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The receptionist raises her eyebrows at me, but sends me and my little horse on into a white exam room with a stainless steel exam table and a long counter with cupboards under it. Hopefully, she doesn’t take a shit while we’re waiting. Actually, I don’t care if she takes a shit in here. Animals shit. If a vet can’t handle that, it’s not my problem.
There’s a knock on the door, and then a pretty redhead just a couple of years older than me is standing in front of me. She’s wearing purple scrubs and squinting at me.
“Hmmm. Now which Waters boy are you? I can never remember which one’s which…”
A huge smile spreads across my face. “Shit. Haley Taylor. Back in Western Springs. Does Jensen know?”
She frowns up at me. “Doesn’t much matter to me if your brother does or doesn’t know that I’m back.”
“Guess that tells me where things stand with you two.” Stepping forward, I reach out to wrap my arms around her in a bear hug, rocking from side to side.
Haley wraps her arms around me and squeezes me just as tight.
“When the hell did you get all grown up? I almost thought you were Jacks for a minute.”
“You’ve been gone a long time.”
She shrugs. “Undergrad. Then vet school.”
“And now you’re back?”
“Yup. Buying out the practice from Doc Smithers. He’s going to stay on part time because I don’t think he’d know what to do with himself if he didn’t have this office to come to every day.”
“Mrs. Smithers probably doesn’t want him home all the time, either.”
She nods, smiling. “His long hours are probably the only explanation for their even longer marriage.”
“You seeing anyone?”
Her eyes narrow as she looks me up and down. “You asking for yourself or for your brother?”
Coughing, I can’t look her in the eyes. “I’m taken. Or I’m hoping I am.”
Haley’s eyebrows shoot up. “Ooh, really? Who is she? Anyone I know?”
“Yeah, but we’re sort of keeping it quiet for now. You know, small towns.”
“Oh, I know small towns. Good for you for keeping it to yourself. I hope she knows how lucky she is.”
“Thanks. I’m pretty happy about it.”
A smile tugs on her lips. “She’s not so sure?”
“She’s just taking a bit of time to come around to the idea.”
“I’m sure she’ll come around. You were always such a sweet kid, Jameson Waters.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do. Remember when we all went swimming at Riley lake that time? I saw that snake and refused to get into the water with it. Jensen and everybody else took off. But you and Lily sat on a rock with me for three whole hours and kept me company.”
“I haven’t thought about those days in a long time.”
“They were good ones.” Haley’s smile is real. “Now, who is this little guy?” She dips her head lower. “Little girl. Who is this little girl?”
“I don’t know. I found her on the road halfway between town and the farm. Near the Donahue place. But they don’t have horses anymore. Not since Annabelle went off to college.”
“I love that you know that. I still have to get caught up on all the town gossip.”
