Five minutes before one o’clock, Jesse’s voice echoed through Leigh’s office door. Why did he have to be so punctual? Especially now that the headache that began over lunch had gotten worse. She had closed the blinds and pulled the curtains together in her office to keep the bright sunlight at bay. Even the overhead light hurt her eyes. It was probably just a migraine. Nothing some Excedrin and a little time wouldn’t fix. But what if it wasn’t? She looked at her planner. She had a checkup tomorrow for routine bloodwork. If it was still hurting, she’d ask about it.
Until then, she had to handle her clients, including Jesse Maddox. It would be easier if she could stop thinking about his bare torso, tanned skin glistening with sweat in the morning sun.
“Stop it already,” she whispered to herself and took a long draw of ice water from her tumbler. Someone knocked softly on the door. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Jesse walked in, along with a blast of fluorescent lighting. She squinted.
He shut the door and stood there with his hat in his hands. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She opened her eyes fully to find his staring back, concerned.
“You okay, Doc?”
“Don’t call me… Never mind. Yes, I’m fine. Just a headache. Have a seat.”
He took a seat in the armchair where he’d sat previously, same as before, his face a blank mask, gripping the armrests as though he might go flying out of it at any second. He had a bandage on his thumb this time, though.
She stood from her desk chair, ignoring the amplified pounding in her head, and took the armchair opposite him. “So…how’s the list going?”
“I’ve gotten almost four names crossed off now.”
“That was quick. What do you mean by almost?”
“Well…” He cleared his throat. “Bobby Simpson, the retired preacher, he was speeding this morning. I pulled him over, but when I realized it was him, I apologized and let him off the hook. He was number six on the list.”
“Okay. Good. Did he accept your apology?”
“Yeah, he said not to worry about it. He’s apparently dating Mrs. Jenkins. They were going on a breakfast date.”
“Really?” She laughed softly. How sweet that two older people could still find love. It was a miracle just to live to be that age, much less to fall in love again.
“Yeah, but then he floored it, drove straight through a puddle, and splashed muddy water all over Patty Burton and her dog.”
“Oh…yikes.”
“So that’s what I mean by almost. She happened to be the fourth person on my list. I escorted her back home, apologized for giving her so much grief in high school, and gave her dog a bath. I’ll have to wait until this weekend to buy her a new outfit.”
Leigh gestured to his hand. “What happened to your thumb?”
“Her dog is an ornery little bastard, that’s what.”
Leigh laughed harder then. It didn’t do her head any favors, but she couldn’t remember the last time a client had said something funny. Most were so distraught or depressed that laughter wasn’t anywhere in the equation. The humor must have rubbed off on Jesse. One corner of his mouth curved up in a half smile, revealing a dimple she hadn’t noticed before.
Shifting in her seat, she reapplied her somber counselor’s expression. “And the others you’ve crossed off?”
“Let’s see, Garrett Mann was the first. That went better than I expected. It was kind of hard, though, seeing Morgan again.”
“Morgan?”
“Morgan Baxter. She’s his girlfriend. Runs Two Sisters Cupcakes with her sister, Paige.”
“I see. Tell me how that felt. Why was it hard?”
“Seeing the two of them together and happy, I guess. And her in short shorts. Damn… Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” He pulled at his collar and averted his gaze.
“It’s okay. Everything you say in here is confidential.” A distinct pang of jealousy pinched at Leigh’s conscience, but she immediately squashed it. She had no business being jealous, but then again, no man that she knew of had ever noticed her body, much less worshipped it. What would it be like, she wondered, to be wanted like that?
She grabbed her tumbler and took another drink of ice water. “The important thing is, did he accept your apology?”
“Yeah, I think so. I helped him put up some trim. But then I spilled all of Morgan’s paint, so I gave them a gift card to Home Depot.”
“Good. Now the most important thing—how are you feeling now that you’ve tackled a third of your list?”
He rubbed his chin, mouth twisted to one side as though considering her question. Then he met her gaze and nodded. “Better. I slept four hours straight last night. It’s just that—I don’t know.”
