out? Does it just…come out naturally?”
Sam shook his head. “Cattle aren’t set up like that. The magnet stays in there.”
“Forever?” This didn’t sound right.
“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt the bull and the metal sticking to it can’t perforate anything vital. Sometimes we have to feed an animal two magnets during its life if one gets too much stuff stuck to it.”
Jodie heard the theme to the Twilight Zone playing in her head. “But you don’t know that it’s…hardware whatever. Shouldn’t you x-ray or do an ultrasound or something before jamming a magnet down the bull’s throat?”
“X-ray on an animal as massive as that bull only picks up large objects. Ultrasound is generally useless, and even if it isn’t hardware disease, the magnet won’t hurt him.” Sam fixed cool gray eyes on her face. “I’m doing what I can. If the bull doesn’t respond, I’ll make an incision, feel around and see if I can find anything.”
Jodie’s stomach flip-flopped at the mental image of Sam “feeling around” a cow’s insides.
He shifted the medical kit from one hand to the other, making her wonder how heavy it was. “My next call is fifty miles from here, so I need to get going.”
Jodie followed him out of the barn, debating with herself. Ask him? Don’t ask him? He was stowing the kit in a compartment of the utility truck when she made her decision. “If we have trouble with calving, can I call you?”
He turned toward her, looking at her in a way that made her nerves tingle. His eyes were the same color as a winter sky with a storm moving in. She cleared her throat before continuing.
“I’ve been talking to Margarite and she told me early calving would start soon. Mike was supposed to be here, to handle the difficult births.”
“And Mike isn’t.”
“No. He isn’t. If you’ll agree to be on call for the calving, I’ll pay a retainer.”
“What if you don’t use my services?”
“That’s a chance I’ll have to take.” Sam just looked at her. “So,” she said briskly. “What do you say?” She actually felt her heart start to beat faster as she waited for his reply.
Sam ran a hand over his jaw. The stubble there was reddish-brown, much darker than his blond hair. He was going to agree. Jodie could feel it.
“The minute your dad comes back, I’m off the job. He can get his own help.”
“Agreed.” Jodie had no other choice. Calves were coming.
J ODIE DID INDEED PAY S AM a healthy retainer when he returned to the ranch the next morning, and he in turn handed her a legal document, one that let him off the hook in case of any mishaps, including the two animals he’d already treated. She read through it and then signed without hesitation. Margarite witnessed the signature in Joe’s office.
Sam had had the paper drawn up shortly after winning the lawsuit, and for a while he’d used it with new customers. During the last several months, though, it had sat untouched in his file cabinet, but now it was out and back in action. He was fairly certain that a sharp lawyer would find ways around it, which might be why Jodie had signed so readily, but it made him feel slightly better working on the Barton ranch.
“I researched hardware disease,” Jodie said conversationally after she’d made a copy of the document. She seemed less stressed now that he’d agreed to provide emergency care, and maybe that was why he was having such a hard time keeping his eyes off her. He’d seen her as the cool, efficient lawyer, and he’d seen her angry, desperate and determined. But he’d never encountered this warm, approachable Jodie. “I guess magnets are the therapy, although it sounds whacked to me.”
“Yes, whacked,” Sam repeated solemnly, for want of anything better to say.
Jodie fought a smile, but it broke through as she made a note on the top of the document, and Sam felt an unexpected jolt of desire through his body.
Where had that come from?
Probably from not having sex
Sam shook his head. “Cattle aren’t set up like that. The magnet stays in there.”
“Forever?” This didn’t sound right.
“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt the bull and the metal sticking to it can’t perforate anything vital. Sometimes we have to feed an animal two magnets during its life if one gets too much stuff stuck to it.”
Jodie heard the theme to the Twilight Zone playing in her head. “But you don’t know that it’s…hardware whatever. Shouldn’t you x-ray or do an ultrasound or something before jamming a magnet down the bull’s throat?”
“X-ray on an animal as massive as that bull only picks up large objects. Ultrasound is generally useless, and even if it isn’t hardware disease, the magnet won’t hurt him.” Sam fixed cool gray eyes on her face. “I’m doing what I can. If the bull doesn’t respond, I’ll make an incision, feel around and see if I can find anything.”
Jodie’s stomach flip-flopped at the mental image of Sam “feeling around” a cow’s insides.
He shifted the medical kit from one hand to the other, making her wonder how heavy it was. “My next call is fifty miles from here, so I need to get going.”
Jodie followed him out of the barn, debating with herself. Ask him? Don’t ask him? He was stowing the kit in a compartment of the utility truck when she made her decision. “If we have trouble with calving, can I call you?”
He turned toward her, looking at her in a way that made her nerves tingle. His eyes were the same color as a winter sky with a storm moving in. She cleared her throat before continuing.
“I’ve been talking to Margarite and she told me early calving would start soon. Mike was supposed to be here, to handle the difficult births.”
“And Mike isn’t.”
“No. He isn’t. If you’ll agree to be on call for the calving, I’ll pay a retainer.”
“What if you don’t use my services?”
“That’s a chance I’ll have to take.” Sam just looked at her. “So,” she said briskly. “What do you say?” She actually felt her heart start to beat faster as she waited for his reply.
Sam ran a hand over his jaw. The stubble there was reddish-brown, much darker than his blond hair. He was going to agree. Jodie could feel it.
“The minute your dad comes back, I’m off the job. He can get his own help.”
“Agreed.” Jodie had no other choice. Calves were coming.
J ODIE DID INDEED PAY S AM a healthy retainer when he returned to the ranch the next morning, and he in turn handed her a legal document, one that let him off the hook in case of any mishaps, including the two animals he’d already treated. She read through it and then signed without hesitation. Margarite witnessed the signature in Joe’s office.
Sam had had the paper drawn up shortly after winning the lawsuit, and for a while he’d used it with new customers. During the last several months, though, it had sat untouched in his file cabinet, but now it was out and back in action. He was fairly certain that a sharp lawyer would find ways around it, which might be why Jodie had signed so readily, but it made him feel slightly better working on the Barton ranch.
“I researched hardware disease,” Jodie said conversationally after she’d made a copy of the document. She seemed less stressed now that he’d agreed to provide emergency care, and maybe that was why he was having such a hard time keeping his eyes off her. He’d seen her as the cool, efficient lawyer, and he’d seen her angry, desperate and determined. But he’d never encountered this warm, approachable Jodie. “I guess magnets are the therapy, although it sounds whacked to me.”
“Yes, whacked,” Sam repeated solemnly, for want of anything better to say.
Jodie fought a smile, but it broke through as she made a note on the top of the document, and Sam felt an unexpected jolt of desire through his body.
Where had that come from?
Probably from not having sex
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