“Certainly not.” I stood and pulled a few bills out of my wallet, tossing them onto the table.
“That’s too much,” Hadley argued. “I can pay for my lunch.”
I bent down and kissed her cheek. “Let me spoil my baby sister now and again.”
“Oh, all right.” Her fingers dug into my biceps, holding me in place. “Love you, Beck.”
My throat burned. “Love you, too.”
I walked out into the reception area as I slid my messenger bag over my shoulder. “Any calls from Cora Maxwell?”
Dolores arched a brow in my direction. “Do I look stupid to you?”
“Uh, that sounds like a trick question.”
Dolores shook her head, but her lips twitched. “You told me you wanted that call personally if she rang. I haven’t come to get you, so she hasn’t called.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
Dolores pushed her chair back and stood. “It’s good you care so much about your patients, but I wouldn’t bet money that she comes back unless it’s an emergency.”
“Do you know why they’re so against medical care?”
She slid a file into one of our large cabinets. “Variety of reasons, from what I can see. Cost. Beliefs. Even the ability to get to town. Some of them live way off the beaten path.”
The county needed something like a traveling nurse or some sort of healthcare provider that could meet these people on their turf. I needed to talk to Hayes to see if any of those options were available.
“I see that head of yours turning. It’s good to care, but don’t get your heart set on changing minds. That kind of wariness is generations-deep.”
“I know it.” Getting someone to trust you when they’d been taught their whole lives not to was a marathon, not a sprint. But it was also one of the things I’d loved most about my old job. “All right. I’m off. You okay to lock up?”
“Nobody’s gonna mess with me. I take self-defense and carry a Taser.”
I choked on a laugh, picturing Dolores in a self-defense class.
“You laugh like that again, and I’ll show you my knee-to-the-nuts move in demonstration.”
I held up both hands and backed away. “Not laughing. Appreciating that you know how to handle yourself and heading home.”
“Smart man.”
I headed outside. The slightest bit of light still streaked the sky. After securing my belongings in the saddlebag, I pulled on my helmet. The purr of the engine as I started the bike up was a balm. The steady noise soothed something in me. Helped me silence the cycling thoughts and taunting memories.
I decided to take the long way home. Instead of heading straight through town, I drove towards the mountains. They looked almost purple in the twilight, their snowcapped peaks looking as if they were touching the couple of stars that had appeared.
Ever since lunch, when Hadley had asked point-blank why I was back, the memories had gotten worse—flashing in front of my eyes at the worst times. Jael’s pleading eyes as tears streaked down her face. Her son’s cries as I held him back.
My bike started to skid as I took a turn way too fast. Shit. I needed to get a grip. Riding was a great way to process the day and clear the mind, but I couldn’t lose focus.
I quickly gained control of my bike, easing back on the throttle. I took it slow as I wound around town and came at Hayes’ house from the opposite direction. By the time I got there, I was cursing, leaving my jacket in my saddlebags. I maneuvered the bike around my truck and into the garage. Grabbing my stuff out of the saddlebags, I hit the garage door opener and headed for the house.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The alarm began beeping, and I called out as I plugged in the code. “It’s just me.”
No answer.
“Addie?”
“I’m in here.”