Raspberries and Vinegar (A Farm Fresh Romance Book 1) (12 page)

Dear Dr. Nemesek,

Thank you for your application.

We currently have a temporary opening for a qualified veterinarian that may turn into a permanent position for the right applicant. If interested, please contact our office by May 7. Interviews will be held the following week and the position begins Monday, May 17.

Signed,

Dr. Albert Warren, DVM, ABVP, ACVS

May seventh? Zach’s stomach plummeted. A bona fide job opening, right in the Spokane Valley, and he’d missed it? Why hadn’t he been checking his email regularly? His cell number was on his résumé. Wouldn’t they have left a message? He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked. Nothing.

They were interviewing this week. Maybe it wasn’t too late. What could it hurt to phone? He scanned the email for the number and punched it into his cell. Held his breath while it rang.

“East Spokane Veterinary Clinic, Corinne speaking. How may I help you?”

“This is Dr. Zachary Nemesek calling about the opening for a veterinarian. I received an email from your office.”

“I recall seeing your name on the list, Dr. Nemesek, but the competition closed last Friday.”

“I’m sorry. My father has been ill and I haven’t kept up with my email. I’m wondering if there’s any chance I can still get an interview.” Zach held his breath.
Please, Corinne. Be nice and say yes.
There was a brief pause and Zach heard the tapping of keys.
Please. If there is a God, please.
Then he was put on hold and the music began.
 

Several minutes went by before he receptionist returned. “Dr. Warren was impressed with your résumé, Dr. Nemesek. If you can come in at eight tomorrow morning, he’ll be happy to interview you.”

Yes!
“I can make that, no problem. Thank you very much. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thanks for phoning, Dr. Nemesek.”

Zach rested both elbows on the table and sank his head into his hands. Wow. Talk about a close one. Thanks to Jo for sending him online today. Jo. The slap told him how she really felt. It would be best for both of them if he returned to the city. She’d find herself some tree-hugging hippie to kiss and he’d be back in the city he loved.

She’d get over him. Not that there had been a lot of sign she was
into
him to start with.

He’d get over her. Easier said than done.

When had he started thinking about her instead of Sierra? Or about nobody at all? At Galena Hills. Grandma had a soft spot for Jo, and it seemed mutual. He’d even picked up a package of organic chocolate, though he hadn’t dropped it off yet.

Yikes. Eight in the morning. At least the clinic was near the interstate. He’d have to drive into Coeur d’Alene tonight. Good thing he hadn’t given up his apartment yet. If he landed this job, he’d be able to keep it. If he didn’t, he’d give his notice.

But he’d get it. Dr. Warren was disposed to like him, and Zach could make himself even more attractive when they spoke in person. Besides, he’d asked God for help and obviously God had granted his request.

He jogged out to the field, Domino at his heels, to bring the tractor and pressure tank into the pole shed. He’d deal with that later.
Taking tomorrow off to check out this position was only one day. Then he’d have a few days to get things set up for Mom before Monday. She’d be happy for him, and he could come home weekends to do the fieldwork until Dad was back on his feet. It would all be good.

***

“I think Jo has something she’d like to share,” Claire announced as the three girls sat at the supper table.
 

Jo shot her a nasty look and sighed. Oh, how she’d prefer to erase the scene with Zach from late this morning. But it had happened, the good and the bad. She glanced at Sierra. “Zach fertilized the pasture next to our garden this morning with some chemical junk.”

Sierra set down her fork. “You’re kidding. What happened?”

Way too much
. Jo stared down at the delicious meal Claire had created and that she wasn’t hungry for. “I confronted him.”

“Good for you. He obviously needs some things explained to him. What did he say?”

Jo couldn’t remember. Something disagreeable.

“He kissed her.”

Thanks, Claire.

A sharp intake of breath from Sierra. “
What
? How did that happen? Did you kiss him back?

Answering that was too incriminating. She swallowed hard. “I slapped him.”

“No way.” Sierra’s hand squeezed Jo’s. “I thought you liked him?”

Jo lifted a shoulder. “Not really.”
Liar
.

Claire leaned back in her chair and looked at Jo like she was an alien. Perhaps true. “That’s not the way I heard it.”

