Page 38 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

“Bagel,” Timothy said.“He’s the son of the pup you gave me.”

I took Bagel’s head between my hands.“You’re so beautiful.”Then I sought out Timothy’s gaze.“Thank you for saving that little guy and giving him a legacy.”

“Sure,” he said gruffly.To Sofia he said, “I’m going to set you up on some hay bales outside her stall so you can see the foal.”He stacked them with precision, then spread her blanket across the top like he was making a luxury suite instead of a hay fort.Once satisfied, he lifted her up and set her in the middle.“There you go.Best seat in the house.”

She crossed her legs immediately, sitting like the queen of the barn.The dog took up position beneath her.

I turned back to the foal, running my hands along her legs, checking her breathing.I still worried about pneumonia, but it was too early to call it.

“What’s the plan, Doc?”Timothy asked, glancing between me and Sofia like he had two supervisors now.

“We watch her for a while.Make sure everything stays normal.”

“It’s a filly?”Timothy’s lips twitched into a small smile.“Erika will like that.”

My phone dinged.I checked it, thumbs moving quickly as I texted Josh back, then snorted at the next message.

“What’s so funny?”Timothy asked, leaning in a little too far to read it.

“Text from Hud.”

HudDVM:Out with a colic.How’s my girl doing?You out working tonight?

When I looked up, Timothy’s expression had gone tight in that very specific, very male way.“He texts you in the middle of the nightandhe calls youhis girl?”

I weighed my options and chose chaos.“Sure does.”

“Sofia, you comfortable up there?”he asked quickly.

“I’m comfy,” she said, squinting at him.“You not com-free?”

“I’m fine.”

She put her hands on her hips.“You got on your mad face.”

“I do not have a mad face.”

“You do.”She pointed, in case he missed it.“That one.”

“I am not angry.”

“You mad at Doc Gia?”she asked, scandalized.“She’s a dok-tur.You not ’posed to be mad at dok-turs.They fix stuff.”

“She is nice,” Timothy said, like he was clinging to that as a defense.

“Then why you mad?”Sofia pressed.

He opened his mouth.Closed it.Opened it again.

“If you’re not mad, then what are you?”I asked, trying hard not to smile.

Sofia leaned forward, fully invested now.“Yeah, what are you?”

His gaze bounced between us, trapped.

“I didn’t like that someone called Gia his girl.”

“She is a girl.”Sofia frowned, processing.Then she brightened.“You can call heryourgirl.Will you stop the mad face then?”