Page 12 of Call it Fate

She winked at me. “Don’t you fret if you can’t remember. The schedule is posted on the door, and the girls are good about reminding you of appointments for the following day so there are no surprises.”

“You really stay that busy here?”

“Usually. Harold’s the only vet for over twenty miles, except for Brian Reeves, and he specializes in large breeds. They fill in for each other on vacations.” Her laugh was hearty. “But, oh, honey. Just wait. We’ll be booked solid for the next week.”

I was alarmed. Was there a rabies epidemic or contagious virus going around? “Why?”

“Because everyone is going to want to check out the handsome new vet!”

Lord help me. “But I just got here. No one even knows me.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Welcome to small-town living, Doc. People knew about you before you even crested the mountaintop.”

Everyone except Emalee.She had certainly been surprised. “Well, I hope I don’t disappoint them.”

The front door opened, and a pretty, young redhead walked in followed by a middle-aged woman who looked like she might be of Native American descent.

“Ah, Sarah, Kathy, come meet the new doc.” She introduced me to the two techs before they hurried off to set up for the day. Another girl breezed in a minute later, and I met Lucy, the receptionist.

“You’ve got about thirty minutes before our first appointment,” Wanda said. “I’ve had the phones turned off so we wouldn’t be interrupted, but I need to switch them over. Let me know if you need anything, Doc!”

The morning moved quickly with steady appointments of typical pet checkups and vaccinations. I was amazed to find the clinic as busy as it was. I didn’t know how to separate the curious from the routine clients, but as long as they were willing to take good care of their pets, I didn’t care. All of them were friendly. After a takeout lunch the staff insisted upon as a welcome, the rest of the afternoon passed in the same manner.

When I arrived, I figured I’d be bored. Instead, I’d been seeing one patient after another, mostly wellness checkups, but also a dog with an infected scratch from crawling under a barbed-wire fence, a pregnant cat, and an old dog that I suspected had cancer, but I didn’t share that with the family until I could confirm it with blood tests and other lab work.

There was only a half hour until the office officially closed as Wanda shut the door behind John Harmon and his arthritic golden lab, Trixie, with a bag of new pain meds. I’d assured John that I thought they would help Trixie more than what she was currently taking.

“You did good, Doc!” Wanda said. “I can’t wait to tell Harold all about how you managed to get a urine sample from Abe Smith’s cat. I swear, that animal has the disposition of a honey badger with PMS on a Monday under a full moon!” She shook her head.

I chuckled at her description. I hated to agree, but that cat was something else. Fortunately, I was quick with a towel and had it gently but firmly wrapped before it could scratch me more than a couple of times. “Hopefully, her temperament will get better once we know what’s going on with her.” I headed toward the back of the clinic. “By the way, can you label those labs as a rush for me?”

“Sure thing, Doc.”

At least some things around here worked the same.

Finishing up some paperwork, I heard the bells of the front door chime. Frowning, I glanced at my watch. Wanda’s raised voice reached me in the back.

“Tilly, you know you can’t bring that animal in here.” I’d only known Wanda for a few hours, but in all the craziness of the day, I hadn’t heard anything but calm and patience from her.

“Don’t you tell me what I can and can’t do, young lady. Doc Coleman never turned me away.” The woman’s voice was sharp.

“Doc Coleman isn’t here, and Icantell you what you can and can’t do since I’m running the front desk.”

“Hmph. Isn’t that just like a man. Always around when you don’t want one, never around when you do.”

I’d never witnessed a catfight—either the four-legged or the two-legged version—and I wasn’t up to it now. I hurried out to the front desk where Wanda and the other woman were standing with their hands on their hips and scowls on their lips.

The other woman was smartly dressed in black pants, a black sweater that I thought might be cashmere, and strands of pearls dropping down behind a colorful scarf. Black designer sunglasses were pushed to the top of her head, and her manicured hand rested on top of a cat carrier that she’d placed on the counter between us.

I knew it was judgy on my part, but she looked more like someone I’d see back in Raleigh, not here.

“Can I help you?” I asked, coming to stand next to Wanda at the desk.

“No,” Wanda said at the same time the other woman said, “yes.”

“Doc, it’s the end of the day, and she doesn’t have an appointment. Besides, she—”

I held up my hand. “Wanda, please lock the door so we don’t have any more walk-ins.” Her eyebrows rose behind her bangs. “I know it’s late, but it’s what I’m here for.”

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