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FIVE
HOPE
She stared at him, knowing he was completely forward about what he wanted. She knew that he wanted her help, and it was clear he needed it. His livestock needed answers.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t taking care of the cattle, either. The cows were clearly well-maintained, and they looked happy and comfortable out in the grass. She’d seen neglected animals, and that wasn’t the situation here.
So there was something else to the puzzle, and they needed to figure out what it was. He was distraught about whatever was going on with them, which was rare. Many people wouldn’t have gone to such extreme measures as getting several veterinarians.
Most people she helped that had cattle were okay with having injured animals. They sometimes just looked at them for the meat on their body rather than a living, breathing animal that was just trying to survive. She always hated when people looked at the animals like dollar signs rather than something that had emotions and feelings.
She looked forward to working with him. She was sure there would be times they didn’t agree, but she at least knew he would take her words into consideration and that everything he did was for the cattle.
“Of course, I’ll help you. But be aware that I will need to know everything that has gone on. There will be no secrets about what’s happening here. If I don’t know the full truth, I won’t be able to be of any use. So you can’t lie about what you’ve tried and what you haven’t.”
He nodded, giving her a smile. “Done deal. Whatever it is you want, you can have.”
She looked at the cows, trying to work her mind around what could have gone wrong. There were several illnesses and diseases she knew she could test for. She didn’t know how Deimos would feel about that.
He cleared his throat, “I’m not one to leave quickly, but I have some business I need to take care of back in town. So, I need to get going. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
She looked at him and gave him a nod. “All right. That sounds fine.”
He looked at Gerri and then back at her. “You’re welcome to come with me. I can give you a tour and show you around after I get a few things finished.”
She gave him a smile and waved a hand. “That’s okay. Gerri already did that. She explained a little while we were coming in. Besides, I think I would like to just sit and observe the cows for now. See if there is anything we missed in the environment before I start thinking of running any tests.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, giving her hopeful eyes.
She wondered if he wanted her to go with him. While she liked the idea, she still hardly knew the man. She felt more comfortable with the cows, for now. That, and she wanted to talk to Gerri a little longer. She needed someone to explain the planet and how everything worked in better detail.
“I’ll watch the cows. You go and do what you need to do. They’re in good hands, I promise.” And she meant that. She was going to watch them. She would need to if she was going to make any decisions on what to do.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
She smiled back at him, watching him walk away. She looked at Gerri, who held a smirk on her face. She frowned at her. “Wipe that smirk off your face.”
Gerri chuckled, walking toward her. “What? I’m just so happy to see you guys hitting it off. Isn’t he so sweet?”
“There’s nothing going on. We’re just talking. And did you miss us screaming at each other just a minute ago?”
Gerri waved a hand, looking at the cows. “Everyone yells, Hope. But did you see how calm he got? He was just defending his cows.”
She rolled her eyes, turning toward the cows. “It’s interesting.”
Gerri chirped happily. “Deimos? Isn’t he? He’s a very nice guy. Well put together. Very determined.”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “That’s not what I was talking about, and you know it.”
“Oh, come on.” Gerri chuckled as she leaned against the fence. Her hair shifted from the light gust of wind, almost making her look younger. “Set the cows aside for a second. What do you think of Deimos? He’s a nice guy. He’s very caring, and you can’t deny he’s nice to look at.”
She ignored Gerri for a second. She didn’t want to admit to anything because it was crazy. She just met Deimos. She couldn’t admit to anything. She hardly knew him.
But she did think he was good to look at, and that was putting it lightly. She wasn’t going to admit she thought he was hot. She wasn’t going to tell her how her insides twisted or how she wanted to get rid of him.
Deimos was looking at her like she was the answer to all of his problems, and she wasn’t. She was here to help with the cows, but she didn’t know if there was much she could do. She would try, but that didn’t mean she would find the answers.
He already had several other veterinarians look at the animals, and they were stumped. While she hoped she could find the answer, there was no guarantee.
