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The most recent entries were in the top pages. Cassie saw where Craig examined a foal with a bowed leg and a mare with a slight fever. But there was no hint of strangles. She felt immediate relief.
“Craig hasn’t mentioned anything more serious—like strangles, has he?”
Sandy frowned as the back door opened, letting in a breath of cool morning air. “Nope—at least not to me.”
“Did I hear someone talking about me?” Craig asked as he stepped into the back room.
“That’s right, and we’ve been saying hideous and vile things about you,” Cassie teased, her black mood lifting at the sight of Craig’s frizzy hair and flushed cheeks.
“I thought so.” He hung his jacket on a hook near the door, then slid his arms through the sleeves of a starched green lab coat. “What’s up?”
“There’s an outbreak of strangles at the McLean Ranch.”
“Strangles?” Craig let out a low whistle. “Which horse?”
“Black Magic and Tempest. Both stallions.” While Craig walked into the tiny kitchen area and poured himself a cup of coffee, Cassie told him everything that had happened.
“And Colton thinks Black Magic picked it up while he was missing?” he asked thoughtfully, stirring sweetener into his cup.
“That’s the way he figures it.”
Craig’s lower lip protruded thoughtfully. “Makes sense, I suppose. And the timing’s right. There are some wild horses that live up in the mountains. McLean’s stallion could’ve gotten mixed up with them.”
Cassie shook her head. “I don’t think so. The way Colton and Curtis Kramer tell it, Black Magic looked as good when he returned as when he left. He was groomed and cared for. I saw him soon after, and I’d say he hadn’t spent any time in the wild.”
Craig frowned. “So Colton still thinks he was stolen.”
“Yes.” And more, much more. Cassie placed her empty cup into the small sink. “If he’s right, and some rancher ‘borrowed’ the stallion, we’ve got at least one more case of strangles. Probably more.”
“More like an epidemic.” Craig scowled into his coffee as he swirled a spoon in his cup. “I haven’t heard of any other cases, but I’ll call around to the other clinics in the county.”
The front bell tinkled, signaling the arrival of the first appointment.
“Oh-oh, duty calls. That’s probably Mrs. Silvan for her rabbit. She’ll want to talk to you,” Sandy said to Craig.
Craig took one gulp from his cup, then set it aside. “I’ll bring Herman into room two.”
“Great.” Sandy hurried to her desk in the reception area, which was located on the other side of the file room and separated the waiting area from the examining rooms.
Craig motioned to the half-empty kennels and said to Cassie, “Look, if you want to take off early this afternoon and check on the McLean horses, feel free. Unless we get swamped with emergencies, I can handle things here. The same goes for tomorrow. I don’t have any surgeries scheduled, so I’ll hold down the fort.”
“You’re sure?”
“I think you’re due for a day off,” he said, then grimaced. “But dealing with strangles won’t be any picnic.”
“Don’t I know,” Cassie agreed as the front bell chimed again, and Craig lifted the fat white rabbit from its cage.
* * *
Inside the broodmare barn Colton studied the swollen-bodied bay with a jaundiced eye. Red Wing was anxious, her eyes rolling backward, her ears flattening as Curtis tried to examine her for signs indicating she was about to foal.
“Yep. She’s ready,” Curtis said, patting the mare fondly.
Colton wanted to swear. The last thing he needed was new, fragile horses being exposed to God-only-knew-what. “You’re sure about this?”
“Sure as I can be. My money says she’ll foal tonight—tomorrow night at the latest.”
“Great.” Colton grumbled.
