Mending Fences by Jenna Mindel

Author:Jenna Mindel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2021-05-08T18:29:56+00:00

* * *

Monday morning, Jack scooped up Harry and headed into town and Dr. Joe Walter’s office. Entering the older vet’s examining room, Jack might as well have stepped back in time. Joe Walter fulfilled every expectation of a country vet. No computers, no high-tech equipment, just simple animal care given with years of experience. Jack looked forward to taking over the practice and implementing updated services, but he planned to keep the hands-on, personal touch.

But the bifocal wearing Joe Walter had scrawled his accounts into ledger books. Jack wasn’t about to keep that up. He’d have to get the information into a computer somehow. Good thing he’d listened to Laura and purchased both a regular PC and a laptop. He wouldn’t have to fight Angie in the evenings. They could both get their work done.

“Hey, Jack, what’cha got there?”

Jack hoisted the dog onto the examining table. “This is Harry. Have you seen him before? Or heard about a lost dog fitting this description?”

Dr. Walter peered over his bifocals. “Can’t say that I have. He was probably dumped.”

“That’s what I thought when he wandered into my barn,” Jack said. Harry was most likely a stray, and that bode well for keeping him.

“Might as well give him his shots.”

Jack rubbed Harry’s neck when the pooch trembled. “It’s okay, fella.”

Dr. Walter laid out a distemper shot and rabies booster. “I’m glad you came by this morning, I have some appointments I could use your help with if you’re available for a few hours.”

Jack would let Angie know not to expect him home until well after lunch. “Mind if Harry hangs out?”

“What’s a vet’s office without a dog? That’s Buddy.” The old man gestured to an ancient golden retriever that lounged on a dog bed.

“Exactly.” Jack watched Harry closely as the dogs sniffed one another. No problems there.

“So, are you and your daughter settled in?”

“Pretty much. We bought Anna Toivo’s barn and twenty acres. It’ll be the perfect place for this practice.”

Dr. Walter looked thoughtful. “I knew Anna’s husband. Good man, God rest his soul. They had a daughter, but I can’t say I’ve seen her lately. I don’t think she lives here.”

An image of what could be if Laura stayed in the area assaulted Jack. He didn’t go there. “She lives in Wisconsin, but she’s back home until Anna recovers from a stroke.”

Dr. Joe Walter shook his balding head with disgust. Whether from the news of Anna’s misfortune, or that her daughter didn’t live nearby, Jack wasn’t sure. “Come on, I’ll show you the file on the dog that’s coming in. I think he’s terminal.”

Those were the tough ones, knowing no matter what you did the dog was going to die. Jack had often wrestled with prolonging the inevitable. In the end, he liked to think he did what was best for the animal, whether he alleviated or ended their suffering. But sometimes, the owners insisted on every available treatment regardless of the trauma the dog endured. He hoped this wasn’t one of those times.

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