Since he’d been in Mason, he’d been trying to deal with Betty, the woman who supposedly ran everything. She said she’d worked in the vet office for thirty years, first for Dr. Carl, then for Kelly. It seemed that no one bothered putting “Doctor” in front of Kelly’s name.

He told himself that if the woman had been there that long, she must know what she’s doing. He hadn’t protested when she’d dumped the whole filing system out on all three exam tables. For two days, every table had been covered with cards and drawers and markers.

When a woman brought in a Pekingese that the owner said was feeling bad, Coop had no exam table. Betty said, “Use the desk. I’m busy.”

Coop bit his tongue. He really needed this job. For years he’d had his own clinic with Leo, his best friend. They’d met the first day of college and rarely parted. They were best men at each other’s weddings. The two families traveled together.

It had all ended in one explosive nightmare of an evening. Coop’s wife, Rilla, took the stance that it was all his fault. “What was I supposed to do?” she’d demanded. She’d been wearing a blue silk robe that he had bought for her. Behind her, under the sheets, Leo was wearing nothing.

The next day, Coop left the state. Lawyers handled dividing the business and the divorce, while Coop took a job in Wyoming. But that hadn’t worked out. His bad temper was too much for the small town. One night he got in a fight with three men. While it had felt good at the time, the resulting stay in the hospital wasn’t good. The sheriff suggested that Coop take his temper somewhere else. “It was fists this time. Next time, it might be guns.”

When he was released from the hospital, Coop went back to his apartment and called one of his former professors. After the man’s obligatory “I’m sorry about...” Coop asked him if he knew of any jobs available immediately.

“Actually, I do. There’s a job in tiny Mason, Kansas, in a clinic owned by a woman vet. She used to have a partner but he passed away. If you behave yourself, it might lead to a permanent job.”

“I’ll take it,” Coop said. “Will you recommend me?”

His former teacher hesitated. “Yes, based on when you were in school. I think I’ll keep my mouth shut about what’s happened since then. Did you really—?”

Coop didn’t let him finish. “Yes. Whatever you heard, I’m sure I did it. Let me know about the job.”