Page 43 of Unyielding (Poplar Springs #3)

TWO MONTHS LATER

W e got to the town square early. The tables were already set up for those who’d signed up for booth space at the fall carnival.

Declan backed his truck up to his booth, and we got to work unloading supplies.

I’d found these adorable stuffed cows and horses online and Josh had built a little roulette wheel that people could spin to see what they won.

Each booth had their own version of a “spin the wheel” or other ways to win prizes, and the money from the raffle tickets all went toward the fundraiser.

On his wheel was four free in-clinic exams plus a bunch of stuffed animals, dog treats, and a free family pack of tickets for the upcoming rodeo, which the entire town had been buzzing about since it was announced.

The money from ticket sales that the mayor’s office and town council were hoping to use to rebuild the community center was only one part of it.

All the merchants were buzzing with the number of anticipated visitors—potential customers—who would be attending.

Most everyone was excited about the rodeo.

“Are you daydreaming or helping?”

I grinned at Declan. “A bit of both.” Ford popped up from where he was sniffing at the dog treats.

Fiona had insisted that we all wear costumes since it was also almost Halloween.

The cattle dog mix was dressed up like a horse with a tiny rider in a saddle on his back.

Every time he moved, the little rider would rock back and forth like it was bronco riding.

It was hysterically funny and the dog was loving all the attention it got him.

“Where do you want to put your exam section?” I asked Declan.

“If we set you up on that side, folks will see you when they walk by.” I pointed to the left side of our booth where it would be easy to funnel people through with their dogs.

Declan was offering basic exams for anyone who brought their dog to the carnival.

Julia Lett was doing something similar and the two had set up a friendly bet over who would see the widest variety of different breeds today.

I had to admire their version of competition.

It was good natured rather than malicious.

“That will work.” Declan rolled the cart with his gear closer and pushed a chair next to the table there.

Since becoming the owner of Poplar Springs Animal Medical Center, he still had to do a bit of “ring kissing” as Ruth had put it to appease the ranchers who were holding on to a grudge against him.

Having both Ruth’s and our votes of confidence had gone a long way but as Walter Briggs had pointed out, trust around here was hard earned.

Once you lost it, it took a lot of effort to get it back.

I felt Declan’s arms slide around me as he pulled me up against his front and kissed my neck. “Have I told you how adorable you look in your cowgirl outfit?”

I tilted my head to give him more access. “Not in at least thirty minutes, so I think you’re due.”

Fiona and Zoe had found some old trunks up in the attic full of clothes that had belonged to my mom and possibly my gran.

So we were all wearing leather dresses with a ridiculous amount of fringe.

Fiona had spent hours beading some of the fringe, and I had to admit, we all looked fantastic.

And given the drop in temps now that we were into fall, I was grateful for the way the dress was keeping me warm.

Or at least, I had been. With Declan’s arms around me, I was now bordering on hot.

But I was always like that around him, in any season.

For his part, Declan was decked out in his own cowboy wear. Both he and my brother had tried on some of my dad’s old western wear, but unfortunately, they were both significantly larger than him. After Josh managed to split the seams on one shirt, they both decided to wear something of their own.

Feedback from a microphone caught everyone’s attention and we looked over at the stage where the three Bobs were standing.

The mayor and our town council were dressed up in their best plaids and jeans.

Mayor Bob Lumley welcomed everyone and proceeded to go over the list of events planned.

There were some competitions for both adults and kids including a three-legged race, egg and spoon relays, cornhole and a bunch of other activities.

Last I heard, Eli and Josh were planning on competing against the Thorne brothers in whatever events they could sign up for, and bets had already been made.

When Fiona and Zoe found out, they’d insisted that any money the guys won would go into the community center donation box.

There was considerable grumbling from the guys but they’d agreed in the end.

Once the mayor announced that the carnival was officially open, things got busy.

By late afternoon, I was flagging. Chatting with everyone who came by and keeping a smile on my face the entire time was harder than working with the horses, and I’d lost count at the number of photos taken of me with Ford.

