Page 7 of Keg's Revelation

“Any time. Wish I could have had more answers for Mr. Owens, but my knowledge of rattlesnakes is slim. It really could be as simple as a bad meal, or it is reaching the end of its lifespan.” I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s a guessing game.”

“Yeah, I heard Freak say he’s owned it for twenty years, and it wasn’t a baby when he caught it,” Pinch said, and I nodded.

“They typically have a lifespan in the wild of roughly twenty-five years give or take. In captivity, they have been known to reach well into the thirties, though. And there really isn’t a way to estimate their age either. Counting the rattles on the tail isn’t an accurate measure.”

“Damn, I hope it’s feeling bad from a bad mouse because if it croaks, Freak will be a mess,” Reed said.

“Not going to be a pretty sight, brother,” Pinch answered Reed, then turned to the men beside him. “Guess we should check on Freak. He’ll worry himself sick over this.”

The other men nodded, and without another word, they turned and went inside, leaving Ry, Reagan, and myself standing with Reed.

There was a long pause before Reed finally spoke, “It was a surprise seeing you here, and it didn’t click when I first walked up that you were the vet. You helping your grandad out while you’re visiting?” Reed asked.

“Mom’s taking over for Gramps. He’s retiring,” Ry answered before I could.

“That so?” One of Reed’s brows lifted as he looked at me. So much for my attempt to escape.

I didn’t want to notice how good Reed looked. But it was hard not to. So instead of fighting it, I looked him up and down. He hadn’t changed as much as he filled out from the young man I remembered. He was a little taller, and his body was more muscular. Not that he hadn’t been in shape at nineteen, it’s that his t-shirts had never strained against his chest like the one he was wearing under his vest. His hair was shorter and slightly darker, but the waves remained. The most noticeable change was the tiny lines on the outside corners of his eyes. His face was harder and more pronounced, too. Then again, my own features held changes from the young girl I was before I moved away. And with what Ry, Reagan and I had been through in the last year, I’m surprised my own face wasn’t covered with worry lines. Derek’s sudden death was hard on the three of us. And while work gave me a small reprieve while coping, Ry and Reagan were left with each other and adjusting to not have Derek around.

A tug on my arm snapped me out of my head and I looked down at Reagan. “Can I go with Ry?”

I frowned, realizing that while I’d cataloged the changes in Reed’s appearance, I hadn’t answered him and missed something with the kids. “Go where with Ry?”

“Geez, Mom, we asked like ten times. Can we go look at the bikes while you’re talking?” Ry said.

“Not quite sure it was ten, pal. Maybe three,” Reed said and chuckled. “You took a little side trip, Raven.”

Of course, he not only noticed, but he would also have to mention it, too. Heat rose with my embarrassment from being caught. I chose to ignore Reed and answered Ry instead, “Go ahead but stay close. We need to leave soon.” Reagan let go of my hand and started walking away with Ry. “Look only, Reagan. No touching.”

“She’ll be fine, Raven. Not like she can take off on one of them. Her legs aren’t long enough to touch the ground.”

“Funny, Reed,” I said dryly.

He smirked and shook his head. “So, you’re working with Doc? Can’t believe he’s thinking of retiring.”

“Yes, he is. Once I familiarize myself with his practice, he’s going to retire. At least that’s what he says. Even if he shocks me and does retire, I don’t expect him to stay away. He’ll find some excuse to stop in, I’m sure. He’ll want to see if I’m handling his clients with care.”

“You always talked about wanting to be a vet. I’m glad to see you made your dream a reality.” Reed glanced down and then back up. “I’m sure your grandparents love having you and your husband and kids around.”

I realized then what he looked for when he glanced down. It took everything in me not to run my finger over the simple band. If I weren’t holding the medical bag with my left hand, I probably would have. Even though it had been a year since I lost Derek, I hadn’t been able to remove the ring.

Afraid to go down that route for fear of bringing on tears, I focused on the conversation. “Working with animals was all I ever wanted to do. Easiest decision I’ve ever made.”

“Yeah, some decisions are easy, while others are a lot harder to make.” Something flashed in Reed’s eyes, but before I could identify it, it was gone as quickly as it surfaced.

“We needed a change, so when Gramps mentioned retiring, it seemed the perfect opportunity,” I said, and Reed’s eyes squinted. He opened his mouth just as a buzz sounded, stopping whatever he was going to say.

Reed pulled a cell phone from his pocket and glanced down at the screen. Not prepared to explain further on my need for change, I took his distraction as an opportunity to be on my way. The longer I was left alone with him, the chance of a slip happening that would cause a scene I wasn’t ready to deal with.

I stepped around Reed, leaving him to answer his call in private, and called out to my kids. “Ry, Reagan, time to go.”

Both kids turned and started walking in my direction. “Can we stop and get some food? I’m hungry,” Reagan asked.

“Sure thing, honey,” I answered as we started across the lot. When we reached the car, Ry got in the passenger side while Reagan got in the back. After I doubled checked that she had fastened her seatbelt correctly, I closed her door and opened the driver’s side one. Just as I prepared to get in, I heard footsteps and turned.

“Is something wrong?” I asked as Reed approached us.

“No, wanted to say goodbye and that it was nice running into you, Rav,” Reed said, then bent and leaned in my open door. “It was nice meeting you guys, too.”

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