Page 17 of Fight or Flight

“What do we have here?” Doc asked, looking at Sophie’s trophy.

“Sophie, let me have that.” Katherine yanked Duckie from beneath the dog’s paw and placed the plush animal on the counter behind her. “An old childhood toy of mine,” she explained. “They brought this to me earlier. They must’ve found it on one of their jaunts outside. I cleaned the old thing up a bit, though I have no idea how it wound up outside.” She smiled a truly genuine smile. It felt good to have a conversation with people face-to-face.

“I didn’t see it when I looked earlier. Bet they had it buried out there,” Doc Baker stated.

“Probably,” Katherine said—though wouldn’t it then have been covered in dirt? It didn’t matter, but she still couldn’t help being curious about how her old pal found its way out of the house. Maybe it was a hint in some weird way, telling her she needed to go outside and join the world again.Or someone watching me put it there for me to find. Impossible. Stop it, Katherine!she scolded herself.

She waited for the panic to start, but when she felt nothing, she took it as a sign that perhaps she could overcome all of the irrational things preventing her from living a normal life.

Carson drained the rest of his coffee and said, “I’d best get those horses stabled before they go stir crazy cooped up in the trailer.”

“Yep, let’s get them in their temporary home,” Doc Baker said. “Tyler, you wanna give K Carson’s contact info while I help him with the horses?”

“Sure thing,” Tyler said.

Doc and Carson thanked Katherine again, then left to take care of the horses. Sam and Sophie bolted out the door, following Doc Baker outside.

Katherine’s heart thumped so loud, she was sure it could be heard. It wasn’t out of fear. Could it be even slightly possible that she was excited to be alone with a very handsome man?Maybe?

Tyler removed a pen from his shirt pocket and a business card. He jotted something down on the back of the card, then gave it to her. She accepted the card.

“Just in case there’s a problem with the horses, here is Carson’s info,” Tyler said, then added, “My personal cell number is on the back.”

“Sure.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“Doc told me you stay inside,” Tyler said, his tone completely normal.

It wasn’t Doc’s place to say that, though she knew he wanted her to get help. What better way than to bring a shrink to her house? She wanted to be angry at Doc, yet couldn’t, as she knew how concerned he was for her. She nodded. “I do.” Feeling a dreaded warmth spreading throughout her body, Katherine turned away for a moment. She didn’t want him to see her shame.

“Anytime you want to talk about it, call me. I want to help, but only when you’re ready.”

“I’ll think about it, but I won’t promise anything,” she said, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat. “I don’t like to talk about this.”

“I can tell, but talking is healing.” He smiled at her. She felt butterflies in her stomach and a flutter in her heart. She nodded in agreement, wishing he’d leave. But another part wished she had the courage to take him up on his offer to help her.

“I’ve helped people in your situation before, with a lot of success,” he continued.

That’s encouraging, she thought. “I promise to give your offer serious thought. I know the way I live isn’t normal, but I’m relatively happy.” Even though she’d structured her life around her agoraphobia—a word she normally did her bestnotto think of or verbalize—there would be a time she wouldhaveto leave her house. Unsure of when that would be or what would force her from her safe space, she acknowledged this was a small step toward change.

“When you’re ready,” he said. “I make house calls.”

Oddly enough, she wasn’t experiencing any panicky feelings now. Just thinking about a world beyond her mountain sanctuary could send her into a full-blown panic attack. But there was nothing now. She took a calming breath, releasing it slowly. “Doc Baker told me about your father, too.”

Tyler chuckled. “That old coot was on his Harley on his way to a house call when he . . . bit the dust.”

Katherine watched Tyler’s stark blue eyes shine with humor. “I’m sorry. Doc told me about it, though he didn’t say he was going to make a house call. I hope he’s okay—and his patient, too.”

“Dad will be just fine. He’s a tough old dude, like Doc. His patients are under my friend’s care until he’s back on his feet.”

Out of the blue, Katherine wondered if Tyler was a good kisser.Where did that thought come from?Even though she hadn’t verbalized it, she felt brazen even thinking it, and felt her cheeks start to burn.

“Would you want to have dinner sometime?” Tyler asked.

She stared at him, shocked by his question.

“I’m sorry. Forget I said that. I don’t know what’s come over me. A beautiful woman is rare around here,” he said, looking outside, where they could hear the horses neighing as Doc and Car hustled them to the stables.

“I’d love to,” Katherine said, “if you let me make dinner.”

---