“How’s Mrs. Miller’s cat?”
“Better,” Avery told her, jotting down the rest of her notes. “I think the eye infection should be cleared up in another day or two.” She’d seen Mrs. Miller’s cat, Princess, the week before. The woman had been white-faced with worry about her pet, and it was in that moment—introducing herself over the clipboard of paperwork—that Avery knew she’d done the right thing by letting them all inside. So what if she hadn’t been quite ready to get the show on the road? She’d have to get used to it.
There was a lot to get used to, but Avery tried to focus on the clinic and not Shanna’s favorite new hobby. Tucker had given her a camera when she’d been over at Cade’s, and her daughter was so attached that she was practically sleeping with it. Shanna balanced it on the very edge of her bedside table so she could reach out and touch it during the night. And Avery had to admit that her daughter had been taking some pretty good pictures.
The door to the clinic swung open, letting in a blast of winter air, and Shanna swept in with a big smile on her face. She waved to the woman in the waiting room and hurried over to Avery.
“Mom, look. I just took some pictures of the Millers’ youngest puppy. Check it out.” She flipped the camera over so Avery could see the screen on the back. She was right—the photo of the dog stole Avery’s heart. Very cute. And good composition, too. It made her think of Tucker, and she pushed that thought out of her mind. Not now.
“Oh, can I see?” The woman in the waiting room sat with a tiny puppy on her lap, stroking his back. “I love good photography.”
“Sure.” Shanna went over to the lady and showed her the picture, smiling so big she had dimples. “This was just now, right outside. Can you believe it?”
“I sure can,” said the lady. Avery glanced down at the patient list. If this was her next owner and patient, she was named Mrs. Brown. “You have a good eye for detail, you know. You should have prints made of your pictures. If you ever do, you be sure to let me know. I’ll put one in my house.”
Avery flushed with pride for her daughter, even as she fought off a swell of worry that Shanna took after Tucker too much for her liking.
Shanna came back over, beaming. “Did you hear that?” she whispered. “She thinks my pictures are good. I can’t wait to show them to Dad.”
Avery had to look down at the clipboard on the counter to hide her feelings. “I’m sure he’d love to see them.”
Things with Tucker were at an impasse. Thinking about him made her furious, and it drove another spike into her wounded pride. She’d wanted, all these years, to set up her own independent practice so she didn’t have to rely on other people. Tucker had gone ahead and blown that out of the water. Even if she found it in her to accept the X-ray machine, she’d still owe him, and she hated being stuck in that position. There was no way to ever repay him for what he’d done, and there was no way to send the equipment back.
And then there was Shanna. She’d found a second home at Wells Ranch and went between the two places as easily as if they’d always lived here. She had bloomed. It wasn’t that Avery didn’t think she was enough. She’d done a good job with her daughter. She’d encouraged a relationship with her own parents and made sure Shanna was happy with her friends at school. But Joey and the rest of her cousins on Tucker’s side were an unexpected gift to Shanna. She was so happy.
Avery only wished she’d tone down the constant talk about Tucker this, and Tucker this, and now Dad.
Shanna was enamored with her dad, and part of her was glad for her girl. She’d missed him for a long time, even if she hadn’t known who he was. But it hurt. Every time.
Her daughter had bent her head over the camera and flicked through more photos of the day.
“Mom, look at this one. It’s pretty good.” It was an outdoor shot of the clinic, from the angle on the road where people would pull in, and the sight of it tugged at Avery’s heart. The clinic looked…nice. It looked welcoming, even with the snowdrifts. It looked like someplace people could count on, with the wide blue sky above it and the sparkling snow surrounding it. Her heart pulsed with another ache. It was Tucker who’d made it look so nice. Avery had planned on doing it herself or hiring out, but Tucker had thrown himself into the project. She couldn’t even look at the countertop in the reception area without thinking of him.
But she had to stop thinking of him. This was too much. It hurt too much, and it stole too much of her hard-won peace, and it reminded her incessantly that she still wanted him. That she missed him. A part of her—a small, selfish part of her—was jealous that Shanna could go over to the Wells Ranch so easily and see him.
Avery pretended to think of something she’d been about to write down and scribbled a note on the top sheet of paper. Then she cleared her throat.
“Sorry about that, honey. The photo looks great. You’ll have to take one in the summer, when everything’s green, and we can hang it up here in the reception area.”
Shanna’s eyes lit up. “Or I could take one in every season and we could put them in the same frame. Wouldn’t that look cool? I think it would be. I’m going to ask Dad how to do it. Can I sit in the waiting room until Becca gets here?”
Avery ruffled her hair and laughed, her heart feeling a little lighter. “Are you kidding
