The Doctor's Choice (5 page)

T-bone deftly wielded the opener. Their eyes met and T-Bone raised his bottle. Frank and Cami touched their bottles
to his in salute. “To Miss Silky,” he said.

“To Aunt Silky,”
she echoed.

Frank held her chair at the head of the table.
Aunt Silky’s place
. Did they really expect her to take up where Silky left off? She sucked in a deep breath slid into the seat.

After filling their plates and giving them a chance to enjoy the food, Cami cleared her throat. “I wanted to ask
you gentlemen if you were familiar with the terms of Aunt Silky’s will?”

The m
en stopped chewing and looked at one another.

“Well, not exactly, Miss Cami,” T-Bone said. “She always said she was leaving everything to you. The whole shooting match.”

“That’s what she did,” she said. “Of course, she left each of you a nice sum for your years of service.”

“Ain’t that nice,” T-Bone said. Suddenly overcome, he buried his eyes in his napkin. His shoulders shook silently as Frank laid a rough hand on his shoulder.

“She didn’t have to do that,” Frank’s eyes brimmed with tears. “We would have done anything for her.”

“I’m sure she knew that,”
she said.

T-Bone
wiped his nose on the linen napkin. “Sorry, Miss Cami. I just ain’t had time to take it all in yet.”

“Don’t you worry none, Miss Cami,” Frank said. “We’ll do a good job for you, too.”

“That’s what I want to discuss with you. I can’t keep the ranch.” She took a breath and plunged into her carefully rehearsed story. “You see I have to follow my lifelong dream and accept the fellowship.” She finished brightly, gazing at them with an expectant expression.

They exchanged another knowing glance.

T-Bone cleared his throat. “Miss Cami, I’m sure that your aunt would have wanted you to follow your heart, but this ranch meant an awful lot to her. Can’t you just give it a chance?”

“I know Mr. Ryan’s a good man,” Frank said, “and he’d never sell out to Kincaid, but it wouldn’t be the same.”

“What’s wrong with selling to Kincaid? Isn’t it good business to try and increase your land holdings? Aren’t a lot of small ranches going under?” She thought that playing the devil’s advocate might get them to open up.

“That’s a fact,” T-Bone said, leaning his elbows on the table. “But the way Kincaid’s pressuring the small ranchers is a crying shame. He tried his dirty tricks on Miss Silky and she was madder’n
a wet hen.”

“Dirty tricks?” The cold tingle kissed her neck.

T-Bone nodded. “They cut barbed wire fences and let cattle wander off. Then it got worse, slaughtered stock and poisoned tanks. Kincaid’s bunch is mean.”

“None of the hands go to town alone for fear of getting run off the road or beat up.” Frank’s expression was grim.

Her heart stirred with indignation. “Surely the police can do something?” Cami ached to fight back, to make things right.

“The Sheriff’s just a toady for Kincaid. He didn’t even investigate Silky’s death.” T-Bone stopped short his tirade.
He stared at her nervously.

Her
breath caught in her throat. “So you don’t think her death was an accident either?”

CHAPTER
FOUR

Cami tossed and turned in her bed. A strong north wind howled like a mournful spirit as it blew branches against the eaves and rattled window panes.

Shadow whined softly outside her door and she admitted him. He curled up on the
room-size Aubusson rug that left only a foot of golden oak floor showing around the circumference of the room.

She
felt a wave of empathy, recognizing Shadow’s grieving behavior. She started to close the door and caught a glimpse of something else in the hallway. Moon stood a few feet away, waiting for an invitation to enter.

“By all means
.” She stood aside for the cat to pass. With a regal grace, Moon leapt upon the bed and settled herself comfortably.

Cami curled back under the covers and heard the cat purring softly in the darkness. It was a comforting sound and the presence of the animals, her Aunt Silky’s pets, made
her feel less alone in the huge empty house.

The next morning
, she sipped coffee and spread jam on the toast she’d made from Cora Lee’s home-made bread.

Somet
ime during the night the wind had died down and quit howling. The sky was a lighter shade of gray. Cami peered out the beveled glass oval inset into the front door. She saw Frank trudging through the snow, on his way to the stables.

She
ran lightly up stairs and into Aunt Silky’s room. She dug around in Silky’s closet and found a well-worn leather jacket lined with curly lambs wool. Tugging it on, she felt a lump in the pocket and was rewarded with the discovery of a pair of lined sheepskin gloves.

She
flew down the stairs and out the door with Shadow at her side. Her breath came out as a vapor trail. She caught up with Frank in the stables.

“Miss Cami,” he said. “You scared the life out of me. I wasn’t expecting nobody.” He expelled a long breath.

“I’m sorry, Frank,” she said. “This is Red?” She stared at the handsome paint stallion Frank was grooming. “This is Silky’s horse?”

“
Yes, Miss Cami. They was all Miss Silky’s horses, but Red here was her favorite.” He stroked the curry brush down the horse’s flank.

She
stepped close to the stall and reached out to touch the horse’s nose.

The big paint snorted and shied away, kicking at the stall.

She stepped back, her heart racing. “He’s wild isn’t he?”

“No, Ma’am,” Frank said
emphatically. “He don’t know you. He was like a big old baby for Miss Silky, but he don’t have nothin’ to do with nobody he don’t know.” Frank reached up to stroke the horse’s neck.

Cami stared up at him.
“I can understand that. Some days I feel the same way.” She turned to head back to the house. “Frank,” she said. “How can I get to know Red?”

