Crashing Into Tess (12 page)

To:
[email protected]
From:
[email protected]
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2:19 PM
Subject: YOU CALLED IT!

Aunt Olivia serves a rockin’ lobster newburgh, is the
essence of doting aunt, and a mad skilled interrogator to
boot. NO one has elicited my thoughts on career, family,
education, parenting, marriage and YES the latest
presidential election with such adroitly tactful skill and
elegance. I’ve “met the parents” before, but Olivia takes
the cake. That said, she truly is a gem, while making it
clear I’d best not cross her boy!
Love ya, Sammie, thanks for being the terrific sister that
you are!
Tessie

Before he left the ranch Saturday afternoon, Jake
called
Tess.
It’s been all of three days, and I’m crazy to see her.
His heart snagged at the sound of her voice. “Cassie and I
are headed to Olivia’s for dinner. I’m just checking to make
sure you survived,” he said cautiously.

“Sure you did, Stella cooked. Great food is not the
problem at Olivia’s, it’s whether or not you can enjoy it
while she’s fishing. Did she pull her overprotective
headmistress routine on you?”

“That bad, huh? I’m just glad you made it out of there
alive. I can swing over after dinner, shortly after seven, if
you’ll join me for a drink. We won’t be able to stay too
long, though, I’ll have to get back to Cassie.”

“Let’s grab a quick drink, then. I’d like that. You’re
dressed up, right?”
“Wool trousers, a dress shirt, sweater, tie and my grey
overcoat. Olivia wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Great. I’ll wear my Olivia clothes, too. We’ll both be
stylin’ for Green Forks.”
Jake walked in into Green Forks three hours later, his
hand at the back of Tess’s white wool coat. It had some
kind of ruffly collar, and she looked gorgeous, elegant and
very together. He found them a booth, and Lotts brought
drinks over, a beer for him and an applejack and cider for
Tess.
“Lotts, what’d we do to deserve table service? Nobody
else gets that around here,” Jake baited, taking Tess’s coat
and hanging it on the pole next to his.
“Anybody caught dancin’ in the bar gets a free next
round,” Lotts grinned wickedly. “And two free rounds for
table dancing. It’s good for publicity.”
Tess flashed Lotts a smile. “Announce that to the entire
bar, turn up the jukebox, and I’m in.”
“So where are the two of you coming from, all dressed
up?” Lotts inquired.
“Dinner with Aunt Olivia, of course.” Jake answered,
sliding into the booth across from Tess.
“Both of you?” Lotts asked with significance, eyebrows
climbing his forehead.
“Tess had lunch with Olivia today,” Jake corrected.
“Cassie and I had dinner.”

“Ah, divide and conquer with coq au vin,” Lotts teased
good-naturedly.
“Lobster Newburgh and braised short ribs, okay? Now
get out of here. You ask too many questions. If this is the
cost of table service, I’ll ferry my own drinks,” Jake
grinned, taking a draught of his beer.
“You and Lotts are an entertaining pair,” Tess said,
sipping her drink.
“It’s a problem we’ve had for years, there’s no cure for
it. Want to dance?” Jake asked, touching her fingertips,
smiling into her blue eyes.
“Hah. Not tonight. Angling for those free drinks, I see.
Think I’m a cheap date?” She squeezed his fingers, teasing
him with a flirty smile.
“Not on your life. And I think whatever you said to
Aunt Olivia made a very strong impression. She’s singing
your praises. As I knew she would.” He pulled her fingers
to his lips, brushing them with a kiss.
Tess blushed. “Thank you. She thinks the world of you
and Cassie.”
“And expresses it as only the very formidable Olivia
can, I’m sure. So she pulled out the stops, huh?” Jake
asked, eyebrows raised.
“I don’t kiss and tell. Or in the case of Olivia, lunch and
tell,” Tess said primly, eyes flirting.
“Well, it was a lunch and learn, right? I’m sure she was
digging.”
How badly did she put you on the spot, Tess, and
how much damage control do I need to do?

