Venus in Blue Jeans by Meg Benjamin Read Free Book Online Page B

not, and he hadn’t relished the thought of telling Docia Kent her cat hadn’t survived after all.
    He showered off the sweat he’d raised in his run, pulled on his jeans and a denim shirt, and headed for his truck just as a Konigsburg police cruiser pulled up at the end of the drive.
    Cal groaned inwardly. Ham Linklatter was at the wheel.
    “Morning, Doc,” Ham drawled. He was wearing mirrored sunglasses, and his buff-colored cowboy hat covered most of his lank, pale hair. The toothpick he was chewing sort of completed the look. “Heard you had dinner with Margaret Hastings last night. That a fact?”
    Cal narrowed his eyes. “Gee, Ham, why would my dinner plans be a police concern?”
    “Didn’t say they were.” Ham took out his toothpick and pointed it in Cal’s direction. “I’m just asking.”
    “For yourself?” Cal raised an eyebrow. Was it possible that a woman was actually willing to be seen with Ham? In public? “I didn’t know you had any interest in Margaret Hastings.”
    Ham put the toothpick back in his mouth, staring reflectively into the distance. “Margaret and I have had our moments.”
    Cal folded his arms on his chest. Wonder was going to love this. “Moments? No kidding.”
    “So what about you and Margaret?” Ham chewed on his toothpick again and looked up at Cal, his mouth thinning.
    “It was a moment.” Cal paused. “More like a millisecond.”
    Ham frowned, pulling the toothpick from his mouth and pointing it at Cal again. “You better be careful, Doc. Around here people don’t take kindly to men poaching on other men’s territory.”
    Cal stared at him. He was at least eight inches taller than Ham and probably outweighed him by fifty pounds or so. Of course, Ham did have a gun. He might even know how to aim it. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    “You do that.” Ham turned on the ignition and pulled away in a cloud of dust.
    Cal stood shaking his head, watching the dust fade. If a day started out this weird, could it get any weirder?
    Of course it could. Cal arrived at the clinic to find Margaret Hastings herself talking to the receptionist. Señor Pepe directed a desperate glance his way. Cal did his best to ignore him.
    “Good morning, Doctor.” Margaret gave him one of those creepy smiles. “I wanted to see about getting Señor Pepe’s teeth cleaned.”
    Señor Pepe trembled slightly, blinking fast. Cal took a deep breath, willing himself not to look into the dog’s eyes. “Bethany can set you up with Dr. Rankin. He’s really the dental expert around here.” Forgive me, Horace.
    “Oh,” Margaret’s lips formed a slight pout. “I really wanted you to do it, Doctor. Señor Pepe trusts you now. Goodness, the two of you are old friends, after all.”
    Señor Pepe gave him a beseeching look. Help me, help me, help me.
    Cal managed to keep his smile in place. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll like Doc Rankin. Dogs love him.”
    Bethany rolled her eyes, but Margaret was looking toward the front door.
    Her shoulders stiffened suddenly, then her lips spread wide in a brilliant smile, showing gleaming teeth. Cal suddenly realized he’d never seen Margaret’s teeth before. They were small and sharp, rather like a ferret’s. He turned toward the door to see what was up.
    Docia Kent had just stepped into the room. She wore a kind of gauzy white shirt that extended to mid-thigh above her jeans. The cuffs fell away from her wrists, emphasizing her strong, slender fingers.
    Cal experienced the whole blood-draining-to-groin thing again. Apparently, she was going to have that effect on him frequently.
    “Docia!” Margaret smiled ferociously. “How nice to see you again. Where’s your sweet little cat?”
    “Hi Margaret.” Docia raised an eyebrow. “Actually Nico’s here at the clinic. I was hoping I could take a peek at him.” She turned to Cal. “Is that okay?”
    Cal kicked his brain out of neutral. “Sure. I’ll take you back there. I’d like to get a look at him