“Where are we going?” Deke asked, his muscles tensing.

Lisa turned the Med Mobile toward Rockton. The last place he wanted to visit.

“We’re taking a slight detour. I got a call last night. There’s a sick boy who needs our attention.”

“Won’t this screw up your schedule?”

“A little. I don’t give the communities specific arrival dates—just a span of time. Something always comes up along the way. The night before, Evie sends out a targeted newsletter and calls the next location. Most of the pharmacies will put a sign out by the road that says, ‘Med Mobile Today.’ Everyone understands that if we’re delayed it’s for a good reason.” Lisa glanced his way. “Everything okay?” When he said nothing, her eyes widened. “Visiting Rockton’s not a problem for you, is it?”

How to answer her question? In the past several years, the only time he’d set foot in his hometown was to bail out his kid brother, Dylan, from his latest bad decision. He hadn’t been to his parents’ house since his father’s ultimatum—family or a career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, aka the enemy.

Since before he’d been born, his dad and uncle had hunted and fished federal lands, snubbing their noses at the government’s rules regarding public land use. The people’s land. Their disgust and hatred grew with every citation, every discovered infraction.

As a boy, he hadn’t understood any of their grumblings. All he’d cared about was spending time with his dad. Mitch Conrad taught him and Dylan how to shoot a bow, spear a fish, and build a fire. His dad had dubbed him Davey Crockett when he’d killed his first—and only—bear at nine years old.

Although his chest had expanded to the size of a gorilla’s at his dad’s compliment, he hadn’t enjoyed the kill. The bear’s intelligent brown eyes and the wheez of his last breath still haunted his thoughts.

He had no problem fishing or hunting birds and deer. But bears, bobcats, foxes, and coyotes paced behind an invisible threshold he couldn’t cross.

As he grew older, his dad’s comments became fanatic and made him uncomfortable. He’d started spending more time with his friends and less with his dad. From one year to the next, his dad’s path was no longer his. When he’d announced his intention of accepting a position with the Service, he’d become the enemy in Mitch Conrad’s eye.

“Your family’s still being shitheads?”

“Still.” Deke slumped into his seat.

“Thank goodness your mom hasn’t adopted the all-or-nothing mentality.”

He crossed his arms.

“Her, too?”

“She stopped answering my calls and texts a few weeks ago.”

“Just like that? No more conversation?”

“Cold turkey.”

“I’m sorry, Deke.”

“My holidays are a lot less complicated these days. Sushi and a movie.”

“What’s the likelihood that you’ll see any Conrads while in Rockton?”

He turned toward the passing landscape, cataloging a decade’s worth of changes. Nick’s Pizzeria sat empty, except the weeds overtaking the building. The only gas station in town now housed a mini mart, and the trees outside City Hall appeared taller and thicker.

Would his family come into town this morning? Possibly. Would they stop by the Med Mobile? His family was by no means well off, but his dad had finally pulled his shit together and got himself a stable job as a heavy equipment operator, a position that included health insurance.

“Not likely.”

They rolled into a grocery-pharmacy parking lot and prepared for the boy and whoever else might stop by. He’d done his best not to think about Evie in his arms last night. Had even opted to ride with Lisa again in order to avoid her torturous scent. He’d gone rock hard with her pressed against him. Had he stayed another second, he would’ve given in to his primal need to kiss her, claim her, cherish her.

Grabbing his clipboards and other receptionist items, he fled the Med Mobile before Evie appeared, and began his own preparations.

He still couldn’t believe how much she’d matured and become this career-driven woman. Where had the playful girl who’d flitted from one sparkling object to the next gone? Her wit and compassion had always been present, but the Evie he remembered lived in the moment. No cares or concerns—except for those she loved.

Responsibility.

It was one of God’s greatest gifts and one of his most challenging tests. To be responsible for another’s welfare made a person dig into the very core of their character. Some found a vast wealth from which to draw and others sifted through pennies.