“In a polite way,” Tess conceded.
“Tess, my aunt is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s
clothing. She and her cronies in the Ladies Brigade are the
intelligence unit of Green Junction. Nothing escapes them.
My father and I have gotten many laughs out of the old
dame’s attempts to orchestrate. It’s become a family
tradition. But it’s less funny when it’s my life she’s trying
to engineer, especially with regard to you. At least give me
a hint.”
Tess took a deep breath. “She seems to think things are
serious between us. Or soon to be serious.” She bit her
lower lip. Her look was questioning, like the look Cassie
gave him when she wanted the truth, straight. “Are they?”
Jake hesitated, trying to hedge. “Look, Tess, Olivia’s
tried to pair me off since the divorce papers were signed,
and she’s raving over you. She thinks Cassie needs a
suitable step mother, sooner rather than later, something
she’s mentioned more than once since she realized we were
dating.”
Tess swallowed, and looked at him with wide eyes. He
tugged at his shirt collar uncomfortably, loosening his tie,
watching her face as the weight of his words sunk in.
Finally, her voice tight, she asked, “And what do you
think?”
“Do you really want to discuss this now?” he asked,
draining half his beer.
“It’s as good a time as any,” she answered, shrugging
her shoulders and looking down, toying with her straw.
He took her hand again and squeezed it, and her blue
eyes met his shyly. “I’m really glad you came by Tuesday
night, Tessie, and I’m so glad you stayed. I liked making
you breakfast Wednesday morning. I hope we can do that
again.”
“Me, too,” she agreed, all cute and glowy.
He took a deep breath, and blew it out. Trying to
answer the question her curious blue eyes posed, he said.
“As for the rest of it, Cassie is lacking in the mothering
department, as you well know. She’d certainly benefit from
the right step mother, and Olivia highly approves of me
marrying the right woman. But you know how I feel about
your career prospects here.”
Tess nodded.
“I would like to be married again, very much,” he said,
and their eyes locked for a long moment, until she blinked.
He smiled, a little red-faced. “As much as we here in Green
Junction appreciate you, Doctor Tess Bamberger, I think
you at least need to get through a winter and spring before
we have any version of this discussion again, okay?”

The phone pealed at six am on
Monday morning,
snapping Officer Ron from his morning nap. His boots
thumped off the Formica desk, taking pens and papers to
the floor with them. Rubbing the ache at the back of his
neck with a chubby hand, he picked up the receiver.

“Green Junction Po-lice,” he mumbled.
“Good Morning. I’d like information about an auto
incident that occurred on Friday, September 23, at 12:36
am,” a crisp female voice said. “According to the
information my insurance company provided, the police
report is 10-00623.”
A grin spread across Ron’s sleepy face. “I can help you
with that, Ma’am. Just give me a second to pull the file.”
“Thank you. I didn’t realize I’d get such prompt
service. It’s nine am, here in Philadelphia. I know it’s much
earlier, there.”
“Oh, we’re a twenty-four hour station,” Ron answered,
setting the phone down and pulling the report he’d filed
weeks ago from the filing cabinet. “Yes, Ma’m, what can I
do for you?”
“Well, by the hour of the incident, I couldn’t help but
wonder what exactly the circumstances were?”
“According to the report, visibility was poor. A female
driver lost control of her car and was unable to stop at the
signed intersection. The driver of the truck, a thirty-two
year old male, had a .038 blood alcohol level. Skid marks
indicate he may have been traveling at a speed higher than
the posted thirty-five miles per hour. Frozen precipitation
covered the roads, and it was raining, a freezing rain. The
air temperature was twenty-two degrees, in gusty winds.”
Ron heard a sharp intake of breath. His smile widened.
“This is Noelle Bamberger. I’m an attorney, and my
daughter Tess was driving that car. You are saying the
driver of the truck that hit her was drunk?”
“Well, Ma’am, he was darn close to the legal limit.
That’s all I’m saying. Shall I fax you a copy of the report?”
“Please do.”
He flipped the fax machine on, punching in Noelle
Bamberger’s Philadelphia number.
And Vicki and her
lawyer already have a copy of this, too,
he thought with
satisfaction.
*****

Wednesday night, Jake was in his office going through
mail.
He picked up an envelope with his insurer’s return
address and frowned. Tensing, he tore it open. As he read
the letter inside, the breath rushed from his chest. Stunned,
he read through it again. A sharp pain stabbed his gut, as if
he’d been knifed, and he sat heavily into his leather desk
chair.

