Deborah Vogts - Snow Melts in Spring (Seasons of the Tallgrass, Book 1)

SNOW MELTS IN SPRING

Copyright 2009 by Deborah Vogts

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

Sony Edition June 2009 ISBN: 0-310-86411-9

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Vogts, Deborah, 1965

Snow melts in spring / Deborah Vogts.

p. cm. (Seasons of the tallgrass ; bk. 1)

ISBN 978-0-310-29275-3

1. Women veterinarians Fiction. 2. Rural families Kansas Fiction. I. Title.

PS3622.O363S66 2009

813.6 dc22

2009000993

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., 10152 S. Knoll Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130.

09 10 11 12 13 14 15 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

To Mom and Dad, for nurturing my love for writing

and always standing behind me on this journey.

And to Christopher, for allowing me to pursue this dream.

I HEARD THE PRAIRIE CALL TO ME,

ITS WORDS A WHISPER ON MY HEART,

AND I KNEW THAT I WAS HOME.

RED LIGHTS FLASHED LIKE FIRE IN THE MURKY SHADOWS OF THE night. Mattie Evans slid from the seat of her truck and made her way to the accident scene, tuned to the shrill, intermittent static of the emergency radios.

What a way to start this early Sunday morning, not even a week into the new year. Lord, give me strength.

As she neared, the crushed sedan came into view. A ghostly chill crept up her spine. She noted the shattered glass, a trail of blood. Paramedics worked to pull the driver from the car and transferred the motionless boy to a stretcher.

At the sight of the victims marred face, Mattie pressed her hand to her mouth. Another body lay covered on the ground.

Thanks for getting here so quickly, Doc. The county sheriff met her on the dirt road, and Mattie forced herself to regain control. Got ourselves a bad one. Two drunk teens hit a horse with their car. Ones dead, the other... well, it dont look good. As for the horse, I doubt you can save him.

With his flashlight, he cleared a path through the dense fog, and Mattie followed to the edge of the road where her patient lay. Blood stained the gravel.

They probably didnt even see the animal until it was too late, he said. Dont know why the horse was on the road must have a fence down. He shined a beam into the dark pasture. Likely spooked and jumped toward the vehicle, then smashed into the windshield. Still breathing, though.

Mattie knelt for a closer inspection. Someone had tried to stop the massive bleeding with towels, to no avail. She stroked the horses neck, and the gelding raised his head. The white of his eye showed pure terror, dilated from shock.

Hes lost a lot of blood. The sheriff drew the light over the animals body.

Mattie took a deep breath and reached into her bag for a syringe. Once she had the horse sedated, she removed the towels to examine him. Her heart sank at the extent of the damage.

The impact of the windshield had lacerated his right shoulder, withers, and limb. Corneal rupture of the right eye and massive skull fractures. A quick check of his mouth revealed his old age. She noted the paleness of his gums.

At times like this, she hated her job. Such hopelessness. Angered by the senseless destruction, she fought back tears, her teeth clenched as the horse lay wheezing his every breath. Despite her oath to save animals, Mattie knew the horse would require extensive treatments, and even then, his chances for a full recovery were slim.

Hes in a lot of pain. The nagging worry from her recent loss caused her to doubt her abilities. Theres no reason to make him suffer. I recommend putting him down.

Cant do that, Mattie, a gruff voice answered close by.

Her gaze jolted to see her friend John McCray slumped over his cane. Didnt you just get out of the hospital? You shouldnt be out on a night like this.

Thats my fault. Another man stepped from the darkness, and Mattie acknowledged Johns hired hand, Jake. When I heard the car horn blaring and realized what had happened, I called the ambulance. Figured the boss would want to be here.

This is Gils horse. John gripped her shoulder. You have to save him.

Mattie had heard stories about Gilbert McCray from her older sisters, though John hardly spoke of his son. Some said he could have been a professional team roper, but hed left it all to become a football hero in California. A stupid move, as far as she was concerned. Why would anyone give up being a cowboy for a football career?

She shook her head. I dont know if I can. She studied the horses wounds again, then glanced up at John McCray. Mattie recognized the look of regret, the kind that left people empty. She also acknowledged the uncomfortable tightening in her stomach. If she tried to save the horse and he died, could her business or her heart handle another fatality?

THE TEAM MANAGER FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS OPENED THE door to the trainers room, and the musty stench of sweat crept in and mingled with the odor of medicine and bandages. Gil, your dads calling on your cell. I figured youd want to take it. His booming voice broke through the racket of the locker room next door as he tossed the phone to Gil.

Gilbert McCray slid off the table and apologized to the attendant taping his ankle. He checked the caller ID and couldnt imagine why his dad would be calling just hours before a playoff game unless it was an emergency.

He flipped the phone open. Hey, Dad, whats up?

A raspy cough sounded on the other end. I have some bad news for you, Son.

Gil stepped into the hallway for better reception. Is everything okay?

Its Dusty, his dad said. He was in an accident early this morning. I hated to call you, but theyre not sure if hes going to make it. I thought you should know.