“Just what? There are no right or wrong answers here.”
“It’s been a little more complicated than I thought it would be…” Jesse shrugged as he added, “And maybe a little too easy at the same time.”
“How so?”
“I messed up with the paint and letting the preacher speed off like that, which meant more work than I’d planned, but then again, they forgave me pretty easily. I’m not sure I deserve it.”
The way he shook his head and sighed made him look sweet and vulnerable, a trait she doubted he showed to people very often. It made her want to squeeze his hand or hug him, both of which she couldn’t do. Not that she had never offered small comforting gestures like that to her clients, but with Jesse, she was afraid it wouldn’t be just for his benefit. And that was dangerous. This was a clear case of look, but don’t touch. Jesse Maddox had once had a very mean streak. She had to remember that.
“I saw you with Mrs. Jenkins. You were so very kind to her. What makes you think you don’t deserve forgiveness?” she asked, trying to sound detached, but the tenderness in her voice betrayed her.
He met her gaze and held it there. “I don’t know. I guess I just expected them to hate me more.”
“Time heals all wounds, or so the saying goes.”
She knew that was a careless thing to say when his eyes narrowed a bit.
“You don’t believe that, do you?” he asked.
“Not always. Some wounds never fully heal. But sometimes people can look past them enough to forgive and move on. Try to accept their forgiveness, even if deep down they don’t truly mean it. If you are sincere in apologizing and redeeming yourself, that’s what matters. You can’t control how others feel about you.”
He shrugged. “I guess. It felt pretty good to help them out, at least.”
“Is that why you got into law enforcement? Because you wanted to help?”
Jesse swallowed hard, his jaw tight. “Yeah, and I thought being a cop like my dad would turn things around for me.”
Leigh’s eyes widened for a moment, but she didn’t want to seem excited at Jesse’s first mention of his family. Now she had to get him to keep talking. She crossed her feet at the ankles and relaxed the tense muscles in her shoulders. “Was he a sheriff’s deputy too?”
“No. He was an NYPD officer.”
“Was, as in retired?”
A few seconds of silence passed. She thought she’d lost the momentum when Jesse scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “No, he was dishonorably discharged.”
Questions at this point would have halted their progress. She tried a gentle prompt instead. “It must have been a pretty serious offense for that to happen.”
Jesse shook his head with a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. He was caught stealing valuables from victims of a commuter train crash to fuel his gambling addiction.”
“Then they came here?” Her head pounded harder, reminding her that she needed more Excedrin, but it would have to wait. She was finally getting something out of him.
“Yeah. Mom had family here. My brother Jack was born not long after they moved, and me about a year later.” His voice softened to a regretful tone as he fidgeted with his collar. “I still have my dad's uniform. I wear the shirt sometimes, under this one.”
Leigh focused on her notebook, scribbling information as quickly as possible while hoping he didn’t see the shock she couldn’t hide. Father in NYPD, dishonorable discharge, stole from train crash victims for gambling addiction, moved to KY afterward.
“What’s your relationship with your brother like?” she asked, looking up with as nonchalant an expression as she could manage.
“It’s not like anything. He doesn’t talk to me much anymore.”
“Why?”
Jesse looked at his watch. “I need to go. I have a lot to do.”
Damn it. She’d lost him. Leigh tapped her pen on her knee. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”
“Not really.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you next week?”
“Maybe.”
He stood and headed for the door.
“Jesse?”
“Yeah?”
Smiling, she pointed to the side table. “Your hat.”
“Oh.” He snatched it up and planted it on his head, then opened the door. “Thanks, Doc.”
He walked out without looking back. She didn’t reprimand him for calling her Doc. Why bother? He probably wouldn’t be back. She’d probed too much too soon. But it did sound kind of sweet the way he said it with that country drawl. Why oh why was she thinking such things? She did not need the complication of being attracted to a client, and especially not him.