He
grinned at her, a blush staining his boyish face. “Red is partial to apples, especially when you slice them for him.”

She
nodded and headed for the house, her footsteps crunching through the crisp layer of snow. Shadow picked up his head and barked twice as Breckenridge Ryan’s truck rolled toward the house.

He
lowered the driver’s side window and smiled at Cami. “That jacket looks good on you.”

“Thanks.” Cami ducked her head and stamped her feet to keep warm.

He put the truck in gear and leaned out. “You need to get a pair of boots at Pruitt’s Western Wear. I’m sure your feet are cold.”

“An astute observation,”
she said.

He
gave her a one-sided grin. “Did your fiancé tell you what to do about your inheritance?”

“My fiancé gave me his opinion,” she said, refusing to be baited.

“And may I ask what that might be?”

“My fiancé thinks I should stay.”

“I can hear a ‘but’ attached to that statement.” He turned off the motor and climbed out of the truck.

“But, I’m not willing to give up my fellowship so easily,” she said. “I did change my flight. I
gave myself two weeks to make up my mind.”

“Good for you,” he said. “Silky would be proud of you.”

She cast him a cool glance. “For your information, Silky was always very proud of me. She was my number one fan.”

Breck chuckled deep in his chest. “I would think your fiancé was your number one fan.”

A cloud of anger gathered in her chest. “Did you just come here to irritate me?”

“That and to give you this.” He opened the
passenger door and removed a large foil wrapped container.

“What is that?” she asked.

“Smoked ham prepared especially for you in the Ryan smokehouse, courtesy of my dad. I’ll carry it in for you.” He trudged up the stairs and stamped the snow off his boots on the front porch. Turning back to where she stood, he asked, “Are you going to let me in?”

Cami ran up
the steps and opened the door.

He
went to the kitchen and set the large container on the counter. The aroma immediately filled the kitchen.

“Thanks,” she said.

“I didn’t know if you cooked or not.”

“Of course I can cook. Why would you think I
couldn’t?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know if a busy city doctor had time to cook or if you just ate from a
microwave.” He stood grinning at her with his know-it-all expression.

Cami
resisted the overwhelming urge to smack him. She tilted her head to one side. “I’ll have you know that I’m an excellent cook. Some would call me a gourmet.”

“I see,” he said. “I’m glad to know you won’t be starving to death here.”
He swung the refrigerator door open and checked the contents. “You seem to have lots of food but you’ll need to go into town and stock up on some fresh fruits and vegetables. There’s meat in the freezer and staples in the pantry, but you’ll need dog and cat food.”

She
nodded. “You seem to know a lot about running Aunt Silky’s household.” She gave him a cool blue stare.

“She was my friend.” He met her gaze steadily. “I kept Silky’s accounts open so you should be able to get what you want at any store in town.”

“I’d feel funny charging to her accounts.” She pressed her lips together in a firm line. “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“
They’re your accounts now. Come with me,” he said. “Let me take you in to meet some of the local merchants.”

She
hesitated. She was standing dangerously close to a yawning abyss. “I better check and see if the men need anything.”

Breckenridge T. Ryan gave her a long look and a warm smile. “Okay. I’ll wait in the
truck.”

She
trudged back out to the stable and Frank told her the bunkhouse was running low on coffee and sugar.

The windows of Breck’s
truck were trying to fog up and his defroster was running when she climbed inside.

“You’ll notice I didn’t try to offend you by opening your door,” he said.

Cami took a deep breath and grinned at him. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

“What was that?”
He leaned closer.

“I said I’m sorry I was rude.”
She gave him a mock glare. “And I’m waiting for your apology for inferring that I needed my fiancé to tell me what to do. That was a cheap shot.”

“It was,” he said. “Please accept my most abject apologies.”
He grinned as he shifted gears and propelled the large vehicle forward.

The heated air inside the vehicle made her feel stifled.
She loosened the jacket and removed the warm gloves.

He
adjusted the heater and glanced at her. “Two weeks, huh?”

“Fourteen days.”

“And what do you hope to accomplish during the next fourteen days?”

She took a deep breath.
“I plan to determine whether or not foul play was involved with my aunt’s death.”

Breck turned to give her a sharp glance.
“What do you suspect?”

“
It’s just a feeling,” she said. “Nothing specific and everything in general.”

“Because?”

Cami wasn’t sure she could explain her misgivings. “Because Aunt Silky was an excellent horsewoman and she loved Red. I don’t think she ever met a horse who could throw her. Unless she suffered a fatal heart attack or hemorrhagic stroke I’ll never believe she fell off a horse. I want to see the autopsy results.”

“
I’ll make sure you get to see them.”

She
was aware that Breck kept glancing at her as they traveled toward town, but she refused to be drawn into the dark vortex of his eyes, keeping her gaze studiously affixed to the scenery they passed along the way.

The trees were
crystallized with a coat of ice. Fence posts accented the roadway, contrasting darkly against the fields of snow. The road had been sanded and remained clear for driving.

“I saw Red today,” she said. “He’s beautiful.”

“That he is,” Breck said. “Don’t try to ride him, though.”

“I hadn’t planned to.
I haven’t ridden in a while.”

“If you want to ride, I’ll take you. I’ll saddle Gypsy for you. She’s very gentle.”

She shot him a sharp glance and bit her tongue. Why did she always want to slap him down? “That would be very nice.” She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat.
He thinks I can’t even saddle my own horse
.

“Tomorrow
. The weather is supposed to be clear.”