Page 36 of Absolute Harmony

“Whoa, girl. Steady, Penny.” Hal rubbed the horse’s thick neck as Nathan paused in suturing the small gash on her flank.

“You sure you don’t want to put her in the stocks, Doc?” Solomon asked.

“We’re good. It won’t be much longer.” Nathan paused in his suturing of Penny’s flank as Hal took a firmer grip on her halter. “You good, Hal?”

“Yes,” Hal said as Solomon leaned against the stall wall and stared at his phone.

“Any idea how she did this?” Hal asked.

Solomon tucked his phone into his pocket. “Not a damn clue. Wyatt saw blood in the paddock and followed the trail straight to Penny. How’s it look, Doc?”

“It’s small but pretty deep,” Nathan said. He continued to suture as Solomon joined him and squinted at the gash.

“Christ, that’s some fine stitchwork,” Solomon said.

Nathan laughed. “Thank you. Hey, how’s your barn cat doing? The one Heather brought in the other day?”

“He’s good. No longer limping, and the swelling is completely gone from his leg. Although it’s hell giving him his antibiotics. He’s one of my best mousers, but Christ, he’s a miserable son of a bitch.”

Nathan laughed again as Hal said, “You should have seen me trying to hold him for Nathan’s exam. I still hear his screaming in my dreams.”

“The cat or the doc?” Solomon asked with a grin.

“Definitely mine,” Nathan said as he made the final stitch and cut the suture material. He drew up the antibiotics into a syringe and administered it. “I’ll get Hal to dispense some oral antibiotics as well. It should keep any infection at bay but call the clinic if she shows redness or swelling around the wound.”

“Will do. I’ll get Wyatt to separate her from the others for a few days. Penny’s one of his favourites. He’ll keep a close eye on her,” Solomon said.

Hal stroked Penny’s neck again as Nathan gave her the shot and then stripped off his gloves. “Okay, that should do it. I’ll put in a recheck call in two days.”

His phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. “It’s the clinic. Excuse me.”

He grabbed his bag and left the stall, walking to the far end of the barn. Hal let go of Penny’s halter, gave her one final pat and followed Solomon out of the stall. Solomon secured the stall before leaning against it and giving him an assessing look.

“What?” Hal asked.

“You look like shit.”

“It’s been a long week,” Hal said.

“You finished work for the day?” Solomon asked.

Hal nodded. “Yeah, this was our last appointment.” He had followed Nathan on his bike so he could head straight home rather than return to the clinic.

“Stay for supper,” Solomon said.

“You have enough mouths to feed,” Hal said. “You don’t need one extra.”

“Shit, man, you know Heather always makes enough food to feed an army. There will be plenty, even with those ravenous boys I call ranch hands.”

Hal laughed. “You hire a bunch of twenty-something-year-olds, and of course they’re gonna eat you out of house and home.”

Solomon shrugged. “Don’t I know it. So, you staying or not? It might be a Friday night, but I fucking know you don’t have any plans. You never have plans.”

“Because I work tomorrow,” Hal said.

“Uh-huh. You’re staying for supper.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m exhausted, and I just want to go home,” Hal said.