Page 73 of Saving Veronica
“If you could give me a gist of whatever I did wrong, I would appreciate it.”
“It’s not you.” Maggie sighed. She stared off into space as she began. “As long as I can remember, Ronnie’s always wanted to be a vet. After her mother died, the animals helped her, it seemed like the animals were the ones to soothe her. Back then, Grady was like Ronnie is now.”
“How?” Finn frowned at the older woman.
“I was in my senior year of college. Dad and Grandpa owned and operated the business,” Grady said, as he entered with Gerald. Maggie jumped to her feet and poured them each a cup of coffee.
“Gerald had called Dad about a bird. They had no clue how to work on what they considered an exotic pet. They were used to farm animals, along with cats and dogs. I on the other hand, had just taken several courses in what we call exotics. They brought me out to Gerald’s to meet Kip.”
Everyone looked up when Captain flew into the room and landed on Finn’s shoulder. No one said a word as he settled in.
“Dad had told me about Bonnie, and told me to be kind to the little girl. Not that I wouldn’t have been, but she was such a cute little thing that it was no hardship making friends with her. She asked tons of intelligent questions. Around the time Ronnie was fourteen, my grandfather had passed. I had been in business with them for several years. One day she walked in, told us she was sorry for our loss, picked up a broom and started sweeping. When Dad asked what she was doing, she looked at him and said, ‘I’m your new hire. Someone has to clean up around here.’ That was how she came to work for us.” He shook his head in admiration. “When she said she wanted to go to vet school, I answered all her questions and told her the best one to go to. She continued to work on the weekends there, while going to school, then later, making this house livable, and starting the farm.”
“That’s all well and good,” Finn said as he scowled at the other man. “But that doesn’t tell me why she acted like she did when I told her she had to listen to you.”
“That man Major attacked?” Maggie picked up the tale. “She dated him for all of six months back when she first started the DVM program. He messed with her head big time.”
“How?”
“He told her she was too pretty to work with animals. That no man would ever want her if she smelled like horse shit all the time. He had her convinced that the only way to get a man was to do as he said. He even had drawn up a spreadsheet as to what classes she needed to take in order to be the perfect wife for someone like him. For a while there, I thought she would stop following her dream and listen to him.”
“What prevented her from doing just that?”
Gerald laughed. “Sarge. Back then, and still sometimes now, when Ronnie gets upset, she saddles up and heads up to the meadow. She was dating that guy back then and he had even had someone come out and give her an estimate on how much she could get for the farm if she sold it.” Finn noticed he and Maggie exchanged grins.
“What?”
“Wouldn’t happen. There’s a clause in Maggie’s parents’ wills that states she can’t sell it until she’s lived and worked the farm for fifteen years. Back then she’d only been doing it for two. When she came home from that trip, Hector and I were saddled and heading up to get her. Ronnie loses all track of time up there. Anyway, we were about ten minutes from leaving when we heard thundering hooves. Not like we did when Sarge chased all those mustangs down, but still, you get my gist.
“As we looked toward the trail, several things occurred at once. We were with my horses, a wild mustang came cantering down the hill, with Ronnie on its heels on one of my horses. She had a rope around the stallion’s neck. As you know, it’s quite a distance from the end of the trail to the barn, so Hector and I were able to open the paddock fence. While we did that, Steve pulled in with a realtor coming close behind. They got out of their cars to hurry over to watch us. Ronnie rode in behind the stallion, dismounted, and shocked us all when she calmed the horse enough to get the rope off him. With no lead, she led him to the water trough.
“She climbed out of the paddock, walked over to Steve and told him they were done, that she was who she was, and would never sell her farm. When she turned to talk away, Steve grabbed her arm and spun her around, but she came around with a closed fist and coldcocked him. Told him to take his friend and leave. The last words out of Steve’s mouth as he held his bloody nose in his hand were that she would regret not taking him up on his offer. That she was nothing without him. It was her duty as his girlfriend and future wife to do as he said.”
“Holy shit,” Finn said. Something dawned on him and he stared at Maggie in shock. “Is that the comment that she made when she held me hostage, about too bad I was a suit?”
“Probably. Ronnie made a vow that day that she would never seriously date a man who wore a suit to work every day. She wanted a man that had no problem mucking out stalls, and getting his hands dirty with the animals.”
“Shit.” Finn hung his head and realized that his relationship with Veronica was over before it had a chance to begin. There was no way he could step away from the foundation after asking his father and grandfather to wait for him to serve his country. Resigned to his fate, he sighed and stood. “Thank you for telling me this.” He called Major to him and they walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.
“Dammit,” Maggie mumbled, and sighed into the silence.
Chapter 25
Gerald and Grady walked into the hospital, and the first person they spotted was Lorna. She rushed toward them and grinned. “Thank god you’re here.”
“Why? What’s happening?” Gerald asked in concern.
“Nothing, but Ronnie hasn’t said one word since we got into the ambulance out at her place. I’ve known her for a few years, and when she gets like this, it tells me she’s pissed.” She sighed, then straightened. “Oh, she did grouse about who did Finn think he was trying to tell her what to do.”
“Yeah, we told Finn what that asshole Steve tried to do to her.”
“What was there besides him telling her she had to change her major at school and become a lady? Not that she already isn’t, but still.”
“He tried to sell her farm out from under her.”
“Oh shit.” Lorna stared in shock and held up her hands. “Say no more. Now I understand.” She looked around, and said, “I’ll take you to her.”
“Here,” Grady said, as he held out his hand and dropped her keys in them. “It’s parked out in the visitor lot next to Gerald’s truck.”
