“Old DocPalmer is a couple of miles down from here. He’s been seein’ to my pups for ten years now. He’s one of thebest.”
“Thank you. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find someone,” Audrasaid.
“No problem. ’Course he ain’t one of them fancy doctors like they got in the city. But he’s really good at taking care of injuries and births and normal stuff.” The guy continued with a smile, keeping his hands tucked into his pockets the whole time. He looked almost nervous to be talking toher.
But then Trigger growled again, and she realized he had a good reason to lookwary.
“Shoot, ma’am, looks like he’s afighter.”
“He is,” she said. “But you said there was a Vetnearby?”
“All you have to do is hang a right out of the parking lot. Go down about a mile, take another right, then you’ll hang left on Boone Road.” The guy gestured random directions with his hand, drawing an invisible map in the air. “Once you’re on Boone Road, you’ll go up the hill. Once you reach the bottom of that first hill you need to hook a right where the road Y’s. Go on down that ways, take your third left, and then your first right. The doc’s clinic is right there. Blue house, white shutters. Can’t missit.”
Audra thought her eyes might cross. She’d missed everything he’d said after the second turn, but she just politely nodded and prayed her GPS would figure itout.
As if the guy was reading her mind, he smiled. “Some of those roads ain’t on a map. Not many folks come out this way, youknow?”
Audra agreed, doing her best to look confident. “I think I gotit.”
The guy tipped back his hat and pulled a piece of gum out of his pocket, popped it in his mouth and shoved the wrapper back into his jeans. “You sure? You got that same look on your face like my sister does when I give herdirections.”
“I do?” she squeakedout.
His nod held all the wisdom of the world. “You look as sure about where you’re headed as a jack rabbit in a foxden.”
She’d never seen a rabbit in a fox den, but she didn’t need to be a genius to figure out he was telling her he knew she’d get lost. “Is it thatobvious?”
“Pretty much,” he drawled. “Tell you what, my truck’s right over there. Doc’s place ain’t too far from where I’m headed. You just follow me and I’ll leadaway.”
“Oh, I can’t.Really—”
The man held up his hand. “I know you women have to be extra careful with strangers, but you can keep your doors locked and just follow me. You start feeling funny, you just keep on driving. Mr. Reese’s Café is about half a mile past the vet clinic, and there’s always locals in there having a cup of coffee this time of day. You can go there and one of them can point you back in the right direction, if that makes you feel morecomfortable.”
Audra crossed her arms over her chest, indecision making her shift from foot to foot. He really was nice, and he was clearly giving her an out—if she felt weird she could just keep going. Not like he could do anything if she was in her car with the doors locked. “That would be nice, thankyou.”
“Name’s Rex.” The man held out his hand. “I’m in that blue pickup truck over yonder. I’ll go slow so you don’t getlost.”
As soon as Audra took his hand and shook it, Triggergrowled.
“I’m Audra. Thanksagain.”
Rex walked away and she immediately felt better. If he was a predator he would’ve tried to crowd her into a corner or something instead of shaking her hand in broad daylight. Maybe she should think about moving out to the country when all this was over with. She’d always lived in the city and was so careful and aware everywhere she went. People were just nicer in thecountry.
Audra went around the car and slid inside the driver seat, pulling out her phone to double check the vet’s name, just in case. Palmer’s Animal Hospital was the first search result on Google. She clicked the link and a picture of a house with blue siding and white shutters surrounded by beautiful green trees and shrubs poppedup.
Trigger whined, making his displeasure known from thebackseat.
Audra dropped her phone into her purse and started her car. “Now that was rude, growling at Rex like that. He’s just trying tohelp.”
The blue truck backed out of its spot and pulled to the edge of the parking lot. Rex had an arm hanging out the window, and sat there, waiting for her to get behind him. Audra pulled her car right behind his bumper and glanced back at Trigger, who was staring ather.
“Look, you need a hospital, and I need to take care of you. The vet clinic checked out on Google. I swear, you’re too much like mybrother.”
When she turned back, Rex was pulling out of the parking lot. She followed, keeping a careful eye on all of hersurroundings.
He turned right, just like he said he would. Yes, it was a risk trusting a stranger for help. But honest to gosh, if anything happened to Trigger, she didn’t think she could live with herself. Who knew how long it would take for infection to set up and poison his blood. Melissa had said he needed antibiotics and painkillers and anti-inflammatories. She couldn’t just sit in a rundown motel overnight and allow Trigger to lay there inpain.
Audra continued to follow Rex’s truck, turning down another road, the trees growing thicker and the lanes narrowing. She hit a pothole, jarring her teeth together, and barely straightened up when she hit another one. “No wonder this place wasn’t on the map,” she muttered toherself.
They turned down another road, this one without any pavement. A long cow pasture stretched out on the right side and trees on the left, not one single house in sight. Her internal radar let out a little beep of alarm. If Rex was a psycho, she was following him to where there’d be no witnesses to hiscrime.
Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea. After all, how many times could you follow a stranger somewhere like this without something badhappening?
