Sheriff Whitedove pulled himself up to his full height, towering over Seth, but Seth didn’t back down. He merely glared at the man. “One of my horses is having a difficult labor, but I don’t need a white man touching my horses. Your kind knows nothing about animals.”
“So you’d rather your horse suffer and possibly die because I’m white?” Seth demanded harshly, his heart aching at the obvious hatred coming from the other man. He’d never admit it, but it hurt. “And I know more about animals than you think, Sheriff, but if you’d rather your horse died instead of having a white man helping, then I suggest you remove yourself from my clinic.” His breathing had grown ragged from the anger surging through him. Bastard. Who the hell did this guy think he was?
The skin around the sheriff’s mouth grew white with how tight he had his lips pulled together. “Fine, let’s go, but know this, Doc, if my horse dies, I’m holding you responsible.”
Seth didn’t respond to the threat, but he whirled around to go back into his office to grab his emergency medical bag. The sheriff still waited impatiently by the front door of the clinic. Seth felt more concern for the horse than he did for how the man seemed to dislike him for being white. “I’m ready,” he said in a serious tone.
The sheriff didn’t say a word, just slammed out of the office to the sheriff’s department pickup in front of the clinic. Seth shut and locked the door behind him before sliding into the vehicle. The sheriff barely gave him the chance to fasten his seat belt before tearing out of the parking lot. Tense and quiet, the ride seemed longer than the ten minutes it actually took. Seth couldn’t stop himself from giving a small sigh of relief when they pulled up in front of a large ranch-style home just outside of town.
“This way,” the sheriff practically growled at him.
A horse lay in the straw in one of the stalls. Seth rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside the horse. Everything else disappeared. Not even the sheriff mattered at that moment. His hands slid down the broad side of the dark chestnut horse. The foal was in trouble and fading fast. He knew if he didn’t get the foal turned quickly, both the mother and the baby would die.
Moving quickly, he shoved the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows. He didn’t take the time to slip on the gloves like he normally would have. He could feel the fear and pain radiating from the horses, adding to his own worry for them.
Reaching into the horse, he carefully grasped the front legs of the foal and tugged slowly, gently. Inch by excruciating inch, the foal began to turn. Seth made a small grunt of triumph as the baby fell into place and began to slide forward. The horse let out a neigh of excitement as she felt the foal moving.
Kasey Whitedove hovered but didn’t say anything, instead merely studying the man who had taken over the animal clinic in his town. He could see it was as if nothing but the animal existed for the dark-haired vet. The play of emotions, from worry to relief, across his features fascinated him. He felt a twinge of regret for how he’d spoken to the man at first but viciously shoved it away. Either way, the man wasn’t Cheyenne. White men knew nothing about animals. They used them and destroyed them for their own personal gain. His lips flattened even further in anger at the previous doctor. What had Redfern been thinking?
Seth pulled his hands free of the horse’s body and let her finish the work. The baby slid out in a rush of fluids to land in the soft hay. A wide smile split Seth’s face at the sight of the beautiful black foal that was already struggling to stand. He carefully moved backward to watch as the mother started cleaning the baby. “Very nice,” he said almost under his breath.
When he knew they would both be okay, he looked toward the large Cheyenne, but he didn’t expect praise. He merely asked, “Is there somewhere I can clean up?”
“There’s a small room at the back of the barn,” Kasey replied roughly.
Seth stood, brushing past the sheriff, not noticing the way the man stiffened. He located the room, turned on the faucet, and grabbed the bar of soap resting on the edge. It was a good thing he hadn’t needed to worry about another episode, because he couldn’t trust someone who obviously didn’t trust in his ability. If only the man knew. His mouth turned down at the corners at how much he actually seemed to care what the sheriff thought. It didn’t matter, he told himself sharply. The man was a bigot.
Suddenly, he felt more exhausted than he had in months. It had been a long day, and the tense emotion between him and the sheriff was heavy, weighing him down like lead. When he exited the small washroom, the sheriff wasn’t inside the barn. Seth gathered his things, exiting the barn. He didn’t see the man anywhere out front, either. Sighing, he was wondering if he would have to walk back to town when the front door opened. The sheriff stepped out onto the front porch, his boots scraping the wood floor. “You ready?” the man demanded.
