narrowed his eyes. “If he’d told you the important stuff, then you wouldn’t have to ask that question.”
“Whatever.” She shoved to her feet, looking for distance. That breakdown was coming on, and she needed to not be here when it happened. “I’m going to get something to help me stay awake. Bye.” She left before he could follow her to the cafeteria.
After stopping at the nurses’ station to make sure they had her cell number if they needed to call, she headed for the elevator. She pulled up the digital files Dad kept on the reindeer herd. He’d given her access years ago and never cut her off. It could be that he’d just forgotten or that he was holding out hope. She wouldn’t know unless he made it through surgery.
She walked as she scanned, searching for a file named Dunder. There were thousands of files—each with a name. For duplicate names, the year of birth was listed as well. Rudolph was popular, as were Dancer and Prancer. Jeez, these guys loved their Santa references.
There. Dunder. Means: Thunder.
O-kay.
She scanned the breeding info—this guy was a top bull—and his birth date. Her eyes bugged out. He was old. Especially for a reindeer. Though this particular breed lived longer than others. She did a quick search and found that he was a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. To lose a patriarch of the herd was bad news in so many ways. Animals often mourned the passing of one of their own.
Guilt tugged at her heartstrings. She wasn’t the type to turn away an animal in need—even a reindeer.
She dragged herself back to the room and kicked Caleb’s boots again. He grunted as if she’d woken him up. “What?”
“Is he eating?” she demanded.
He looked up at her, a small crease between his eyebrows. “What?”
She barely held back her frustration. Her emotions ran right under the surface after seeing her dad and then having a lifetime of issues thrown in her face. “Dunder. Is he eating?” she ground out.
Caleb frowned. “No.”
“Drinking?” Her tone was derogatory at best and completely ticked off in any other circumstances.
“Yeah. Why?”
She drew a breath, grateful that she could offer some hope and had bought time before she had to rush out to the ranch. “Animals fast when they’re in pain, but if they drink, it’s a good sign that they aren’t terminal.”
The crease disappeared, and his chest relaxed. She really needed to stop noticing his chest.
He nodded. “I’ll send word back to my family.” He pulled out his phone.
If he was drinking … Her brain ran through a list of possible issues, ticking off some and holding on to others until she could examine the animal. Even if Dunder was drinking, he could be in grave danger.
She tucked her arms around herself. If she didn’t treat him soon, the non-fatal could become fatal. And she’d promised Dad she would look out for the herd. Blast it all—why did he have to ask her that right before Caleb showed up? “I’ll go with you as soon as Dad’s out of surgery. I don’t know how long it’s going to take.”
He nodded again. “I’d be much obliged.”
She held up a finger. “One visit—you got that? I’m not like Dad; I’m busy, and I have a thriving practice in Grafton.” She wouldn’t give the ranch, or Caleb’s warm eyes, a chance to suck her in.
“I understand.” With that, he lowered his hat and went back typing.
She shrugged. Cowboys! The most infuriating breed of man she’d ever met.
Just as she reached the doorway, Caleb called out, “Doc bragged about you—a lot. That’s how I knew you were a vet. He …” He paused and seemed to gather his thoughts. “He loves you.”
She looked over her shoulder. “That’s news to me.”
Caleb smirked. “He didn’t mention how pretty you were, though.”
Her cheeks heated and she turned forward, talking to the hallway instead of allowing him to see the effect he had on her. Liking this cowboy wasn’t an option, which meant that flirting back wasn’t either. “I haven’t seen him in years.”
“Why are you here now?” His voice was warm and deep, like the best cup of hot chocolate on a cold day.
“Besides the obvious?” She shrugged, trying to come up with a reason for driving three-plus hours in the dark during December. “It’s Christmas,” she replied. “Dad loves the season.” Her reason fell flat in her ears. What did Christmas have to do with anything?
“Christmas is magic,” Caleb added.
“There’s no such thing as Christmas Magic,”