Page 6 of Unyielding (Poplar Springs #3)

SIX

DECLAN

“ Y ou didn’t have to come out. Belle is doing great,” Shannon said, the shock at seeing me standing in the driveway written all over her face.

“It’s no problem at all. I was in the neighborhood, so I figured I’d drop in.

But I can leave if this is a bad time for you,” I replied, pointing over my shoulder at my truck.

What had seemed like a good idea as I was leaving my last client had me feeling awkward now that Shannon was standing in front of me, looking confused by my unexpected visit.

“No, no, don’t go,” Shannon said. “You might as well come check her out, since you’re here.”

“No charge for this, of course,” I offered as I walked over to her, hoping it would help. “Just don’t tell Ruth.”

Shannon finally grinned at me. “She’s got you jumping through hoops, huh?”

“You don’t even know.”

The truth was, Ruth would probably approve of the unscheduled drop-in to follow up with an anxious client. It was exactly the sort of thing she was known for. Care that went above and beyond an invoice.

I followed along behind Shannon, trying not to stare at her curves. How the hell was she getting prettier and sexier with every year that passed?

Instead of heading into the barn, Shannon made a sharp left and walked toward the pasture. “There she is.”

I followed to where she was pointing and spotted the old mare standing in the sun with her head tilted up as if she was absorbing the warmth into her body to nourish her foal.

“Wow, she looks great,” I said. “And big!”

“Yeah, seems like the threat of another vet visit was enough to kick-start her eating again. She’s totally back to normal. I guess you’ve got the magic touch.”

I saw two spots of pink rise in Shannon’s cheeks as she realized what she’d just said, and she cleared her throat.

“Do you want me to bring her in so you can examine her?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No need. I’ll take your word that she’s doing well. No one knows her better than you, after all.”

Shannon kicked her foot onto the bottom split rail and stared out at the horse.

I stood beside her, watching her out of the corner of my eye.

She was the same old Shannon that I remembered from when we were kids, but she was different too.

She had an air of confidence now that was a total turn on.

I’d never gone for women who acted like they needed a man to take care of them.

I liked strong women, the ones who worked as hard as I did.

I could tell by the way Shannon carried herself that she was a Cafferty through and through.

Hardworking, capable, honest, and the kind of friend you could always call in an emergency.

But that’s all she was. A friend.

A very sexy friend.

I probably shouldn’t even think of her as a friend at all.

Shannon was a client first. Or my best friend’s little sister.

Certainly not someone who had a personal tie with me.

I needed to remember that and ignore the seasick feelings that came over me any time she locked eyes with me.

I wasn’t about to risk my relationship with Josh or my future with the practice over an embarrassing one-sided flirtation.

“What’s going on with you? You seem quiet.”

Shannon’s voice cut through my reverie.

“What? Nothing’s wrong. Why?” I fumbled with my words, feeling like she could read my thoughts. Just in case my face gave me away, I turned to stare out onto the field.

“You look… upset. Is something going on with Dr. Wilcox?”

I normally wasn’t one to unload my problems on people, but if we were talking about the vet practice, then we weren’t talking about my attraction toward her, so I embraced the lesser of two evils.

“Uh, yeah, sort of. She told me that she thinks I’m qualified to take over, but the final decision will be based on more than just my skills as a vet.

She said I need to ‘connect’ to the community. ”

Shannon frowned. “You’re a local, born and raised. That has to count for something, right?”

I leaned forward onto the split-rail fence and sighed.

“You’d think, but she said that my family isn’t really a part of the ranching and farming community, which means that I’m still an outsider, in a sense.

You know that I know ranch life from my summers working here, but the rest of the community just thinks of me as the son of those weird, arty people who never come to town events.

Which doesn’t give me any advantage. Ruth said that I need to get buy-in from Poplar Springs, and honestly, that feels impossible.

The hands-on nature of my job keeps me too busy to go door-to-door, campaigning to get everyone to like me. ”

The idea of having to play politics left me with a sick feeling.

It seemed like such a waste of time. There was never that kind of expectation when I worked at the clinic in Salt Lake City.

Sure, there was some bureaucracy. Way down the list of positive reasons for returning to Poplar Springs was that I could run my practice the way I wanted to, but the way Ruth had presented it, it sounded more like a juried trial.

The corner of Shannon’s mouth kicked up. “That seems biased, but Ruth is old school. Besides, you’re very likable; I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

I hid a smile at her compliment. “I am worried. I want this. Bad.”

I refrained from saying that I needed it too. There was unloading, and then there was unloading. I was going to stay true to my word about keeping things professional with Shannon.

Shannon went silent for long enough that I turned to face her to see if something was wrong.

“I can help,” she finally blurted out. “With the ranchers, at least.”

“What?” I said, caught off guard. “Shannon, no, you don’t have to do that. I know you’re busy here. But thanks for the offer.”

“I’m not busy enough, and that’s the problem.

