“I do.”
Ethan blew out a loud, frustrated breath. “Well, hell, trust a woman to make it all emotional.”
“So, when do we leave?”
“It’ll be messy, Annabelle, there’s no hiding that fact, and in all honesty I’m not sure
I want you knowing how screwed up my family life really is, because until now no one knew, not even Jake.”
“Tex, your story reads like a fairy tale compared to mine, so suck it up, buddy. We’re going to…” Annabelle read the address on the card. “Kiri, Texas.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Forewarned is forearmed.”
“Well, aren’t you just full of it today.” He wiped his hands on a dirty rag.
“You do know that rag is filthy, don’t you? If you have any small cuts on your hands, you’re sending germs through them from that dirty thing.”
“Thank you, Nurse Smith,” he said, finding a smile for her that made Annabelle’s pulse speed up. “Any chance that when we do reach the bedroom, you can wear one of those skimpy uniforms with suspenders?” His moment of vulnerability was over, it seemed.
“Ha. I have one of those in my closet, actually. I wore it one year to a Halloween party.”
“Hell, Annabelle, as if I wasn’t horny enough.”
She was still laughing minutes later when she reached the van.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The clinic was busy the following week, with a rush of bugs and colds. Annabelle had just walked out to reception to see if anyone else was waiting when Ethan walked in. Jake was with him, and his arm was wrapped in something.
“Been in a cat fight, Tex?” Annabelle refused to acknowledge the sudden sinking feeling that seeing his injury caused in her stomach. She saw sick people every day, and he was no different.
“I haven’t seen her in what…a week? And she can’t even greet me like a normal human, Jake.”
“It’s how we do things around here, Tex. Insults mean we care. Now sit your sorry ass down and I’ll go see Mom and tell her what you’ve been up to.”
“Where’s your bag?” Annabelle questioned Jake. He’d only recently started practicing medicine again. It was a casual thing, but that he was doing it was a big deal, after the trauma he’d suffered as a doctor in the army.
“We were tramping through the Pass, and this idiot tripped on a root, put out his hand and a piece of tree imbedded itself in his forearm. I was just carrying the basics, so I patched him up, but the injury needs a bit more attention.”
“No, please.” Ethan had his head resting on the wall behind him, eyes closed. “No more gentle, sympathetic words. I can’t stand it.”
“I’ll take him through to a treatment room and start cleaning it. Then you can inject him with the biggest needle we’ve got,” Annabelle said, moving to stand before Ethan. He had his long legs open, arm resting on his body. “Not going to faint on me, are you, big boy?” she added, looking down at him.
“Maybe. Then you’d have to resuscitate me.” She saw the pain in the blue depths as he opened them.
“That’s only if you stop breathing, and even then I’m not so sure I’d be keen on it. Are you in a lot of pain, Ethan?”
“A bit.”
“On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst?”
“Seven point five.”
“Okay, then, let’s get you something to ease it.”
He rose slowly and winced as he jarred his injury. Annabelle took his arm and led him through to one of the treatment rooms, where she helped him onto the bed, then propped him up on some pillows.
