A Perfect Holiday Fling by Farrah Rochon Read Free Book Online Page A

veterinary care to animals in the more rural areas, where the pets outnumbered the people two to one. Today they were providing free vaccinations.
    Callie noticed Preston Dickerson and his two Shelties about halfway down the line. Preston had been asking her out since their days together at Maplesville High.
    Callie leaned over and whispered to Lacey, “I’m going to take a bathroom break in about twenty-five minutes, or whenever the guy in the bright green sweatshirt is almost to the front of my line.”
    Lacey looked up from the cat she was vaccinating and smiled. “You have an admirer,” she said. “How sweet.”
    Callie rolled her eyes. She still had an afternoon of surgeries at her own vet clinic, so she got down to business, chatting while she looked over various pets. She was so busy that she didn’t even notice when Preston arrived at her table.
    “Callie Webber,” he greeted.
    Oh, great . She tried not to grimace.
    “Hi Preston,” Callie said. She was going to nip whatever advances he tried to make in the bud. But he spoke before she could get in another word.
    “Callie, I want you to meet my fiancé, Charla,” Preston continued.
    Callie’s eyes widened. “Fiancé? Wow, Preston. Congratulations.”
    She should be happy. Ecstatic, really. Callie had made dodging Preston’s advances an art form over the years. But something niggled in the back of her mind. One of her main reasons for wanting to leave Maplesville was to get away from the townsfolk throwing eligible men at her and hoping one would stick so that she would no longer be poor, divorced, single Callie Webber. But what if there were no longer any available men?
    What would be worse: having the entire community trying to fix her up, or not having anyone to be fixed up with?
    An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Callie’s stomach.
    She and Lacey finished up their patient load and promised to see the people next month when they did dental screenings.
    As they were packing up their supplies, Lacey asked, “Do you know that old antique store on Main Street in Gauthier?”
    “Sure,” Callie said.
    “I contacted a realtor about it. I’m thinking of opening up my own practice there. I hope you don’t think I’m trying to encroach on your space,” she quickly added.
    “Are you kidding?” Callie exclaimed. “That’s wonderful. I’ve been telling you how swamped I am.”
    “I know, but you’ve been the only clinic around here for years. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to steal business from you.”
    “You’re not stealing anything. I’d be happy to refer patients to you. People in Gauthier will be thrilled that they no longer have to drive all the way out here.”
    “I’m so happy you’re okay with this, Callie. I’m just ready to work for myself. I’ve always envied you that, you know?”
    “Not having to answer to anyone but my patients is one of the things I love most about my job,” Callie said.
    But, if she accepted John’s offer to join Capital City, she would be giving that up. She would no longer have the freedom to do what she wanted to do, to call the shots. She hadn’t worked for anyone else since her days as an intern. How would she fair answering to a boss? And why would she want to?
    As she got into her car and headed back to her house to change, Callie knew that she would have to take a good, hard look at herself, and at what she wanted to do.
    Why was she considering this offer from John? Was she looking to leave Maplesville only because she wanted to get away from people pitying her over Adrian’s departure? Would she really leave everything she knew and love for that? What was she hoping to gain?
    Most importantly, what did she stand to lose?
     
     
    ***
     
     
    Stefan pulled his knitted cap more securely over his ears and rubbed his hands together, blowing into them to warm them up. Another cold front had blown in overnight, reinforcing the frigid temperatures from the previous one that had come