Seth’s jaw clenched, but he merely gave a short nod. Not a word breached the silence between them during the ride back, and Seth was so happy to see his clinic. Even more so than he had been that morning. “Good night, Sheriff.”
“Night,” the man bit out.
Seth watched the truck roar out of the parking lot, shaking his head. Stubborn, foolish man.
Seth slid into the front seat of his car, heaving a tired sigh. His body hurt, ached with a fierceness that always came after he expended energy healing. Since he’d been a child, he’d had the unnatural ability to see inside animals to find whatever illness they suffered, and he was able to remove that illness, but not without paying a price. His body absorbed the bad energy causing the disease or sickness and had to eliminate it once he’d finished. Most of the time it was a simple matter of dispelling the energy by vomiting, but sometimes, if the sickness were severe enough, his body would need to find another outlet. Usually through bloodletting. Either way, it left him exhausted and fragile.
A yawn broke free as he started the car, and he knew if he didn’t get home soon, he would be in danger of falling asleep at the wheel. The little house he’d rented, perfect for just himself, rested on the edge of the forest: two bedrooms with one and a half bathrooms, a small living room but a wide open kitchen, was more than enough for one. He loved to cook, so the kitchen was one of the features that had drawn him to the little house.
When he pulled into the driveway, he smiled when he heard his golden retriever, Bullet, barking at the door. He’d found Bullet as a puppy bleeding to death from a gunshot wound. Even his ability wasn’t able to remove a bullet, but despite all odds saying that the puppy would die, he’d pulled through. Seth had kept him as a constant companion since. That had been three years ago.
Thinking of Bullet reminded him of the sheriff’s words about white men knowing nothing about animals. It was true. There were so many animals in the world that were on the verge of extinction because of how little respect humans had for the creatures. But it wasn’t just white men. Almost all humans destroyed animals every day, whether by the simple act of killing one by hitting it with their vehicle or the act of clearing a wooded area to make room for more houses or business complexes. It always left him sad when he heard of such things happening again and again. The sheriff couldn’t have been more wrong about him, though.
He ruthlessly shoved those thoughts from his mind. He would not allow the sheriff’s words to affect him. Blinded by hate, the sheriff couldn’t see that not everyone behaved the same way. Dragging his feet, Seth entered the house, greeting Bullet tiredly. “Hey, boy,” he murmured.
Bullet whined and shoved his head beneath Seth’s hand. Seth laughed quietly, stroking the big dog behind his ears. “I’m happy to see you too. It’s been a long day, though. I promise I will take you with me to the clinic tomorrow, okay, boy? There’s a big yard in the back that you can run in.”
The dog let out an excited bark, wagging his tail at him happily. Seth refilled the dog’s bowls with food and water before collapsing on the couch, which was as far as he got. He immediately fell into a dream-filled sleep.
At first, the sheriff starred in a big way, sending his body into overdrive. Naked bodies twisted together in passion with soft sighs and low moans. Seth shifted in his sleep as his cock pressed uncomfortably against the front of his slacks. But the dream slowly transitioned into the nightmare he’d lived and breathed for months. The one that had haunted him ever since. A whimper cut through the small house at the remembered fear and pain. The sweet scent of blood still stung his nose acridly. There was so much of it, and he couldn’t stop it.
Seth shot up with a loud gasp, shaky and terrified. Sweat soaked his clothing while shudders ravaged his body. He ran a hand over his face and glanced at the clock. Already four in the morning. He knew he’d never get back to sleep after the nightmare, so he wearily stood up from the couch to get ready to face the day. A shower revived him slightly, but only coffee would truly erase the shadows hiding behind his eyes.
He dressed swiftly, tugging on a pair of faded blue jeans and a gray T-shirt. Deciding to head to the clinic early, Seth called for Bullet, who immediately started leaping against the front door. Laughing, Seth opened the door, and the dog raced to the car, turning in circles in excitement. “I know it’s been a while since you came with me to work, boy. Now remember to behave yourself, okay?”
The dog let out a bark like he was actually answering him. Seth gave the dog a pleased smile before opening the driver’s side door and letting him into the vehicle. Seconds later, they were on the road into town.
