This story is completely fictional. Any resemblance of the characters to a person in real life is purely coincidental.
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Mike is a 36 year old man who lost his wife 10 years ago in a car accident. He was never able to have kids before she passed and they had been married only a couple of years.
They were high school sweethearts and never dated anyone else. They both loved horses but she had to work away from the farm to make enough money for the expenses. She wanted to stay at home and raise a family but Mike didn't think they could afford it yet.
She died on her way to work after a fight about quitting her job. Mike has felt responsible ever since and believes God is punishing him for his decision.
Mike purchased a horse shortly before his wife died. It was his wife's choice and her favorite one in the herd, now Midnight was lame and Mike needed professional help to help nurse her back to health.
He called Gwen a new vet in the area that specialized in equine care. Not only was she recommended as the best, she was also very easy on the eyes.
Even with this tragedy with Midnight being down, Mike longed for the comfort from a female but couldn't get the courage up to ask Gwen on a date.
He called her and explained the situation to her and she made him feel better just by talking to him. It had been too long since Mike talked to someone as caring as she was.
She arrived within two hours and quickly went to work at saving Midnight. She examined the cuts on the quarter horse's ankles and had a discouraged look in her face. Mike recognized this look and was overwhelmed by the feelings of when he was told by the sheriff that his wife was dead.
Gwen looked up at Mike and told him the news without any words. The sorrow in her eyes made Mike realize that there was nothing he could do.
Gwen grabbed Mike's and hand and said, "I'm sorry." Mike gently squeezed her hand and dropped to his knees in shock.
His face turned pale and he began to shake as he tried to hold back the tears. He was about to lose his only connection to his wife and there was nothing he could do. If only he hadn't put Midnight in the new pasture without showing her where the fence was, If only he had made sure there were no obstacles that could tangle her feet, if only he had more time to care for those he loved, if only he hadn't made his wife go to work.
He leaned over and looked Midnight in the eyes and could tell that the fight was gone. Forehead to forehead, Mike knew he would have to put Midnight down. As he began to cry, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He had all but forgotten Gwen behind him. Gwen the beautiful vet who had comforted him on the phone, Gwen the only woman to touch him since his wife died, Gwen the only one who knew what he was going through.
Gwen had put many animals down during her career as a vet and she had gotten used to the business end of death. She knew what her limits were and when it was the right thing to do. No other case had affected her in her job as much as this case was affecting her now.
She could see the pain Mike was going through and it touched her to see him sharing such emotions with his horse. His tears were real tears and his pain was real pain. Gwen didn't know Mike but she had asked around and knew about his wife's death. Now she was genuinely concerned more for him than she was for the Quarter horse.
She knelt down behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder and she heard him crying softly to himself. She also heard him tell Midnight that he was sorry. A tear started to form in Gwen's eyes and her throat began to knot up. Why was she feeling this way? She didn't even know Midnight.
When Mike felt Gwen's hand he turned to look at her and saw her watery eyes. He knew he had to be strong or they would both be crying shortly. He asked if she could put Midnight down without any pain. Gwen nodded yes and grabbed a syringe.
She gently inserted the syringe into the juggler vein and slowly pushed its contents in. She moved back and let Mike say goodbye to Midnight with a big hug. Midnight looked into Mike's eyes and peacefully went away. Gwen recognized the sign as she had seen it hundreds of times before. She took her stethoscope and held it to Midnights heart. She then checked for a pulse near the injection sight.
Midnight was gone. Gwen moved to the head, and gently closed Midnight's eyes for the last time.
Mike got up to walk away from Midnight when he was sure that she was gone. He would have other horses but none that had the connection to him that Midnight had.
When he got to the barn where Gwen had her truck, he broke down into tears. He was no longer crying softly to himself. He was letting everything go that had been pent up inside him since his wife's death. Now it was all coming back up.
Gwen gathered all of her supplies from around Midnight and walked back to the truck. She saw Mike was crying uncontrollably now and went over to try to comfort him. He grabbed her and hugged her harder than he had ever hugged anyone before. And he cried.
And he cried.
And he cried
Gwen felt Mike's strength as he hugged her so tightly. She felt safe even if this guy was crying. She also started to feel something else stirring inside her.
Gwen felt Mike's strength as he hugged her so tightly. She felt safe even if this guy was crying. She also started to feel something else stirring inside her.
The entire time Gwen was going through school, she stayed focused. She knew she had spent a lot of time and money to become a vet and she wasn't going to let a boy distract her now.
Then when she moved to a new area, she didn't have any opportunities to meet anyone new. She wanted her business to be successful and sometimes that meant going out at 3 am to deliver a calf by cesarean or flip a twisted stomach. The hours were terrible, the money wasn't great, and she smelled like shit when she would go home, but there was something about saving these animals that Gwen really liked.
She looked at every case as a challenge and she read even more then when she was taking classes. Now is when it mattered and Gwen would not let herself screw up for lack of effort.
Now she had Mike holding her tight because he needed someone, anyone to be there for him. Lucky for her, she was there and not the previous vet.
Gwen began to notice how strong Mike was as the rubbed her hands along his back. Even though he was 6 inches taller than she was, he had ducked down to hug her. Gwen could feel his entire body against hers even though she was wearing her think coveralls.
Since it was a warm summer day, she began to sweat from the heat and from Mike holding her so closely. Mike composed himself and said, "I'm really sorry, Doc. I don't know what got in to me. Midnight was my favorite horse and it was just so hard. I'm so embarrassed that you had to see me this way."
Gwen gave him a hug and whispered in his ear, "I know Midnight was a good horse. You don't need to apologize for anything."
Gwen stepped back and started to unzip her coveralls as they were much too hot for the temperature.
Even though Gwen has a dirty job, she still likes to dress like a girl. Underneath her coveralls, she had her favorite pair of tight jeans and a red tank top because she knew it was going to be a hot one today.
Mike's eyes lit up as he watched Gwen stop out of her coveralls. He never realized how beautiful she was until now. Her long blonde hair had been tied up but now was loose, full, with some waves. Her gentle face, blue eyes, and gorgeous lips accentuated her face. The rest of her body was just exciting. Mike couldn't help but notice her large breasts and guessed them to be at least 36C.