Page 23 of The Troublemaker

He took the flower teapot off the stove and filled it up with water, sticking it on the back burner and turning it on high. “You can tell all of your clients that you’ve trained on an actual human. And before you tell me that animals are harder because different anatomy andwhatever, you know that people will think that’s impressive.”

“Ed certainly doesn’t think it’s impressive. He doesn’t think anything about me is impressive.”

“He’s sexist, Charity. There’s not a hell of a lot you can do about that. If he refuses to listen to you, then he can pay the money to haul his horses over to a vet a couple hours away. Or he can pay the money to have somebody drive out to him.”

“If I wasn’t here there wouldn’t be a vet,” she said, her voice going flat and strange.

“No,” he said, not quite able to read the tone in her words. “There wouldn’t be. He’s being an ass, and he’s not appreciating what he has.”

“If he does accept me, I suppose that the bottom line is he’s doing it only because of his own comfort and convenience. That’s kind of bracing.”

“I don’t know about that. But I don’t really know that it matters. He should accept you because you’re good at your job. He should accept you because I really do believe that if a man showed up and said he was a vet, he would. Not knowing him, not knowing that he trained under one of the best in the business.”

“My dadwasone of the best in the business,” she said, standing and walking over to her father’s chair. She touched the back of it, a sad smile touching her face. “You know, he was very lonely sometimes. I think you helped a lot. He had me, and he did appreciate it. But... He didn’t have a whole lot of friends. And the ones he did have liked to argue with him. About all of his very firm and strident opinions. Which he liked. Because he liked nothing more than voicing his opinions whenever he got the chance.”

“I know that about him.”

“He liked you because you didn’t get offended. He could talk to you about anything and you’d challenge him, but you didn’t get angry. You just got more talkative.”

“I didn’t have a good father. You know that. Your dad was the closest thing I had.”

“I think you were pretty close to a son to him.”

The teakettle whistled.

He reached up into the cupboard and pulled out a mustard-yellow mug with little half-circle impressions all along the rim. It was one that reminded him of Albert.

He poured a measure of hot water into the mug and put a teabag into it before handing it to Charity.

“That isn’t the right way to make tea,” she said.

“Sorry. I don’t know a different way.”

“I appreciate it all the same. I really do.”

“I might not be reformed yet, but I try my best for you.”

She smiled. “I know.”

He knew what he wanted the next step to be in his plan. “Tomorrow let’s go on a date.”

“What?”

“You mentioned that. Going out to dinner. I think you should go to dinner with me and evaluate my performance.”

“Okay,” she said slowly.

“I think I might ask Fia out.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I think she’d be a great wife. I want somebody that’s interested in the ranch. Somebody that’s invested in it. She really is. She’s got her own responsibilities...”

“She’s invested in getting the farm store up and running,” Charity pointed out. “I don’t know that you’re ever going to get her to do work over here.”

“It doesn’t need to be over here. We have enough people. It’s just...understanding. Understanding that this is important. That it’s always going to be a high priority in my life.”

“Right.” She sounded skeptical, but she covered it with a slow sip of tea.

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