Crashing Into Tess (7 page)

On Monday afternoon, Doc introduced Tess
at the
regular business meeting of the Rancher’s Alliance. The
crowd of more than two dozen ranchers included two
female sheep ranchers, and a woman who raised dairy
goats.

After chatting with everyone and listening politely
through the meeting, Tess faced the room, nervously
narrating a power point presentation on freeze branding.
Jake stood in the back, as appealing and friendly as he’d
been at Green Forks on Friday night. He gave her a big
smile of encouragement when she began, but by the time
Ron had circulated the sign up sheet for an on-ranch
demonstration, he’d disappeared.

I have to just forget him.
Ignoring a stab of
disappointment, Tess packed up the projection equipment
and carried it to Ron’s truck.

“You did a nice job with that presentation,” Doc said
afterward, over coffee at the diner.
“Thanks, Doc. It was great to meet the ranchers. I don’t
have much experience with an actual branding operation,
so it was a relief that the questions were easy.”
“You can get practical experience this week if you want
it. Jake McGreer has some late season calves he’s branding
on Thursday. He’d like you to stop by, if you’re interested.
You can learn the technique he uses now, before the spring
rush. You been over to his place?” Doc asked, in his now
familiar laconic drawl. She shook her head. “You’ll see the
very best procedures. He runs a clean, professional
operation.”
“I thought he didn’t sign up because he wasn’t
interested in freeze branding.”
“The McGreers have been freeze branding for ten,
twelve years, at least. His dad always had a real forward
thinking, independent streak, and from the looks of things,
Jake’s following suit. They’re both smart men, and damn
hard workers. No one at the place works like Jake. That is
the way it is with most of the successful ranchers around
here, you’ll find. It’s six, seven days a week, easy,” he said.
“Thanks for suggesting it Doc, I’ll definitely go. It’ll be
great to see a real operation in full swing, so I’m ready for
calving season in spring.”
“Good for you. Every bit of experience helps,” Doc
said approvingly, putting a five on the table.
*****

Thursday morning, long before dawn, Tess dressed in
work clothes, warmed up her new maroon pickup, and got
on the road, arriving at the gates of the McGreer Ranch at
quarter after six.

Her headlights cause sparkling pasture, stretched out on
either side of the driveway. There had been a light dusting
of new snow in town, but up in the mountains four inches
of heavy, slippery snowfall lay across the driveway. She
slipped the truck into four wheel drive, took a deep breath,
and started down the snowy lane.

Just as Alice said it would, the road forked, with a big
hay barn to the right. As she drove over a knoll, Rhiannon
barked excitedly. Ahead, young cattle milled in portable
pens, bawling in the early light. Two men tossed them
flakes of alfalfa.

This is it
.
Feeling out of place, she got of the truck to a biting
wind. Jake’s truck pulled up, and she swallowed hard,
uncertain about seeing him on his home turf.
I just hope he
doesn’t make any more city girl comments.

In the half-light before dawn, Jake surveyed
Tess’s
heavy work jacket, shapeless insulated overalls, and tall
pack boots. Her curls were pulled back into a braid that fell
down her back. Unable to keep from smiling, he handed her
a travel mug of coffee. “Welcome. Are you warm enough?”

“Once I start moving I will be,” she answered
cheerfully. Pink light brightened the eastern sky, and in the
cold, her blue eyes shimmered. Curls escaped her fuzzy sky
blue wool cap, framing her cheeks.
Angel in coveralls. And
still too damn cute. Maybe I’ll just have to get used to it.

“We’ll start the calves through the crush shortly. We dehorn and brand heifers first, and we’ll castrate the steers
after lunch. You can try all the jobs if you want. That’s
what Doc sent you here for, right, to see how this is done?”

“He spoke highly of your operation. I want to
understand all of it before spring,” she said politely,
stamping her feet to warm up. “I’ve never seen this done on
a large scale.”

“Ah, not much to it, it’s routine ranch work, you’ll get
the hang of it in no time. Feel free to warm up in my truck
anytime, there’s a special heater in my cab.” She returned
his smile with less sparkle than he remembered, and he felt
guilty about kissing her and not calling.
At least she doesn’t
hold a grudge.

At the pens, he introduced Larry and Ralph. “You want
to let Rhiannon out, see if she’ll tag behind Van and learn
how to round up cattle?”

