Page 9 of White Collar Rancher

“I plan to hit him up again when I go there tonight.”

Sympathy welled in Krista’s face. “Still battling the colic?”

She nodded, her carefully pinned bun not moving a hair. This morning she’d been so tired she’d almost just worn a ponytail. But it was hard enough getting taken seriously as the Dr. Patel’s daughter. People in Moore were just getting accustomed to doctors who hadn’t been practicing in town for decades and doctors who weren’t several years older than them.

At least Priya had chosen a good field. Her age wasn’t as much of a concern as long as she had good word of mouth. But the spattering of cancellations since Maisy’s death had stung—and reinforced that little voice at the back of her head that told her she wasn’t enough.

You’re just…you. Not that that’s bad. But I want more. Excitement. In and out of the bedroom.

Her cheeks burned. Emmett’s words were branded into her mind. She didn’t have true OCD, but she liked a clean environment. If she changed sheets, or didn’t want to slam body fluids together over material that couldn’t be tossed in a washing machine, was that so wrong? She didn’t have to stop and warn company, “Watch out for that stain on the couch. I orgasmed all over it.”

She grabbed a cleaning wipe from the container she always kept on her desk. Dabbing at her laptop, she mentally thanked the clinic administrator all over again for pairing her with Krista. Her nurse was a walking no-judgment zone.

Krista checked her watch. “Our one o’clock canceled if you need to grab a little shut-eye. Libby Delano.”

Priya jerked her head up. Libby had canceled? She’d been one of her first appointments. Libby had walked in and announced, “So glad to finally have a girl doctor in town to look under the hood. And one who won’t make weird comments about my child-bearing hips.”

Yes, Dr. Jameson had retired a couple of years ago, leaving the town sorely deficient in female physicians for any appointments related to women’s health. Dr. Bezos was in his late fifties and had been practicing in Moore since he’d gotten out of med school, much like Priya.

But he rubbed Priya the wrong way. A little condescending, a touch dismissive, always a hint of a sneer when she discussed patient issues with him. Her residency had been in a supportive environment, the experienced doctors mentoring the new physicians. In Moore, Priya was starting to feel like she’d settled into a canoe that someone had booted out into the current. That someone was Dr. Bezos.

Krista nudged her with an elbow. “Relax, Doc. She said she wants her family doctor to deliver the baby. Start from the very beginning.”

“Right.” Priya couldn’t bring herself to believe it. Libby was due in less than three months. Priya had been the one to confirm the pregnancy, she’d celebrated the gender reveal, and she’d talked Libby through glucose testing when the first-time mom’s nerves were about to implode. “Any more cancellations?”

“Only, um…”

“It’s okay, Krista. I’m a big girl.” Only she didn’t feel like it today. The first place she wanted to go was to her dad’s office. At home, Mom and Dad didn’t act like they’d heard anything. She didn’t want to bother them. They’d probably tell her all new doctors had unpredictable schedules until they built their client base.

“The C-section scheduled for Monday.”

“Michelle Little Deer?” But Michelle had sat in her office three weeks ago and outlined her exact plans for the surgery. Her husband would sit in. He’d be the first to hold the baby after Priya’s team checked the infant over. Then he and the baby would stay by Michelle’s side until she was stitched up.

Michelle was so earnest and excited that Priya had felt like an honored part of the baby team.

“Yeah,” Krista said gently. “She’s afraid of infection and all that and is going to the city to give birth.”

She was afraid of what had killed Maisy? But each surgery suite was meticulously cleaned, and every person involved in the procedure painstakingly scrubbed in.

Or was Michelle afraid of who was doing the surgery?

“Light afternoon, then?” It’d give Priya a chance to catch up on…feeling sorry for herself. There were always reports to finish—except she was caught up.

Krista only mentioned the cancellations. But her calendar was growing increasingly bare, too. And not just from women having babies. Current patients weren’t booking out annual physicals after they left her office. The chronic cases she was overseeing had left to seek second opinions. Priya advocated and supported second opinions, but in this case, that wasn’t what was happening.

They no longer trusted her.

“Light afternoon. Enjoy it while it lasts.” Krista bobbed away, her ponytail swinging. How long before she found a position with a busier doctor?

How long before Priya lost her job because she wasn’t bringing clients in?

Chapter 5

The oven timer was going off. The dryer was buzzing. And Isaiah was fussing.

At least he wasn’t outright crying.

Eyeballing the swatch of material he was supposed to somehow harness Isaiah in, Justin picked his son up and tucked him into a football hold.

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