and had vastly different priority lists.
His eyebrows jumped. “I’ll call you for the test results.”
“Oh.” Right. Of course. She needed to get her head in the game. Sure, they’d had an interesting visit on the ranch, but that didn’t mean Caleb wanted to spend more time with her—as a friend or otherwise. She rattled off her number, and he put it into his phone. A moment later, her phone beeped.
“Now you have mine. You know, in case you want someone to talk to—or yell at.” One side of his mouth hitched up in a crooked grin. “Just give me a call.”
She smiled almost involuntarily. “Thanks. I’m sure I can go a few days without having anyone to yell at.”
He lifted a shoulder as if that was debatable.
She held up the tubes. “If I remember right, Dad has a full lab at his office. I can run these myself instead of sending them out and should have an answer soon.”
“We’d appreciate that.”
“In the meantime, make sure he’s drinking, but don’t offer him anything to eat.”
“Okay. Let’s get you back to the hospital.” He followed behind her, almost as if he was making sure she left.
A few more pieces of hay fell on her head, and she paused to brush them off. “What on earth?” She went to look up, but Caleb shoved her out the door and into the blinding sunlight. She covered her eyes. “Yikes!”
“Sorry. I—uh—tripped.” Caleb shut the door behind him with a definite thud.
She stared. Something weird was going on at the Reindeer Wrangler Ranch. She wasn’t quite sure what, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to find out. She had the feeling that this place could suck her in—like it had Dad. And she couldn’t allow that to happen.
She’d treat Dunder, and then she’d wash her hands of the reindeer and the cute wrangler that came with them.
Chapter 6
Caleb
Caleb enjoyed recounting his near-flying-reindeer sightings in the barn with Faith over Sunday breakfast. The reindeer had been in rare form, sneaking out of their stalls and attempting to meet the newcomer. Snowflake had dropped straw on her head. And then there was Rudy. He’d thought Rudy was going to follow her around like a lovesick puppy.
Mom giggled. “I can’t blame Rudy. He’s always been curious. It’s Sparkle who I think was up to mischief.”
Dad guffawed, putting his hand over Mom’s. “She’s as jealous as they come and probably didn’t like the competition. There aren’t many ladies walking around the ranch. You’re the only one she respects enough not to mess with.” He winked at Mom.
“And Doc’s daughter isn’t bad on the eyes, either.” Forest shoved Caleb’s elbow off the table right as he was dropping a dollop of whipped cream on his waffles.
“I can’t believe we missed her,” Drake bemoaned.
“I can’t believe Doc’s daughter is that cute,” quipped Caleb’s twin, Jack.
Mom gave him a dirty look.
“What? You’ve seen the grizzly guy, right?” Jack swiped a napkin across his face to hide his smirk.
“His lack of shaving skills aside …” Mom lifted her nose and reached for the basket of from-scratch cranberry muffins. “Doc is a good friend who is going through a rough time right now, and he doesn’t deserve you knocking him down behind his back.”
Caleb exchanged a look with Jack that told him he agreed with his twin’s shock but wasn’t going to take on Mom.
Mom shoved the basket at Caleb. “Hurry up, or we’ll be late for church.”
Caleb accepted the basket and took two. Cranberry was his favorite. “I was thinkin’ of visiting Doc after services and filling him in on what’s going on with Dunder, maybe get a second opinion if he’s up to talking much.”
“I’ll ride over with ya,” said Drake. “We can stop for lunch at the diner if you want.”
That was a good idea. If Faith was at the hospital, she might relax having another person to carry some of the awkward load of conversation they’d been carrying between them. She was so uptight with him, only relaxing for a few minutes when she’d talked about Rudy’s possible surgery. And since Drake was only nineteen, Faith wouldn’t give him a second look. Diving into why that mattered to him wasn’t going to happen over breakfast. That was the kind of contemplation better undertaken when sitting on a tractor with nothing but miles of field to plow or snow to move.
“I’d be happy for the company,” he replied.
“We’re going over to Doc’s place and fill the fridge.” Dad took a quick