“Sure, if you want to give it a try. Let me know if she
gets in the way, though.”
“We’ll know soon enough.”
The sun was rising as Ralph guided Tess through the
de-horning process. Van helped Jake rally the heifers into
the crush, with Rhiannon tagging behind. While Tess dehorned, Ralph and another helper did the freeze branding.
Freeze branding was annoying to the animal, but not
painful, and far more humane than the old electric heat
branding.
Larry took the young heifers down the chute afterward,
opening the gate to let them graze in the pasture. By eightthirty, the sun had burned through the cloud cover, and the
snow began to melt.
“You cold?” Jake asked her.
“Not so bad.”
“You can sit in the truck a few minutes, warm up,” he
offered, wishing she would.
“I’m okay, thanks,” she answered.
At mid-morning, with everything going smoothly, he
asked Tess if she wanted to switch places. Jake clipped,
swabbed with alcohol, and held the timer, while Tess did
the branding. He admired the way she worked with the
animals, confident and unobtrusive, smooth and neat and
efficient with the equipment.
She’ll make it to spring,
anyway.
The thought cheered him.
By noon, they’d finished all the heifers. The
temperature had climbed to the mid forties, and sunshine
melted the snow. “Tilda has lunch fixed at the house. If you
head over with me, Tess, I’ll show you the ranch.”
She nodded, so he whistled for the dogs.Van jumped in
the bed of his truck eagerly, grinning his dog grin, with
Rhiannon right behind, muddy from work.
Tess climbed into his warm cab and took her jacket off.
“How long has your family been here?” she asked,
smacking her lips with bee balm.
Distracted, he put the truck in low gear, starting up the
muddy roads before answering. “My great-great
grandfather got the original ranch in the 1880s, from a
gold-miner who’d lost his family to typhoid, adding more
land as others abandoned their sections. The McGreer
family has been ranching here ever since, gradually adding
land as it became available.” He started towards the house,
taking the long route. “The utility company was going to
charge an arm and a leg to run electric out here back in the
forties, so Grand-dad stuck with water and wind power.
Pops was never too keen on the utility companies either, so
the ranch has always been off the grid. We have a windmill,
and the creek’s been dammed for water power since the
twenties.”
“Hmm, forward thinking ancestors,” Tess commented.
“They were independent. Being so far out of town
during the Depression, then World War Two, when
everything was rationed, they just figured out how to fend
for themselves. These were my Gran’s greenhouses.” He
pointed to the low glass houses behind the ranch house.
“Tilda and Aunt Olivia keep them going year-round, with
help from the ranch hands when I can spare them. You
ready for lunch?”
“I am hungry,” she nodded, looking across the pastures,
to the mountains. “Your place is so interesting, though. It’s
really beautiful out here.”
“I think so, too. I’ll take you to the creek on horseback,
next time, show you the dam, but now let’s get something
to eat.” She followed him into the house through the back
door. They kicked their boots off and hung outerwear in the
mudroom.
Under his overalls he wore jeans, but Tess’s legs were
clad in fleece tights. She wore a fuzzy blue turtleneck, and
bulky wool socks. Working with the animals, he could
pretend she was one of the guys, but back in close quarters,
he felt that undeniable pull again.
Oh, hell. Who am I
fooling? She’s more irresistible than ever.

Tess followed Jake into the red-tiled kitchen,
where a
paisley-aproned woman was preparing lunch at a six burner
gas stove. “Tilda, this is Dr. Bamberger, Tess. She came out
today to help with branding.”
“So you’re the new vet in town. Nice to meet you,

Tess,” Tilda squeezed her hand, smiling warmly. She had a
weathered, pleasant face, and sparkling grey eyes. Her
black hair, worn in braids pinned over her head, was tinged
with silver. On her feet were beaded moccasins, and her
apron covered a calico prairie skirt. “I’ve got lunch set up
in the dining room. The others are in there waiting. There’s
a big green salad, and plenty of chili. Help yourself.”

She wasn’t at all surprised to find Jake’s house roomy
and rambling, tastefully decorated with expensive things.
He led her through a butler’s pantry to a big rectangular
table in a sunlit dining room, where Larry and Ralph were
already seated. A wall of windows faced the mountains.
She glanced up at exposed beams, a sloped ceiling, and
elaborate, hand-crafted copper chandelier.
Why is it that
everything about him is both understated, and larger than
life?