My sister stopped by carrying some sweet treats from Carly’s along with some sort of mocha drink that tasted divine. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be up all night after all this,” I said as I stuffed some sort of puff pastry in my mouth only to swoon when the chocolate cream hit my tongue.

“That’s all right. I’m sure we’ll think of something to do,” Declan said as he reached around me to grab one of the treats.

I held the paper tray out of his reach and turned around to face him.

Picking one up, I fed it to him. His eyes darkened as he managed to nip at my fingers while he took it from me.

The promise in his expression was clear—and even though I should be used to it by now, I couldn’t stop the blush as my cheeks heated up.

Patrick, Eli’s son, came running over and asked to spin the wheel, so Declan went to help him.

Patrick was trying to win another stuffed horse to give to a friend, and I caught Declan with his hand on the back of the wheel helping with the win.

Declan would have given the toy to him directly, but Patrick was determined to follow the rules, which meant he kept asking his dad for raffle tickets so he could play again.

I turned back around and almost dropped the food I was holding when I came face to face with Becca. I hadn’t seen her since that Cattlemen’s meeting when I lost my temper. I was prepared to apologize to her until I saw the way she was looking at me.

“Can I help you?” I didn’t want to make the offer, but she looked as if she was waiting for me to say something.

“No, I don’t think you can. We saw your outfit from across the square and I wanted to get a closer look.

” She looked over her shoulder at the two women standing behind her: Monica and Amber, two high school mean girls who used to run in packs around campus.

“How very Pocahontas! But you better be careful. Keep eating all those sweets and you won’t fit into it for long. ”

I stared at her. “Excuse me?” True to form, Becca was wearing dark jeans that looked as if they’d been painted on, a cropped sweater with more cleavage than fabric, and stiletto boots.

“Actually, the outfit is patterned off something Annie Oakley would have worn, but I don’t suppose you would have known that given that you got a D in my history class, Miss Johnson,” Rafael Alvarez said as he walked up with his sister, Sofia, who was wearing her deputy uniform and sipping her own mocha.

Becca pasted a smile on her face before turning to face our former teacher. “Oh, Rafael, I was only teasing Shannon. It’s just that sometimes she has difficulty understanding when I’m joking.”

“It’s Mr. Alvarez—and it was clear from the tone of your voice that you weren’t joking,” he told her. It was all I could do to keep from grinning.

I felt someone standing behind me and looked over my shoulder to see not only Declan but Zoe and Fiona as well.

While my sister and Zoe were dressed similarly to me, Fiona still looked as if she’d walked off a runway.

Both of the women looked ready to shoot daggers out of their eyes.

Behind them, I could see Josh and Eli headed our way and when I turned back to Becca, I noticed that there was a small crowd slowly assembling.

Walter Briggs was part of it, and he looked none too happy.

He’d been upset with Declan initially but once everything calmed down, he’d directed his ire toward Becca.

He couldn’t abide troublemakers or braggarts, and she was both.

“Miss Johnson, I would think that given the trouble you caused Doc Morris and Miss Cafferty here, you wouldn’t be looking to start more problems quite so soon,” Walter said.

“Oh, Walter—” she started to say but at his look, she amended, “Mr. Briggs. I was only stopping by to try my hand at Declan’s roulette wheel.” She pulled a handful of raffle tickets out of her pocket as if to say, see?

Declan wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to his side. “Yeah, the roulette wheel is closed to you. Perhaps you should try another booth,” he told her and I melted a little against him.

“Then I guess I’ll see you at our next appointment, Dr. Morris. I have a lot of things I’d like to discuss with you, and it’ll be easier at my place.”

I stiffened at her tone but Declan remained relaxed. He rubbed his chin. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you that my clinic will no longer be doing business with you. I’ll be happy to share copies of any medical records with whoever you establish to take over the care of your horses.”

Becca’s shriek could have rivaled one of Amy’s whistles. “You can’t do that! Who will I get? No one else will come out there! I’ll have to get someone out from Beaumont.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “This is your fault.”