We had exactly three patients all day. One was an out-of-towner that sprained her ankle, one of the local farmers that didn't care who saw him as long as he got his hand fixed up, and Emily Markins and her baby.

Little baby Dominic was growing in leaps and bounds. He knew how to smile and I loved him immediately. Emily told us that there wasn't anyone else she wanted him to be seen by. She didn't care about the drama.

“There are a lot of people in town that don't care,” she told us after the exam. “The patients will come back. We all know and trust you both. I can't believe people are being this shallow.”

It made me feel a little bit better. I knew we were still the best healthcare providers for fifty miles, but I also knew that this was going to take some time to blow over. I just wished the blowing would go a little bit faster.

Donna left without saying goodbye. We just heard the door chime and then her car drive off. Dr. Matthews and I finished up the last few things and then he locked up. I stepped outside to find my car had been egged.

It stunk. The heat and humidity had baked the eggs into my car. I stared at it for a moment. I'd never had anyone egg my car before. I wanted to cry, but I didn't want whoever did it to see that they got to me.

“Come on over to my place and we'll get that cleaned up,” Jacob said. He wrapped his arm around me and gave me a gentle hug.

“Do you have food?” I asked, hiking my purse up on my shoulder.

He sighed and shook his head. “Nope. Do you?”

“Just cereal and brownies. I didn't do a great job shopping.” Mostly because I got distracted by needing to buy a pregnancy test.

“We can grab some pizza on our way to my house. I'll drive us both,” Jacob replied. He sounded confident. I was nervous. If Donna, who I considered my friend, was willing to trash my muffins, and someone had egged my car, I wasn't sure that going anywhere in public was a good idea.

“Is that a good idea?” I asked him.

He thought for a moment and then frowned at my car. Before saying anything he went to the back tire.

“It's our only idea,” he informed me. “Someone deflated your tires.”

I hurried around to see that my two rear tires were indeed very flat. Not only was my car covered in egg, it wasn't going anywhere. I only had one spare.

“It looks like they just deflated it. The tire doesn't look slashed,” Jacob said, peering around at the black wheels.

“Wow. I'm so glad they had some decency,” I said sarcastically.

Jacob got up and brushed his pants. “Pizza and home. You look tired.”

I nodded. I felt tired.

Luckily, Jacob had brought his truck today. It was better for the long drive to the hospital than the motorcycle. I climbed into the passenger seat and Jacob started the truck. Hot air rushed out as the air conditioning struggled to make up for the heat of the day.

We drove in comfortable silence to the pizza place. It had gone by a million different names throughout the years, but it always remained a pizza place.

Jacob's truck rumbled down the street. It felt like everyone turned and gave us the evil eye as we drove. I shrunk down into the passenger seat and tried not to notice. For the first time since moving here, I missed the anonymity of the big city.

Jacob pulled to a stop in front of the pizza restaurant.

“I'll go in and just get a quick to-go pizza,” he said. “I'll be right back.”

He flashed me a confident smile and headed inside. It felt like forever before he came out empty- handed.

“Pizza's not on the menu,” he said, getting into the driver's seat. “I forgot that Loretta owns this place and is a founding member of the Ladies' Bridge Club.”

“I have cake. And salad. That's healthy, right?” I didn't want to try another restaurant. I just wanted to go home and pretend that this wasn't happening.

I didn't want to believe that my home could be this cruel over something like this. Jacob and I were in love. We deserved some sighs about improper work behavior, maybe a stern lecture, but not this.

That's when Abigail knocked on Jacob's window.

“You two bring a bad name to our town,” she yelled through the glass. “I want you to know I won't be coming to your office. I don't want you rubbing off on my kids.”

She made a rude motion and continued in to the pizza place.

“Well, that's the pot calling the kettle black. Especially since she had her first kid two months after getting married and had to run a DNA test to make sure it was Aiden's,” Jacob said, watching her go inside.

“Really?”

“Yeah. It's in her record. Don't tell anyone. If they only knew the secrets I keep for this town.” He shook his head. “You said something about cake?”

I smiled, feeling a pleasant warmth in my chest. Jacob knew every dirty misdeed in this town. He was the one they all came to when they needed something fixed. Yet, he never said a word about any of it. He had kept my dad's secret. He now trusted me with secrets. He was a good man.

He was my man.

“Yeah, let's go home.”

There was something I needed to tell him.