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F irst thing the next morning Timber pulled up and parked at the vet’s office, then hopped out and walked inside to talk to the receptionist.

She looked up and smiled. “Hey, I’m glad you got the message this morning.”

He nodded. “I’m glad the drugs are in.”

“I’m still surprised you even know how to use these,” she admitted, as she went to get his order.

“Ranch first aid sometimes deserves… a little bit more in the way of treatment.”

She shrugged but didn’t seem to really understand what he was saying, and that was okay too.

The veterinarian came out, and Timber smiled at her. The vet had a glorious lot of red hair that never seemed to stay pinned. Young. Beautiful. Talented. As usual Tiffany looked preoccupied, the glasses on top of her head sliding off her hair as she was looking for something.

When she stopped and saw him, she smiled. “Hey, Timber. How are you doing?”

“Good. How are you?”

She sighed. “I’m fine. A little scattered as usual, but I’m here.”

“ Scattered is not an issue as long as you’re not scattered when it comes to the actual surgeries.”

“No, no, I’m always right there for that,” she acknowledged, with a laugh. “But some days, it’s a challenge.”

“Everything going okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied, with a smile. “How about you?”

He shrugged. “I was hoping to pick your brain for a minute.”

“Sure, go for it. What’s up?” He explained about the doe, and immediately she frowned and gasped. “I really wish people would be more concerned about the animals they hurt,” she declared crossly.

“You and me both,” he agreed. “We also know that some people will just be bad people and not give a crap.”

“I do know,” she replied, “but there’s always hope.”

He smiled, then he showed her the pictures he’d taken of the wound and the job he did. “Anyway, I was wondering about trying to get her a shot of antibiotics.”

She looked at the picture of the wound again and asked, “Any idea how long the arrow was in there?”

“No, but I suspect not very long, since I caught the trespassers still on my land that day,” he said. “And she did come to me fairly quickly.”

“The fact that she even did that is huge,” she murmured.

“She also gave birth right afterward.”

She looked up at him and then nodded. “She came to you for help, and you gave it.” She smiled warmly at him.

“And I want to confirm that whatever else she needs right now, she gets,” he explained, “so I’m open to suggestions.”

She pondered it for a moment and nodded.

“I can give you a shot to take with you, if you think you can give it to her. It would definitely help her, since she needs every bit of her resources just to recover from the birth and to get back on her feet right now.” She chewed on her bottom lip.

“Anything we can do would improve her chances.”

He reached out and tapped her arm, pointing to her mouth.

She sighed. “I know. I know. Bad habit. I don’t even realize that I keep chewing on that lip.”

“It’s making it puffy,” he murmured.

She shrugged. “I should be used to it,” she declared, with a smirk in his direction. “I would love to see the work you’re doing out there sometime.”

“ Sometime .” He smiled.

“I’ll give you a shot for the doe. So, how is Lucy doing?”

“She’s slow,” he noted. “She doesn’t really want to get around very much yet, still preferring to be picked up and carried, rather than walk.”

“Oh, I get that.” Tiffany laughed. “Smart girl. Still, that’s not really an option.”

“No, it sure isn’t,” he agreed. “If I had nothing better to do than sit around and look after her all day, that would be one thing, but I can’t. I’m in the process of putting a new roof on the cabin and the back deck.”

She looked up in delight. “Now that would be huge progress. I haven’t seen that property in a very long time, but those buildings were not in great shape even back then.”

“They’re still not,” he conceded, with a laugh, “but that is something I can fix.”

She looked at him intensely. “Are you good with a hammer?”

“Very,” he stated. “I’ll get it fixed up in no time.”

She beamed at him. “Okay, hang on. Let me go get the additional medicine.” With that, she dashed off. She came back a few minutes later, handed it to him, and noted, “One shot. Give it to her all at once.”

“Got it,” he murmured.

And, with that done, he headed back home again.