Page 40 of The Way Back Home

“You may just send me bankrupt.”

“Oh please,” I say, shooting him a knowing look. “I saw your face when I brought her in. You would have fixed her no matter what it cost you.”

“Yeah. I’m a sucker for damsels in distress.”

I roll my eyes. “And it’s been a while since anyone asked, but I don’t date the men in my program.”

He raises a brow, looking hopeful. “The women, then?”

I chuckle. “No, Doc. I don’t date the women either. I don’t have time for dating.”

“Yeah, me either.” He leans his head back against the wall with an exasperated sigh.

“Weren’t you just running off to a hot date before you almost backed over Betty and me?”

“Betty?”

I shrug and stroke the piglet’s head, gently tracing her spotted black markings. “It seems like a good fit. She’s a total Betty.”

“That she is,” he murmurs, his eyes firmly fixed on me. Somehow, I don’t think we’re talking about my new pet pig anymore. “But I think it was you who ran into me.”

“Oh right, with my pushbike,” I say, matter-of-factly. “I can see how that would do a lot of damage.”

“Tell you what,” Jude says, toying with the stethoscope around his neck. “I won’t charge you for damages if you agree to have a real dinner with me.”

***

BY THE TIME I LEFTthe clinic, it was well after midnight. Jude offered to drive me home, but his sports car lacked any kind of tow bar, and leaving my bike there was out of the question. I’d told him I’d return at the end of the next day with two replacement TV dinners and time to check on my pig. I didn’t want to admit it, but I’d even had a damn bounce in my step.

I park the bike in the shed at Tanglewood and creep up the front porch steps as quietly as I can. August and Bettina are asleep on the couch in the front room, as if they’ve been waiting up for me, and the guilt about eats me alive. I watch them for a beat and cover her small body over with a knitted blanket from the back of the couch. She doesn’t stir, but when I straighten, August’s eyes are on me, and he is not a happy camper.

“Where the hell were you?” he snaps quietly. “We called. We went to the shelter looking for you. I even went to the damn sheriff’s office because I was worried the boys had done something stupid.”

I’m taken aback by the malevolence in his tone. “My phone died, or else I would have called. I’m sorry I worried you, but I found a stray.”

“What?” He shakes his head in disbelief and gets to his feet.

“I found a pig, a piglet really, in a box by the side of the road. Her foot was broken, and she was in pretty bad shape, so I took her to the vet.”

“Course you did.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I whisper-yell, so as not to wake Bettina. “Did you forget what I do? I save animals. Granted, this is my first pig, but was I supposed to just leave her there?”

“Right, you save things. That’s your schtick, isn’t it?” He stalks out of the room and down the hall toward the staircase. I follow on his heels. “Course it don’t hurt that the vet looks like Jude du Pont, now does it? Why, I bet you just had to stay all night and make sure the pig was okay.”

“Actually, I assisted him in surgery, which was hours, and then we monitored her to make sure she was going to pull through, since his nurse is away for the weekend.”

“He’s still using that one, huh?”

“Oh God, August.” I shake my head. “You know, he told me you two had history. I don’t know why you care where I spent my night ... but I’m a grown woman, and you’re not responsible for me.”

August reels back as if I just slapped him. “You’re right. Here I was thinkin’ you were in some kinda trouble. Didn’t realize you were into screwing the town player, but I pegged you as smarter than that. I’m sorry I overestimated you.”

“Hold up a goddamned second, I did not screw Doc—”

“Doc?” He whistles. “You do work fast. You’ve been here for what, five minutes, and already you got cozy enough with the vet to give each other nicknames?”

“You’re jealous? Is that it?” I question. “See, it’s kind of hard to tell, what with how fucking bipolar you are.”

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