Home > To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14)(6)

To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14)(6)
Author: Maryann Jordan

She tilted her head back, letting the early morning sun land on her, trying to warm the cold, heavy weight of responsibility that had settled inside. With Tom gone, she knew her days off were gone as well. The clinic was closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, but as the only veterinarian in the area, she could get called in at any time. When that had happened in the past on weekends, Tom had given her a day off during the week. Now, it looks like I’ll be working seven days a week. Great. Just fuckin’ great.

Another car pulled into the parking lot, and she watched silently as Annette alighted from her vehicle. One look at Annette’s face and she could tell the intrepid office manager was already aware of what was happening. Not giving Annette a chance to greet her, she glared, her fists firmly planted on her hips again. “You knew. You knew and said nothing to me!”

Annette rushed over, her hands up in a placating gesture. “Sam, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know anything for sure until yesterday evening. Tom had been talking all week about not knowing what to do, but he swore me to secrecy.”

“Secrecy!” She reared back, deciding to give way to the anger. “He’s gone. Gone, Annette. I had no warning, no chance to prepare. Now, this whole business has settled onto my shoulders.”

“We’ll all help, Sam. No one else knows but me. We’ll tell Susan and Tonya today when they get in. “

“When are we going to figure out how to make this work with just one veterinarian?”

“I took our schedule home last night, and I’ve been working on it—”

A growl erupted from deep within Samantha as she thought of Tom confiding his troubles to Annette and not her. She couldn’t decide if she was more hurt or pissed. She had wondered if Tom and Annette had more than a professional relationship, but that was only from a few glances she’d witnessed between them. In her late-thirties, Annette had been with the clinic for years. Tall and thin, she was attractive, and it had crossed Samantha’s mind that the two of them would make a good couple. That thought now made her wonder how Annette was handling Tom’s departure.

Annette threw her hands up and plowed on. “I know you’re upset, but I didn’t know what else to do. I worked on the schedule, and the new vet intern will start on Monday. I looked over the résumé that Tom gave me, and Brentley should be a good fit. Native Virginian. From Virginia Beach originally. He’s one semester away from graduating. He can do some of the minor surgeries like spays and neuters without your supervision. That’ll keep things going until you can hire him or a new veterinarian.”

Sam dropped her chin and stared at her sneakers, her head shaking back and forth slowly. With her eyes squeezed tightly shut, she wished she could turn back the clock to the previous hour when she was just waking, happy, satisfied, and at peace.

“Sam.”

Annette’s voice brought her back to the present, and she lifted her head, resignation settling heavy across her shoulders.

“Sam, honey, I promise, it’ll be okay. Susan and Tonya are coming in this morning, and I shifted our morning appointments so that we’ll have time to deal.”

A snort erupted, and she shook her head again. “I guess I should be embarrassed. This is now my clinic, and you’re handling things a lot better than I am.”

Annette stepped closer and reached out to grab her hand, giving a squeeze. “I’ve had the week to start thinking about things and this was just dumped on you this morning, so don’t feel bad. We’ll get through this and come out still being the best veterinary clinic in North Heron.”

“We’re the only vet clinic in North Heron.”

Annette waved her hand in front of her and rolled her eyes. “Details, details, let’s not worry about details!”

She barked out a laugh, and it felt good to release the tension. Two more cars were pulling into the parking lot, and Sam sucked in a deep breath. “Okay, it looks like we’re all here. I guess it’s time to figure out what we’re going to do.”

 

 

By the end of the day, Samantha’s brain was more scrambled than it had been that morning. She was grateful that Annette was so organized. And the memory of Tonya’s angry diatribe at Tom’s leaving so quickly without preparing them made her smile.

She’d spent time looking over the lawyer’s papers. All she had to do was sign. Tom, true to his word, had left the entire clinic, debt-free, to her. She would need to change the name of the clinic, open new bank accounts and lines of credit, and re-set up payrolls and employee contracts. All of those items made her head spin, but between the attorney and Annette, she was assured it would be taken care of.

She had to admit Annette’s schedule was good, but that was assuming the new vet intern was going to fit in well and be willing to jump in and work hard immediately. The last thing she wanted to do in the midst of everything else was to train someone new.

That evening, all four women left at the same time, which was unusual, but by the end of the day, they were drained. She locked the door and waved as Tonya’s husband picked her up, their kids in the back seat waving as well. Annette and Susan pulled out right after, and Samantha was grateful her truck started on the first try.

On the drive home, it sputtered several times, but she stepped on the gas a little harder, and as usual, the engine caught, lurching forward. She leaned and rubbed her hand on the dashboard. “Come on, ol’ Bessie. I can’t afford to put you out to pasture and buy a new truck now even if I wanted to.”

She soon made it to her home, small and temporary as it was. After she’d been hired by Tom, she’d jumped into working long days and sometimes long nights. She bought a mid-sized camper, parking it on the plot of land she’d bought. One of the older farmers had a section of his farmland that backed to the Chesapeake Bay. He’d thought about selling it for years and told her he knew he could make a mint off of it by selling it to a developer who’d want to put up a million-dollar home. Instead, he preferred it going to someone who needed it, and considering she came out every time his pigs needed a vet, he sold it to her for very little.

The camper was much smaller than a mobile home and yet large enough for her. A small sofa on one side faced a small TV. A dinette table with two booth seats next to a small kitchen. A double bed was at the end with a small bathroom and closet next to it.

Most importantly, she could look out the window over her bed and see the water. It wasn’t much, but it was hers.

Pulling up next to her home, she climbed out and heard the familiar baying that always brought a smile to her face. With the farmer’s help, they’d fenced in a large area that included a big doghouse, and when his bloodhound had puppies, he’d given one to her. Considering they were purebred, she’d been stunned by his gift. He’d sold the others but gave her the runt, saying it needed special care. Now, at a year old, the beautiful dog was already a big boy and loyal to the bone.

Walking to the gate, she unlatched it and let him out, laughing as he bounded around. “Come on, Frodo. Let’s get some food.”

She’d barely set the food dish onto the floor when he immediately dove in, his long ears dangling all about. Just watching him eat made her feel lighter than she had all day. Her phone rang, and she glanced at the caller ID. Smiling again, she hit connect.

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