the barn. Manny was standing there, waving them on.
“He got into the pasture, boss. Come on.”
Ryan raced through the barn, and sure enough, his brand-new pedigreed expensive bull was not in the barn where he belonged. Not in his stall. The door to the stall was wide open and Red Danger was in the near pasture with the small herd of cows Ryan was keeping there. The gate to the pasture also stood open.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Sonny, help me here.”
It took them the better part of a half hour to return things to normal. No one was happy, not even the bull or the cows. He was just fortunate Red Danger hadn’t decided to get lucky with any of his cows. All his careful planning could have been right out the window. When everything was back to relative normal, he dropped down on a bench in the wide barn aisle and drew a deep breath.
“How in the fucking hell did this happen?” he asked Sonny. “We’re so damn careful around here.”
Sonny shook his head. “I don’t know. I was with one of the horses in the other barn, and all the other guys are in the north pasture riding fence. Manny was helping me and then needed something from this barn. He went to get it and discovered what had happened.” He stared at Ryan. “Said the only person he saw around here was Dr. Hunter. But she wouldn’t—”
“Sable.” He smacked his hand on his forehead. “Where did she go to? I left her down here looking over Red Danger again.”
“Uh, she left while we were getting the bull back inside,” Manny told him. “I saw her drive off.”
“Just like that?” Ryan persisted.
“She said had to get back to the clinic,” Sonny pointed out. “Nothing she could do here anyway.”
Still, it rankled him she’d just walked off like that. Then something else occurred to him. He looked from one of the hands to the other.
“Did either of you see her before she came up to the house? Notice if the gates were open?”
Manny shrugged. “Sonny was busy with the bay gelding. I just noticed her hanging around Danger’s stall. I figured she was, I don’t know, doing some vet things.”
“Some vet things,” Ryan muttered. “She could have left the damn gates unlatched if she wasn’t paying attention.”
“But to what purpose?” Sonny asked. “She wouldn’t want harm to come to the cattle.”
“She could have just been careless,” Ryan snapped. “I checked those latches myself before I went up to the house. I left her down here. Who knows what she was doing.”
“Jesus, Ryan.” Sonny stared at hm. “She’s an animal doctor, for chrissake. She’d know better than that.”
“Would she? Doc told me one of the reasons she bought this practice is because she didn’t get to work the large animals much in West Texas. Maybe there was a good reason. Maybe she just isn’t as careful as she should be.”
He couldn’t believe he was saying these things about Sable. Sable . Of all people. He raked his fingers through his hair.
“She told me she did her internship on large animals,” Sonny said. “Doc wouldn’t have sold to her if she didn’t have the goods to do the job.”
“But she was the only one down here.” Ryan ground the words out. “I should have asked her why the hell she wanted to stay when I went back up to the house.”
“Women shouldn’t be around these bulls,” Manny said. “They don’t know what to do. You shoulda told me and I’d ’ave watched her.”
“Well, everyone’s tucked up safe now,” Sonny pointed out. “Go get yourself another cup of coffee. You can use it.”
“Actually, I think I’ll take a run into town.” He pushed himself up from the bench. “I’ll be back.”
Sonny grabbed his arm. “You should cool down first, Ryan.”
Ryan glared at him. Sonny never called him anything but boss unless he was being very serious.
“I mean it. Don’t go barging in there where she’s got patients and all and start yelling.”
“I’ll be a model of courtesy.” He glared
“He got into the pasture, boss. Come on.”
Ryan raced through the barn, and sure enough, his brand-new pedigreed expensive bull was not in the barn where he belonged. Not in his stall. The door to the stall was wide open and Red Danger was in the near pasture with the small herd of cows Ryan was keeping there. The gate to the pasture also stood open.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Sonny, help me here.”
It took them the better part of a half hour to return things to normal. No one was happy, not even the bull or the cows. He was just fortunate Red Danger hadn’t decided to get lucky with any of his cows. All his careful planning could have been right out the window. When everything was back to relative normal, he dropped down on a bench in the wide barn aisle and drew a deep breath.
“How in the fucking hell did this happen?” he asked Sonny. “We’re so damn careful around here.”
Sonny shook his head. “I don’t know. I was with one of the horses in the other barn, and all the other guys are in the north pasture riding fence. Manny was helping me and then needed something from this barn. He went to get it and discovered what had happened.” He stared at Ryan. “Said the only person he saw around here was Dr. Hunter. But she wouldn’t—”
“Sable.” He smacked his hand on his forehead. “Where did she go to? I left her down here looking over Red Danger again.”
“Uh, she left while we were getting the bull back inside,” Manny told him. “I saw her drive off.”
“Just like that?” Ryan persisted.
“She said had to get back to the clinic,” Sonny pointed out. “Nothing she could do here anyway.”
Still, it rankled him she’d just walked off like that. Then something else occurred to him. He looked from one of the hands to the other.
“Did either of you see her before she came up to the house? Notice if the gates were open?”
Manny shrugged. “Sonny was busy with the bay gelding. I just noticed her hanging around Danger’s stall. I figured she was, I don’t know, doing some vet things.”
“Some vet things,” Ryan muttered. “She could have left the damn gates unlatched if she wasn’t paying attention.”
“But to what purpose?” Sonny asked. “She wouldn’t want harm to come to the cattle.”
“She could have just been careless,” Ryan snapped. “I checked those latches myself before I went up to the house. I left her down here. Who knows what she was doing.”
“Jesus, Ryan.” Sonny stared at hm. “She’s an animal doctor, for chrissake. She’d know better than that.”
“Would she? Doc told me one of the reasons she bought this practice is because she didn’t get to work the large animals much in West Texas. Maybe there was a good reason. Maybe she just isn’t as careful as she should be.”
He couldn’t believe he was saying these things about Sable. Sable . Of all people. He raked his fingers through his hair.
“She told me she did her internship on large animals,” Sonny said. “Doc wouldn’t have sold to her if she didn’t have the goods to do the job.”
“But she was the only one down here.” Ryan ground the words out. “I should have asked her why the hell she wanted to stay when I went back up to the house.”
“Women shouldn’t be around these bulls,” Manny said. “They don’t know what to do. You shoulda told me and I’d ’ave watched her.”
“Well, everyone’s tucked up safe now,” Sonny pointed out. “Go get yourself another cup of coffee. You can use it.”
“Actually, I think I’ll take a run into town.” He pushed himself up from the bench. “I’ll be back.”
Sonny grabbed his arm. “You should cool down first, Ryan.”
Ryan glared at him. Sonny never called him anything but boss unless he was being very serious.
“I mean it. Don’t go barging in there where she’s got patients and all and start yelling.”
“I’ll be a model of courtesy.” He glared
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