Mending Fences Read online

  Mending Fences

  Synopsis

  When rancher Bobbie Del Rey walks into the veterinarian’s office with an injured pup, the last person she expects to see is the one woman she’s never allowed herself to love. The only thing more dangerous than the storm raging outside is the tempest in her heart.

  Veterinarian Grace Hammond is looking for a fresh start. Haunted by her past, she hopes moving back to her hometown will help her find the strength to stand up for what she needs in matters of the heart. The moment her first love, Bobbie Del Rey, walks into her clinic—tall, dark, and soaking wet—the boundaries Grace desperately needs become paper thin.

  Can the heartbreaks of the past ever truly be mended?

  Mending Fences

  Brought to you by

  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  Mending Fences

  © 2020 By Angie Williams. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-707-7

  This Electronic Original Is Published By

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Edition: April 2020

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Cindy Cresap

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Ty Justice

  eBook Design By Toni Whitaker

  Acknowledgments

  First of all, thank you to BSB for giving me this opportunity. A big thank you to Cindy Cresap for helping me become a better author, and for not giving up on me.

  Thanks to Ty Justice for the awesome cover.

  Thanks to my friends, family, and high school English teacher, Cheryl Carter, for always believing in me and pushing me to put myself out there.

  Thank you to our son, Ryan, for being self-sufficient and an awesome kid so two of his moms can carve out time to write.

  Thanks to my parents and our co-parents for their unwavering love and support.

  Last but not least, thank you to the love of my life, Meghan. You are my absolute everything. You make me a better person, and I couldn’t ask for a better wife and life partner. I love you.

  Dedication

  To Meghan, for mending my heart.

  Chapter One

  The dust and heat of the day tested Bobbie Del Ray’s typically unwavering good humor as she rode the fence line of her family’s four-hundred-acre ranch. She’d been responsible for this chore since she was thirteen and knew every inch by heart. Bobbie regretted the extra hour she’d spent fixing an old tractor that pushed her ride around the property later than she liked. The security and care of her herd had been the lifeblood of her family’s livelihood for three generations, and now that her father was gone, the responsibility sat squarely on her shoulders.

  Bobbie wiped the sweat from her face when it trickled down her temple and tickled her cheek. She calculated how much daylight she had left. She would be cutting it close if she wanted to finish before the light was gone, and the storm clouds she noticed quickly moving her direction would only make it worse.

  “Trot.” She nudged her horse to move faster. The years she’d spent checking the fence taught her it never paid to rush and miss something that could potentially cost her money in the long run, but she knew she would need to move faster if she didn’t want to end up getting rained on in the dark.

  At times like these she couldn’t blame her brother for not wanting to stay on the family ranch, instead choosing a life in the big city without fences and dirt and endless chores. Bobbie’s older brother, Wyatt, had always been her father’s favorite, but as soon as Bobbie was old enough to take over, he had simply left a note on the kitchen table informing them he didn’t want to spend his life on horseback, tending to cattle and struggling to make it from one season to the next. It had taken her a couple of years to forgive him for leaving her with the care of the ranch, her ailing mother, and their younger brother. She knew deep down Wyatt would have only made things more difficult if he had stayed where he wasn’t happy so she’d moved on and did her duty to her family the best she could.

  Her horse picked up his pace when the final stretch of fence lay out before them. “Almost done, Frankie.” She patted his neck as the first drops of rain bounced off her cowboy hat with a dull thud.

  When Bobbie crested the last hill, she noticed movement in the distance. She pulled Frankie to a stop and retrieved a small pair of binoculars she kept in her saddlebag so she could get a better look. The rain that dripped down the lens made it difficult to tell for sure, but she thought she could see a tiny gray animal caught in the middle of what used to be her barbed wire fence.

  “Let’s go, Frankie.” She sat back in the saddle and nudged the horse forward, cautiously approaching the pile of broken wire. When she was close enough to see it was a small dog she slid from her saddle to get a closer look. She pulled her rain jacket and a pair of sturdy gloves from her saddlebag moments before the skies opened up and the rain began to pour.

  Bobbie strained against the strengthening winds to reach what she could now see was a small dog.

  “There now, little one, what have you gotten yourself into?” The pup tried to lift its head when she approached, but the movement was restricted by the tangle of wire surrounding it. Bobbie realized the poor animal could be in shock so she removed her heavy canvas jacket and placed it over the injured pup to protect it from the ever increasing rain.

  “How in the world did you get yourself into this mess?”

  Sharp metal from the barbs cut into Bobbie’s skin sending drops of blood down her arms. “Dammit, this isn’t going to work.” She pulled her hat off and brushed rain soaked bangs from her forehead before jogging back to retrieve a pair of wire snips from the saddlebag.

  “I don’t think there’s any way to salvage this bit of fence. Not in this weather at least. We’ve got to get you to the doc, my friend.” Bobbie worked fast to cut the pup from the jagged claws of the barbs while the rain pelted her back, soaking her from head to toe.