Jo glanced at Sierra, who stared back with questions in her eyes. Did she dare admit to Sierra — or to Claire — how confused she really felt inside? “He’s okay. Or I thought he was.”

“I’m sure — if you just explained things to him. I mean, did you have to smack him?”

Had she needed to? Jo pondered. It certainly seemed so at the time. “He caught me off guard.”

“Sounds like it.” Sierra sighed. “But wow, that’s quite an opportunity for you.”

Jo stiffened. “Meaning?”

“He’s such a hot guy, a great catch.”

“Who poisoned the field. Who hates living on the farm.”

Sierra narrowed her gaze. “Guys are malleable. If he really loves you, he’ll try to make you happy.”

Malleable? Love? Yeah, right. “So you think I should just have ignored what he was doing? That a kiss should have made everything all right?”

“Well, not exactly. But you could have given it a bit of time to see what would happen, rather than belting him one.”

He’d asked to kiss her again. Did Sierra think Jo should have let him? Welcomed him?
Oh, she’d wanted to, but it hadn’t seemed wise at the time.

Sierra tapped her fingers. “What happened then? Did he keep right on fertilizing?”

Had he? Jo didn’t even know. She’d been too busy crying in the bathroom.

“No,” Claire said. “He and the dog walked across the field to the farmhouse. About an hour later he came back and drove the rig away.”

“See?” Sierra leaned closer. “You would have gotten the same results without violence. Honestly, Jo, what came over you? That’s not how to win a guy over.”

Jo jerked her chair back from the table and surged to her feet. “Sorry I haven’t been keeping up with my romance lessons. Why do you care so much what I said or did?”

Sierra’s big blue eyes stared up at Jo.

“Well, why do you? You got your own designs on Zach, or what?”

Sierra glanced at Claire, then back to Jo. “I didn’t say that. I was leaving the field clear for you, but it doesn’t look like you took advantage of it.”

Jo pressed her hands against the table and leaned closer. “Thank you so much. I appreciate the condescension.” She stalked off down the corridor.

“Nice one, Sierra,” came Claire’s voice.

“That’s not how I meant it at all.”

Oh yeah? What other way was there to take her words? Jo slammed her bedroom door.

***

Zach stacked extra bales for the sheep by the feeder. Had he forgotten anything that would ease the day for Mom tomorrow without him home? He grinned. Not that it was the first time she’d fed the stock since he’d gone off to college.

He spent a bit of time working with Old Pete, hoping Domino wou
ld catch on to the basic whistles and commands as Old Pete loped through his paces. Domino bounded beside his sire, seemingly oblivious to the reason for the older dog’s actions. Zach sighed. It would take more of Mom’s concentrated effort to teach the pup, but he’d be a good sheep dog once he’d outgrown his headstrong ways.

Mom’s car pulled in the driveway and Domino zigzagged beside Zach on the way back to the house, his tongue lolling happily from the side of his mouth. Zach was going to miss that dog.

“Hey, Mom.” He gave her a quick hug. “I’ll just wash up.”

When he returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, she had loaded plates of pasta on the table. Smelled awesome.

“So how was your day?” Mom asked after she’d said grace. “Did you get the pasture done?”

“Not entirely. Jo had some question about the fertilizer not being organic and harming the spring water.” That wasn’t the only question Jo brought to mind. Wow.

His mother frowned. “That’s strange. Everyone around here uses it. I thought it was so good of Gary to loan you his rig, being as we’ve never been able to justify getting our own for the small amount of acreage.”

“I’ll read up on it some more before I keep going.” Zach twisted his fork into the pasta. “I came into the house to look it up online, actually, and discovered I had an email from East Spokane Vet Clinic inviting me for an interview.”

She glanced up. “Oh, that’s great! They don’t care that you don’t have a recommendation from Hammond?”

“The receptionist never asked, and I didn’t draw her attention to it.” Zach took a deep breath. “Here’s the thing, Mom. My interview is tomorrow morning, bright and early, so I’m leaving right after dinner tonight and staying in at the apartment. I stacked extra hay for you by the sheep feeder.”

“So soon?” Her eyes clouded. “When does the position start?”