Evie had hit the jackpot.

The RV door opened, and Evie appeared. “We’re all set in here.” She glanced around, noting the lack of patients. “Odd. Even when we arrive unexpectedly, we always have a few people waiting. Did you say something to scare everyone off?”

“My fifty push-ups for admission campaign didn’t go over so well.”

She smiled, though it was not her normal bright Evie smile. “Try backing it down to twenty-five next time.”

“On the way into town, I noticed a sign advertising an arts and crafts fair today. It’s always a big draw.”

“Does it feel good to be home?”

She had no idea about his estrangement from his family, and he had no wish to rehash the topic. “There’s no other feeling quite like it.”

“Are you going to drop by and see your family before we head out?”

“Depends on how hard my supervisor works me today.”

Lisa appeared in the doorway. “Looks like our patient has arrived.”

Evie frowned. “I don’t see anyone.”

“They parked around back. Deke, would you mind checking on them?”

“Sure thing.”

Rounding the corner, he spotted a thirty-something woman helping a young boy out of a shiny new Chevy Malibu. Once on his feet, the boy seemed unable to stand fully erect, favoring his stomach. The boy tried to put on a brave face, but one eye cringed with each step. His mother kept peering around as if searching for someone.

Striding to their side, Deke introduced himself and handed the clipboard to the boy’s mother. “Fill this out, and I’ll get—”

She halted. “No one said anything about paperwork.”

“It’s just a few questions about your son’s health so the ladies can provide the best treatment.”

The woman hugged her son close.

“Is everything all right, ma’am?”

“No one can know we’re here.”

“We don’t discuss our patients—”

“No paper trail. If my husband found out…”

“You can trust us to be discreet. I give you my word.”

A moment later, she nodded. “Can we go inside?”

Deke ushered his charges into the Med Mobile. “I assured—” He glanced at the mother.

“Amy and Noah.”

“I assured Amy and Noah that we would protect their privacy.” He sent both ladies meaningful looks. “No paperwork.”

Evie was the first to pop into action. “Noah, I have a place for you right over here.”

“Amy, do you mind?” Lisa waved toward a sitting area. “I have a few questions before taking a look at Noah.”

Deke cracked open the RV’s door so he could see any newcomers. Then he braced his hip against a counter and observed.

From this vantage point, he could see Evie and Noah and could hear Lisa’s conversation with the mother. The boy’d been experiencing intermittent, sharp cramping pain in his abdomen and running a high temperature. This morning, blood appeared in his stool—the reason for her frantic phone call to Lisa.

Deke’s attention dropped to Noah’s hands. He was worrying something between his fingers, over and over and over. The boy barely spoke and didn’t make eye contact with Evie until she coaxed his chin up.

“What can you tell me about Noah’s father’s medical history?”

“Not much. His father passed away two years ago.” Her voice lowered. “I remarried this past spring.”

“Do you feel safe at home, Amy?” Lisa asked.

“W-what?”

“Safe. Do you feel safe at home? It’s a standard question we ask all our patients.”

“Is she asking Noah that question?”

“Yes.”

“This was a mistake.” She bolted from her seat. “I just wanted to get my boy some help, to make the pain stop. If you go nosing around into things that don’t concern you, you’ll stir up a whole lot of trouble.”

“What sort of trouble?”

“We’ve got to go.”

Lisa stepped in front of her. “No, wait. I’m sorry. I have enough information to examine your son.”

“You’ll take care of him?”

“I’ll do my best to figure out what’s wrong. Have a seat, and I’ll go take a look.”

Hands trembling, Amy sat on the edge of her chair, her hazel eyes following Lisa and Evie’s every move.

He pushed away from the counter, intent on having a few words with Amy. Lisa asked Noah to shift a few inches to his right. When he did, Deke caught a clear view of what he’d been fingering.

A large claw.

A bear claw.