loaded cart out the doorway, leaving Avery to stare after him.
Jennifer pulled up in front of the youth center at the Community Christian Church and checked her watch. “See, I told you I’d get you here on time. Is your math done? You know I’m not going to let you shirk your school work just to have a wild time with your chess-loving friends.”
Lizzie scribbled one more number on her sheet and snapped the textbook shut. “I’m done.”
“Okay, but I still need to check it before I turn you loose.”
Handing over her work, Lizzie said, “Like that’s a surprise. You’re way stricter than Mom is.”
“That’s because, unlike our mother, I believe your education is more important than a silly hobby.”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Jennifer’s conscience pricked her. She shouldn’t be criticizing her mother’s behavior, or calling her sister’s hobby silly.
Still, Mary Grant’s obsession with history and re-enacting the life of frontier widow Henrietta Dutton had been taking up more and more of her time. Her involvement with the local historical society’s plans for the town’s upcoming Founder’s Day Festival had turned into a time-consuming passion that left all of her kids feeling ignored.
There were times when Jennifer wondered if the line between reality and re-enactment were blurring a bit too much even for their eccentric mother.
“Your horse shows are a hobby,” Lizzie said defensively.
“Yes, they are, but I don’t let them interfere with my education or my job.”
Someone in the family had to keep a level head. Since her father’s death eight years ago, that lot had fallen to Jennifer. It wasn’t that she resented it, because she did love her family, but there were times when she felt stifled in responsibility.
She glanced at her sister’s downcast face and realized that she had sounded much too stern. Reaching over, she playfully tweaked Lizzie’s nose. “Only God and shoe shopping are more important. Right?”
Jennifer was rewarded with the smile she had been hoping for. Lizzie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Whatever. Is my math right?”
Jennifer checked it. “As usual, it’s perfect. Go on and have a good time.”
Lizzie pushed open her door, hopped out and slung her tattered black backpack over one shoulder. “Bobby Pinkerton has been telling everyone he’s going to beat me in fifteen moves. I can’t wait to make him eat his words.”
Jennifer grinned. “You go, girl. Trounce that boy.”
“I will. I hope you and McCloud win today, too.”
“If we do, I’ll get pizza for supper. Mom is picking you up, right?”
“Yup. I told her four o’clock.”
A teenage girl came racing across the parking lot and Jennifer recognized her as one of Lizzie’s friends. Slamming the door shut, Lizzie hurried toward her friend and the two of them entered the building.
After dropping her sister off, Jennifer drove a few more miles to the Kansas State University campus. The Large Animal Clinic was part of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Jennifer’s boss, Dr. Brian Cutter, was the chief equine surgeon at the facility.
She parked her truck and trailer at the side of the building. Getting out, she turned and grabbed the X-ray machine. The second she did, she realized her mistake.
“Oh, I can’t believe it!” She stamped her foot in sheer frustration.
“What’s wrong, Jennifer?”
She whirled around to see Brian coming out of the building. Dressed in his usual dark slacks and pristine white lab coat, he leaned heavily on his cane as he walked toward her. Under his arm, he held a small, tan pet carrier.
Jennifer’s shoulders slumped as she admitted her mistake. “I took the films you wanted of Dakota’s leg, but I left one of the cassettes in his stall. Can you send someone else to get it?”
“It’s Saturday. No one is in today except Deborah and I, and of course, Isabella.” He nodded toward the crate under his arm where his pet rabbit rested, her nose pressed against the cage door and quivering with excitement.
The brown French lop was a favorite with everyone who worked at the clinic. She had the run of Brian’s office plus a small enclosed pen outside the building where she happily napped in the shade or nibbled grass. It was well known that she had her owner and half the staff wrapped around her dainty paw.
Jennifer sighed. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that Isabella doesn’t have a driver’s license.”
He grinned. “Not even a learner’s permit.”
“And if an emergency came in they would need you and you need Deborah to answer the phone and check people in, so that leaves me to make the trip back to the fort. Are you sure you need the films today?”
“Very sure. My grant money depends on accurate and up-to-date information on the results of my gene therapy subjects. The bone growth study Dakota is part of is one of my most important projects. I wouldn’t ask you to make another trip to the fort if I didn’t need it today. Do you want me to call and see if they have someone who can bring it over?”
Jennifer checked her watch and blew her breath out through pursed lips. She didn’t want to miss her competition, but she didn’t want Avery doing her work for her. “No, I’ll go back.”
“Before you leave, I wanted to ask if you could rabbit-sit for a few days. Well, actually a week. Lindsey and I are going out of town and I know how much you like Isabella. We’d pay you the same as last time.”
“I’d be happy to watch her.” Every extra dime helped, but Jennifer would have done it for free.
“Great.” He deposited Isabella in her run and took the X-ray case from Jennifer. “I’m sorry you have to make a second trip to the post. This won’t make you miss your show, will it?”
“No, I can still get there.” She smiled but it took more effort than usual.
Getting back into her truck, she made a tight turn and sped out of the parking lot back toward the fort. If she picked up the film and got back in thirty minutes, she could still make her events, but it wouldn’t leave her much time to warm up McCloud. The show jumping would be first with the more intricate dressage class scheduled for the afternoon. If she missed the first event she could still enter the later one, but only the horse and rider with the best overall score in both classes would win the top prize money being offered.
It was money she sorely needed. Both her younger brothers had outgrown last year’s school clothes and she had noticed Lizzie’s backpack was falling apart. Every extra bit of cash came in handy to help her mother support a family of four children and two horses.
Ten minutes later, Jennifer stopped at the gates of the fort to hand over her identification. As she waited for permission to enter, she mentally braced herself to face Avery again. Having to admit he had rattled her enough to make her forget her job was a sobering thought.
After being waved through the checkpoint, she quickly drove to the stables and parked beside them. She got out of her truck just as a black limousine drove up and stopped in front of the CGMCG office building. A chauffeur in a dark blue uniform stepped out and moved to open the door for his passenger. A white-haired man in a beautifully tailored gray pinstriped suit emerged.
Distinguished was the first word that popped into Jennifer’s mind when she saw him. Money was the second word.
She tilted her head as she studied him. There was something familiar about him, but he entered the office building before she could place where she might have seen him before.
It didn’t matter. What