“Deal,” he said to Zach. “What time?”
“How’s six-thirty sound? Seraphina’s making spaghetti.”
“Great.” Dallas’s mouth watered at the thought of zesty
marinara. Zach and Dusty’s housekeeper’s Italian cuisine was legendary. “See you then.”
* * *
Annie DeSimone yawned, stretching her bare arms over her head, her silver bangle bracelets clinking in her ears. Her first week as the new veterinarian in the small ranching town of Bakersville, Colorado was nearing its end, and already she had treated five horses, three cows, a stubborn bull, two dogs, and had delivered a litter of eight kittens.
To top it off, her VW Beetle had died on the way back from her last call, and she’d had to hitch a ride back to her office. Not a stellar first week, though at least the busyness had kept her mind off of other things.
Although it was only four, an hour before closing time, she walked to the door to lock up. As she flipped the sign from open to closed, a young woman walked around from the small parking lot behind the office, carrying a small child on one hip and an orange-and-white cat on the other.
“Geez,” Annie said under her breath. She pasted a smile on her exhausted face and opened the door. “Hi,” she said to the woman.
“You must be the new vet.”
“Yes. I’m Dr. Annie DeSimone. Call me Annie. And you are?”
“Dusty McCray.” She motioned to the pretty little boy who had striking light blue eyes and his mama’s reddish-blond hair. “This is my son, Sean, and this”—she held up the cat—“is Nigel.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Annie said. She stroked Nigel’s soft fur. “What seems to be the problem with Nigel today?”
“He’s been lethargic for a few days,” Dusty said. “Today, though, he wouldn’t eat anything at all, and his belly seems a little swollen. I think he might have a bowel obstruction.” Dusty smiled nervously. “I’m afraid he likes to eat plastic wrap. We try to keep him away from it, but…”
“No need to explain. There’s no keeping a curious cat from what he wants. The saying had to come from somewhere didn’t it?”
“Saying?”
“Curiosity killed the cat, of course.”
Dusty let out a small giggle. “I suppose so.”
“But don’t worry. Nigel’s curiosity is only a small setback. Let’s get him back on the table and have a look.” Annie took the cat from his owner and led them to a small examining room. “All right, buddy, let’s see what’s going on.” She set the cat down on the table and began her examination. “Has he vomited at all?”
“No,” Dusty said.
“Any diarrhea?”
“Not that I’ve seen.”
Annie palpated the cat’s belly. “There’s some distention here,” she said, “but nothing too drastic. I don’t think it’s an obstruction. I think he may have eaten something that didn’t agree with him.”
Dusty sighed. “Yes, that’s possible. The silly thing gets into everything.”
Annie laughed. “Some cats are like that. If it would make you feel better, I can do a quick x-ray to definitely rule out an obstruction.”
“Would you mind? Nigel is really special to me. I don’t want to take any chances with him.”
“Not at all. I’ll need you to hold him down.” She handed Dusty a lead apron. “Is there any chance you might be pregnant?”
“No.”
Annie showed Dusty how to position Nigel. “How would you like to come into the next room with me?” she asked Sean. “You can push the button.”
Sean smiled and went willingly. What a sweet little boy.