Why would Tess have gotten involved with me, when
she clearly had doubts? Has she just been playing me, all
along? And I thought things were going so well, between
us. Christ, I even mentioned marriage!
As growing rage at
Tess’s duplicity welled inside him, he felt humiliation turn
to white-hot fury. He spun his chair, and stood up, pressing
his hands to the wall behind him.
I’ve let my guard down,
and been made a fool of again. Tess isn’t who she’s
pretended to be. What is my problem with women, anyway?
There was no relief from the torment. Once again, he’d
fallen for the wrong girl.

Thursday afternoon, Tess
treated a six-hundred pound
sow for mild mastitis, vaccinated her dozen four-week old
piglets, said goodbye to the Carsons, and climbed into the
Tacoma. Her cell buzzed as she pulled away from Carson
Ranch.

“Hey, Dr. Tess. How’d it go with the pig?” Alice asked.
“She’s a mean sucker. She was uncomfortable when I
got here, and it took plenty of sedative before she’d let me
mess with her. I hope the Carsons see a big improvement
by tomorrow afternoon though. The infection should have
cleared out by then. I told them to call and let us know how
she’s doing.”
“Good, listen, I just heard from Jake. His favorite
gelding tangled with barbed wire, he’s all torn up and needs
stitches. Do you know how to get to McGreer Ranch from
the Carsons?”
“Not exactly.”

“It’s about twelve miles. At least you’re on the right
side of town.” Alice gave her the directions, and Tess
pulled up Jake’s address in her GPS. “Take your time, Tess,
and drive slowly.”

Twenty minutes later, Tess pulled into the gates of
McGreer Ranch, drove over a knoll and around to the horse
barn, glad for the lingering daylight. She was going through
her supplies, assembling a suture kit, putting hypodermics,
antibiotics, and a sedative in her bag, when Jake came out
of the barn. His glare was chilling, and his eyes blazed with
anger.

When Jake saw Tess’s maroon
Tacoma pickup roll up
near the horse barn, he set his jaw.
Might as well get this
over with.

“Hey, Jake,” Tess said with a smile, laying out her
supplies. “Alice called. She said your big red Quarter Horse
tangled with some barbed wire, and I should come right
over from the Carsons.” She glanced at him worriedly.
“Weren’t you expecting me?”

