Page 33 of Puck and Prejudice

“Do you know what that’s all about?” Flora asks.

“No clue.”

He stops suddenly and looks at me. “Never mind. I’m coming over.”

Still staring at me, he puts his phone away. “Where’s the vet?”

“Out to dinner. Why?”

He approaches the counter. “How far along are you in your residency?”

“Uh… I have a couple months to go. What’s going on, Jackson?”

“I have a mare in labor in my ranch, and she’s in distress. Can you help?”

My eyes bug out. “You own a horse ranch?”

“Yes, Izzie. I do. Now you can help me or not?”

I should tell him we should wait for Dr. Bustamante, but I end up saying, “Yes. I can handle it.”

“Let’s go then. It’s an hour drive.”

“Anhour? Will we make it in time?”

“I’ll make sure we do.”

ChapterFifteen

IZZIE

“We don’t have an equine vet truck here.” I tell Jackson.

“We’ll have to make do without one.” He veers for his car.

“That’s insane.”

He looks at me with the most anguished expression. “Are you saying there’s nothing in this clinic you can bring with you?”

Flora comes running with a large bag in her hand. “Here, take this.”

“There you go. Now let’s go.” Jackson veers for the door, and I rush after him.

He insists that we ride in his car. I don’t fight him. This is an emergency after all.

Once we get on the road, I understand what he meant by he’d make sure we arrived at his ranch in time. He drives so fast, my back is flat against the seat. It’s a miracle we don’t get pulled over.

He doesn’t say a word during the ride, and he doesn’t turn on the radio either. Oddly, the silence isn’t uncomfortable. He keeps his attention on the road, which gives me the opportunity to watch him without being caught.

His expression never wavers from tense. There’s no denying he’s worried about his horse. The fact that he asked formyhelp said as much. I know he doesn’t like me. The feeling is mutual. But I put my animosity toward him aside and empathize with his plea.

We arrive at the ranch in thirty-five minutes. There’s barely any illumination on the driveway save for the car headlights, and I see the outline of the main house only when we’re near the large building.

Jackson drives past the front of the house and keeps going down a gravel path that’s a little bumpy. I grab the oh-shit handle automatically. The lights inside the stables are on, and I can see that building better than I could the house. It’s also big, and my guess is that it can house at least a dozen horses. Jackson parks right in front of it.

“How many horses do you have?” I ask.

“Six.” He gets out of the car, and I quickly do the same.

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