  “This storm came out of nowhere, didn’t it?” The lack of response to her voice worried her, but she knew she couldn’t waste any time working the animal free.

  “There we go. I’ve got you,” she said as she cut the last wire and pulled the limp little ball of fur safely into her arms.

  Bobbie wrapped the puppy up tight in her jacket. She jumped when lightning struck a tree only a couple of miles from where she stood. On instinct, she grabbed Frankie’s reins where they dangled on the ground only a moment before he reared at the deafening crack of thunder that almost immediately followed.

  “Whoa, boy, whoa there.” She slung the reins over his neck and pulled herself into the saddle with one hand while she cradled the exhausted pup with the other. “Let’s go, Frankie,” she said. She held tight when the horse darted forward, running for the safety of the barn.

  As the weathered building came into view, she could make out the outline of her ranch hand, Cotton, waiting just inside the barn. By the time she slid from her saddle, he was there to take Frankie from her.

  “I found a pup tangled in some wire in the east pasture. Looks like she’s been out there for a bit
and isn’t in good shape. I’m going to rush her down to the clinic to see if there’s anything Doc Randolph can do for her.”

  Cotton pulled a restless Frankie toward the barn. “Roger that, boss. I’ll get Frankie put away.”

  “Thanks, Cotton,” Bobbie said before securing the puppy in the passenger seat of her truck. “If this rain lets up, can you go out and check the fence? I left a big gap when I cut her free.”

  “Will do. You be careful in this storm.”

  “You, too. Let my mom know where I’m headin’.” Bobbie’s tires threw up a spray of mud as she sped down the bumpy ranch road toward the asphalt that would lead them to town. She glanced at the furry bundle in the seat next to her and hoped the clinic was open and willing to take a late emergency visit. “Hang in there, little girl, we’re on our way to get help.”

  Chapter Two

  Dr. Grace Hammond tidied up the exam room after her last patient of the day. The Great Dane puppy had peed no less than twice in the room while waiting for his appointment. With her vet tech out of town, it was up to her to clean up the lakes of pee he left behind.

  Once everything was tidy, she walked from room to room turning off equipment and lights. The whirring of electricity was replaced by the raging storm outside her door. The wind whipped the shutters against the building, and she wondered if she should try to secure them somehow.

  She peeked out the window while turning off the entryway lights and noticed a truck slide to a stop in front of the clinic. A chill ran through her as she saw a tall figure in a cowboy hat exit the vehicle and run toward the door cradling a bundle in their arms. She grabbed her keys from behind the counter and opened the door when the stranger reached the first step. She moved out of the way to allow the late customer entry and noticed a puppy nose poking out through an opening in the blanket.

  “Come in. You’re soaking wet. What seems to be the problem?”

  The stranger turned to speak, and Grace gasped when she recognized the handsome woman standing in front of her. “Bobbie?”

  It had been twenty years since she’d last seen her first love, but Grace recognized her immediately. The years apart did nothing to stop her heart from skipping a beat when she looked into the bright blue eyes she had thought she would drown in so many years ago.

  Bobbie’s soaking wet hair and clothes dripped onto the clinic floor as she stood silently holding the bundle tightly against her body.

  “Grace?” she finally asked in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

  “I work here. I’m a vet now. I…let’s take care of you and your little friend here, and then we’ll catch up. Explain to me what happened while I grab you some clean scrubs from the back. Doc Randolph has a stack in the closet that I think will fit you fine. You both look like you’ve been drug behind a boat.”

  Now that the initial shock of seeing her had passed, she realized Bobbie was covered in scratches and there was blood on her shirt. “Are you hurt?” Grace pulled her sleeve back to inspect her arm.

  “I got a little scratched up while I was trying to get her out of the barbed wire, but I’ll be fine. Let’s get her fixed up first. I think the bleeding has stopped. It looks more dramatic than it is.” Bobbie was obviously not comfortable being the focus of concern.

  Grace wasn’t completely satisfied but knew she was right; the puppy was the bigger emergency. She handed Bobbie the dry scrubs before gently taking it from her arms. She held the quivering animal close to her body as she carried it to the back room. Bobbie was right on her heels explaining what brought them to the clinic in the middle of a storm.

  “I was out checking the fence when I saw this little girl tangled up in a mess of barbed wire. She must’ve been there for a while because she hardly made a sound when she saw me ride up. I cut her loose, wrapped her in the blanket, and got here as fast as I could. Is she going to be okay?”

  The concerned look on Bobbie’s face tugged at Grace’s heart. She was an animal lover herself so she understood, but for some reason seeing Bobbie so unguarded about her feelings made Grace swoon a bit.

  “We’re going to take good care of her,” Grace said. She carefully unwrapped the blanket. “There’s an exam room right there if you want to change. You’ll find a dry towel in the bottom left cabinet behind me.”

