Page 18

CHAPTER 18

Tom took a deep breath before he entered the room, so when he walked in, he was calm. He hadn’t realized he held his breath until he saw that she wasn’t hooked up to any machines. He let it out in a rush, then winced when he saw the gigantic bruise on the side of her head.

“Hey,” he whispered, because her eyes were closed, and when she opened them, he winced again when he saw the pain in them. “I am so fucking sorry.”

“For what? You didn’t do anything.”

“I might not have physically done anything, but it’s because of me that you’re sitting in this hospital bed now.”

“How do you figure that?” Lorissa tried to frown, but shivered at the pain.

Tom told her what he had just learned and refused to even blink as he watched her expression. It took almost three whole minutes before she turned to look at him. “I don’t blame you. I blame them. If someone becomes unhinged because someone wouldn’t date them, then they need therapy. People like that shouldn’t be allow free in the world.”

Tom laid his head gently beside her and breathed her in. “Thank you, but I still feel guilty. If I hadn’t kissed you in front of Melissa, she never would have targeted you.”

“I don’t blame you. She was mentally unstable. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

“Okay, so what are your injuries?”

“Moderate concussion, I don’t know if I had stitches above my brow or not. I’m too afraid to reach up and feel for any.”

“I don’t see any.”

“Okay, then no stitches, and my left thigh is killing me.” She flopped the blankets back and with her bare leg, he saw the entire thigh encased in gauze. The nurse walked in then and nodded to them. “Sixty-eight stitches in your thigh. I don’t know what happened, and I won’t even speculate. All I know is that you were classified as an MVA, and other than the bruise on your face, and your moderate concussion, that’s the only other injury you have.”

“No broken bones?”

“No, you do have a puncture wound in that thigh.”

Lorissa nodded, and sighed as she flopped back on the pillows. “How much longer do I have to stay here?”

“Do you have someone to keep an eye on you at home? Someone that will make sure you don’t fall into a deep sleep in the next twenty-four hours?”

“Yes,” both Tom and Lorissa said together.

“Then I’ll tell the doctor when he comes to do the rounds. If you play your cards right, you may be able to go home in the next few hours. I say that because the doctor doesn’t start his rounds until nine.”

“I understand,” Lorissa said, and turned to Sparrow, who had stood off to the side. “May I help you?”

Sparrow came forward, introduced herself, asked what happened, then told her the results of the accident. When she left, Lorissa was wiped out and fell asleep. Tom took that opportunity to go out and tell her family what the nurse said, and that she was asleep. He also said that if they took her home, he would swing by his place, pack a bag, and come to stay with Lorissa in her house. He didn’t know whether he liked it or not when neither of the three protested. It wasn’t until Laurie explained that he understood.

“My daughter is a grown-ass adult, Tom. She knows her own mind, and has since she was sixteen. If she didn’t want you at her house, she would have told you in front of the nurse. With her not saying anything, then she is fine with you staying to keep an eye on her. The way I look at it is that it’s one more person to be there looking out for her. The more we have, the less stressed we will be. I know when I was in the hospital after my ex-husband tried to take me out, it was only Mom and Lorissa to look after me. It wore them out.” She looked at Lois and only raised a brow when she tried to protest.

“She’s right,” Lois admitted quietly. “No mother wants to see their child hurt, no matter how old they are. If you’re willing to help, then the more the merrier. You might be able to stop her better than we can.”

“Stop her from doing what?”

“Working her fire and doing her blacksmith work.”

“Oh, shit, I didn’t think about that.”

“We know,” Laurie laughed. “Just remember one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Lorissa is a strong-willed woman, but she does have her head screwed on straight. Don’t expect her to be tied down with complete bed rest until the stitches come out. She will probably laze around until the headache and concussion is gone, then she will want to be up and about. I think as long as she takes it slow, she should be fine. That’s just the mother in me talking.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Can I count on you to look after her when I go into the office and if I get called out to a ranch? ”

“Yes,” Laurie and Lois agreed. They waited for the next four hours, and Tom wore a gigantic smile when he wheeled her wheelchair down to the front and helped her into the back of Duane’s vehicle. He kissed her and said he was going to stop by his office, then go to his home and pack a bag, but he would be back by six that night.

“Please, tell me there’s some pot roast left.”

“There is, I only had a little bit. I took the insert out of the crockpot and put it in the refrigerator. I’m sure you can put it back in and plug it in.”

“Hear that, Mom?” Lorissa asked as everyone laughed.

A couple hours later Tom walked into his clinic and called his office manager, Miriam, into his office. After he had her shut the door and take a seat, he didn’t waste any time with his directive.

