Page 22 of The Rancher's Addiction

“Is there anything else?”Mac asked as he followed the older man.

“They never had holidays together.Her parents would go to parties, but she was always left alone.”

“Jesus.”

Charles nodded.

“Does she talk to them?”Mac asked.

“Rarely.She tries to call, but they are always busy and don’t have time to call her back.They have her information, but have never tried to call her.They were extremely disappointed in her for going to vet school instead of becoming a surgeon.”

“They’re not proud of her at all?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

Mac leaned over the fence to the padlock to watch a few of his horses.He didn’t say anything and seemed deep in thought.

“So, you will have to call on another vet if you need anything, if you don’t want her out here.I can’t do fieldwork with my arthritis acting up nowadays.”

Mac narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously.“I didn’t know you were having problems.”

“Well, it’s not something I go around talking about,” Charles muttered.

Charles could tell Mac didn’t trust him, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.He wasn’t going to come out and call him a liar.

Charles turned toward Mac and held out a hand.“Well, I better be on my way.I’ve got paperwork to do.”

Mac shook his hand.“I’ll walk you out.”

Charles walked alongside him, taking it slower and making Mac have to shorten his stride.He was acting a lot older than he felt, but it would make Mac think twice about his arthritis.

He should probably read up on it so he would know how to act if Mac got suspicious because he had no idea what it felt like.He chuckled to himself.He’d planted the seeds into the young people.Now he had to watch them grow.

He waved as he pulled away from Mac.He chuckled when he looked in the rearview mirror to see Mac, with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.

Good.He deserved it after harassing Jenny.Even though Charles knew she could take it and give it back tenfold, he was still protective of her.She was the only chance he had to have a daughter or family of his own.

Now, he’d have to sit back and watch what happened.

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