Shoulda Been A Rancher (Book 3, These Nevada Boys series)

By Jeanne Harrell

Veterinarian Beau Walker just couldn't seem to do anything right with the girl of his dreams, Sienna Mueller, another small town veterinarian. Set in rural Nevada, he was quite simply a klutz who longed to change his ways. Beau finally gets his chance when he and Sienna work together at the Camel Races in Virginia City. But with the interference of current and past lovers and the fact that he's always spilling something on her, Beau has an uphill struggle to win Sienna's heart. The big Walker family lends him support as does the Johnson clan (Rancher series) but the odds are stacked against him. So what do you do when nothing goes right? He's going to have to figure it out--this may be his very last chance at happiness with the girl he loves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeanne Harrell
• Release date: Oct 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311372611

Jeanne Harrell

Jeanne Harrell is an author who lives and writes romantic stories occurring in the Wild West. Her sweet and relatively innocent Western books include the Rancher series, The Westerners Series and Avila Beach Winery Series. Cowboys, Indians, stagecoaches and John Ford movies captured her interest long ago and held it. She lives in Nevada and captures many beautiful Western scenes with photos, found on her website. What she loves best is to tangle two strong characters, emboil them in conflict and let them hash it out. P.S. Jeanne also writes mysteries as SJ Slagle and children's books as Sinda Cheri Floyd.

Book preview

What was so good about working in the great outdoors? Beau Walker had been asking himself that for the better part of the morning. Being on call sucked too. He’d gotten out of bed at midnight and again at three to drive clear to one end of Carson Valley for one emergency, then forty miles in the other direction for the second case. Or seemingly clear across the state of Nevada. Take your pick.

And don’t forget the pouring rain.

Nevada may only get a few inches each year, but by damn those inches fell steadily and hard against his battered Ford truck as he drove through the dark. Belatedly, he noticed one headlight was out, which cut his already limited visibility in half. Bouncing down in the middle of nowhere on what was left of this rancher’s godforsaken road had Beau wondering about his shocks as well. Damn if every loose rock wasn’t hitting the truck somewhere and he could feel the vibrations right up his spine.

When did he last get this vehicle serviced?

BAM! The fool truck pulled sharply to the left and it was all he could do to safely stop.

A flat tire? Really?

Reaching into a pocket, Beau pulled out his cell and tried to call the rancher with the sick cow. No cell service. Of course not. Just add that little detail to the growing list of annoyances that were threatening to push his already bad mood into a truly foul one.

He pulled the hood of his slicker over his head and wearily got out to do what needed to be done. Lifting out the spare tire and jack, Beau sank one knee in the mud and began to jack up the truck. As he changed the tire, his thoughts began to wander. Away from the beating rain. Away from nowhere in the middle of the night.

Maybe he should have been a rancher like his older brothers encouraged. His dad had offered, way back before he set off for college, to make him a job for life on the big Walker Ranch. There was plenty for all his boys to do, Wayne had said and had meant it. But Beau’s passion for animals had taken him in another direction and one that he had never regretted, until right this minute.

Slipping in the mud and with the steady rain not letting up, Beau stood finally and stretched out his aching back. Finished with the job, he got back in his truck and shook water out of an ear. Maybe if he’d been a rancher, he’d have had more of a chance with Sienna. Yeah… Sure. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t seem to do anything right with that woman and now she was so steamed that she wouldn’t talk to him. At all. She was dating Jim Turley, a rancher down by Gardnerville and when he’d seen her last at a community dance, she seemed pretty happy with Big Jim.

With the rain beating a drumbeat on the roof of his truck, mud sloshing in his boots and water from his hair dripping down his neck, Beau’s foul mood hit full force. A headache joined to keep it company when he remembered one of his last encounters with her. A few months earlier at the Reno Rodeo, he’d accidentally backed into her car in the parking lot. To say Sienna wasn’t amused was to put it mildly.

I…I’m so sorry about your car. Could I…

Icy blue eyes stared at him so hard he forgot what he was going to say. He swallowed hard instead.

Just forget it, Beau.

Sienna…Please—

No. Seriously. Forget. It. All. Her sexy lips outlined in red hotly punctuated each word.

She’d turned abruptly on her boot heels and stormed away from him madder than a riled porcupine. But she still looked so beautiful. Waves of irritation followed the shapely figure hurrying away. Dark, luscious hair ruffled slightly in the breeze pushed back by a graceful hand, delicate fingers. Even now, sitting in his lonesome truck wet, depressed and feeling as low as could be, a tiny spark of hope still lingered deep within. Remembering her hurried strides, she had turned back briefly before she was out of sight and met his chagrined stare. Was that regret he read in her eyes or was he just seeing what he wanted to see?

Yeah, he shoulda been a rancher.

* * *

CHAPTER 2

Do you have the test results back yet for Buster?

A pint-sized Cocker Spaniel puppy with floppy, buff-colored ears and deeply sad eyes sat forlornly on the long, metal table in the middle of the antiseptic-smelling room. Sienna Mueller moved him gently this way and that in her examination. The beautiful, sweet-natured dog let her do some preliminary poking and prodding while his teary owner hovered nervously nearby.

Is he still having extreme separation anxiety, Marie? asked Sienna as she shone a penlight in one of Buster’s long ears.

No, Marie shook her head. I’m babysitting my mom’s Labrador while she’s in Europe and they’ve hit it off. She ventured a small smile. When Mom comes back, I may get a housemate for Buster.

That might be a good idea. Cocker Spaniels don’t like to be left alone for too long.

Sienna’s assistant, Riley, handed her a sheaf of papers. Glancing through them with one hand on the puppy, Sienna nodded her head.

Thought so.

What is it, doctor?

He’s got an ear infection. That’s why he’s always scratching at that ear.

