She dropped down on one knee and opened her bag. She removed a pair of wire cutters and began to snip the barbed wire away in pieces, a little at a time. “Good girl. You’re doing just fine. We’ll get this nasty old stuff off you in just a little bit and clean this up. Raymond, will you take all these pieces and put them in the trash, please?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
“And, Mia, get out that bottle of povidone-iodine and the chlorhexidine. That’s what we’ll use to clean the gash. From what I’m seeing, it’s not deep enough to need stitches, but we’ll treat it with some antibiotic and wrap the wound with a sterile bandage. I’d like to check on it every three days, if that’s all right with you, Raymond,” Stevie said.
“Anything you need,” Raymond said, and nodded in agreement.
“How do you know whether to stitch or not?” Mia asked.
“It’s a judgment call most of the time, but this is below the knee and it’s not deep enough to see soft tissue. Stitching it would probably make it swell. We’ll just wrap it up good, and you probably should keep her in a stall for a few days. Get her out and walk her for maybe twenty minutes each day,” Stevie said as she cleaned the wound, treated it with antibiotic cream, and then wrapped it up. “How long has it been since she had a tetanus vaccination?”
“Two years last month,” Raymond said. “I was waiting until the weather got better to call you to come out and vaccinate the cattle and get her up to date on her shots.”
“I’ll take care of her today, and we can make a date next week for me to come out here to check the cattle.” Stevie took what she needed from the bag and gave the horse a shot. “That’s a good girl,” she said and then brought out the apple. “And here’s your lollipop for not kicking me or throwing a fit.”
Raymond removed his cowboy hat and scratched his bald head. “You’re really good, Miz O’Dell.”
“Just Stevie,” she said, “and thank you. I love animals, and I think they should be treated with respect and love.”
“Pretty good way to look at things,” Raymond said. “What do I owe you?”
“I’ll bring a bill when we check her in three days, or if you like, I can bill you at the end of each month for whatever services I render,” Stevie told him.
“Fair enough. I’ll be calling on you, so billing me will make it easier for both of us.” Raymond hooked a thumb in Buttercup’s halter and gave a gentle tug. “Come on, baby girl. We’ll get you in a nice clean stall, and I’ll be out tomorrow morning to walk you around the corral.”
“See you soon.” Stevie gathered up her things and headed toward the pickup.
“That was amazing!” Mia said. “Were you serious about treating all animals with love?”
“Yep, I was,” Stevie said.
Mia slid behind the steering wheel and asked, “Even the two-legged kind like Uncle Cody?”
“Only if he doesn’t kick and eats the apple all in one bite like Buttercup.” Stevie put her bag on the wide bench seat and got into the passenger side of the truck.
“I’m going to love working with you,” Mia giggled.
“Right back atcha, kiddo,” Stevie said.
* * *
Cody flopped down on the sofa that evening and said, “Dad got a hold of Bubba, the guy who owns the tire shop and wrecker service in Honey Grove. He can’t get out here until Monday, but he’ll bring four new tires out and put them on your van then.”
Stevie brought two cups of coffee from the kitchen area and set them on the coffee table. “That was sweet of him to do that for me.”
“He likes you,” Cody said. “The whole family does.”
“Well, I like them right back.” Stevie sunk down in her spot on the sofa. “Where’s Tex tonight?”
“He went home with Mama and Dad. He migrates between the three places, and we all spoil him,” Cody answered. “Mia tells me that we’re both going to be having Sunday dinner at the ranch house. What happened to our date? You afraid to be alone with me?”
Stevie kicked off her boots and drew her legs up onto the sofa. “I’m alone with you now.”
“But now, we’re roommates or friends, not a couple on a date,” he argued.
“How about we go out the next Friday night?” she asked. “It’s important to Mia that we all be there when Beau comes to dinner.”
“It’s true. I do want to meet the kid. But how about tomorrow night instead of waiting a week?” Cody asked.
“I’m going to be busy getting settled back into my own place tomorrow night,” she told him, “but if you want to come over and have pizza and a movie night with me, then we could call that a date.”
“Will I get a good night kiss?” he teased.
“I don’t usually give those out on first dates,” she answered.
“How many second dates have you been on?” he asked.
She cocked her head to one side. “Not sure that’s any of your business, Doctor.”
There was no getting ahead of this woman. “Ha! Fair enough,” he answered. “But you can at least tell me if there was ever anyone serious, right?”
“There were a couple.” She shrugged. “They were good guys—respectful and kind—but I backed away when they wanted a serious commitment.”
“Same for me,” Cody said. He had never discussed his past love life with anyone, but he found it a little liberating to talk about it, even in generalities.
“What was your fear of committing?” he asked. “Was it your father? Was he the perfect man in your mind?”
Stevie shook her head. “I don’t have daddy issues, and I’ve known for years that my dad was far from perfect. He was a quiet man of few words, who loved reading and big band music. He left most of the business of raising me up to my mother, but I loved him and accepted things the way they were. I didn’t hate him, and when he died suddenly at the end of my junior year in high school, I missed him something fierce,” she answered.
“Then who was the perfect man in your life?” Cody asked.
“You, Cody Ryan”—Stevie locked gazes with him—“were the cowboy I’d built up in my mind to be perfect, even after you broke up with me. But believe me, I’ve found out that you do not belong on the pedestal I had you on, and for that, I’m very grateful for these past few days.”
Cody finally blinked and looked away. “I’ve never been perfect, Stevie—far from it. I’m sorry that your idea of me has ruined what might have brought you happiness.”
“I’m not.” She shrugged. “Mama always said that God protects drunks and fools. Maybe I was a fool to have such an idea, but then again maybe having it kept me from making a huge mistake in my life.”
Chapter Fourteen
Leaving Sunflower Ranch was a little anticlimactic the next morning. Stevie simply put the things that belonged to her in her go bag and tossed the clothing the folks at the ranch had loaned her into an empty laundry basket and left it at the foot of the bed. She had wanted to take it all home and launder it, but Mia wouldn’t hear of it. She sent a text to Mia and told her where she could find the basket and got a simple one back that said, OK c u later.