“Well, thank you for stopping by. I’ve been looking forward to seeing Callie again.”
“Thank you. Your guy—”
“Travis.”
“Yeah. He gave me a sandwich and lemonade. You didn’t have to do that.” Beck’s guitar case and backpack sat against the wall. At his feet, a very patient Calliope leaned against his legs. “We make our way.”
“I’m sure you do.” I braced against the exam table with my arms folded. “But I kept you waiting for such a long time. I didn’t want you guys to eat me when I finally came in.”
His eyes sparked with mischief. “Callie wouldn’t eat anyone.”
Despite the AC, my face burned. “So, the reason I asked you here…Lena says Callie’s caught up on her vaccinations, but I’d like to check her for parasites and make sure she gets protection.”
“Parasites?”
“I’d like to see her protected from fleas, ticks, and mosquito-borne illnesses. A simple blood test will be necessary before we can give her heartworm medication.”
“Oh.”
“Did I ever formally introduce myself? I’m Dr. Linden Davies. My patients call me Lindy or Doc or any combination, really.”
“Really?” His mouth curved impishly. “Hear that, Callie? Call him Lindy or Doc.”
“All right, smarty pants.” I flushed again. “My patients’ humans call me Lindy. And you’re Beck?”
As if I didn’t know.
“Christopher Beckett. My friends call me Beck.”
“May I call you that?” My throat tightened.
“Yes.” Beck turned away to dig his fingers into Callie’s fur. It startled us both when Travis entered the room.
“Need me?” he asked.
“Please. Help Beck lift Miss Callie up here.” Travis and Beck got Callie onto the table. She kept her eyes firmly on Beck while she waited. “Do you think she’ll need a soft muzzle while I look her over?”
“She hasn’t in the past.”
I hummed to get Callie’s attention. Her head snapped up, and she stared at me with curiosity. She didn’t mind my hands on her, so I checked her eyes, ears, and teeth. She was young and healthy. Good spine, hips, and paws.
She was such an easy blood draw I thought I could probably get away with anything, but when I went to clip her nails, she yipped and scrambled away. Maybe not anything after all. Of course, when she fussed, Beck’s anxiety grew.
“She needs a nail trim.”
“She hates that.” Beck looked sick. “I hate to put her through it.”
“We can leave it for now. All done, Callie.” Beck and Travis helped Callie scramble down. “How long will you be in St. Nacho’s?”
“I don’t know. A few days?”
“Okay. Take this.” I found a plastic specimen bag and wrote Callie’s name on it with a Sharpie. “If you get me a sample of her poo, we can check for parasites. If all is well, we’ll get you some chewies to give her once a month. They’ll keep the pests away.”
“What does that cost?” he asked.
“I have samples. Don’t worry about it.” I leaned against the table again. “But, Beck…Callie’s a big girl. She needs proper nutrition to stay healthy. Are you able to consistently provide food and clean water?”
He tensed. “I take good care of her.”
“I know you try, but life on the road isn’t easy with a large pet, is it? Remember I said we have sample cases of the kind of food she needs? Do you want to take some with you?”
“They’re samples? People give them to you?” Beck’s eyes were an odd dark blue, like sapphires in water. They looked hopeful and frightened at the same time. Why the hell was he on his own at his age? “If you’re sure it’s okay? That’d be nice.”
“She needs good balanced nutrition.” I signaled to Travis, and he slipped quietly from the room to get her what she needed. The following few minutes were excruciating. Beck seemed to look in any direction but mine. I hummed. This time, the song stuck in my head was “Under Pressure.”
A little way into it, Beck did a surprising descant dee dee da da before covering his face with his hands and giggling. He sings too. How…adorable.
“Do you always sing for the animals?” he asked.
“I do, actually. It’s my secret thing.”
He bit his lip. “Not so secret.”
“Guess not.” He cuddled the dog.
Callie had a good friend in Beck. He saw to it she got much-needed food, comfort, and companionship. Beck was the mystery. How had he come to be on the road like this? What could I do to help?
Travis returned with a medium-size bag of food and—to Callie’s delight—an ultra-tough bat-shaped squeaky.
“Oh, thank you for this. She already loves it.” Callie pounced and killed the bat over and over while Beck put on his pack and picked up his guitar. “Thank you for everything, Dr. Davies. I’ll be back with her poop.”
“I can’t wait,” I joked. “Please call me Lindy.”
“Lindy.” He nodded and left. I stared at the door he went through for a long time.
Travis lifted his brows. “Cute kid.”
I cleared my throat. “Right. Let me know when he comes back with that sample. If I’m not here, give him whatever he needs for the dog.”
Travis frowned at me. “What about him?”
“Beck? What about him?”
“Jesus, Lindy. Oblivious much?”
“What did I miss?”
He sighed. “You’re a good vet, but where people are concerned, you miss the point sometimes.”
“Well, tell me. I know you’re dying to.”
“You looked at that Beck dude like he was the last chocolate mousse at Bêtise. And he was right there with you. You totally dig each other.”
“So what? He’s a baby.” I pumped soap into my palm. “He’s a fetus. Do I look like Cher to you?”
“He’s old enough to date.”
“Is not.” I washed my hands furiously. “And even if he were, I’m nobody’s romantic ideal, least of all for someone his age.”
No one believes me when I say I’m no good at relationships even though I prove it all the time.
“All right, then, if you’re going to be a stubborn ass.” Travis shrugged. “What Beck really needs is a job.”
“You think so?” Would he want that? “I guess I could find a paying project or two around here.”
“You could also ask around and see if anyone else needs a hand.” Travis brightened. “Does Jim still have that room over the bar?”
Did he? “I should drop by the cantina and ask him, huh?”
“That’s the spirit.” He thumped my arm. “We’ll make a real boy out of you yet.”
“Thanks.” I rubbed where it smarted. “But don’t you think it’s weird to do all this without asking Beck if it’s what he wants?”
“It seems to me he might be happy to have somebody looking out for him.”
“He has a friend he travels with. I think that’s his job.”