Page 24 of Tumbleweed Temptation
She nodded and walked him past Matt to the front door. “Thank you,” she said again, softly, and when she closed the door behind him, he heard raised voices.
Hell. He hoped he hadn’t gotten her into trouble. How did a sweet girl like Melissa end up with an ass like Matt? And tied to him with four kids.
Man, an hour into San Angelo and back didn't sound fun, but he found a good station on his radio and blasted it on the long drive. At least the days were long enough that it was still daylight when he got to the city, and his GPS helped him find the nearest open pharmacy. He stocked up on hand sanitizer and water with electrolytes, and hit the road back to Broken Wheel.
He groaned in disbelief when he saw the lights flashing behind him, and he glanced down at the speedometer before he pulled over to the side of the road, the lights illuminating the desert around them. He didn't think he’d been going that fast, to be honest.
He rolled down his wind and pulled out his wallet in the same motion.
He jumped a foot, restrained only by his seatbelt, when Javi Saldivar leaned into his car.
“What’s your hurry, Doc?”
“Geez, don't call me that,” Austin countered. “And actually, it’s kind of a medical emergency. The Dunfry family has a stomach virus and I’m picking up some meds for them, and for anyone they might have infected. You want to check the back of the Jeep?”
“You helping out the Dunfry family?” Javi’s eyebrows went up.
Austin recalled that Matt had been pretty tough on the then-overweight Javi, as well. “Melissa’s my receptionist, and I can’t really function without her.”
“Melissa is? Even more surprising.”
“Why’s that?” Melissa had been younger than them in high school and Austin didn't remember her.
“No reason.”
“You going to ticket me, or not? I need to go back to town to get the kids their medicine.”
“Nah, I’m not going to ticket you. I knew who it was when I pulled you over. There aren’t a lot of cars with Baylor license plate holders around.” Javi braced his hands on the window of the car and straightened.
“Isn’t this an abuse of power?”
“Maybe. Report me.”
He patted the top of the Jeep and headed back to his car with its still flashing lights.
Austin shook his head and put the car back in drive, his pulse still pounding.
He didn't see Matt when he went back to the Dunfry house. He texted Melissa when he reached the outskirts of town, and she was waiting for him on the front porch. She had brushed her hair and changed her shirt, but the bags under her eyes in the dim light from the porch light were still pronounced.
“Hope this helps you all get some sleep,” he said, handing over the bags. “I bought extra for the office, in case you hear of any other cases, let them know to come see me.”
“Just what you need your first month. An epidemic.”
“Just what I need my first week without a receptionist.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said automatically, and he held up a hand. “Not your fault. But get well soon, because Sofia is not loving this.”
In fact, Sofia was not loving it so much that when Austin came downstairs the next morning, she wasn't waiting for him outside the office door.
Ginny was.