Dr. Gadbury’s lanky frame shadowed her doorway. He had a thick mat of swept-back graying hair, glasses with large rims, suspenders, and business casual clothes that never quite fit. Always carrying a coffee mug, he reminded her of Lumburg in Office Space. And the way he was frowning at her meant another pointless lecture about how important it was to keep clients talking.
Just a little while longer, and I won’t have to kiss his ass anymore, she repeated to herself while plastering on her best ass-kissing smile.
The digital clock on the car radio read 7:55. Already running behind. Leigh sped up, praying she wouldn’t get behind a tractor or backhoe. The check engine light lit up on the dashboard.
“Oh, come on!” Leigh stomped the gas pedal.
Her stomach rumbled. Fasting for twelve hours really sucked. The water and black tea had done nothing but make her long for a donut or any other sweet and sinful thing. She had five minutes to get to her doctor’s appointment.
The temperature gauge started rising. Steam puffed from under the hood and across her windshield. She floored it, but the car slowed instead of speeding up. She’d have to pull it off the road before it completely refused to budge. The automatic shutoff was a good thing in terms of keeping the engine from frying, but it was very inconvenient to miss a checkup and be stuck on the road in an uninhabited part of the county that reminded her of Deliverance.
Leigh flipped on her hazard lights and pulled off onto the shoulder. She put the car in park, shut off the engine, and dug through her purse until she found her cell phone. The battery symbol, in danger zone red, showed 2 percent. She reached for her charging cable, where it usually resided in the cigarette lighter charger, but it wasn’t there. Then it dawned on her. She’d forgotten to bring her cable back out to the car after her dad had borrowed it last night for his new iPad. All the more reason she needed her own place.
“Bloody hell!” Leigh tended to take on Jo’s native curses when angry. She dialed her not-always-a-good-example mom, hoping there would be just enough charge to ask her for help.
Jo answered. “Hi, Leigh. What’s up?”
“Hey, Mom, I’m—”
Beep, boop. She looked at the screen. Solid black. Leigh groaned and tossed her phone onto the passenger’s seat. She smacked her forehead on the steering wheel repeatedly.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
It was a good two miles from the doctor’s office. On a normal day, she’d walk it, but summer humidity had rolled into Beach Pointe, and already a layer of sweat had formed on the back of her neck now that the AC wasn’t running. Her stomach rumbled again. She’d probably pass out from low blood sugar if she tried to walk it and end up in a muddy ditch covered in cigarette butts and Moon Pie wrappers.
Of course, the car had to break down on the lonely stretch of Highway 80 between her home and downtown. The nearest house, if she remembered correctly, belonged to Mitch Perkins, a loner who owned a rundown farm and carpet-cleaning business. He’d been a client of hers briefly, but the guy was just plain creepy. She’d rather melt in her car than risk running into him.
A siren chirped behind her, followed by the crunching of tires on the gravel-covered shoulder. How lovely. Now she’d been pulled over. Surely the officer wouldn’t think she stole the car with it being parked on the shoulder with the hazard lights blinking.
Someone tapped on the driver’s side window. She lifted her head, keeping her hands in place on the steering wheel, and dared to look at the officer. Jesse Maddox stared back. She rolled down the window, half relieved and half nervous.
He tipped his hat. “Mornin’. Car trouble, Doc?”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to call a tow truck, or do you have someone on the way?”
“That would be great. My phone’s dead. I’m already late for my doctor’s appointment.”
Jesse looked up and down the road then focused on her again. “I can take you there if it’s not out of the county.”
“Um…” She swallowed in vain to relieve her dry mouth and glanced at the clock: 8:03. Any other time, she may have refused, but she needed to keep this appointment. That headache yesterday could have just been a headache or… It was what followed “or” that she worried most about. “Okay. If it’s not too much trouble.”
“That’s my job,” he said, and opened her car door.
Leigh scooped up her purse and tossed her phone into it. Jesse’s hand was there waiting for her when she started to get out. To take it or not to take it—that was the million-dollar question. Would it look impolite or disrespectful if she didn’t? Would it lead him on if she did? Her stupid growling stomach was messing with her reasoning. Screw it. She took his outstretched hand and let him help her out of the car. It was strong and callused, like a farmer’s hand might be. A real man, her granddad used to say, has calluses, not manicures.
