Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Tully nodded, clearly familiar with this story. “She loved being on the ranch. Her grandparents still have the land, but they’ve sold off all the stock.”
I let out a sigh. “They were wonderful to me. Gave me every opportunity to learn and grow. Made me feel capable and important. Delmar and Biddy… they were like my surrogate grandparents. Have you met them?”
Tully finally turned to me, a soft smile edging up his lips. “Yeah. I complimented Biddy on her banana pudding once, and now she makes it for me every year at Fourth of July.” His smile faded. “Katie’s death nearly broke them.”
I felt a band around my chest at the thought and leaned over to cover my face with my hands. “Fuck.” That girl had been everything to them. They had probably ten grandkids, all told, but she was the closest one to them and the light of their lives. “Are they supporting the Scotts’ bid for custody?”
“I haven’t heard. They adore Lellie. But Delmar has pretty serious arthritis, and Biddy is losing her memory. I can’t imagine they could offer to help care for her or be anything other than moral support.”
I used to touch base with them once or twice a year, but I hadn’t spoken to them since I left Dallas two years ago.
“If they were younger, I’d consider them as guardians,” I said, feeling the now-familiar pinch of discomfort in my gut at the thought of giving Lellie to anyone.
Tully looked away from me again. “Maybe they know of someone.”
“No.”
He turned to look at me. “No?”
Before I could say anything, Pete came in. And the look on his face wasn’t good.
FIFTEEN
TULLY
Instead of watching the vet, I watched Dev. His face was pale, and his hands shook.
“Is it colic?” he asked as he stood quickly and approached the doctor.
The man was smaller than Dev and had to look up to meet his eyes. “We’re pretty sure it is, but I’m going to put in a nasogastric tube to do more investigation. I just need you to sign the consent first.”
Dev quickly strode across to take the electronic tablet before scribbling his name and handing it back. “Whatever you need to do. You know that.”
The vet nodded and turned around, not wasting another moment on small talk. Dev returned to the seating area but remained standing for a beat before pacing across the small space.
“You trust this guy?” I asked. “Because we could find someone in a bigger city if we needed to. I could—”
He shook his head. “Pete’s great. I’ve worked with him for a year now. He’s been out at the ranch for some difficult deliveries and various situations with the trail horse stock. He’s as good as any large-animal vet I’ve worked with.”
I’d noticed the man hadn’t mentioned the cost of treatment. Since this was Dev’s personal mount instead of a ranch-owned animal, the treatment burden was probably on Dev. “It could be expensive.”
“Yeah.”
“No, like… it could be really expensive. Sometimes colic requires surgery, Dev.”
He stopped and furrowed his brows. “I know. It’s okay. Pete knows I’ll pay whatever it takes.”
Dev worked on a ranch. Yes, he was in charge of the breeding program, but even a ranch manager job in rural midwestern areas only paid around fifty grand a year. It wasn’t the kind of salary that could easily swallow a ten-thousand-dollar surgery.
He went back to pacing. After a few minutes, he stopped and glanced at me. He was obviously nervous.
“I’ve been thinking about keeping Lellie.”
I blinked at him.
“Because of the money?”
It was his turn to blink at me. “What?”
The timing was too coincidental. Anger crackled under my skin. “You’re going to keep her so you can afford to take care of your horse? Are you kidding?”
“What are you talking about?” he snapped. “What does one thing have to do with the other?”
“We were talking about how expensive Trigger’s treatment might be, and then you suddenly decided to keep custody of your daughter and her fortune! What do you expect me to think, Dev?”
He curled his hands into fists at his side. “I expect you to think I’m better than the lowest scum on the fucking planet. I expect you to understand that while I love that fucking horse and would do anything for him, I wouldn’t use my daughter that way. I expect you to… to… to care about me even the smallest amount, just enough to give me the benefit of the doubt. Jesus fucking Christ. Is this what you think of me?”
My body went cold, and I realized in an instant what a huge mistake I’d made. I’d seen how much he cared for Lellie. I knew that whatever decision he made about her, it would have nothing to do with her money. Didn’t I know better than to make assumptions about him like the ones he’d made about me?