They stayed there like that for a while, catching their breath, Mason still inside her and his arm wrapped around her. She still had a death grip on it.
“I might need more of your doctoring.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Your fingernails are embedded in my skin.”
“Oh. Sorry.” She laughed and smoothed her hands over his arm. “It’s your fault.”
They disengaged and cleaned up, got dressed and grabbed their long-forgotten beers. Mason leaned against the counter while Valerie sat in the chair and gathered her hair into a ponytail.
“Hope your muscles are a little more relaxed now,” he said, finishing off his beer.
“I probably won’t be able to walk out of here.”
He smiled at that.
“I feel good, Mason. Thank you.”
He didn’t know what to say to that, so instead, said, “What’s good is what you did for the folks in the community today.”
Valerie sighed. “I can’t believe there’s no doctor in town and hasn’t been for years. And from what I understand, these people normally won’t take the trip into Tulsa, which means they’re not being seen on a regular basis. That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Especially our older folks. They need regular care.”
“Yes, they do. Since Doc Parmalee retired, and no one has stepped in to take his place, if someone gets sick, they either have to take the trip into Tulsa, or go without. Most go without.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s too far. People got used to a local doctor. Someone they could see in town. And Doc Parmalee made house calls. Tulsa is a big, foreign city to a lot of people out here. They don’t trust the doctors there.”
“That’s ridiculous. They can get quality care in the city.”
“They want a small town doctor. Hard to get a doctor to set down roots in a place like this.”
“Well I don’t see why not.” She crossed her arms.
Mason gave her a pointed look, and her eyes widened. She shook her head.
“Oh, no. Oh, hell no.”
nine
valerie avoided mason all the next day. whenever he came into a room, she made up a valid excuse to leave. She even went so far as to hide, like she was right now. Mason had come in for supper. She was going to feign being busy with patient . . . stuff, so she hid behind the thick wood column. As soon as he passed, she was going to hightail it into what everyone now called the medical office. They’d moved a sturdy folding bed in there so her patients could lie down, and Valerie had ordered instruments and medical supplies she needed for them. Or the patients. Not her patients. She wasn’t staying. This wasn’t a regular thing. It was temporary. She was temporary.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She nearly jumped out of her boots as Jolene caught her in the hall. She whipped around, pushing Jolene into the office and closing the door.
“Don’t ever do that to me again.”
Jolene held her hands up. “I’m not the one skulking around my own house.”
“I’m not skulking. I’m . . . avoiding.”
Jolene crossed her arms. “I know what you’re doing. You’re avoiding Mason. Why?”
“I just don’t want to talk to him right now.”
“Lovers’ quarrel?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
It was petty and stupid, but ever since Mason had planted the suggestion that she would make a good country doctor, Valerie had done her best to avoid him. First he had to remind her how great the two of them were together. And now this? It was all so . . . comfortable, convenient. It made sense in her head and in her heart. And she wasn’t going to have any of it. She was just addled by great sex and being in the comfort of her own home, around her family. His suggestion was ludicrous, and avoiding him was logical. She would not have him talk her into staying when that wasn’t at all what she wanted.
“Nothing I want you to know about.”
Jolene slid her butt onto a chair. “Come on, Val. Spill it.”
She skirted past Jolene and went to wash instruments. “I’m not going to talk about this with you.”
“I’m not leaving until you do.”
“Fine. Then I’ll leave.” She pulled open the door and nearly shrieked as Lila was there, hand poised as if to knock.
Was everyone out to scare her to death today?
“Sorry, didn’t mean to bother you. You seeing Jolene as a patient?”
Jolene snorted behind her.
“Um, no. We were just talking,” Valerie said.
“Good. Supper’s on the table.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Lila grabbed her by the wrist. “You’ve avoided having meals with your family for too long now. Enough is enough. You will eat with us tonight.”
Valerie knew her stubborn refusal to see Mason was only going to last so long, at least where Lila was concerned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Valerie walked in behind Lila, refusing to even look at Mason. But she knew he was there, sitting at the table. Jolene sauntered in behind her and took one of the two remaining chairs, which left Valerie stuck in the middle between Jolene and Mason since the rest of the seats were occupied.
Jolene leaned toward her, looking entirely too smug.
“Oh, man, I hate to get all childish and little sister on you, Val. But . . . neener neener.”
“Bitch,” she whispered back.
Brea cocked a brow from across the table. “Now isn’t this reminiscent of us as kids. You two bickering at each other.”
Jolene reached for a roll. “And you clear across the table, avoiding.”
Brea lifted her chin, but didn’t offer up a retort.
“Brea, that outfit you’re wearing is spectacular, by the way.”
Valerie felt bad that she hadn’t made enough of a fuss over how awesome her sister looked after Jolene had taken her into the city for a makeover. Her hair was cut shorter, her bangs swept to the side, and gone were the hideous outfits she’d been wearing, replaced instead by jeans and shirts that hugged her curvy figure.
Brea blushed and skirted her glance down the table, then back at Valerie. “Thanks.”
Valerie followed Brea’s gaze. She had stolen a glance at Gage, who cast a very smoldering look in Brea’s direction, which only made Brea’s cheeks pinken further.
Interesting. Very interesting. She’d like to know what that was all about. Maybe she’d ask Brea later.
Right now she intended to concentrate on getting through supper as fast as possible so she could get away from Mason. She stole glances in his direction during the meal, and even though every time she looked, his gaze wasn’t directed at her, she couldn’t help but feel he was watching her. Judging her. Expecting her to . . . what?
“So Valerie,” Brea said. “You’ve been busy.”
“Uh huh.”
“Treating a lot of people from the community,” Lila said, beaming from her spot at the end of the table. “She’s a fine doctor.”
“Thank you.” She scooped up a few peas on her fork and slid them into her mouth.