Jake held out a chair, seating her in front of a plated
salad set on a brightly woven placemat. He poured them all
ice water, then dished her a big bowl of chili and took the
chair next to her.

From across the table, Larry passed a basket of corn
chips and a bowl of shredded cheddar cheese. Ralph
nudged a jar of chilies and a bowl of guacamole her way.
Tilda set a pitcher of milk and an insulated carafe of hot
coffee on the table and sat down to join them.

The large room was full of western art: Framed
landscape paintings of the high plains and mountains, a
bronze Remington horse and rider sculpture, a stretched
leather hide etched with images of buffalo and Sioux
hunters, woven baskets and clay pots.

Through a set of wide French doors to the right, she
saw a giant stone fireplace. Flanked by book shelves, it
filled the entire far wall of a vaulted great room. In front of
the fireplace, a colorful, woven Navajo wool rug was
framed by comfy leather couches.

Fascinated, Tess sat quietly, eating and looking around,
listening to the ranch talk. After they’d eaten, she helped
clear the table, thanked Tilda for lunch, and followed Jake
into the mud room.

“You want to stay here, rest a little while?” he offered
quietly. “We started so early this morning, you must be
tired.Why don’t you take coffee into the living room, and
just relax for the afternoon, while we finish up? I can light
a fire for you.”

Pleased, she tried not to read too much into the offer.
“That’s really thoughtful, but I feel like I should get back to
work. Maybe another time, okay?”

Back at the crush, Rhiannon was getting the hang of
herding. Jake had taught her the same commands he used
with Van. By two o’clock, they’d castrated most of the
steer. Jake turned to her. “You’ve seen enough of this to last
you, I imagine. We’ve only got another hour here. I hate to
tie you up. It’s been a long day, and you’ve worked all this
week already. Don’t you want to get going?”

“Honestly, if I get an emergency, it’s probably closer for
me to take it from here, Jake. Doc’s had me on call since
noon. I really don’t mind sticking around, unless I’m in the
way. Alice said she’d page me if Doc needed anything.”

He smiled at her, his dark eyes glowing. “That’s fine,
Tess. Cassie will be here soon. I know she’d like to see
you.”

An hour later, Tess watched Jake walk to the door of the
old woody-sided Wagoneer she’d seen parked at the house.
Cassie hopped out and waved to Tilda as the jeep pulled
away. They walked towards her, hand in hand.

