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"I'm going to put antibiotic paste on him, Jase. You can't let this stuff touch your skin, so we use tongue
depressors to smear it on. Primitive, but it works." She straightened, stretching a little as if her muscles
were cramped from crouching so long beside the horse. "We'll have to take his temperature every day,
and he'll need antibiotics injected into the muscle twice daily. Have you given shots before?"
Jase nodded. "A couple of times. Cole's been teaching me. Before, I didn't really go near the animals."
She smeared the paste on liberally. "Don't worry, soon you'll be an expert in giving horses shots. You're
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a natural."
"Do you really think so? I thought about working with animals a long time ago. I like being around them."
Jase glanced at Cole, dearly nervous by the admission.
Maia ignored the significant rise in tension and continued applying the antibiotic paste. "I think you're
good with animals. You have to read them, their body language, the look in their eyes. I think you have a
real affinity for that."
"What do I have an affinity for?" Cole asked.
Maia laughed, the sound unexpected in the large barn. White vapor drifted around them from the simple
act of breathing. She sent a mischievous smirk in Jase's direction, winking at him. "Trouble, Mr. Steele. I
think you're a magnet."
Jase made a strangled sound, trying to suppress his laughter. Cole turned away from them. It was the
first real laugh he'd heard from the boy, and the sound flooded him with warmth. Maia had a way of
bringing Jase out of his shell, and Cole was grateful to her, even though he wished he'd been the one to
make Jase laugh.
"You got that right, Doc," Jase agreed.
Maia crouched once again beside the horse. "What I'm doing now is putting pressure wraps on three of
his legs to help prevent swelling. I considered putting a stack wrap on his left front, but we'll see how he
does. I think he'd just rub it off. I want to keep a careful record, Jase. I'll put this chart out here, so if you
happen to take his temp or administer his penicillin when I'm gone, we'll have a record of everything."
"I'll do it," Jase promised.
"I think we're just about finished. We'll let him rest."
Maia stretched, yawning as she did so. "I hope you have some extra clothes you're willing to share, Jase.
I didn't bring much with me, and I have a feeling you may be stuck with me a while. I'll need to wash my
scrubs, and I'd really love something to sleep in."
"Sure, Doc," Jase said, eager to find a way to repay her. "I'll find you something. And you won't have to
worry about getting lost in the snow between the house and barn. All the walkways are covered and
enclosed."
She smiled at him. "That's handy. I really think he'll be fine. If we weren't in the middle of a full-blown
blizzard, I'd trailer him into the clinic, but I have all my equipment with me. I think we're prepared to
handle anything that comes along."
"Will I be able to ride him eventually?"
"Let's make it past the infection stage and see how everything heals," Maia hedged. "He had some nasty
injuries." She patted the horse's side. "He wants to get better, and that's more than half the battle right
there."
"Did he tell you that, Doc?" Cole asked, his eyebrow raised.
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"Well, of course. And he's rather fond of Jase as well. I'm surprised a man as sensitive as you didn't
catch all that." She grinned at him and blew on her hands to warm her aching fingers.
His heart lurched uncomfortably. He couldn't help tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear. She
looked tired. "Jase, you need to shower and hit the sack. I don't want you staying up all night." Cole took
her hands and began to rub them between his own.
Jase glanced at his watch. "I haven't eaten, Cole. I need food. Sustenance. Something like pizza."
The moment he said the word, both brothers reacted, expressions shutting down, wariness creeping into
their eyes. They had already compared experiences of their father's reaction when as a boy Cole had
stayed after school to have pizza with his friends. Jase had done the same thing. Brett Steele believed in
absolute control and his punishments had been vicious.
"I know how to make pizza," Maia said into the silence. "If you have the ingredients, I can make it."
Deliberately she pulled her hands away from Cole and clapped Jase on the shoulder. "You do have
flannel pajamas, don't you?"
"You're bribing him," Cole pointed out, taking direction from her. Maia seemed to know naturally what
to say and do with the boy, where he was still floundering, feeling his way, knowing he was out of his
depth. "Jase, don't give up your flannels. I think she's hungry enough to make pizza for us anyway."
"Well, I am, but I had planned on makingyou cook," Maia said.
Jase snorted. "Don't even go there, Doc. Cole's cooking is downright ugly."
"Hey, traitor." Cole managed to ruffle the boy's hair. His affectionate gesture startled both of them. He
dropped his hand quickly and Jase suppressed a small grin. "A beautiful woman comes along, and you
side with her."
"I show good sense, you mean," Jase bantered back. "She can cook."
Maia's smile widened. "I'm anawesome cook. And I love flannel, so I can be bribed."
"I have a flannel shirt," Cole said. "If we have to pay for our four-in-the-morning supper, I'll contribute to
the cause." He took Maia's arm. "You're falling down you're so tired. And if you continue to shiver from
the cold any longer, you're going to rattle your teeth loose. Let's get up to the house."
Jase patted the horse good night and hurried after them. "Thanks, Doc. I know it wasn't easy doing all
that work."
"I like being a veterinarian. I really think you should give it some thought, Jase. School's hard, and you
have to be at the top of your class to get in, but I'll bet you have the brains for it."
"He's a great student," Cole acknowledged immediately.
"I had tutors most of the time," Jase admitted. "My father didn't want me to go away to school."
She'd bet he didn't. The wrong person might see his bruises. And a man like Brett Steele wouldn't want
to lose control of his prized possessions. His own sons. She stole a quick glance at Cole's darkly etched
features. He'd managed to escape his father's world, but now he was trapped all over again. What had
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that done to him? He was removed from everyone, keeping a distance from the rest of the world, yet
trying desperately to keep the same thing from happening to Jase.
She sensed that Cole had to let Jase inside of him. Into his heart. His mind. He had to allow himself to
love Jase, to care about him. Obviously he felt affection and a need to protect the boy. And that made
him vulnerable. Brett Steele had effectively tied Cole to him, to this place so haunted with his chilling
ghost. The elder Steele was certain that his money and his influence would enable him to reach his sons
from beyond the grave. Cole was trying to find a way to fight back, to give Jase a life. He just didn't [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]