“We head out in fifteen,” Wyatt added. “Bring what you need. Once we’re out there, we’re not turning back unless we have to.”
“I’ll clear it with Caleb and be ready.”
Hadley slowed as she pulled up in front of her clinic.
She frowned when she saw the plywood covering the front window of her building.
The sight of it didn’t project warmth or welcome—or anything like the image she’d worked so hard to build.
She cut the engine and sat there a moment, hands resting on the steering wheel as she took in the building and the town.
Blue Ridge Hollow was supposed to be her fresh start, a place where things were steady and safe.
Instead, this town seemed to be trying to unravel her.
No, not the town, she corrected. Someone in the town. But who? It still didn’t make any sense.
Could it be Travis? But why would he have a vendetta against her?
Hadley pushed the thoughts aside, realizing they would get her nowhere. Then she grabbed her bag and stepped out into the cold.
She slipped inside the clinic.
Warmth greeted her, along with the familiar scent of cotton-infused air fresheners. Normally, that alone would have settled her nerves. Today, it didn’t quite reach.
“Morning,” Susie called from the front desk.
“Morning.” Hadley set her bag down and turned toward Susie. “I need to make a few calls today. Insurance and such. And I need to find someone who can replace that glass.”
And I need to check my finances to make sure I can afford the window replacement until insurance steps in.Hadley didn’t say that part aloud.
“The wood over the window doesn’t exactly scream ‘come on in,’ does it?” Susie muttered with a frown as she glanced at the front of the clinic.
“No, it doesn’t. Hopefully we can get it fixed quickly.”
She turned back toward the desk and studied Susie more closely. Something seemed off about her today. Her smile didn’t come as easily, and she kept looking around as if nervous.
“You okay?” Hadley asked.
Susie hesitated then frowned. “Actually . . . no.”
Hadley’s stomach tightened. “What’s wrong?”
“I wanted to be sure before I said anything to you. But our appointment book is missing.”
Hadley blinked, unsure if she’d heard correctly. “Missing?”
“I’ve looked everywhere.” Susie gestured toward the desk then the shelves behind her. “It’s not here. I didn’t take it home. I always leave it right here in this drawer under my desk.”
Hadley stepped closer, her mind already turning. “That’s . . . strange.”
They kept things simple and old school. Every appointment was written down by hand. It worked for them and kept things easy.
And now the book was gone.
“I didn’t even think to check for that last night after the window was smashed,” Hadley said. “I thought if anything was stolen, it wouldn’t be an appointment book.”
“I know. Why would someone take an appointment book?” The skin wrinkled on Susie’s forehead. “It’s not like it’s worth anything.”