Jesse followed her to his police car and opened the back passenger’s door.
“What, am I under arrest?” Leigh snapped. Heat and hunger had sapped the last of her composure.
“No. Sorry, it’s department policy. I can’t let anyone but another officer ride up front. But we can skip the pat down…unless you’d rather not.”
She didn’t know whether to be offended or not until he winked and grinned. “I’d rather skip that part, thank you,” she said, fighting back a smile of her own.
“Suit yourself.” He waited for her to get seated and shut the door. He took a walkie-talkie from his duty belt and spoke into it, though she couldn’t hear what he said. Putting it away, he climbed into the driver’s seat and flipped on his turn signal. “Hope you’re not sick or something,” he said, glancing at her in the rearview mirror before pulling onto the highway.
“No, just a routine checkup.” No sense unloading the details on him. She was supposed to offer comfort and concern to her clients, not the other way around.
He nodded. “I hate going to the doctor.”
She smiled up at his reflection. “Really?”
“I hate needles.” He shuddered.
Surprising, but considering what he’d revealed so far in their sessions, she suspected his rough exterior hid a tender marshmallow interior. The more she was around him, the more she wanted to find it.
“I don’t even feel them anymore.”
“Do you get a lot of shots?”
“Not so much anymore.”
“Got a lot as a kid?”
Her gaze locked on his in the rearview mirror. She averted her eyes, watching blurry fencerows speed by through the car window. The doctor’s office came into view just ahead on the right. “Turn here—at Doctor Kushman’s office.”
“Got it.” Jesse turned right and pulled into the parking lot. He stopped in a space near the door, got out, and came around to Leigh’s side, offering his hand again to help her out. A big brown envelope was tucked under his arm.
She really hoped he didn’t notice her trembling fingers as she grabbed onto his and climbed out. “Thanks for taking me.”
“Sure. I’ll walk you inside.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I know.” He produced the envelope. “I have to serve some papers to one of the nurses.”
“Okay.” She didn’t ask what was in the envelope, though her natural curiosity and the blasted hunger made it difficult.
He followed her the short distance down the sidewalk and opened the glass door to the gentle ding-ding of the welcome bells. The receptionist, Cindy, looked up as she approached. She was a sweet young woman, with fresh round cheeks, permed blonde hair, and sparkling eyes that said she had yet to experience enough heartache to dim them.
“Hi, Leigh. Everything okay? We called but couldn’t reach you. We called your mom, too, and she’s worried.” Cindy glanced timidly at Jesse, who removed his hat and nodded at her.
“I’m fine. My car broke down, and my cell was dead, but Deputy Maddox stopped and was kind enough to bring me here.”
“Oh!” Cindy exclaimed, smiling nervously at him. “That’s really nice of you.”
“It’s just my job.”
A nurse came through the door that led to the exam rooms. She consulted a clipboard. “Leigh Meriwether?”
Leigh flinched. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“The lab is ready for you, and then you’ll go right into room three. Dr. Kushman will see you as soon as he can.”
“I’ll call your mom and let her know you’re here,” Cindy added.
“Thanks.” Leigh squeezed her purse strap, holding it close to her chest, then turned to Jesse. “I, um, r-really appreciate the ride.” Her nerves were getting to her, making her shiver even in the stuffy office. “Th-thank you.”
“No problem. I called for the tow truck to take your car to your dad’s dealership.”
“Thanks.”
He nodded, concerned-filled eyes lingering on hers a moment too long.
She turned around and headed down the hall before things got too awkward. It was really nice of him to escort her here and get her car towed. But, like he said, it was his job. He got paid to help stranded women and old ladies cross the street. But then again, she’d been broken down on the interstate once, and at least three state cops had passed by before her dad arrived to help. Maybe the county sheriff’s department played by nobler rules. Deputy Maddox certainly seemed to. Maybe the bad boy of Beach Pointe had grown up after all.