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J enny washed her hands in the consultation room where she had just finished with a feisty cat.

“Jenny, the M & M Ranch needs you out there right now.”

Jenny turned to Cathy, the clinic receptionist. “Did they say what for?”

Cathy held up the piece of paper. “They think one of the horses has colic.”

“Got it. How much more do we have today?”

“Nothing, unless there’s an emergency.”

“Okay. Call Charles if something comes up before I get back.”

“You got it.”

Jenny rushed out the back door and jumped into her SUV.

She put the address into the GPS and headed out.

Less than twenty minutes later, she pulled under a black wrought-iron sign with two big M’s.

This was the first time she’d been to this ranch.

Her gaze swiveled right and left, taking in the beauty.

This was a huge ranch, she determined after seeing all the horses, barns, and men milling around.

She’d like to explore more when she had time, but right now, she had a job to do.

She saw a man wave from one of the barns and headed that way. He met her at her door as she was getting out.

“What do we have?”

The man’s brows shot together. “Why did they send a tech? We need the vet.”

Jenny fought to roll her eyes. It wasn’t the first or last time she’d heard this. The fact that she was a small, young woman threw some of the ranchers because they didn’t think she could do the work. She knew she’d have to prove herself, and that was fine with her.

She held out her hand. “I’m Dr. Newman, the vet. I’m helping Dr. Sherman with his clinic.”

He reluctantly shook her hand. “I’m Gary, the stable manager.” He rubbed his chin. “Well, since you’re here, why don’t we look at the stud?”

She grabbed her bag from the back seat and followed him into the barn. Every man she encountered did a double-take, which she was also accustomed to and ignored.

“He can be mean, ma'am. Why don’t I bring him out for you?”

She shook her head. “There’s no need.” She pulled open the gate and walked in. The horse in front of her was large and pure black. The only white she saw was on two of his hocks. She ran her hand down his neck. “Well, aren’t you a handsome boy? What’s his name?”

“Rush.”

She nodded and then ignored the man who stood nervously in the doorway. She pulled out her stethoscope and started listening to his gut.

“Is it colic?”

She nodded. “Yes, but colic is only a symptom. I have to find the source of it.” She checked the horse's pulse, respiration, and temperature.

“Has his feed been changed?”

Gary shook his head.

“Can I have a lead? I want to see him walk.”

“I can do it, ma’am.”

She reached for it and hooked it to the halter. “I know. But I can, too.”

She led the horse out of the stall. She studied the way the horse acted and his gait to see if there was any distress. At the end of the barn, she turned and walked back.

“He’s usually pretty feisty, isn’t he?”

“Oh, yes,” Gary said and smiled.

“I figured. He’s in pain and has colic, but it’s a mild case. I think it’s just an upset stomach. I don’t see any signs of infection or impaction. I think anti-inflammatory for the pain and a dose of flunixin will take care of it, but I’ll be back out tomorrow morning to check.”

She got the horse settled back into the stall and then bent to her bag. She pulled out two syringes and stood. Ten seconds later, both shots were given.

“I don’t think he even felt that?” Gary commented.

“I excel at giving shots,” she said, laughing. She petted the animal, and then laughed when its head came around, and it nibbled on her jacket.

“Well, I’ll be,” Gary said and smiled. “He’s certainly taken to you.”

“I’ve always had a way with animals. It comes in handy being a vet.”

She packed her bag and shook Gary’s hand. “If you see any change, call me. If not, I’ll be out tomorrow early to check on him.”

“Thank you, Doc, for coming out.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“What the hell is going on?”

She twirled around to see Mac, the man from the night before.

Gary stepped forward and opened his mouth.

“Who let this piece of fluff in my barn?” Mac asked.

She knew that should have pissed her off but instead, he just made her want to laugh.

“Boss, she’s the new vet Dr. Sherman took on.”

Mac stared down at her. She saw his jaw clench when her mouth twitched, and one of her eyebrows rose.

He sneered at her. “Bullshit. You’re not a vet. You’re like twenty years old.”

“Ahhh,” she said sarcastically. “That’s sweet of you to say, but I’m actually twenty-seven.”

She knew she was pushing him, but she couldn’t help it. He was so fun to poke at.

“Where’d you get your degree?”

“Veterinary school in Chicago. Do you want to see my diploma?” she asked with an edge of mockery and a raised brow.

He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.

“Boss, she done really good with Rush, and you should have seen him. He’s already in love with her. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

She waited for him to say something and then sighed. “Talk to Dr. Sherman. He’ll give you my credentials.”

“I don’t think that’s going to matter. You’re not big enough to deal with large animals.”

She gasped dramatically and pressed a hand to her heart. “Oh, wow, I didn’t know you had to be a certain height. No one told me. You’d think the seven years in college and working with four different vets, one of them would have said something.”

Mac glowered. “You’re a smart-ass.”

She shrugged and grinned. “It’s one of my failings. If there’s nothing else, I have other patients to see.”

“Doesn’t it actually take like eight years for vet school? You said you were there for seven years. Did you flunk out?”

She turned to him and smirked. “I actually finished in six and a half. I finished early because I’m kind of smart.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

She heard the disbelief and shook her head. It didn’t matter if he believed her or not. She waved and walked off.

Besides the times she couldn’t save an animal, working with obnoxious animal owners was the worst part of her job, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything.