Small Town Doctor (8 page)

“What about
your
truck?” Jordan asked as Gioven handed the keys over.

“If you’re okay with it, I could drive and follow you.” When everyone turned to her, looking surprised. “Don’t look so shocked, I still have my license.”

“Okay. We’ll follow behind you and leave your truck at Winterbloom, as long as you don’t drive drunk.”

Gioven agreed as he climbed into the passenger seat and rested his head against the back of the seat. “Thank you, though I think the beautiful woman should be driving me home instead.”

“I’ve got my daughter in James’s truck. Now don’t give Jordan any problems.” She shut the door and stepped back only to find the other two men watching her. “What?”

“He was a belligerent drunk and then you showed up.”

“Jordan’s right, we couldn’t have done this without you.” James wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. “Thank you.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder when her gaze caught a woman exiting the bar. Daniel was trying to stop her but was having no luck. They were headed right for her and the men, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was wrong, she could just feel it.

“How dare you come back here!”

“Doris.” Daniel tried to take hold of the woman’s arm and stop her, but she managed to slip out of his reach.

James slipped his arm from Ella’s waist and stepped in front of her. Not completely blocking her from view, but making it clear he’d protect her if things got out of hand. Jordan mimicked him, while Ella stood there wondering who the woman was.

“How dare you, the two of you? Especially you, Jordan, I expected more from you. She helped
kill
my brother. He was ex-military just like you, and now you’re going to protect
her
.”

Just like that, the pieces fell into place, and her stomach twisted until it was one big ball of knots. Doris Bagwell, the sister of the man Josh murdered.

“Now, Doris, I was there that night and we both know that’s not what happened.” Daniel’s voice, brimming with a heavy country twang, cut in. “She was as much of a victim as your brother.”

“
Victim?
” Doris swung her body around to face the bartender, her fists balled as if she was ready to fight anyone who disagreed with her. “She
brought
him here.”

She had to give Daniel credit that he didn’t back down to the woman’s rage.

“That might be the case, but that doesn’t mean she’s responsible any more than you’re responsible for your brother’s actions. Those two men had a disagreement they decided to settle with their fists. The few who were here that night tried to break it up and two of them nearly died.”

Ella took a deep breath. “Doris…” When the woman turned to her, hatred in her eyes, she paused, trying to find the courage to continue. “You’re right…I brought him to Clearwater. But I didn’t know he’d do anything like that. I’d have never brought him here if I thought he was capable of murder.”

Daniel gestured to Ella. “She was unconscious on the bar floor when the fight started,” he reasoned. “You remember that, don’t you? Damn it, Doris, you were the one who applied ice to her head.”

“The man who attacked your brother was not the man I thought I knew,” Ella said, her voice soft. “I’m sorry for what happened and—”

“Don’t you think she feels guilty enough?” Jordan said boldly. “She’s been in hiding since that happened, letting the guilt eat at her. The first time she comes back into town, you rush at her like you’ve got something to settle with her.”

“What do you know about it, Jordan? You were still off servicing your country when this happened. You weren’t here, either, Doctor…and you seem very willing to protect her. Do you have something to gain from it?” Doris countered.

“You’re right,” Jordan began, “I wasn’t here, but I’ve heard enough about what happened—”

James cut him off. “I’ve gotten to know her, and like Jordan I know what happened. I’m not willing to let you make a stupid mistake because you’ve had a few drinks. I suggest you go back inside.” He nodded toward the bar.

“He’s right, Doris, come on.” Daniel laid his hand on her arm.

“Doris, I met your brother a few times when I was in town, he was a good man,” Ella said. “I’m very sorry for your loss. It’s a tragedy what happened that night, one I’ll never forget.” She didn’t say what she was thinking, that it was a tragedy she’d finally come to realize wasn’t her fault. She couldn’t have controlled Josh’s actions any more than she could control the weather.

She might never be able to forget what happened, but she’d begun to put it behind her. It was time to move on with her life, and maybe love again. James had shown her there was so much she was missing. For her and her daughter’s sakes, she was reclaiming her life with both hands—and this time, she wouldn’t back down.

James wasn’t sure when he had made the decision, but somehow after dropping off Gioven’s truck at Winterbloom, he’d decided to swing past his house before going back to Ella’s cabin. They needed to give Abbi dinner so she could have her pill, and he didn’t want their time together to end. While Abbi dozed on his sofa, he had Ella to himself.

He came up behind her as she stood by the window and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m proud of how you handled things with Gioven and then Doris.”

“She lost her brother because of a decision I made.”

“No.” He kept his arm around her but turned her slightly so she was in front of him. “Her brother is dead because of a decision he and Josh made. They chose to take the fight outside and then Josh,
not
you, chose to commit murder instead of stepping away from the fight when it was clear he had won. None of that is your fault.”

“Somewhere in my thoughts I know you’re right, but there’s that nagging guilt reminding me I brought him to Clearwater. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been here and this would have never happened, but then again…
she’d
have never happened. She’s the light of my life.” She looked past him to Abbi.

“She’s worth it all, isn’t she?” He smirked. “You’ve got an amazing little girl, and as I told you before you have nothing to worry about. She’s got to be the calmest child I’ve met, no temper hiding under the surface.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “We spoke while you were getting ready, and I can see it in how she acts. You have nothing to worry about.”

“What a relief.” She let out a sigh. “I guess that means I don’t have an excuse for hiding in the mountains any longer.”

“I never said you had to leave your home, just come into town sometimes. Let Abbi play with the other children.” He ran his hand up her back. “Though it would seem as if you already agreed to come back to town since you offered to visit Gioven while he’s staying in Clearwater.”

“He’s running from what he saw while he was deployed. I can’t help him with that, but maybe I can use my experiences to help him get away from the booze. I thought about turning to the bottle myself to help ease the nightmares of what happened. What saved me was I found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t drown my sorrows in booze and hurt an innocent child. He doesn’t have that but he needs help, more help than I can give him.”

“Jordan mentioned he’s been trying to get him to see a therapist to help him through the PTSD, but Gioven refuses. He seems to like you, maybe you can convince him.”

“I’ll try. He seems like a nice guy who just lost his way.”

“Unfortunately, many of our military men and woman who come back from deployments suffer with some degree of PTSD. Many of them go untreated, either because of shame, embarrassment, or they just don’t understand the options available for them.”

“I’ll see what I can do for him.”

He decided this was as good as time as any to broach the subject that had been on his mind since the parking lot excitement. “Earlier you deflected his advances by telling him there was someone else. Were you being truthful, or using it as a way to sidestep his advances without hurting him?”

“I just met you…but I feel this connection to you. Maybe it’s because I’ve been alone for so long, or maybe it’s because last night I got to know you better than I’ve know anyone my whole life. Either way I’m willing to explore it. I just ask that you have patience with me.”

“I will as long as you don’t shut me out.”
He kissed the top of her forehead. “Since I think we’ll be seeing quite a bit of each other, you should explain to Abbi she can call me James. I don’t want to hear Doctor Macis all the time while I’m off duty.”

He couldn’t believe how the last two days had turned out. He’d gone from a medical call he wasn’t sure about, to finding a woman he was beginning to fall for—not to mention a little girl he was very fond of. It wouldn’t be long before Abbi had him wrapped around her little finger; the adorable little blonde was hard to say no to.

I’m a goner for sure.

* * *

Night had settled over the sleepy town as they made the final climb toward the mountain home. Ella sat there feeling quite happy with herself. She had made it through a full day in town, faced her fears of On the Rocks, helped a man, confronted Doris, and made progress with James. It had been a day of challenges, but in the end everything worked out better than she could have hoped. She could pat herself on the back for how many challenges she had overcome in such a short time. Now she didn’t want it to end. She didn’t want to see him drive away from them. Would he come back? Or had their brief encounter been a fluke?

“Ella, there’s a silver SUV in the driveway. Do you know them or do you want me to turn around?”

“Shit.” She leaned forward in the seat to get a better look at the SUV, and her fears came true. So much for the perfect day, now she had to face two of her biggest opponents.
Her parents.
During the past few years, every time she spoke to her parents it turned into a fight. One she didn’t want to have in front of James or with Abbi in hearing range.

“I can turn around.”

“It’s no use, they’ll only follow. You’re about to meet Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael. My parents.” She let out a low growl. “If I find out who called them I’m going to have their head on my wall.”

“What?”

“Last time they made an impromptu visit it was because town gossip started swirling again and someone from Clearwater called my parents. They showed up at my door at two in the morning.” She turned to look back at Abbi. “I damn near shot them that night.”

“What?” He asked again as they neared her parents’ waiting SUV.

“You’re beginning to sound like a stuck CD,” she joked. “Come on, do you think I would really be out here all alone with my daughter if I didn’t have protection? There are animals in these woods, not to mention anyone could show up and there’s no way to get help. I don’t have a phone and the cell I have for emergencies only works about a mile up the mountain.”

He stopped the truck behind the SUV just as two people started to climb out. “No, I figured you had a gun, I guess I’m just shocked you almost shot your parents. I’ll have to give you some kind of warning when I come to visit.”

With the truck in park, she tipped her head back to her daughter. “Could you take Abbi into the house and put her to bed? Whatever brought my parents here isn’t something she needs to overhear.”

“Sure.” He palmed the keys before placing his other hand over the door handle. “By the way, no one listens to CDs any longer, it’s all digital music now. You’re going to have to update you smartass comments if you’re going to face the real world.”

With that he managed to lighten the mood and ease the building tension. “James…” She paused for a moment, waiting for him to turn back to her. “I know we discussed you staying to keep an eye on Abbi again, but I understand if you’d like to leave. My parents are a handful, and she’s doing okay.”

“Does that mean you’d like me to leave?”

She glanced toward her parents where they stood waiting by the rear of the SUV. “No, I’d rather you stay but—”

“Then consider me your bodyguard.” He reached over and laid his hand on hers. “It’s going to be okay.”

“You don’t know my parents. Whatever brought them here means only one thing, they came willing to fight for what they think is right.” She laced her fingers between his and soaked up the comfort of having someone at her side. “Delay will only make Mom angry, so let’s do this.”

“Once I get Abbi into bed I’ll come back out.” He opened the door, stepped out, and made his way around the truck while she took one last moment for herself. She needed to prepare to deal with her parents.

She wasn’t sure, but it seemed as if they had become more difficult to deal with now that she lived life on her own terms. They wanted to control her, force her to live the life they thought she should have. Up until that night with Josh, she had been willing to please them, but after she witnessed the murder everything changed, and her parents didn’t like it one bit.

“This is my life and I have the right to live it however I want.” With a dose of encouragement, she grabbed hold of the door handle. “I can do this.”

“After facing your fears today, I know you can handle this, and I’ll be right there with you once I get the little one to bed,” he whispered as he lifted Abbi into his arms.

The minute she stepped out of the truck, her mother was on her. “Ella Louise Carmichael, where the hell have you been? You’ve had your father and I sitting out here for the last two hours.”

“Mom, if I had known you were coming I’d have made sure I was here.” She stepped toward her parents, taking their full attention so James could get Abbi inside before she awoke. They’d question who he was, and there was no way she could skip that part, but Abbi didn’t need to need to be awake for this.

“How was I supposed to let you know we were coming when you live like this? Damn it, Ella, you need to get over this crazy of idea of living like your father’s parents and come home with us. This is no way to raise a child.”

“Mom, we’ve had this discussion before. I’m staying. As for raising a child, Dad was raised like this and he turned out fine.” She was tired of going over the same thing every time they saw each other.

“He’s a man, hard work is one thing for them,” she countered, “but it’s different for Abbi. Times have changed.”

Her father, Dale, came to stand beside her mother and laid a hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off.

“Dad also has a sister—”

Her mother cut her off. “You don’t have to remind me of his family. Unlike you, I see his sister and the rest of our family regularly. You’re the only one who chooses to live like a scared cat.”

“Mom, please.” She let out a deep breath and tried to hold onto the calm that was quickly slipping away. “It’s been a long day and I don’t want to fight. What are you doing here?”

“We received a call that Abbi was sick and the Sheriff had to make a special call out here because of it. I won’t have my grandchild hauled off to some state home for children because you can’t care for her, so your father and I decided to give you a choice.”

Ella let out a soft growl, anger heating her blood. “How about I give
you
a choice? Either you let me live my life as I want or leave me alone.”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Her mother looked back at her husband, who shook his head in obvious discomfort before she pushed forward. “We’ve come here asking for you to sign custody of Abbi over to us.”

“You what?” Ella couldn’t believe what she heard.

“If you don’t sign the paperwork we’ll be forced to take you to court to get it. I won’t see my granddaughter raised like this any longer. She’s sick and you won’t take her to the doctor. That’s the final straw.”

“You’ll do no such thing.” She’d fight with everything in her to keep her daughter.

James came to stand behind her, his hand on the small of her back. “It would seem you’ve been brought here by someone who doesn’t have all the information.”

“Who would you be?” Bea raised an eyebrow at him in question.

“Doctor James Macis, I’m a pediatrician here in Clearwater and I’ve been treating Abbi.” James rubbed his thumb under her shirt until he was touching skin.

“Seems like there’s more going on than just doctor-patient relationships.”

“That’s our business,” she snapped before giving her reply proper thought. “James, these are my parents, Bea and Dale.”

“We’ve given Ella numerous chances to return to Cheyenne with us but she’s determined to stay in this run-down cabin.” Bea raised her voice. “No longer will I let Abbi be victim to it. I’ve come to take her to a proper home.” She stepped toward the cabin but James cut her off.