Page 14 of The Leaving Road

“Of course, I’m staying. I’ve already contacted the moving company, and our things should be here within the week.”

“How’d you know?”

She gave me a half smile. “I knew the second you called me here that we weren’t leaving for a while.”

I glared at her. “That’s impossible. Ididn’teven know I was staying then.”

“Sure.” Her smile irked me. “Just so you know, this town looks good on you.”

Instantly, my annoyance with her was gone, and I returned her smile. “Yeah, I think it does, too.”

“So, what’s on your agenda for the day? I’m thinking about crawling back into bed.” She yawned again, despite her half inhaling the cup of coffee in her hands.

“I was thinking of going into the local vet clinic and seeing Dr. Lewis. He gave me a job cleaning kennels and then as a receptionist, and then I spent a summer as his vet assistant. He always said he would hire me to work for him when I was done with school, so I wonder if he would be looking for help. I can’t promise to be there full time with getting this house back into a more livable condition and getting plans together for my own clinic, but I’d love to work something out where I could work part time. Then, I figured I’d start looking for a company who can assist in parts of the house you and I can’t do together. Preferably, one that does it all, so I don’t have to hire many outside contractors.”

“My gosh, Magnolia,” she grumbled, “I forgot how detail-oriented you are. Did you even sleep?”

“I see you are still the worst morning person imaginable. Maybe you should go get a few more hours while I visit Dr. Lewis and look for a contractor, then I can pick you up and we can get lunch in town if that sounds good?”

“Sounds great, sweetie.” She patted my head on her way out of the kitchen.

I scrubbed the remainder of last night’s makeup off and grabbed a shower, making sure to run a razor over all my important parts. Rushing through my skin and hair routine, I threw on some jeans I could work in and a comfy black T-shirt. I silently cursed myself for not packing a scrub top, but why would I have packed a scrub top when I had only planned on being here for two weeks, tops.

Jumping into my truck, I made the familiar drive to the vet clinic that sat on a few acres right outside of town. One of the reasons I loved this clinic was because it covered small animals, as well as horses, cattle, and wildlife. It sat nestled almost into the surrounding forest area and was beautifully built in the shape of an old wood cabin. It had that small hometown feel to it that made my body tingle with nostalgia and happiness.

Opening the door, the bell overhead dinged.

“Hi there. Just give us one minute, and we will be right with you!” a voice yelled from somewhere in the back, and I heard a bird squawk.

“Now, Mr. Featherington, you must sit still so I can check your wing. I promise, you not to hurt…” The squawking continued and became louder, and then suddenly, it was quiet.

“There, see? Was that so hard?” The voice belonged to Dr. Lewis, and I was glad he was in today.

“Yes, hello, sorry to keep you waiting.Damn bird,”a lady who was probably in her mid-forties said. She looked positively flustered after having to deal with Mr. Featherington, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s really no problem. I was actually hoping Dr. Lewis was in and had a few moments?”

“Sure, dear, no problem. Can I tell him who’s here to see him?”

“Oh sure, it’s Magnolia… Magnolia Evans.”

“Be back shortly. If anyone else comes in, can you tell them I’ll be up in a minute?”

“No problem,” I said as she left the reception desk and went into the back treatment area, only to return two minutes later with Dr. Lewis in tow. He had to be in his mid-fifties by now, and his previously brown hair was mainly white and he wore glasses, which he never had before.

“Magnolia! It’s wonderful to see you, just wonderful. I have a few minutes before my next appointment. Come on back, please.” He gestured for me to follow him back through the swinging door.

“It’s good to be back. I forgot how much I liked it here.” I was still taking in the clinic that had just furthered my love for veterinary medicine. Dr. Lewis had been an incredible teacher; he was always patient and kind, listened to the owners’ complaints, and was fair with assessments, always willing to work with what he was given. It was inspiring. I felt a pang of regret at leaving the way I did. I couldn’t see past my own hurt to realize that other people in town might be affected by my leaving.

“Not that I’m not thrilled to see you, but I must assume this is a business call. Especially since you’re here at barely eight a.m. on a Wednesday morning.”

“You would assume correctly. I seem to have found myself in Rockland for the foreseeable future, and I was wondering if by chance you were looking for some help?”

“Your dad told anyone who would listen that you had become a doctor.” He smiled, letting me know he was proud of what I had accomplished.

“Yeah, I’ve been working at a clinic in Iowa, mostly focusing on the cattle side of things, but I’ve never forgotten my roots.”

“Did you ever finish the wildlife certification part of your degree?”

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