“Come on in,” Maria said in a welcoming voice. “I’ll find the mechanic’s number. Sorry for sounding angry, but I definitely was not expecting anybody to come by.”
In a few minutes she was dialing the mechanic. When Hank answered she explained the situation and handed the phone to me. I explained to him what happened. He explained that he was in the middle of some other work and because of that would not be able to retrieve the car until the next morning. I repeated this out loud for Maria to hear. I thanked Hank and handed the phone back to Maria. She listened to Hank for a bit and then thanked him before hanging up.
“Well I guess I sleep in my car tonight. Thanks so much for your help. Sorry for catching you ‘unprepared’ earlier,” I said turning back toward the door.
“Wait do you want something for supper?” Maria asked. “I don’t get many visitors, especially good looking ones.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been in barns and around animals all day. I wouldn’t be a pleasant smelling dinner companion,” I explained.
“You could take a shower here while I make supper,” she quickly offered.
“Ok. If you don’t mind,” I said shyly. “I’ll go get my bag.”
I moved to the door and opened it. Max rushed out. Maria assured me Max wouldn’t go far. I walked to my car with Max at my side. Max was jumping around like a puppy with a new friend. I grabbed my suitcase and my medical bag. Max and I walked back to the house. Once inside I went to the bathroom and took a shower. The only soap available was a very flowery, perfumed soap. I came out of the bathroom in a fresh set of clothes smelling like a flower garden. I put my bags by the front door. Whatever Maria was cooking smelled wonderful.
“It’s almost ready. Can you put out plates and silverware?” Maria asked.
I went into the kitchen and found the stack of things Maria was referring to. I put everything in place on the small table near the kitchen door. Soon Maria came out and put a casserole dish on the table, then went back to the kitchen to retrieve a pitcher of water. I pulled out her chair and helped her get positioned at the table before sitting down myself. Along with the chicken, rice, asparagus, and cheese casserole she had put out a bowl of mixed fresh fruit.
“The strawberries and raspberries are from my garden. I bought the pineapple and blueberries from store yesterday. I hope you like the casserole it has a little curry to spice it up,” Maria explained.
“I love things spiced with curry and fruit is always welcome,” I responded.
The meal tasted as good as it smelled. While we ate she told me that she was a writer. She did freelance work for a number of publishers and had written a couple of books that had been published and was working on a murder mystery now. She had built the house here on her grandfather’s land because she liked the quiet and solitude to do her writing. I enjoyed a good-sized second helping. After we finished eating I washed the dishes with Maria.
After we finished the dishes she asked, “Do you have your medical equipment with you?”
“Yes,” I answered somewhat puzzled.
“Could you give Max a quick checkup?” she asked.
“Sure!” I answered. “Do you think there is something wrong with Max?”
“No, but out here there are so many things he can get into,” she replied.
I got my medical bag and we sat down with Max between us. Before I started there was a knock at the door. Maria got up and opened the door.
“Grandpa!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“I noticed the car parked down the road when I was out in the field. I just wanted to see if things were ok,” said her grandfather.
I stood and approached the door.
“It is my car sir. It just stopped running,” I explained.
“Hello young man,” he said looking me over. “Didn’t I meet you earlier this week?”
I looked at him more closely.
“Yes sir. Dr. Miller and I came to check on your horse, Arrow,” I stated.
“Yes, you are the vet student,” he said.
“What’s wrong with Arrow?” Maria asked.
“A strain in his rear left leg,” I answered. “Did the wrapping help?” I asked.
“Seems to be. Arrow is not favoring the leg like he was,” he answered. “What is being done about your car?”
“I called Hank. He is coming in the morning to determine what is wrong. I made Andy supper,” she said nodding her head my way. “I will be taking him into town to get a room for the night.”
“I see,” her grandfather said with some hesitation is his voice. “Call the house if you need me. I need to get back to the chores.”
Maria kissed him on the cheek and said, “Thanks for checking on me. Everything is fine.”
He left. Maria waved and shut the door.
“My 3 acres was once part of his farm field. He gave me 3 acres when I graduated high school. Then helped build my house when I graduated college. My grandparents raised me after my parents died, so he is also like a father to me,” she explained. “He is very protective.”
“I understand,” I said. “Should we get back to Max?”
She agreed and again sat down with Max between us. I put on my stethoscope and listened to Max’s heartbeat. His heart rate was very normal. I listened to Max’s lungs and intestines. Everything again sounded normal. I then felt his abdomen, again normal. I checked his mouth nothing abnormal. I then took out a thermometer and checked his temperature. A little over 101, in the normal range. I ran my fingers through his coat. I found a small bump about halfway down Max’s back. Spreading the fir exposed a tick. I retrieved a tweezer with fine tips and removed the tick, killed it, then swabbed the area with some alcohol. I found a second tick that had not embedded itself and killed it. I finished my inspection.
“Max is very healthy,” I told Maria.
“Thanks for doing that,” said Maria. “I don’t have much money right now. I’m waiting for a couple of payments to arrive.”
“Are his vaccinations up to date?” I asked.
“Yes, his annual exam is due next month,” she answered somewhat nervously.
She reached over a took the chest piece in her hand, then she took my hand and put the chest piece in my hand.
“Can you give me a checkup?” she asked nervously.
She guided my hand under her sweatshirt and up to her chest. The palm of my hand rested on her breast over the nipple with the chest piece between her breasts. Maria sighed a soft moan. Rex looked at her to make sure she was okay. Then he looked at me as if to warn me not to hurt her. I had suspected she had not put on a bra, but the loose fitting sweatshirt had hidden that fact. Her breast was huge. I knew they were large when I saw them when I surprised her in the back yard, but things had happened so quickly that I did not fully realize how large they were.
“How does my heart sound?” she asked.
I hadn’t been paying attention to her heart, rather I was caught up with the size, softness, and warmth of her breast and the hardness of her nipple. I then counted the heartbeats.
“Your heart is beating more rapidly than normal. You must be getting excited,” I stated.
“I hope to get more excited,” Maria said.
I dropped the stethoscope and it hung from my ears. I leaned forward, she leaned forward and we kissed. We continued kissing for several minutes. I moved my other hand up under her sweatshirt and found her other breast. I began to massage her breasts causing her to moan as we continued to kiss. I squeezed her breasts and lightly caressed her nipples. They were hard and pushed back against my fingers. Maria moaned and pressed her chest into my hands. Max again looked at Maria to make sure she wasn’t being harmed. I continued to kiss her and massage her breasts. I started moving my hand lower down her stomach. She quickly stopped me, stood up, and encouraged me to get to my feet.