She loves that horse. Hell, the entire town loves that horse. King’s practically the face of the Christmas parade, and Tammy’s determined he’ll be in the Falls Christmas parade one last time.”

King was a giant Clydesdale horse who’d dutifully pulled Santa’s sleigh every year for the last decade.

“Didn’t she say last year would be his last year in the parade?” Harper asked.

“Yes,” Hal said. “Anyway, Nathan offered to go out to the ranch, but Tammy insisted on it being your father. She doesn’t trust Nathan yet.”

“Why should she?” Harper said. “She knows nothing about him. Where is Dr. Henshaw, anyway?”

“Out at Whitaker Ranch. One of their horses cut his leg on barbed wire,” Hal said. “He should be back any minute, though. He’s got a two pm appointment with Princess Mappleton.”

Hal disappeared into the cat room and returned a few minutes later, holding a large orange cat. “I need to collect some blood from Pumpkin, and Allie’s helping your dad in surgery. You mind holding him for me?”

Harper joined him at the treatment table, rubbing Pumpkin’s forehead and smiling when the big cat purred and butted his face against her chin. “Hi, big guy. He’s cute. Who does he belong to?”

“He’s a foster with Little Whiskers Rescue,” Hal said as he brought over his supplies and laid them out on the table.

Harper held Pumpkin as Hal wiped a small area on the cat’s neck with an alcohol wipe.

“What do you think of Dr. Henshaw?” Harper asked.

“He’s a good guy,” Hal said.

Harper’s gut twinged with anxiety. She’d hoped to have Hal on her side when it came to Nathan. “Why do you say that? You barely know him, right?”

Hal shrugged as he felt for Pumpkin’s jugular vein. “He’s worked here nearly seven months. That’s long enough to get to know a man’s character.”

“Is it, though?” she said. “I mean, what do you really know about him other than he’s trying to force Dad into early retirement?”

Hal frowned at her. “He’s not doing that.”

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