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1
Liv
I tried to act like my life wasn’t falling apart as I walked into the Cottonwood Falls doctor’s office. I’d been going there to see Doctor Deb since I was a baby, and she’d treated me for everything from measles to HPV.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know how long it would be until I saw her again because losing my job also meant my health insurance would run out this month. Lucky me.
Nurse Brenda smiled at me from her desk in the waiting area—it was really the living room of a four-bedroom house that was converted into a practice years ago, with antique drapery and hardwood floors that had seen more feet over the years than the boot shop in the next town over.
“How’s it going, Liv?” she asked with a sympathetic look.
Perks of living in Smalltown, USA? Everyone knows your business before you do.
“I’m glad to be out of there,” I admitted. “I loved working at the feed yard, but it was time to go.” More like I couldn’t handle the new, pigheaded manager a second longer. He acted more like an animal than the cattle we were caring for, and I couldn’t deal with it anymore. “The only thing that sucks is losing company housing. I’m staying with my parents while I look for something new.”
“I bet your parents love having you around.” Brenda smiled, reaching into her desk for a clipboard and paperwork. “Any idea what you’re doing next?”
“Not a clue.” I took the board from her, glancing at the form. “I figured I should get my yearly exam in before I don’t have insurance anymore.”
“Smart.” Brenda winked, making her flawless skin crease. She had to be in her fifties at this point, but I swore we looked the same age. “Go ahead and fill that out, and then I’ll bring you back to the room.”
I headed to the empty waiting area, sitting in a cushy chair and filling out the form, including my endometriosis and PCOS diagnosis like I did every time, then brought the board back. Brenda took it, walking with me to one of three exam rooms. I could hear murmurs coming from the other office. Deb was busy with another patient.
After taking my vitals, Brenda told me to undress and get comfortable on the table for my pap. “Shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Thanks.” I smiled and waited until the door was shut to undress. With all my clothes off, I put the sheet over myself and lay back on the table, scrolling through a job board on my phone. But the longer I looked, the sadder I felt.
Every open position that matched my skills and paid enough to support myself was more than an hour away from Cottonwood Falls. I closed my eyes and put my arm over my face, fighting back tears.
Most people hated the small town they grew up in and couldn’t wait to get away, but for all its flaws and quirks, I loved living here. My brother and sister-in-law lived right in town. My other brother lived ten minutes outside of the city limits. And my oldest brother, who just got married to a single mom, giving me three new nieces and nephews, was just a couple hours away in Dallas. Not to mention I had dinner every Wednesday with my parents.
I knew who did my hair every other month. Where I could go for a good burger and fries. Who to call if I needed a plumber or an electrician. And my two best friends lived here. I didn’t want to leave.
Ireallydidn’t want to leave.
But it was starting to look like I didn’t have another choice.
A knock sounded on the door, and I hurriedly wiped my eyes so Doctor Deb wouldn’t see me crying and ask me too many questions.
But instead of Deb, the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on walked into the room wearing a white doctor’s coat. I almost fell off the table.
This certainly wasn’t Doctor Deb.
It was Doctor Fletcher Madigan.
The boy I grew up crushing on.
The one who only ever acted like I was his friend’s dorky kid sister.
The one who got married to some beautiful model type from Dallas and moved away.
The one... about to give me a pelvic exam.
2
Fletcher
Liv scrambled up on the table, moving to a sitting position with the sheet wrapped carefully around her. Even under the shapeless fabric, I could easily tell how much she had changed since I last saw her. Instead of a tomboy clad in jeans and cowboy boots, she was clearly a woman in every sense of the word.