Fragile Hearts (Poplar Falls #4) - Amber Kelly Page 0,44

she asks you, okay?”

“She wants me to go to a mother-daughter dinner with her?” Doreen asks.

“That’s what she said,” I tell her, and it’s not a lie. Elle does plan to take her. The dinner is just the weekend after.

“What about Madeline?” she asks.

I shrug. “She said she wanted you to come.”

“Oh goodness,” she says as she dabs at her eyes with a kitchen towel.

“Don’t cry, or she’s going to get suspicious. You’re going to have to miss the dinner anyway,” Ria reminds her.

“Oh no, you girls already spent the money,” she cries.

“It’s fine. It’s for charity, and a big ole engagement party is way better,” I assure her.

“Yep, it will be,” Sophie agrees. “Now, let’s discuss the food.”

“You should call Flying Horse Catering in Aurora. They’re excellent,” Ria suggests.

“Oh, that’s a splendid idea,” Doreen agrees. “I love their food. It’s so good, and the staff is amazing. They catered my friend Nancy’s daughter’s wedding. I highly recommend them.”

Sophie grins. “Done. I’ll call them today.”

Elle comes walking in with her hair in a ponytail and her riding gear on.

The room goes silent.

“What?” she asks as she strolls to the fridge and grabs a pitcher of juice.

“Nothing, sweetie. We were just talking more about Bellamy and Brandt,” Doreen covers.

“Bellamy and Brandt?!” Sophie says, and her eyes fly to me.

“Yes, Bellamy. And. Brandt,” Doreen enunciates clearly while staring at Sophie.

Sophie nods. “Yeah, they were filling me in.”

“Well, I hope you two explore things,” Elle says without missing a beat.

“I thought about it last night, and I think, in light of his story, it’s not such a good idea after all.”

“Why not?” Elle asks.

“He’s probably not ready, and I just broke up with Derrick twenty-four hours ago.”

“His wife has been gone for a few years, and it’s not like you and Derrick were that serious. There’s nothing wrong with you both moving on,” she insists.

“I guess we’ll wait and see what happens,” I decide.

“Good plan, dear,” Ria agrees with me.

Brandt

“I’m much obliged you came all the way out here on a Saturday, Dr. Haralson.”

I follow the farmer out past his dairy barns to the pen holding the goats in question.

“Here they are. All three of them have had a dry cough for over a week. At first, I thought maybe it was just allergies, so I separated them from the rest of the herd to keep an eye on them, and we’ve been dumping their milk, just in case.”

“All right, let’s have a look.”

I enter the pen and thoroughly examine the animals.

“Well?”

“Looks like you have a lungworm infection,” I break the news to him.

He removes his hat and scratches his head. “That’s what I figured.”

“To be safe, we should treat the entire herd. If you get them rounded up, I’ll dose them today, and that should kill any adult parasites. Then, we’ll schedule a second dosing in two weeks to catch any of the larvae that might have hatched. I’ll prescribe a probiotic to balance out their digestive tract, and you’ll just add it to their feed for the next three days. We’ll also supplement with iron to quickly rebuild their blood cell count. You’ll have to dump a couple more times, and then they should be good as new. But we’ll give them the anti-parasitic again in six months because it can live that long out in your pasture.”

“I only got one hand today, and he’s running the milking parlor. My other one is down with the flu. It’ll take me a bit to round the herd.”

“Not a problem. I’ll run to my office to get the medication, and I’ll call and see if my assistant is available to help with the dosing.”

He nods and walks off toward the barn. I take my phone out and dial Bellamy’s number.

“Hello?” she asks tentatively.

“Hi, Bellamy. I hate to ask this on a weekend, but I have to deworm a herd of approximately nine hundred dairy goats, and the farmer is short-staffed. I could use a second set of hands to help measure and administer the meds, if you’re available.”

There is a long pause on the other end of the line.

“Bellamy?”

“One sec, Doc.”

She covers the phone and speaks to someone in the background. All I hear is a mumbled conversation.

“Doc?”

“Still here,” I assure her.

“I’m at Rustic Peak, but Elle says she and Walker can bring me to you when he gets done on the baler. He should be done in maybe fifteen minutes.”

“That works. I have to swing by the office to get some supplies.