  Bobbie seemed to hesitate but finally walked away to dry off and get changed. Grace tried to focus on her patient and not the urge to help Bobbie out of her wet clothes. Get it together, Grace, she admonished herself as she began her examination of the injured pup.

  A couple of minutes later, Bobbie was back by her side looking better than anyone had a right to in the usually unflattering scrubs.

  “What’s her name?” Grace asked. She saw Bobbie watching her closely as she ran her fingers through the dog’s fur checking for foreign objects that could still be stuck in her skin.

  Bobbie thought for a minute. “Riley. She looks like a Riley to me.”

  “Okay, Riley, you’re being a very brave little girl.” Grace spoke gently trying to keep her calm while she assessed her injuries. “She must have been trapped in the wire for a long time because the bleeding seems to have mostly stopped, but these gashes look angry and painful.”

  Grace knew she needed to warm her patient up and get her heart rate down as soon as possible, but the myriad of cuts and tears to her coat made it difficult to see if she still had something stuck in her fur.

  “Bobbie, I’d like to get these cuts cleaned up a little so we can make sure she doesn’t still have a barb or some other foreign object still embedded in her skin. Once we’re sure, I would like to get her wrapped up and start her on an IV of antibiotics and fluids. Does that sound like a plan?”

  “Absolutely, whatever it takes,” Bobbie said.

  “It’s just you and me tonight so do you mind playing the part of the vet tech? I’ve been told I’m a pretty good boss,” Grace said. She carried Riley to the big sink in the back of her clinic to bathe her.

  Bobbie smiled, obviously thankful for a little levity at that moment. “I haven’t been bossed around by you in years, but I remember it being fun at the time.”

  She gently washed the mud and blood from Riley’s fur and tried to wrap her brain around the fact that she was standing next to Bobbie Del Ray. She vividly recalled the day her parents sent her off to boarding school only hours after discovering she was in a relationship with a girl. Grace’s heart had broken that day, and if she were honest with herself, had never truly recovered.

  “Here we go.” Grace picked up tweezers from a table and gently pulled a barb from Riley’s skin. The puppy gave a weak yelp when it was removed. “There’s a good girl, Riley. Poor girl. You’re going to be okay.” Grace ran her fingers through her fur once more and decided that was the best she could do for now. Nothing large was poking her so she would do a more thorough search once she was stable.

  “I think that will do for now. Let’s wrap her up and get some fluids in her. She was obviously in the sun for a long time.”

  Grace turned off the water and asked Bobbie to hand her a towel from the shelf. The warm water and massage from the bath had helped bring a little focus back into Riley’s eyes, and she gently gave Grace a timid lick on the cheek as she dried her off. “I think someone is finally starting to come around. Do you need to go, Bobbie, or can you give me a little more time?”

  “I’m all yours for as long as you need me.”

  Grace knew she was only answering her question, but something in the way she said it told her she meant more than just that night.

  Chapter Three

  Bobbie took Riley from Grace, still trying to sort through her feelings about their unexpected reunion. The closeness they felt as kids came rushing back, but Bobbie knew it would be inappropriate to allow herself to treat this near stranger with the familiarity they once shared.

  She cradled Riley in a clean blanket as Grace led them to her office where there was a comfortable couch against one wall. r />
  “Go ahead and keep her wrapped up for now. I’m going to get some supplies and I’ll be back,” Grace said.

  When she was finally alone, Bobbie felt her muscles relax for the first time since she’d arrived at the clinic. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so nervous around another woman. She knew Grace wasn’t just any woman, but still, Bobbie liked to think she was usually capable of controlling the fifteen-year-old in her brain that was sometimes in charge of her hormones.

  As Grace walked into the hall outside her office, there was a violent crack of thunder followed by darkness. “You okay, Gracie?” Bobbie yelled, the nickname slipping from her as if they’d never been apart.

  “I’m okay. I’ll get candles. How is our little friend?”

  “Startled but fine.”

  Bobbie held Riley close as she shook at the sounds raging outside. “You’re okay, pretty girl. Grace is going to get you all fixed up and you’ll be good as new.” The pup nuzzled into Bobbie’s arms even closer. “She’s so nice isn’t she?” Bobbie glanced at the doorway to make sure they were still alone. “And so beautiful,” she said softly to the dog, careful not to be overheard.

  Bobbie closed her eyes and pictured the young, bright-eyed girl she had been in love with so many years ago. She remembered feeling at the time that Grace was the most beautiful girl in the world, and seeing her now, she agreed with her teenage assessment.

  She smiled when she thought about the woman her childhood love had grown to be. Grace had the same strawberry blond hair and sea green eyes, but she had blossomed into a breathtaking woman.

  “Did you fall asleep?” Grace quietly asked.

  Bobbie opened her eyes and scooted over so Grace could sit next to them on the couch. “Nope. Here, have a seat.”