Since the clinic didn’t open until eight, he stopped by the local diner to pick up a cup of coffee to go. He left the windows open for Bullet, commanding him to stay inside. The diner only had a handful of people at the moment, thankfully, because when he opened the door, every head in the place swiveled around to stare at him. He smiled, urging his heart to stop pounding. “Good morning,” he greeted the girl behind the counter, quickly eyeing her name tag, “Bridget.”
“Well, good morning to you, Doc,” Bridget replied, leaning against the counter. Fair skin with light-blonde hair, dark-green eyes, and a large chest made it obvious her lineage wasn’t Cheyenne. If he hadn’t been a gentleman, he might have laughed at how she pushed her breasts up to make them appear more impressive for him. As it was, he had to hide a smile behind a cough. “What can I get for you?”
“Just a large cup of coffee to go, if you don’t mind,” he requested, taking a seat at the counter.
“Sure thing, darlin’.” She winked at him before walking away.
Seth shook his head and ran a hand through his still-damp hair. He could feel the curious gaze of the others in the diner. Though he’d only taken a quick glance around, he’d been able to take in that there were two men at the table in the back nearest the restrooms. Another table held a small Caucasian woman with two children who were obviously still waking up this early in the morning, as they were actually seated at the table without screaming or throwing things. And a single Anglo male sat at the other end of the bar from him. Tension hung in the air around him, and he felt certain his arrival had caused the strain. They obviously didn’t trust him.
“Here ya go, Doc,” Bridget bubbled, placing a steaming Styrofoam cup in front of him. “That’ll be one dollar and twenty-five cents.”
Digging his wallet out of his pocket, he pulled out a five. “Don’t worry about the change,” he said as he grabbed up several packets of sugar and a small container of creamer.
The bell over the door behind him rang out clearly in the nearly empty diner. He stiffened when he became aware of the sudden hostility behind him. He’d been about to prepare his coffee there, but knowing that the sheriff was there made him change his mind. “Thanks, Bridget,” he said, turning to leave.
The sheriff stood there in civilian clothing. Tight jeans molded to his strong thighs, and a white T-shirt plastered itself to his chest like a second skin. Seth’s breath hitched in his throat, and he had to swallow twice to bid the man, “Good morning, Sheriff.”
The man glared at him but returned his greeting stiffly. “Morning,” he said as he brushed by Seth, heading toward the other end of the counter. Seth caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the Cheyenne’s upper arm. He couldn’t quite see its entirety, but he could just barely make out a tribal symbol.
Sighing internally, he shoved his way out of the diner. Bullet hung halfway out of the window eagerly. “Come on, Bullet, move over.” The dog barked loudly, drawing the gaze of the customers in the diner, including the dark eyes that seemed to bore right through him. He started mumbling under his breath, “I really hoped this would be a place that we could stay, Bullet, but now I’m not so sure.”
Chessie’s car was out in front of the clinic when he arrived, and she greeted him in her usual cheerful manner. “Good morning, Doc. Oh! What do we have here?” She came around the front of her desk and knelt down, laughing as she accepted the slobbery kisses that the golden retriever laid on her. “What’s his name?” She looked up at Seth.
“His name is Bullet. I usually bring him with me to work so he isn’t cooped up in the house all day long, but in wanting to get the residents comfortable with me, I didn’t have the chance. But he’ll be joining me every day from now on. Right, boy?”
Bullet barked and rubbed against Seth, who promptly smiled happily. Having the dog near him always boosted his spirits. Perhaps the reason had something to do with his ability, but he couldn’t be certain it wasn’t because the dog had saved his life on more than one occasion.
“Well, I think he’s just adorable,” Chessie gushed, hugging Bullet once again before standing up. “Your first appointment isn’t until nine, and it’s going to be a little slow today. There are only a handful of appointments.”
Seth frowned at her. “Is that usual?”
She tried to hide the flash of chagrin in her eyes, but she wasn’t fast enough. He gave her a look, and she sighed. “No. Usually Doc Redfern was booked most of the day. I’m sorry, Seth, but until you prove yourself to the town, you’ll find that most of them aren’t very trusting. Especially….” She trailed off, but he was pretty sure he knew what she’d been about to say.