” Shannon looked single-minded. “Josh told me that he’s not happy with the breeding program numbers, and the truth is, I don’t blame him.

I’ve fallen behind. He’s let me have free rein with it up to now, but he’s decided to draw a line.

There’s a mare I really want to buy, but he wants to use the money for another trail horse since that program has really taken off.

He gave me until the end of the season to prove that I’m turning things around and…

” She frowned like she smelled something bad.

“… modernizing the program. If he can see positive changes, I can use the funds to buy my horse. If not… I get the feeling that I’ll be in for a fight to keep getting funding from him at all. ”

I wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “Okay…”

“But that’s why I need your help. Josh wants to see changes, and I could really use your advice.

We can solve each other’s problems!” she exclaimed, grabbing my arm and sending a jolt through me.

“I have great relationships with the ranchers and farmers, and you have experience at cutting edge breeding facilities, so we can work together to get what we need. It’s a fair trade for both of us.

I’ll talk you up to everyone with just enough sugar to let folks know that I think you’re more than competent, maybe make some introductions to people you don’t know well, and you can give me some advice about how to update my business. ”

I went silent as I considered the offer.

I knew how well-regarded the Cafferty family was in Poplar Springs, and how much weight Shannon’s approval could carry, especially with the ranching community.

And I was also confident with my breeding knowledge.

I’d already had a few improvement ideas for Shannon just strolling through her barn the day I came to check on Belle.

So, what was holding me back from an immediate yes?

Her.

I realized that agreeing to the deal would mean that Shannon and I would have to spend more time together than I’d ever imagined, and I wasn’t sure how I could make that happen, considering I could barely focus when she was around.

But I had to admit that the offer sounded like a good idea.

If we played it right, we’d both walk away from it with exactly what we wanted.

“So? Are you in?” she asked, smiling at me in a way that made it impossible to say no.

I stuck out my hand. “I think you’ve got a deal.”

Shannon placed her hand in mine, giving it a momentary squeeze, then let go like she’d touched an electric fence. I felt it too, a zing that coursed all the way up my arm and felt like trouble.

She cleared her throat. “I need to come up with a formal battle strategy, but I’m thinking we should start with?—”

“Bob Lumley.”

We said it in unison, then laughed.

“Ruth said the same thing.”

“Great minds,” Shannon said with a shrug. “He’s not only the town mayor, but he has the ear of every rancher in the area and the local Cattlemen’s Association group doesn’t do anything without his input.”

“And I already have a few thoughts for you,” I offered gently. I knew that breeding was a sensitive business, and people held their techniques dear. I’d have to find the right way to introduce ideas to get her on board.

“Already?” Shannon asked, eyes wide. “Wow, is my practice that bad?”

“No, not at all,” I said in a soothing voice.

“Your grandmother built a wonderful program, your mom took it to the next level, and you’ve done a fantastic job with their legacy.

But I’ve seen all sorts of streamlining techniques that will make your life so much easier and make operations run more smoothly.

It’s not about changing the core of what you’re doing, it’s about making the ancillary stuff more efficient. ”

Shannon looked relieved. “That’s exactly what I want. How did you know that?”

“Well, I found out that there’s two camps in the breeding world; the ‘get it done by any means necessary’ folks and the ‘let’s do what’s right by the horses’ people. You’re in the latter group, and I like that about you. It’s a commitment to the animals, not the dollars.”

I thought she’d be pleased with my words, but to my surprise, she frowned. “Not if you ask Josh.”

“Well, from what he’s told me, he’s been juggling a lot. He looks at the numbers every day, and that can give a person tunnel vision.”

She nodded, frowning. “Yeah, he needs to offload some of it to an accountant, but that’s Josh. He feels like he always has to do everything himself.”

We were silent for a beat, staring out at Belle in the distance. There was a light breeze and the mare lifted her head and tossed her mane.

“I need to head out; gotta see a lame cow.” I glanced down at my phone. “How do you want to go about this… partnership?”

“Well, we’ve both got a lot going on during the day,” Shannon said. “Why don’t we grab some drinks and strategize tonight, so we’re not interrupted? Just something casual.”

Having drinks with Shannon didn’t sound casual; it sounded like a date. Part of me wanted to protect my peace of mind and just say no. But I knew that her idea to partner up was a good one, and I needed her help. I’d have to suck it up. I had only two months to win over a hell of a lot of ranchers.

“Sure, that works.”

“How about the Rooftop? The weather’s too nice to sit inside.”

I was going to suggest the Squeaky Wheel, the local watering hole with a sticky floor and cold beer. I’d never been to the Rooftop, but I knew it was a classy spot. I’d have to break out my clean jeans.

“I’ll meet you there at seven,” she said, erasing my concerns about the date vibe. She didn’t want me to pick her up. It was a business meeting, nothing more.

“Great.” My phone rang and I could tell by the number that it was my next appointment. “Looking forward to it, but for now, I gotta run.”

I was happy for the distraction, lame cow or not, because all I could think about was hanging out with my new brainstorming partner.