Fire and Ice Read Online Free Page B

told me.”
    “True, but we’ve got some inpatients you’ll need to treat, and there are always a few emergency calls.”
    “Right. I’ll be here.” Rick nodded at Lucy and escaped. The drive home to Wasilla would take a good forty-five minutes. He disliked the commute, which would probably get harder as winter went on. Why had he ever agreed to do two days a week in Anchorage? He’d left full-time practice with Far North a year ago, but the other two doctors insisted they still needed him to man the clinic some of the time. Rick had agreed to continue working one day a week in Anchorage and opened his small veterinary practice in Wasilla. He’d reasoned that he might not have enough business to support him up there and should keep the ties to the larger practice strong in case his new venture didn’t work out.
    Talk about underestimation. Despite the fact that several other veterinarians worked in the area, he’d soon found that he couldn’t handle all the business waiting for him in the Mat-Su Valley if he’d cloned himself. But Bob had pleaded with him a month ago to add a second day to his weekly commitment at the Anchorage clinic. Rick had reluctantly agreed. Now Bob wanted him to cover on extra days.
    Rick slid behind the wheel of his pickup, thankful he’d had the courage to refuse. The way things were going, they’d soon try to draw him back into the Anchorage practice full time. Bob and Hap had already hinted that they’d started looking for a new partner to replace Bob when he retired. It would be a secure position for Rick, and a better income. He could move back to Anchorage and not have to drive so far. In the city, most of the patients came to him. In the valley, he made as many house calls as office visits. And he wouldn’t be risking his life savings on a new venture.
    But every time he drove to the city, Rick found himself a little more certain he didn’t want to do that. He loved his log home on the outskirts of Wasilla. The building he rented in town for his practice wasn’t ideal, but it was adequate. He hoped one day to build a spacious new facility, where he could provide complete services, within a few miles of Iditarod Headquarters. Maybe he’d be the one bringing in a partner. It was a big dream, but at thirty-three, Rick knew what he wanted. His own practice. His own home. Someday, his own family.
    He used the first part of the drive to pray for his patients and his work situation then popped in a CD. By the time he reached his driveway, the tension was gone. A slight pang of regret nudged him as he unlocked the door to the empty house. It would be nice to have someone waiting for him. But with his long days on the road, he didn’t feel he could have even a dog at home. He wouldn’t like to neglect one, and he couldn’t see taking one with him to the clinic. Too complicated.
    The house was cold. He ran the heat low while he was away from home. A fire in the woodstove tonight might be enough to keep him warm. He’d heard temperatures would fall later in the week, though, to zero or below. He’d have to rely more on the furnace.
    After he’d gotten the place warmed up and fixed dinner in the microwave, he remembered he’d promised to call Robyn.
    She sounded a little breathless when she answered.
    “Hi,” Rick said. “Everything okay over there?”
    “Yes, thanks. Coco seemed a little better tonight. I rubbed her shoulder for a few minutes when I fed her.”
    “Good. How’s Mr. Holland?”
    “Well … they’re keeping him tonight and maybe tomorrow. But Mom says the doctor will probably recommend rehabilitation after that. Instead of sending him home, they may put him in a skilled care home for a little while.”
    “That may be what’s best for him right now,” Rick said. “I know it’s hard to face, but if he needs therapy, let the professionals help him. Chances are he’ll feel better and be able to do more when he finally comes home than he did before the