“Are you settling in at Primrose?Anything else you need there?”
“Nothing yet.But I’ll let you know if there is.And I’ll be ready for Monday when I take over for your sister.”
“I’ll walk out with you.”Ally couldn’t help notice that there were more than a few tables scattered through the café with patrons whose glances in her direction were more than a little interested.She never liked being the center of attention, but she guessed she would have to get used to it.Matt held the door for her, and she was glad to step outside.
“It’s like being in a fishbowl.But people will move on to something else.”Matt had noticed, too.Ally was glad about that.It verified it wasn’t just her imagination.
“Your sister told me a little about your particular situation.”
That stopped the man, and he turned to look at her with a question in his eyes.He voiced it.“My sister Tori has been discussing me.What situation would that be?”
“I believe she said you’re having more than your fair share of attention from the single ladies of this town?”
“You are definitely a person who speaks what’s on her mind.Guess that’s what city girls do?”
“Don’t know about all city girls, so I can’t speak to that.But my voice works just fine.”
Matt couldn’t help but smile.“That’s good to know.Now, I just have to get my sisters to stay out of my business and stop sharing it with others.”
“Judging by the looks we’re getting standing out here talking together—” she ventured a brief look around the sidewalk and traffic easing along between stop lights “—people are watching but trying to be inconspicuous about it.Which only makes it more obvious.It’s a look that was probably refined in the subways of New York and found its way even to Texas.”She said all of that while keeping a broad smile on her face.She gave a tilt of the head as she looked up at him.
“She also said that I could help out and give you a buffer for a while.And I didn’t give credence to that until today.You paid my bills, and I do owe you for what you are doing right now to help me out.Consider it quid pro quo or simply paying back by helping.”
“You think smiling like that at me on a town sidewalk will help the cause?”
She nodded.“It can’t hurt.But I warn you I’m not all that experienced in the art of flirting.So, I might just get it all wrong.”
Matt shook his head.“I can’t quite believe that about you not being experienced.You’re making a good start at it.But it’s not necessary to go along with any silly idea that my sister cooked up just as a means of payback.”
“Save your breath, Sheriff.I pay my debts, and this is a big one.I can go along with it while I’m here.Then you’ll have to think of another way to sidestep your admirers.”
“You’re probably wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into coming to this little town in Texas.You’ll be in a hurry to see the last of us.”
Ally looked around at the sidewalks with people passing each other and smiling in greeting…even at her—a total stranger earlier that day.The vehicles with drivers raising a friendly hand in passing one another…no blaring horns, no people too busy to notice each other.Would she be glad to see the last of them?A strange feeling passed through her at the thought.Annie had told her about Destiny’s River and the people and the way you could feel the pull of belonging and home.She had dismissed much of it as an older woman’s exaggerated memory recall.But now she was beginning to re-examine some of those notions.
Matt walked her to her vehicle and soon she was on her way back to Primrose Inn.What had possessed her to speak up in such a way?To state she was willing to go along with Tori’s idea.All she knew was that she was possibly grasping at straws after realizing it would be difficult to pay back the debt to Matt Parker even if he said he didn’t want it.She had learned hard work and to pay for what she had…never to be in debt to someone or something else if she could help it.
It was times like these that she sorely wished Annie was still around to share her wisdom with her.She wasn’t ready to have lost her.The woman had been her anchor, her best friend, and the only family she had…even though they weren’t blood.But Annie had said that the luckiest families were those who could choose their members.Ally agreed.
Chapter Eleven
“Right on time.”Doc Adams smiled at Ally as she stepped into the exam room the next afternoon.“And if I didn’t know better, Teddy knows what time it is, too.He has been sitting by the door of the play area watching each person who walks by.I would say he is more than ready to get out and about.”
“I’m more than ready for him to come back to me, also.I have his bed ready, bowls, the food you prescribed, and the front desk already gave me his meds and the daily instructions.”
“Good job.”The door opened and Teddy couldn’t be contained in the tech’s arms he was squirming so much once he spotted Ally.
The tech handed him over and Ally gave him a fierce hug and laughed as he rained dog kisses along her cheek.The vet held the door and walked her and Teddy out to the waiting room.
All the way to their temporary digs, Ally talked, filling in the dog sitting in the passenger seat, secured in his pet harness, who seemed to be attentive to every word.He also was intent on checking out the passing scenery.“You have a yard, fenced, with grass and plenty of room to explore.No more dog parks and big dogs giving you a hard time.It will be quite a vacation for you, too.”
She pulled the car into the drive and parked.“Here we are,” she announced.“It’s like a mansion, isn’t it?Just don’t go getting too used to such things.We won’t be able to afford anything quite so nice when we leave here.But let’s get you in and settled—almost time for your meds.”
It was clear that Teddy agreed with their surroundings.After a brief tour, he settled down on the comfy cushioned bed she had just bought.It was close to a window so that he could get some afternoon sun to induce sleep.Ally changed into jeans and a bright blue pullover sweater, comfy sneakers and then decided to make up a batch of peanut butter cookies.They would be good for after-school snacks when her part-time job began the next day.Jillie liked them according to page three of Tori’s instructions.That made Ally smile even more.The first batch went into the oven and she was checking for ingredients for some homemade stew when the doorbell sounded.
To her surprise, Jillie stood there, and her dad was right behind her.“Sorry we dropped by without calling first.But I picked up Jillie from choir and she kept on and on about checking on Teddy and all.I made a deal with her that we would stop for five minutes if she would eat all her vegetables at dinner.”
“I see.”Ally grinned at the girl who made a grimace at her dad’s words.“The bribery angle.I’ve been there myself a few times at your age.Come on in.Teddy is in the living room.”