But he’s just a puppy, complained Marie. How could he have an infection so soon?

Reaching for a bottle of medication, Sienna angled her head toward the dog. These long spaniel ears tend to trap warm, moist air inside the ear canals. Bacteria love it there and grow happily. Petting the puppy’s head, she smiled up at Marie. But luckily we’ve caught it quickly and can get rid of it. However, it’s important to check his ears often – repeated infections can possibly cause hearing problems.

She talked as she cleaned Buster’s ears. I’ll send you home with a good supply of this ear cleaning solution. If the skin inside his ear gets red or if there’s a cheesy smell, chances are good that the infection has returned. Bring him back and I’ll mix up a stronger solution.

Buster brightened considerably when Sienna patted him on the head and handed him back to his owner. Marie cuddled the small, brown puppy, tucking him inside her jacket and cooing to him.

Keep him out of the rain, Marie, she called as dog and master left happily together.

After the puppy was gone, Sienna cleaned off her examination table, getting ready for her next small patient. And the one after that. It was a full day, just the way she liked it.

With a half-hour break before her next patient, Sienna headed for the restroom and then on back to the break room for a quick sandwich. When she checked her messages, a smile crossed her face when she saw Hallie’s name. After running a quick comb through tangled hair, Sienna took out her cell phone, punched in a number and took a huge bite of her sandwich. Bits of turkey almost spilled out of her mouth when the call was picked up unexpectedly after the first ring.

About time you called, came the irritated greeting.

Nice to talk to you too, BFF, she swallowed. Why so grouchy? Aren’t you home at the ranch today?

Well, yes, she coughed, but I’m still feeling barfy and I’m sick of being sick.

…So you thought of me, kidded Sienna. I’m flattered, I guess. She took another bite. Where’s Reece?

Can you swallow that bite and then talk to me? complained Hallie. I can barely understand you and oh no. Now you’ve done it…

Done what?

I have to call you back. The mere mention of food and I’m … gag… sick again.

The line went dead. Sienna leaned her head back for a full-throated laugh. She was tickled that her best friend had married her long-time love, Reece Walker, just three months ago and here she was three months pregnant. Must have been one helluva honeymoon.

Sienna wiped her fingers on a napkin and glanced down at the stained, white lab coat. She took another big bite and let her thoughts wander. Thinking of Reece made her think of his brother, Beau. It was a straight linear shot that had her sitting up self-consciously and smoothing back curly strands of still tangled hair as she remembered the last time she’d seen him. She had just gotten her car back after being repaired from the accident at the Reno Rodeo, before driving to the wedding chapel. Hallie and Reece’s wedding had been so beautiful and she was so happy for them. At the reception, Beau had offered to get her a glass of champagne before the toasting began but tripped over a rug and spilled the drink all over her silky, expensive maid of honor gown. Blinking into his horrified face, she could read the chaotic thoughts flying through his brain. Beau Walker wasn’t a complicated man.

But he sure was a klutzy one.

Sienna had met him two years ago when she’d established her small animal clinic in downtown Minden. She had wanted to be close to her college pal, Hallie Simpson, a photographer up in Reno, and had fallen in love with the quaint town south of Carson City. Beau had a large animal practice maybe three blocks down and since they were the only two veterinarians in town, they obviously knew of one another. Hallie, with one eye on Reece Walker, had introduced her to his brother Beau at a Walker family party one night.

He established himself as a first-rate klutz, at least around her, that very night by clinking her glass too hard in jest and cutting her hand with a pesky shard when the glass shattered. Beau had gallantly taken her to the hospital where he supervised the two stitches she received. As a veterinary doctor, he studied the handiwork of the doctor on call as Sienna studied him.

There was just something about him. It was hard to put her finger on just what. Especially now that she had a big gauzy bandage attached to that unfortunate digit.

Beau had fine tapered brows. Long, dark lashes lowered in thought over eyes the color of rich cocoa. His smooth face blushed with embarrassment, even the tips of his attractive ears. But those full lips sought her out like a tractor beam—what would happen if they latched on to her lips for any length of time? Beau was tall and handsome with chestnut hair that looked tousled just out of the shower. And the way he looked at her left Sienna with a pretty good idea of how he felt about her. But his intentions… he was always so flustered around her that his intentions were impossible to read.

So after that hospital visit and two years later, Sienna was still waiting for Beau to make a move. Any move. Any kind of indication period that he was interested in her. But after the car accident and the champagne on her beautiful satin dress, Sienna had called it quits on Beau Walker. He was never going to ask her out and she was too pissed off to ask him. So—she started dating Jim Turley, a nice rancher whose family owned a huge ranch just south of Gardnerville. He was close, he was available and he didn’t trip over himself when they occasionally met up for a movie, dinner and a few laughs.

Beau Walker was too much work.

Glancing around the break room, Sienna realized she needed to get back to work. In five minutes, a sick kitty was coming in for treatment and she had to shift into professional mode. Wiping both Beau and Jim from her thoughts, Sienna washed her hands and strode back into her examination room just as Riley called for the next patient. Time to concentrate on the job at hand.

* * *

CHAPTER 3

Wayne Walker looked out the window from the conference room. The cloudy sky was beginning to clear with the sun peeking through. Hills would be green, roads would be clean, and the air would smell so fresh. A short, pudgy man walked up to him and glanced out too.

What do you think, Wayne? Will he do it?

I don’t know. His practice keeps him damn busy and he rarely takes a weekend off.

Let’s send Doc Livingston over to ask him. He and Mike get along, don’t they?

Wayne turned to smile at him. You know, Sam. Maybe the folks of Virginia City were smart when they elected you mayor last year. That’s a fine idea. He draped a big hand on Sam’s shoulder.

"Yeah, that’s