“After what we’ve been through, I’d eat it right out of the fridge,” she said with a grin. She started back toward the other end of the barn with Cody right behind her. Just like last time, as soon as she opened the door, Tex hopped into the truck and flopped down in the middle of the seat. Stevie slid in beside him, and somewhere out of the clear, blue sky a country song by Cross Canadian Ragweed came to her mind. The song had come out right after Stevie got her bachelor’s degree—hardly seemed possible that was thirteen years ago.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Cody pushed Tex over a little bit to make room for himself.

“A song just popped into my head,” she said. “Ever listen to Cross Canadian Ragweed?”

“Yep, loved them. Hated to see them break up,” Cody answered. “Which song?”

“‘Seventeen,’” Stevie said. “It talks about always being seventeen in your hometown. No matter what you do with your life, or how long you’ve been away, folks still think of you like you were that same kid who left at seventeen. Coming back to Honey Grove, do you ever feel like people look at you like you’re that kid again?”

Cody started the engine and turned to face her. “I’m running those lyrics through my head. The song came out about the time I was doing my clinicals. I’ll always be one of the Ryan boys in Honey Grove. You’ll always be that little red-haired O’Dell kid who lived a block down from the school. We can’t change that or what people think of us. Does it bother you that folks still look at you like you’re that age?”

“Sometimes,” she admitted.

“Then chalk it up to being their problem.” Cody shifted into gear and drove toward the house. “You’ve done a lot with your life, Stevie, and you’re giving back to the community by coming home and putting in a vet business.”

“Thanks,” Stevie muttered.

“Anything else before we trade the peace and quiet for chaos?” Cody parked the truck close to the back porch.

“Not a thing.” Stevie slung open the passenger door and stepped out of the truck with Tex right behind her. “And after the past few days, I’m ready for chaos.”

Cody stepped out of the truck, crossed the short distance to the porch, and stood to one side of the door. “Ladies first,” he said.

“Who are we kidding?” Stevie said with a smile. “We both know the second I open that door, Tex will beat me inside the house, so in reality it’s dogs first.”

“Such is life,” Cody nodded.