Summer Romance on Main Street available for preorder now!

I’m excited to announce the upcoming release of volume 1 of Summer Romance on Main Street, with my novella Once Upon A Vet School #6: Fifty Miles at a Breath as one of six stories of summertime love! It’ll be released on 15 June! USD 99c is terrific value for more than 150,000 words, so grab it now. Click on my novella title or for buy links and my blurb, or read on for an excerpt.

Here’s a summer romance excerpt!

WARNING: HORSEY!

We were about to pack up and head for the third vet check when Jared, one of the other P & R team members, tapped me on the shoulder.

“Lena,” he said, as I looked up, “number 79 is due to come back to be checked and hasn’t shown. Should I send someone to look for them?”

“Yes, thanks.” I turned back to the horse I’d just clamped a stethoscope on. “60/18”, I reported. Kim noted it down as I thanked the rider while checking the skin turgor and refill, then wished her well with a wave.

“I found number 79,” Jared said, beside my ear. “I think you need to check him. He doesn’t look so good and his rider says his pulse isn’t coming down.”

“Okay, Jared. Can you take over here please?” I waved goodbye to him and Kim, throwing back over my shoulder, “there aren’t any vets at this check anymore, are there?”

Jared shook his head with a grimace. “Doc Latimer had to go on, but he said to find you if there were any horses needing to be checked.”

“I’ll go see the horse. Call if you need me.” I pulled out my radio. “Vet Three to Vet One, come in Vet One.”

“Vet One,” Dr. Latimer’s voice crackled over the speaker. “What’ve you got?”

I told him.

“Okay, let me know. I’m ten minutes away, out.”

“Out.”

The bay Morgan gelding drooped, his head hanging low, and he didn’t even glance up as I approached. His eyes were dull and incurious, as if he didn’t care what was happening around him.

I introduced myself to the middle-aged female rider. “How has he been going?”

“He was fine until an hour ago, then he seemed tired all of a sudden.”

“Are you his rider?”

“Yes.” Shortly.

“Has he done this before? In your training rides?”

“Ummm… haven’t had much time to trail him lately,” she said, her eyes everywhere but my face.

I gulped and tried to unclench my jaws. Unfit and still racing, on a 104-degree day? I forced myself to stay calm.

“Is he drinking? Eating?” I looked around the area to see an untouched hay net and no water bucket in sight.

She stared at me. “What is this, 20 Questions?

‘’I’m trying to ascertain the condition of your horse,” I placed the stethoscope on the horse’s chest and shut my eyes, “and anything you can tell me would help.”

“You’re a vet?”

“Vet student.”

“Get away from my horse,” she squeaked.

I blinked and stepped back. “Dr. Latimer asked me to evaluate your horse and let him know what I find. He’s at the next vet check, ten minutes away.”

She eyed me sideways. “Okay, check him. He didn’t want any water at the last stop, so my crew didn’t get him any this time.”

I tried not to shriek as I moved back to the horse’s girth. His heart rate was way too high, 72 beats per minute. Fast and thready.

“He can’t be dehydrated,” she snapped. “He stopped sweating miles back.”

My heart stopped in its tracks. It didn’t get much worse. I tented the skin over the horse’s shoulder and the skin took several seconds to slide back. I swallowed hard. Moving my stethoscope to his flank, I listened in vain for gut sounds, but the regular, progressive gurgling sounds of borborygmus were absent and his capillary refill time was three seconds. I’d seen better CRTs in a nearly-dead horse. This one was in trouble. I slid the thermometer into his backside and waited, while I stroked his dull coat with my other hand. When I pulled it out, I blinked. 39 degrees. Off scale.

“He’s not looking so good,” I said to the woman. “I’m going to radio Dr. Latimer. Can you see if he’ll drink some electrolyte water, please? How much electrolyte water has he had today?

No answer.

“Yesterday?” I was close to pleading, now. “Salt block?”

“I don’t use any of those things. Look, what’s the matter with the lazy sod?”

“I’ll let the vet speak with you about this, if you don’t mind,” I said, trying not to growl at her. Ignorance was no excuse in this game, and I didn’t trust myself to not deck her for abusing and neglecting this horse.

“Vet Three to Vet One, come in,” I barked as I walked away. I had to get far, far away from the rider.

“Vet One here. How’s the horse?”

“Any worse, and he’d be dead,” I muttered as soon as I was out of hearing range of the rider. “Heart rate 72, depressed, dehydrated, no gut sounds, not eating or drinking at last check, so didn’t offer it at this one. I’ve sent a girl for water, but his eyes are glazed and he’s past caring. His temp’s 39 degrees.” We need you back here, Doc. You have fluids?”

“Yes. On my way,” he said. A truck door slammed and an engine revved as he signed off.

“Dr. Latimer’s on his way,” I said to the woman and spun to borrow a bucket and sponge. This horse needed a cool-down.

So did I.

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I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! Read more in OAVS #6: Fifty Miles at a Glance, coming soon in Summer Romance on Main Street!  Preorder now here!
It’ll initially be released as part of the Authors of Main Street’s summer boxed set!

xx
Lizzi Tremayne