Glancing down at her blood-splattered clothes, Ivey wrinkled her nose. She’d need to shower and change before going to Corbin, otherwise she might scare Justin. And thinking of the boy...
“Tash’s little girl has a real gift with animals, too.” Ivey made the decision that she should introduce Justin and Sadie. The two kids had a lot in common.
“You’re all amazing,” the doctor said. “But I hope you start being a little more careful.” She wrapped the wound, gave Ivey instructions for care and told her to return in seven days to have the stitches removed.
On their way out of the hospital, Ivey called Hope to make certain she’d gotten the clinic closed up for the day. Since Hope had handled everything without issue, Ivey put her phone away and glanced at Ember. “You really didn’t have to drive me. I could have managed just fine.”
“Ha!” Ember got into her truck and kicked on the air-conditioning. When Ivey slid into her seat, Ember reached past her for the seat belt and buckled her in.
Giving her a wry look, Ivey muttered, “Thanks, Mom.”
Ignoring that, Ember got them on their way. “You were bleeding a lot, Ivey. And you got bit helping us. Of course I drove you.” She frowned. “Does it hurt?”
At first, Ivey had been too worried about the dog to really feel the bite. Once she’d gotten control of the situation, yes, it had hurt. Luckily, the doctor had numbed her arm before the scrubbing began. “Superficial stuff, that’s all. A few stitches fixed it. Besides, it’s my forearm, not my hand, which means I’d have had no problem driving.”
“Still,” Ember insisted. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you off at Corbin’s house? Mike and Tash could bring your car to you.” She waggled her eyebrows. “I’m betting your new guy would give you all kinds of delicious pampering.”
“Nope, I’m fine.” Ivey held up her arm. “Good as new. Besides, I want to go home to wash up and change clothes. Corbin’s son, Justin, is super into horror flicks and monsters. If he sees me covered in blood, his creative little mind might think the worst.”
“All right. If you need anything, though, please let me know. Autumn and I appreciate you so very much. We trust you, Ivey, not only with the health care of the animals, but with their sometimes wounded personalities. You’re so good to them, and that’s a huge thing to us. So thank you.”
Such a kind compliment coming after a truly tumultuous day caused Ivey to well up. “Enough of that now,” she groused playfully. “You’ll get me bawling, and puffy eyes and a stuffy nose will only make me miserable.”
Ember gave her a grin. “Okay, so here’s a subject change. Tell me more about your hunk.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “I’ve been so curious.”
Oh good. That was a topic guaranteed to brighten her mood.
* * *
It was past suppertime when Ivey finally got to Corbin’s house. All seemed quiet, but as she got out of the car, she heard a very distinct, “Psst.”
Glancing around, she saw no one. With a frown, she started forward again, and...
“Psst.” There it was again!
Hands on her hips, she surveyed the yard and the woods beyond. A chuckle mixed with a giggle brought her gaze to the tree house. Aha! Walking over to the massive tree, she looked up. “I’ve found you.”
A quick shuffling of feet, then a hushing sound, got her grinning. Yes, her arm hurt. Already the bruising had spread up to her elbow and down the back of her hand. Didn’t matter.
Putting her purse strap around her neck and shoulder, she carefully went up the unevenly spaced rungs.
Corbin and Justin had done an awesome job on the tree house. It wasn’t at all professional, not with the different colored boards and a roof that sloped to fit the shape of the tree. Luckily, it had been constructed on a lower, sturdy branch so she didn’t have to go too high.
When she reached the top, she peeked in the open window and found Corbin attempting to quiet Justin’s giggles. Very loudly, she said, “Psst,” and they both jumped.
Justin charged toward her. “You’re home!”
Oh, how wonderful that sounded. “Yes, I am.” Teasing him, she asked, “Did you miss me?”
“Sure.” He stepped back. “Come on in.”
Sitting against the wall, one leg bent and the other stretched out, Corbin smiled at her—until he saw the bandage on her arm. He was on his feet in a nanosecond. “What happened?”
She stepped in around him. “It’s nothing. A small dog bite.”
“That’s what kept you?” He took her wrist and carefully lifted her arm, his brows knitting as he traced a fingertip over the bruises visible around the bandage.
Touched by his concern, she smiled and gently explained, “I bruise easily.”
“Stitches?”
“A few.”
Justin moved closer to see. “A dog really bit you?”
She smoothed away a smudge of dirt on his cheek. “Yes, he really did. He was horribly afraid because someone had been mean to him. He didn’t yet know that I wanted to help, so he reacted out of fear.”
Taking her hand, Justin moved closer. “He’s okay now?”
“Yes. He’s with my friends who run an animal rescue. They’re wonderful people. You’d love them, and you’d probably really love their farm, too. There are so many cute animals.”
“Many that you’ve helped?” Corbin asked.
She hedged her answer by saying, “Autumn and Ember carry the burden of the rescue, so I donate my veterinarian services.”
He brushed a kiss over her lips. “I keep saying it, but Sunset is a wonderful place to be, and you are a wonderful person.”
She was about to explain more when they all heard tires on the drive.
Justin raced to the window and looked out. “It’s a guy.” Turning back, he added, “I think it’s the guy we saw at your office.”
“Geoff?” It was Ivey’s turn to hurry forward to take a peek. Sure enough, Geoff had just stepped out of his car and was headed for the front door. “What in the world?”
“Maybe if we hunker down and stay real quiet, he’ll go away.”
She laughed at Corbin’s hopeful expression. “Don’t be silly.” She called out through the window, “We’re up here, Geoff. Be down in a second.”
With an eye roll, Corbin went to the door. “I’ll go first.”
Nudging Justin, she said, “He means in case one of us falls. Guess he thinks he’s more sure-footed than us.”