The Wild Ones (The Wild Ones #1)(34)
Author: M. Leighton

“Call the vet.”

The next two hours are a blur. They fly by in a flurry of anxious activity.

I realized immediately that Mint was having complications when I saw that her placenta had detached prematurely. That means the foal’s life is in grave danger if it’s not delivered as quickly as possible. Thank God I’d dealt with something similar on a couple other occasions. I had the foal out and stimulated by the time Dr. Flannery arrived.

Not that it makes any difference. At least not to them.

I’d already resigned myself to being seen as the “help” at the ranch, even though I’ve got enough training and education to dispute it. My age doesn’t make matters any better either. Men like Jack Hines and Dr. Flannery will always be biased based on that fact alone. It doesn’t help that I still haven’t graduated, despite the fact that the circumstances are pretty much beyond my control.

But on a night like tonight, when I’d already stabilized both horses and the situation long before any of the “real” professionals arrived, it’s particularly hard to swallow. Jack Hines’s arrival only adds insult to injury.

“Why didn’t you call me sooner?” he asks, instantly on the attack.

“Sir, I was working to save the foal. I had little time for much of anything.”

“You should’ve called me when you called Dr. Flannery.”

“I apologize. I was only thinking of the horses.”

I wait for him to make a comment about Cami calling the vet, but he doesn’t. Maybe he just doesn’t know. Maybe Dr. Flannery didn’t tell him. The latter is confirmed when he turns to Cami.

“What are you doing down here?”

“I, uh, I came to get Jenna’s car and saw the lights on. I just came in to see what was going on,” she explains.

“What was her car doing down here?”

“She met me here earlier to ride, but we ended up going out instead.”

“With whom?”

“Another one of her friends. Why the fifth degree?”

I curb my desire to smile when she fires back. Damn, she’s feisty!

Jack frowns and looks from Cami to me and back again. When he nods, I take that as an indication that he believes her.

“Daddy, Trick saved Mint and the foal. Aren’t you even going to thank him?”

I cringe. Although I know her heart’s in the right place, I don’t want her fighting my battles. Or guilting anyone into appreciating me. Jack Hines is an ass, but he’s great at what he does. He’s also Cami’s father. That makes me want to earn his respect, not have someone badger it out of him.

Jack turns his stern expression on me. It doesn’t soften, but for just a second I see the flash of something that looks dangerously close to gratitude flitter across his face. The sad thing is, it’s gone before I can even really identify it.

Asshole!

“Thank you for your hard work. Although I don’t appreciate you taking such reckless chances with my horses, it panned out this time. Just don’t let it happen in the future. If you’re to continue working here, I expect you to be more prepared next time.”

My mouth wants to drop open and curse words want to fly out. But instead, I clamp my teeth together and nod curtly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Daddy, how—”

“If you two will excuse me,” I interrupt, shooting Cami a quick and meaningful look, “I’d like to go check in on Mint.”

Without waiting for a response, I walk away.

My fists are clenched so tight, my knuckles ache.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE – Cami

Like it is every day, the first thought to enter my mind when I wake is of Trick—the way he smells, the way his eyes sparkle when he laughs, the way his lips feel on mine. I’m determined today is going to be the day I get to see him again.

It’s been almost two weeks since Mint Julep gave birth to Lucky Star. I haven’t seen Trick or the foal since that night.

My father let me name the new horse. Considering what had happened before Mint went into labor, I still had Trick on the brain big time, so all my thoughts were centered on him. As usual. Of course, naming the horse something obvious like Trickster or Trickery was out of the question, so I went with “Lucky,” for the place I first met Trick. It’s well-hidden inside Lucky Star, which is a play on the expression “thank your lucky stars” and just sounds like the foal is lucky to be alive. But for me, the name and the horse will always remind me of meeting Trick and of the first night I spent in his arms.

I can’t help but wonder if Daddy knows there’s something between Trick and me. He has gone out of his way to make sure I don’t have time to ride or even to pay a visit to the stable. He’s insisted I accompany him on two trips and when we’re home, he seems to be down at the stable talking to Sooty, who came back to work the night after the birth. I’m getting to the point now, though, where I’m desperate to even see Trick, much less spend some alone time with him.

It was bad before, the constant desire to see him and be near him, but now? A thousand times worse! I feel like my life both started and stopped when Trick made love to me. Everything changed. And Trick was right—there’s no going back.

I’ve already made up my mind that no one, not even the great Jack Hines, is going to keep me from the stable today. Throwing back the covers, I hurry to brush my teeth and wash my face and get dressed. The sooner I can see Trick, the better.

As I make my way through the quiet house, I realize it’s so early not even Drogheda expects me to be up. I don’t smell anything cooking and she hasn’t yet started banging around to wake me up. Mom is no doubt at the club and Daddy’s probably locked away in his office plotting world domination.

I slip out the back door and practically run down the small incline that leads to the stable. I’m extremely disappointed when I don’t see Trick’s Mustang parked out back.

Good grief! You really are desperate! You’ve beat even the early risers down here!

I push open one of the bay doors and head through the stable toward Mint Juleps stall. It’s empty. I walk on to where the two main walks of the stable cross, forming a T-shaped intersection, and I turn left, heading to the other end of the stable and the doors on that side.

I see a tall, skinny man in jeans and a plaid shirt leaning up against a post in the small pen off the North field. He’s watching Mint and Lucky. She’s standing perfectly still as her young male offspring romps and plays around her.