Cass,” she heard Jake say.
“That’s okay, Tilda brought me oatmeal raisin cookies
and a thermos of cider for a snack. We brought some for
you, too, Daddy. Can I ride Sparky? I don’t have much
homework, and I haven’t been on him since Sunday.”
Jake tugged one of his daughter’s braids. “It’ll be a
little while until I can help you today, hon. We have to
finish this branding.”
Recognizing Tess in her shapeless overalls, Cassie said
“Hey, Dr. Tess is here! Hi, Dr. Tess!”
“Hi, Cassie,” Tess said brightly, “Bet you didn’t expect
to see me here, huh?”
“No, but I’m really glad you surprised me!” Cassie
hugged her, offering a cookie.
“Oatmeal raisin, yum. Thanks, Cass,” Tess said,
squeezing the little girl’s shoulder.
“Where’s Rhiannon?” Cassie asked.
“She ran off with Van.” Jake grabbed two cookies from
the bag.
“So, Dr. Tess, after we looked at your books last week, I
decided I want to be a vet when I grow up. I’m already
good at helping out at the clinic and the blood stuff doesn’t
bother me at all. Did you work really hard in school?”
Cassie asked, munching a cookie.
“I did,” Tess nodded, brushing a crumb from her chin.
“Grade school and high school and four years of college
and then four more years of vet school. Twenty years of
studying and tests, Cass, but here I am.”
“Wow, twenty years? I’m only six. That’s a really long
time to be in school . . Can I show Dr. Tess Sparky,
Daddy?” Cassie asked.
“Well, that’s up to Dr. Tess,” Jake said, glancing at Tess.
“Sparky is my pony, Dr. Tess. You really have got to
see him. I got him last year. Sherri Tarleton helped Daddy
find him. Even she likes him, and she’s really picky,”
Cassie explained proudly.
“I’d love to meet Sparky, Cass,” Tess said.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Jake looked a little
skeptical.
“Mind? Not at all. Cassie and I will have a blast,” she
answered.
“We get along great, Dad,” Cassie added assuredly,
taking Tess’s hand. “I stop by her place sometimes, when
my mom wants a rest. I like Alice a real lot, but Tess is my
favorite grown up friend.”
Jake grinned. “Okay, Cass, since Dr. Tess is willing to
tag along and keep an eye on you, you can get Sparky out
of the paddock and groom him and tack up. I’ll be up when
we finish here,” he said, shooting a Tess a grateful smile.
“I’ll show you to the horse barn, Dr. Tess,” Cassie
offered, tugging her hand. “Let’s take your new truck. I
really like the color.”
The horse barn was fancier than Tess expected, as nice
as the Tarleton’s, but smaller, just twelve stalls
.
A grey
pony and a larger taffy-colored palomino shared the fenced
paddock closest to the barn. A chestnut, three bays, a pinto
and two appaloosas grazed further off.
Cassie led her into the tack room, grabbing lead ropes
for the ponies. “I’m in Pony Club, and I’m learning to
barrel race,” she said proudly. “My dad teaches me how to
ride. The grey pony is Sparky.”
“Sparky is a pretty pony, Cassie.” Tess held the gate as
the little girl clipped the lead shank on him. “You’re so
lucky. I wanted a pony more than anything when I was your
age.”
Cassie halted Sparky in front of her, letting Tess
scratch his forehead. As she admired his dishy face, tight
little tummy and sturdy legs, Van and Rhiannon darted up,
tails wagging.
“You can get the palomino, Dr. Tess. His name is
Butterscotch. My dad got him for my mom a long time ago,
but she doesn’t really like horses. You could ride
Butterscotch if you wanted. We could take a trail ride
together.”
Tess clipped the lead shank on Butterscotch and
followed Cassie through the gate and up to the barn. “We’d
have to ask your dad first, but I hope we can Cass, that
sounds like fun.”
“Sometimes Pony Club meets here, and we all ride out
to the creek for a picnic. My dad comes along. We’ll do
that in the spring, again, I’ll bet. Most days my dad doesn’t
have time for a trail ride, so I just ride here in the ring and
around the barn. Butterscotch’s stall is on the left,” Cassie
said, expertly turning Sparky into a grooming stall and
clipping him in cross ties.
She came out of the tack room with a carryall filled
with brushes, currycomb, and a hoof pick. “You can visit
with me, or groom Butterscotch, whatever you’d like, Dr.
Tess,” Cassie offered politely.
“Oh, you know I like visiting with you. I’ll groom
Butterscotch later.”
Tess watched Cassie move around the pony, currying
and brushing his coat, then picking his hooves. She
chattered the whole time about her friends, and school,
Aunt Olivia’s dollhouse and the soccer team she’d played
on over the summer, and the books they’d get from the
library. When she was finished grooming, she turned to
Tess. “My dad usually helps with my saddle. It’s kind of
heavy,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
Tess followed her to the tack room, which was spotless.
Saddle racks lined the back and side walls, and bridles
hung on hooks in a neat row. Shelves and cubbies above
held liniments and incidentals. Cassie found her saddle pad
and took Sparky’s bridle off a low hook, while Tess
grabbed the small western saddle and cinch that Cassie
pointed out.
Jake came striding through the big barn door then, the
late afternoon sun bright behind his broad shoulders.
“Look at the two of you!” he exclaimed, pressing a big,
muscular hand against the tack room door jamb. He shot
Tess a broad smile, and she felt her heart lurch.
Why does
he have to be so darn good looking?
Cassie put the saddle pad on Sparky, and Tess helped
with the saddle and cinch. Jake stood back, watching with
appreciative eyes. “Dr. Tess helped with Butterscotch too,
Dad. She’s real good around horses. I’m going to do the
bridle myself, unless he acts up,” Cassie said determinedly.
“Okay,” her dad nodded. “Have you guys seen the
dogs?”
“They followed us over here. I guess they’re around
somewhere,” Tess told him.
“Van was sniffing Rhiannon, Daddy, then they were
dancing down by the pasture, when we brought the horses
in,” Cassie said.
“Dancing?” Jake glanced at Tess. Shrugging, she
walked out to the pasture, calling for Rhiannon.