“Did you cancel my involvement with that dating app?”

“Not yet.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought you could try for the three strikes and you’re out rule.”

“Cancel it or you’re fired.” Tom’s tone brooked no argument. He stared at her and shook his head. “Did you listen or see this morning’s news? ”

“About?”

“The accident that happened in town last night?”

“Yes, it was awful.”

“Well, the first reason I want you to cancel that app is that I told you if there was any problem with any women, I was done. You saw the texts from Melissa when she expected me to foot the bill for her hair, makeup, and all that shit. That was strike one. You should have canceled it. The second reason is that after I had a background check done on the second date, she was arrested, during our date, for identity theft. The third reason is because I found a woman on my own, and am dating her.” He shook his head and held up his hand when she started to say something.

“No, you don’t get to know, not yet anyway. The fourth reason was that those two women I rejected from that dating app got together, got drunk off their asses, and rammed my girlfriend’s vehicle last night. They were killed, and they put my girlfriend in the hospital. She’s okay now, but she’ll have a few weeks of recovery. I want that app canceled. NOW.”

His office manager pulled out her phone, went around the desk and showed him what she did. When she received the notification in her e-mail that it was done, he nodded. “Okay, you’re not fired now.” He grinned when the older woman laughed. “I do have one question for you though. I realize now that I should have asked it back when you told me what you did. This will be the last time I discuss this.” He looked at her sternly, drew in a deep breath, held it, then let it out in a rush. “Please, for my own sanity, why did you sign me up for that app to begin with?” He sat back and waited for her to answer him.

“Thank you for not firing me. I now know it was wrong of me, but back when I signed you up, my thought process at the time was that I wanted you to have a chance at love. You work yourself to the bone, then go home to an empty house. I thought that if you haven’t found anyone yet, then the dating app might just give you a chance. I’m sorry the two you connected with were psychos. I promise to stay in my own lane from now on.” She looked at him with a grin, then blurted out. “Who are you dating?”

Tom laughed. “Thank you for that explanation. It all makes sense now. Also, thank you for looking out for me. I am dating a wonderful woman. That’s all you need to know for now.” He studied her for a good two minutes until she looked away. “Now, are there any administrative duties that I need to know about?”

“Yes, we need to hire another vet.”

“Why?”

“Dr. Pam gave her two weeks’ notice.”

“Why?” Tom was so shocked he didn’t know what else to say. He thought the other vet enjoyed working for him. He couldn’t think of why she would want to leave .

“Her fiancé received his orders and he’s being transferred to the East Coast in thirty days. She gave us two weeks, so she can pack up and move with him.”

“Got it, do you have any ideas on someone that we can hire?”

“No.”

“Give me some time. I know of someone, but I don’t know if they would want to be locked into a clinic like this.”

“I don’t know if I understand.”

“You don’t have to, but she has a sweet deal right now.”

“Can I ask how sweet?”

“She works for Erin Riceman.”

“Where? At Erin’s Way? The Broken Wheel? Or that new ranch? I forget what it’s called. Or is she taking over what you do for Riceman Stallions?”

“Yep and no.” He laughed at her frustrated expression. “The new ranch is referred to New Double for now. Erin doesn’t know if she wants to keep that name, but it will all depend on what Naomi wants, since they are all her horses. As for the woman I’m speaking of taking over Riceman Stallions, the answer is no. At least not at this time. I’m still the official vet on call for Erin, but if an emergency crops up, Lorissa is right there. She’s also a certified farrier.”

“Damn, we need one of those associated with this practice. Do you know how many calls we field every day asking for one ever since Shelly Atherton moved away?”

“Talk to me,” Tom demanded, and took notes when he listened to her tell him about the calls. Tom told her he would look into the matter and get back to her. In his mind, once Lorissa was completely healed, he would ask her about her willingness to help, then give her number to his office manager so they could pass it along to the ranchers. He didn’t know whether Lorissa would like his office to schedule appointments or if she would want to control her own calendar. It was something to look into.

At six o’clock that night, Tom pulled into Lorissa’s driveway and parked where he always parked. He noted that Duane was home, or at least his vehicle was. He grabbed the bag he’d stopped at his place to pack, and headed toward the back door. He laughed and squatted down as both Rose and Baby ran through the doggie door at the same time, falling over themselves to get to him. They reached him at the same time and with his bag swung over his shoulder, he gave them some love, and waited for them to go do their business before he opened the door for them to go in before him. With a laugh in his voice, he called out, “Honey, I’m home!”

“In the kitchen!” A voice came, and Tom entered to see Lorissa sitting at the table along with Lois, and Duane. Laurie was bustling around the kitchen taking a tray from the oven.

“Go wash up,” Lorissa said with a grin. “Mom added to the stew and threw some biscuits together. We were just getting ready to eat.”

Tom didn’t say a word until he walked over, took her chin gently in his fingers and lifted her head so he could inspect her face and eyes. He gently kissed her lips, then asked, “How do you feel?”

“Good. It shocks me how good, but then it might be the pain medication I’m on. I’ve been awake since this morning, no naps, and I fear that I will crash once I eat.”

“I’ll be here to keep an eye on you during the night.” He kissed her again and walked toward the downstairs bathroom. When he returned, he noted that the seat beside Lorissa was empty, and he gladly sat beside her.

No one spoke once their bowls were full until they had eaten at least half of what they had taken. Tom looked between Lorissa and Laurie. “This is delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, and it was nothing to add to what was already in the pot. It was easy, and cooked all day.” She waved it off and grinned. “Mom mixed up the biscuits, I just pulled them from the oven.”

“Thank you anyway. This hit the spot.” They finished eating and once Lorissa was done, she turned to him and gently laid her hand on his.

“What’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing’s wrong.”

“Yes there is, you seem like you’re thinking of something. Please, tell me you’re not feeling guilty about what happened.”

“If it weren’t for me, it never would have happened.”

Duane spoke then, and his tone was sharp. “Did you pour the alcohol down their throats? Did you force them to climb behind the wheel and drive? Did you tell them to run Lor off the road?”

“No, I didn’t do any of that. I was here waiting for her, working on paperwork, then fell asleep on the couch with Rose and Baby cuddled up to me.”

Lorissa turned to look at the animals in question, and wrinkled her nose at them. “Traitors.”

Everyone laughed, easing the mounting tension, then Duane nodded. “Then you have nothing to feel guilty about. You didn’t cause this. Those two women were unhinged to begin with. I’m saying this based on the text messages you showed me from Gallagher, and the background check I did on Warren. I’m not saying they’re better off dead, but I am saying that they played stupid tricks and got stupid results. No one is to blame but them.”

“Thank you,” Tom said quietly, and moved his empty bowl away from him. He looked up when Duane cleared his throat.

“I talked with Sheriff Jim today.”

“And?”

“And I also did some deeper investigating. I had Jake help me.” He shook his head and held up his hand. “Free of charge. It turned out it was worse than we thought.”

“How?” Tom looked at everyone and reached out to take Lorissa’s hand in his. He was looking at her and didn’t see the other adults exchange sweet smiles.

“You asked me to look into Leslie Warren. I told you there were roughly seven warrants out for her arrest, all for identity theft. That was a lie. Once Sparrow took her in and they ran her prints, it turns out that you would have been victim number eighteen. Sparrow said there were eleven, but with the deep dive Jake and I did, we found more.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah, and I dug into Gallagher’s past. You were the fifth person she pulled that stunt on. The one about wanting you to foot the bill for her personal care, and that fancy restaurant. However, you are the first one that told her no.” He shook his head sadly as he settled back in his chair. “This is where it gets confusing. ”

“How?”

“It took some digging, and Jake was the one to find the connection.”

“What connection?”

“Gallagher and Warren were sisters. Or rather, they grew up in the foster care system and had been in the same home for about three years together. They were close to aging out, and when they were on their own, they started the reign of trying to fleece unsuspecting males. We don’t know if this is definitive, but based on the evidence we gathered, they targeted you because you had doctor attached to your name.”

“Thinking I had money. I bet they didn’t see what the title was for.”

“That’s the conclusion we came to. So, Tom, as far as I am concerned, and the Fool’s Gold Police Department, you have nothing to do with what happened to Lorissa, and are not guilty for anything.” Duane refused to look away from him until Tom nodded that he understood. Shortly after that, the meal was cleaned up, dishes done, and the others left, leaving Lorissa and Tom alone.

They got the animals settled for the night, and though it wasn’t quite eight at night, Lorissa looked at him tiredly. “I’m going to head up to bed.”

“I’ll crash here on the couch, but be warned, I’m setting my alarm to wake you every two hours. Just like we did when we fed the babies. ”

“Okay, but if you want, you can join me upstairs.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She turned on her heel, and Tom hurried to where he’d dropped his bag earlier and by the time she was at the top of the stairs, he was already starting up them. An hour later, they were both settled in the bed and he smiled when he felt thumps on the bed. He lifted his head to see that both Rose and Baby had settled in the space below Lorissa’s feet. He fell asleep with a smile on his face, and a beautiful woman wrapped in his arms.