Paws for Love

Chapter 1 - Enough is Enough

Four years later - Casper Wyoming

"SHIT! SON OF A BITCH, ASSHOLE, MOTHER FUCKER!" Beth yelled as the bull she was examining blasted shit all over her, splashing her on the chest, neck and up into her face. Derrick McAllister, laughed his ass off as she wiped feces off her face and clothes the best she could.

"Looks like he got you good, honey!" He hooted again. Derrick had paged her, once again in the middle of the night claiming that their prize bull was impacted. He insisted that she come right away. Sighing, Beth got out of her warm bed, dressed and climbed into her ancient truck and drove the 15 miles to the ranch in the December sleet.

Wiping off most of the shit covering her, Beth said, "Yeah, he seems fine now. It looks like he somehow got hold of some clover or alfalfa in his feed. You might want to check on that." She knew that this was just another one of Derrick's bullshit power play games and she was getting sick of it.

"We don't have clover or alfalfa here Beth, so I don't know how he would have gotten it. Maybe you're just wrong on this one. You should probably stay and watch him. You know I'd keep ya company," his gazed lustily at her.

Beth told him firmly, "No. He'll be fine, just make sure he gets plenty of water over the next few hours. Don't let him graze until you know for sure if the pastures are clean." With that, she walked to her truck, leaving Derrick scowling after her. Beth didn't care if she pissed him off, she hated this job. Maybe Dr. Franklin was right, maybe she wasn't cut out for this type of work. He loved to remind her this was her job, but if it was too hard, she should quit and move to the city where she wouldn't break a nail.

Her previous boss, Dr. Carlisle had been a quiet man with a gentle demeanor and Beth respected him enormously. He only questioned her diagnoses when there were other possibilities she missed. He taught her so much while she worked for him, and he never made her feel like she was in over her head. Unfortunately, Dr. Carlisle sold his practice after his wife suffered a heart attack and her doctor said the harsh Wyoming winters were too much for her.

Dr. Mitchell Franklin was everything that Dr. Carlisle was not, he was harsh, impatient, cold and hated that a woman was working for him. He questioned her every diagnosis, as well as being verbally abusive towards his own staff. His first day he pulled her into his office and told her that he wouldn't be coddling her like the senile old man. She would be the vet on call because he "already put his time in with the grunt work." He let her know that he wouldn't be taking it easy on her just because she was a woman, that she would have to pull her own "considerable " weight. With a sneering laugh, he said, "I'll expect your resignation on my desk within a month."

Now two years later, Franklin had become the Livestock Commissioner and Beth still hadn't earned his respect. Luckily for her, he did hire two more (male) veterinarians and four vet techs so she wasn't on call every night. With his new position, Dr. Franklin rarely went out on ranch visits; he passed that on to her and the others. Lately though, he was investigating the unexplained deaths in McAllister's herd. Beth offered to assist in the investigation to see if there was a possible medical reason for the cattle to die, but he brushed her off telling her it was wolves in the area and to leave it alone. Beth shrugged and went on with her daily work. She hated her job and the McAllisters. They acted as if Beth was their personal vet and when she didn't drop everything and go over for whatever trivial reason, Derrick complained to Dr. Franklin.

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Beth's cell phone rang when she was leaving the Dennison ranch. She was dirty, tired and sore from calving a few of their heifers. Beth looked at the readout and sighed, "Hello Dr. Franklin, what can I do for you?"