“I requested Doc Harnes,” he managed to say, his voice
tight.
“Doc’s been booked at the clinic all day, I’m doing
ranch rounds this afternoon. I’m certain I can handle this,”
she said, eyeing him curiously.
“I’m sure you can, but considering all the nonsense
with my insurer, I’d hoped Doc would come out.”
“Insurer? What are you talking about?” She looked
puzzled.
“Tess, I got a letter from my insurance company
yesterday.” He was trying to keep his tone calm, with little
success. “They’ve received notice from your insurer,
stating that I’m seventy percent at fault for our accident,
due to my blood alcohol level and rate of speed. My insurer
doubled my rates, and suggested I retain an attorney, since
you’re now planning to sue me.”
“Jake, what are you talking about? Blood alcohol
level? Were you drunk?” She stared at him aghast.
“No, Tess, I was not drunk,” he said, biting off each
word. “In fact, I hadn’t consumed a drop of alcohol. I drank
ginger ale and water all night, and Alice will vouch for me.
But there seems to be a problem with the police report,
something else I need to look into,” he snapped. “Why
didn’t you at least tell me you suspected I’d been drinking?
And why did you spend the night with a guy you thought
was a drunk driver, one you planned to sue?” His voice
lashed out, his anger rising.
Her tender face flinched, but he continued, venting his
fury. “You know, Vicki will be thrilled to use this stuff in
her next custody suit. She’s made no secret of her intent to
move Cassie to California, and I haven’t even started on
what it’s done to my insurance rates. Why would you pull
something like this on me?”
“Wait, Jake, there must be some misunderstanding,”
Tess said, looking like she’d been struck. “I don’t know
anything about this police report. I haven’t spoken to my
insurance company about anything other than medical bills,
I swear it.” Tears of humiliation glistened in her eyes. She
wiped her face, shaking her head. “Look, this is silly. I
can’t do this right now. Why don’t you show me your
horse?”
Impatient and frustrated, he led Tess down the center
aisle of the barn, sliding open Alchemy’s stall door. Inside,
his prize chestnut gelding stood eating hay. Blood seeped
from wounds on the animal’s copper-colored chest and
numerous gashes on his front legs and belly. Tess inhaled
sharply.
Turning to him, her eyes pleading, Tess said,“Your
horse is suffering. He needs immediate care. Doc wanted to
take Bea to Salida for dinner tonight. Please let me suture
him for you right away.”
“Fine,” Jake nodded stonily. He left to carry her things
in, angry with himself. No matter what happened, he prided
himself on staying calm, especially with visitors to the
ranch. But her betrayal was so like what he’d felt through
his marriage, so very unexpected from what he’d believed
her to be, he’d just lost it.
As angry as I am with Tess, I’m
even angrier at myself, for being led in, for being a sucker
again. I’m a fool, for trusting so easily.
Setting the suture kit and medications down outside the
stall, he rigged her adjustable light, flooding a hospitalbright arc on Alchemy’s belly and legs. Tess approached
the horse slowly, gingerly touching his shoulder. “Easy,
fellow, just let me take a look at you,” she whispered,
squatting next to Alchemy. Looking closely at the cuts near
the bone on his knees, pasterns and fetlocks, she made
certain there was no damage to the tendons and nerves.
“Alchemy was limping when I brought him in. It’s been
about an hour and a half. I didn’t see anything that
suggested permanent injury or lameness. I gave him some
Dormosedan I keep for emergencies, three-quarter cc’s,”
Jake offered stonily, clipping a lead rope on the gelding’s
halter.
“That should keep him for awhile then. I’ll give him
more, a little later.” Speaking soothingly to the horse, Tess
injected a local anesthetic. Jake saw her hands shake as she
threaded a needle with dissolving suture. He held the big
chestnut steady, and she began stitching. “How did he get
into barbed wire?”
“We brush hogged some brambles last spring, below the
paddocks. I’m wondering if the tractor didn’t kick up some
old barbed wire that had been laying in there, and no one
spotted it. He has a bad habit of jumping out of his
paddock. Somehow, he got tangled in the barbed wire. By
the time Ralph cut it off his legs, he’d already been
thrashing around in it for who knows how long.”
Tess nodded. Despite the circumstances, she’d managed
to gain Alchemy’s trust immediately.
This must be nerve
wracking for her, too. But what had she expected?
As
aggravated as Jake was, he had to admire her resolve.
For over an hour, she worked silently, completely
focused. As his fury subsided, he couldn’t help admiring
her, hair pulled back in a ponytail, cheeks fresh and
smooth, trim even in her baggy coveralls. He knew she was
talented, but he’d never seen sutures so careful and pretty.
After layering two sets of suture in the deepest wounds, she
said, almost to herself, “I’m trying to keep this really neat
to minimize scarring.”
“I can see that. Alchemy was a conformation champion
as a two and three year old. I’m grateful for whatever you
can do for him appearance wise.”
“You got it,” she said, glancing away quickly when he
tried to meet her eye. He remembered how passionate she’d
been with him, how close they’d been to making love, and
his heart wrenched.
Why in the hell would she complain to
her insurance, and ruin everything for us?