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Boone took a step forward and clapped Eli on the shoulder. “You said it, big brother. Not me. Just remember that humans are animals too.” He opened the door, but before striding through it, he called back over his shoulder. “Meet me at Midnight’s stall, but maybe consider apologizing to that highly efficient young woman out there before you do.”

Apologize? For keeping her safe? Whether or not he provoked Midnight, the important thing was that she was too dangerous to ride, especially for a novice.

“Apologize,” he mumbled with a derisive laugh as he spun toward the door to follow Boone out. “Ha.”

Except…he’d yelled. At Beth. That wasn’t him. Eli had never raised his voice to anyone like that, not even his brothers. But Eli Murphy hadn’t been Eli Murphy in years. And it was starting to scare him that he might never find his way back.

His phone buzzed in his pocket before he made it all the way to the clinic’s reception area. It was a calendar invite. From Boone.

Event: Ranchers who knit shit no one wants

When: Every Saturday, 7 a.m. Trudy’s bookshop.

Message: You need this. Say no, and I’ll drag your ass there anyway. It’s up to you. Also, dress for riding. Trudy likes to take pictures for the website. Says it’s good for tourism.

Eli sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket, ignoring the invite and the brotherly threat. Instead he steeled himself, brushed nonexistent dust or lint or whatever from his coat and scrubs, and made a direct line for the check-in desk.

“Absolutely,” Beth was saying into the phone. “We can fit your new cat in for those immunizations tomorrow morning. You’re welcome. We’ll see you then.”

She hung up the phone and finished entering the appointment into the computer. Even though Eli could see she’d completed the reservation, she kept her eyes on the screen and dragged her index finger along the mouse’s scroll wheel.

He cleared his throat, and after a brief hesitation, Beth finally looked up.

“What can I do for you, Dr. Murphy?” she asked, all cool professionalism, saccharine sweetness, and none of the warmth he heard her use daily with his clients.

He glanced over his shoulder. The waiting area was empty, which meant she must have already situated Trudy and Frederick in a room.

“You’re still pissed at me,” he began. Not a question but a statement.

She shrugged and tucked her blond waves behind her ears.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dr. Murphy. I’m simply your employee who does what’s asked of her, whether it’s being directed to answer calls and take appointments or being forbidden from riding a horse that needs to learn how to carry a rider again.”

And there it was.

Eli huffed out a bitter laugh. “So…pissed.”

Beth folded her hands in her lap, and he couldn’t help but notice how much greener her eyes looked when reflecting her green scrubs, like the forest beyond the Murphy property.

“Did you need something from me, Dr. Murphy? Have I double-booked any clients or failed to properly sanitize a room after an exam?”

He’d really messed up, hadn’t he?

Eli rested a hand on top of the counter. “No, Beth. Shit. It’s not like that. You’re doing an amazing job here. It’s me. I wanted to tell you that I’m sorr—”

The door to the exam room directly opposite the desk flew open, and Trudy Davis emerged, tears streaming down her cheeks, her beagle, Frederick, lying limp in her arms.

“Eli! Oh god. Help! I think something’s really wrong with Frederick!”

Beth sprang up from her chair. “What do you need me to do?”

His tech, Ryan, was in the middle of a teeth cleaning with an anesthetized cat.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, already heading toward his frantic client. “Just grab Frederick’s chart, and meet me in the exam room stat!”

Today was only supposed to be a checkup. Maybe an ultrasound to see if the mass in Frederick’s abdomen was still stable. But today wasn’t goodbye for Trudy and her long-beloved companion.

Not if Eli had a say in the matter. And today, he sure as hell hoped he did.