Page 24 of Saddles and Snowstorms
The silence stretched between us, filled with all the things we weren’t saying. In the truck, Hank whimpered softly, drawing Rowan’sattention. He immediately stepped forward, checking on the dog one more time.
“He’s just coming out of the sedation,” he murmured, his fingers gentle as they stroked Hank’s head. “It’s normal for him to be a little disoriented.”
I watched his hands, those careful, skilled hands that had just spent hours fixing my dog. The same hands that had brushed against mine when we sat together at the diner. The same ones that had gently and carefully examined the scar on my shoulder.
“Listen… do you… want to get lunch sometime?” I asked. “I feel like I need to make it up to you.”
Rowan lifted his head, a look of surprise on his face. But just as soon as it appeared, it was gone, replaced with that cold professionalism he was so good at. “You don’t need to make anything up to me,” he said, taking another step back. “Now get this dog home and comfortable before he wakes up fully.”
I hung my head. “Right.”
Rowan couldn’t be any clearer than that. I felt a little hurt that he wouldn’t even give me a chance. But if I was in his position, I wouldn’t have given me a chance either. I didn’t deserve it. I’d been hot and cold to him ever since we met, never giving him a straight answer. Even after all the times he’d been out to my farm, I still didn’t know a damn thing about him because I was just too plain scared to even attempt.
I climbed into my truck, careful not to jostle Hank too much. The engine roared to life, headlights cutting through the darkness. Rowan stood there, backlit by the clinic’s fluorescent glow, watching us. I couldn’t read his expression, but something in the set of his shoulders made my chest tighten.
Just as I was about to pull away, he stepped forward, rapping his knuckles against my window. I rolled it down, heart jumping in my chest like some goddamn teenager.
“Call me if his breathing changes or if he seems to be in excessive pain,” Rowan said, all business. “And...” he hesitated, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, scribbling something on the back. “My personal cell. In case of emergency.”
Our fingers brushed when I took the card, and this time I didn’t imagine the slight tremor in his hand.
“I will,” I promised, tucking it carefully into my shirt pocket. “Thanks again, Doc.”
He nodded once, then stepped back, arms crossing over his chest. I pulled away slowly, watching him in my rearview mirror until he was just a silhouette on the horizon.
Chapter 9
Rowan
Snow in Texas was the last thing I expected when I woke up that morning. However, there it was, dancing on the breeze outside my window. It seemed like such an odd thing until I remembered I wasn’t in Austin anymore. Sagebrush was a full five hundred miles north of my old life and that probably meant at least a few changes in the weather. Still, I had almost no experience with the stuff, so I figured I better keep things close to home for the day.
It turned out, I wasn’t the only person in Sagebrush thrown off by the white stuff collecting on the grass. Several businesses in town shut down for the day and all my large animal clients called to reschedule. Before noon I found myself sitting in my own waiting room, thumbing through back issues of dog training magazines out of sheer boredom.
It was about the time I was working my way through the fifth magazine I’d picked up that the bell over the door rang as someone stepped inside. A blast of freezing cold air announced their presence before I looked up. I was met with brown eyes, long dark hair, and a cowboy hat dusted with snow. It was Dakota, Logan’s boyfriend I’d met the other night down at Dolly’s.
“Hey there, Doc,” he said, tipping his hat.
“Hey Dakota,” I replied, looking side to side for some sort of critter on his heels. “Somethin’ wrong? Is your horse acting up?”
“Nah, Sogwili is fine,” he nodded. “Logan and I were having lunch over at the diner and saw your lights on. Nobody is out in this weather, so we figured you could come have lunch with us.”
“Oh…” I paused for a moment, taken aback by the sudden invitation.
“You don’t have to?—”
“No! It’s not that,” I smiled. “It’s just… weird to have friends I guess.” I shook my head. “That sounds sad. I just mean it’s nice to finally know some people around here.”
“Is that a yes, then?”
“Absolutely.” I hopped up from my seat, grabbing my phone off the counter. “Just let me close up real quick.” I walked over to the light switch and flipped them off. “All done.”
Dakota laughed. “Grab a coat. It’s cold as hell out there.”
I grabbed my old denim jacket from the hook by the door, feeling a bit sheepish as Dakota eyed it with obvious skepticism.
“That ain’t gonna cut it, Doc,” he said, his low voice carrying a hint of amusement. “This ain’t Austin weather.”
“It’s all I’ve got,” I admitted, shrugging into it, anyway. “Haven’t exactly had time to go shopping for winter gear.”