Zach met her gaze. “Monday.”

“Oh.” She looked down, jabbing her fork into the food. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this so quickly, but I know it’s what you want. I’ll try to be happy for you.”

Zach’s heart constricted. “I’ll come home every weekend until Dad’s ready to take the farm back on. The sheep will be out on pasture
in the next week or two which will make things easier for you.”

She took a deep breath. “I’d thought... I’d hoped you’d want to stay, after all. Mom said she thought you might be getting sweet on Jo.”

“Like Grandma even knows which decade she’s in.” He’d never guessed his grandmother had that much insight left intact, but Jo wasn’t a conflict his mother needed to know about. The farther he could get away from that girl, the better off he’d be. No reminders of his infatuation, his... his
lapse
, would be best. Jo wanted nothing to do with him, after all, though her lips had told a different story. Ah, that kiss...

“Zachary?”

Deep, steadying breath. “Nope. She’s just as enviro-crazy as I thought at first.” He forced a grin. “Definitely not a match made in heaven.”

Mom studied his face, and Zach kept it carefully blank until she looked away. “What about Doc Taubin? Haven’t you made some kind of deal with him?”

Drat, that’s what he’d shoved to the back of his mind in his eage
rness to get out of Galena Landing. “Last we talked, he didn’t have a date for surgery yet. If I get this position, I’ll just let him know he’ll need to find someone else to fill in. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

She pushed her pasta away, half eaten. “Zachary, the timing on this doesn’t seem all that good.”

Funny. After that confrontation with Jo, it seemed perfect to him.

Mom pulled his gaze and held it for a long moment. “Nonetheless, I’m really proud of you. You’ve worked extremely hard, gotten topnotch grades, even got the president’s award. I know this is what you’ve dreamt of. I have only one request.”

Zach raised his eyebrows. “And that is?”

She reached over and squeezed his hand. “Your dad and I have tried to be an example. Tried to teach you to pray about decisions as they come up. I’m sure you want God’s best for your life. All I ask is that you spend some time on your knees with God, asking for confirmation of His will for you.”

His turn to poke at his plate. “God and I — we’re not talking so much these days.”

“I know, son. He’s right there, though, wanting that communication open again. Give Him a chance?”

He met her gaze. “I’ll try.”

Chapter 11

Jo lay in bed the next morning, listening to rain pound on the old trailer’s metal roof, hoping it would hold up to the storm’s barrage and not leak. She snuggled under the cozy duvet. Obviously no need to get up and get cracking. Soggy mornings didn’t crack. They squished, and squishing wasn’t good for planting gardens.
 

“Sure you don’t want to go to Kalispell with Claire and me?” Sierra stuck her head around Jo’s door, which had been left ajar. She obviously wasn’t fooled by Jo’s pretend-sleep. “It’s not like you can plant the corn in this muck.”

Jo sighed and rolled over. Spending the day with Sierra after their spat yesterday did not sound like the most fun, even though Sierra had apologized. “Tempting, but no.” She sat up and stuffed her feet into tiger-face slippers.

“But we might find a source for herbs.”

“I hope you do.” In some ways she’d enjoy it, but they’d had rather a lot of togetherness since they moved in. An entire day alone on the farm sounded like bliss. Maybe she’d be able to get some distance from her aggravation with her best friend and her confusion about Zach.

“Bu—”

Something crashed in the kitchen. “That
does
it! I can’t take it anymore,” Claire yelled.

Sierra turned and ran down the hallway. “What happened?” Then she screeched.

Jo stuck her arms in the sleeves of her fluffy pink bathrobe and wrapped the tie around her waist. “Claire? Sierra?” She hurried down the corridor and into the kitchen.

A brazen mouse scampered across the window ledge behind the sink and disappeared behind the ceramic canisters at the back of the counter. Jo caught her breath.

Sierra’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the back of a wooden chair, her eyes fixed on the spot.

Claire stood in the middle of the room, arms akimbo. “There were
three
of them! I just disinfected the counters so I could make breakfast and now I have to do it again.” A shudder ran down her lean body. “That’s it. Time for some action.”

Sierra shot a questioning glance at Jo before refocusing on the countertop.

First things first. “Is the trap full again?”