Once and for All by Jeannie Watt Read Free Book Online

the bull’s neck, then quickly turned her head away, feeling the familiar churning in her stomach. Blood and a needle. Double whammy.
    “Don’t like blood?” the kid asked.
    “Not a fan,” Jodie agreed, seeing no reason to lie about the obvious. He seemed to find that mildly amusing. “How about you?” she asked.
    “It doesn’t bother me.” He sent her a sidelong glance, looking as though he was going to say something else, but then changed his mind.
    Sam climbed over the rails then, rattling the panels and drawing their attention. Jodie quickly walked over to find him packing away the samples.
    “Is he going to be all right?” she asked when he didn’t offer an immediate prognosis.
    “I don’t know,” Sam said, meeting her eyes candidly. “I’ll have more of an idea after I run the blood.”
    “Are you doing everything? I mean, expense is not an issue.” Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. His eyes flashed as if she’d insulted his intelligence, which she probably had.
    “I’m doing everything.”
    What she saw in his face made her believe him. Okay. She couldn’t buy a cure.
    She watched the bull for a few seconds, willing him to get better. Now.
    “I’ve given him antibiotics, and as soon as I get the lab results, I’ll be back.”
    “How far away is the lab?” she asked. How long was this going to take?
    “The local hospital.”
    “Really.” Jodie blinked at him. “It must be interesting if they ever mix up blood work.” One corner of Sam’s mouth quirked up in a way she might have found interesting if her stomach wasn’t tied in a knot. “Will you come out tomorrow and check on him even if you don’t have results?”
    “Yeah.” He didn’t seem thrilled about the idea, but he’d accepted the case and was obviously going to see it through. He looked at the stall where the kid was still petting Bronson, and called, “Beau! Time to leave.”
    The teen headed to the door without saying a word, reinforcing Jodie’s impression that something wasn’t quite right between him and Sam.
    “I didn’t realize you had a son,” she said as the door swung shut. A son usually indicated the presence of a wife, yet Sam wore no ring.
    “He’s my nephew.”
    Ah. “He resembles you.”
    “I know.” The words came out in a way that made Jodie feel vaguely foolish for having made the observation.
    “I’ll go get the checkbook.” She’d had enough of this conversation.
    “Make it a hundred even, for now.”

    W HEN S AM GOT INTO THE RIG , Beau was already slumped down in the seat, staring sullenly at the dashboard. Sam ignored him and started the engine, pulling up close to the steps so Jodie didn’t have far to go when she came back out to hand him the payment through the open window. Again he was struck by how exhausted she looked. And how vulnerable. He was certain she had no idea or the lawyer mask would have slipped back into place.
    “Thank you for coming.” Her words were spoken in a clipped, formal tone.
    “See you tomorrow,” Sam replied automatically. Beau continued to stare straight ahead and Sam could only imagine what Jodie thought of his giant pouting nephew.
    She went back in the house, and as Sam folded the check to tuck it away in his shirt pocket, he noticed that she’d added some on account. Jodie De Vanti was either grateful or trying to buy herself a vet—a vet who’d better damned well be able to successfully treat the bull or he’d be dealing with Joe when he got home. Sam had no illusions there, but that wasn’t his biggest concern at the moment.
    No brilliant solutions for the cheating problem had popped into his brain while he was working, other than grounding his nephew’s ass forever. He’d hoped that he and Beau could talk on the drive home, but it was obvious there would be no conversation tonight. The kid needed time to cool off, to realize that the world wasn’t against him and maybe he had something to do with the jam he was in.
    Dave? Sam