Depending on the Doctor (Nevada Bounty Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

left her plate, and met mine. Hers were wide with shock. “But I’m not ready to leave tomorrow.”
    “Exactly,” Beth said. “If she’s going to go, at the very least she’ll need time to prepare.”
    “She has until tomorrow morning,” I said. The discussion irritated me. What was all the fuss about, anyway? “As Wyatt pointed out, she’s not moving permanently.” I turned my attention to Lydia. “All you’ll need is a suitcase. If you need more once you’ve arrived at Randall’s, you can send for it.”
    “But it’s so soon,” she said.
    “There’s no reason to dawdle. I’d just as soon get this duty dispatched. We can both move on once it’s done.”
    “I suppose you’re right,” Lydia said.
    I stood from the table and straightened my jacket. “Good. I’ll return for you in the morning.”
    I headed for the door, fetching my coat from the hook where Lydia had hung it earlier.
    “Hold up,” Wyatt said. He stood, sending his chair scraping backwards. “I’ll ride back to town with you.”
    I didn’t really want company, especially not the sheriff, but I couldn’t very well tell him he couldn’t ride back to town just now, so I waited.
    Everyone else stood to say their goodbyes. Watching the scene was uncomfortably personal and left me with the sense of being on the outside watching something I had no right to watch.
    Wyatt shook both his brothers’ hands, then hugged Beth and kissed her cheek. He thanked her for supper and she smiled her pleasure at his appreciation. He hugged Daisy, who winked at him, and he grinned—the first time I’d seen anything other than a scowl on his face all evening. He ruffled Shiye’s hair, and nodded at Nellie. When he got to Lydia, he held her shoulders at arm’s length and gave her a serious look.
    “You be careful, Lydia, and come back soon. You’ll be missed.” When he hugged her, she blushed.
    By the time he’d finished his goodbyes I was ready to be on the way. I shrugged into my coat and opened the door, holding it for Wyatt to exit ahead of me.
    I glanced back at Lydia before I left. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning. Be ready.”
    I accompanied the sheriff back to Palmer, and he took his time before beginning conversation. I figured he had some sort of motivation, so I waited for him. I wasn’t really in the mood for conversation anyway, so I welcomed the silence.
    “What does Lydia’s brother really want with her?” Wyatt asked.
    Of all the questions he could have asked, that was the easiest to answer.
    “I have no idea. He asked me to deliver the letter, then escort her back. That’s all I know. And believe me, I’m anxious to get it over and done. I don’t like being indebted.”
    He nodded like he understood having debt hanging over his head.
    “If you were to venture a guess…”
    I looked at him and let my impatience show. “The only way I’ll know is to take her to him. Randall and I aren’t friends, we aren’t colleagues, and he didn’t see fit to share his plans with me. Whatever he wants with her is between the two of them.”
    He seemed to accept my answer, so we rode in blessed silence for a while longer. I burrowed deeper into my coat, shielding myself from the cold. My horse knew the way back to his stable, so I let him find it.
    “You know,” Wyatt broke the quiet again. “Palmer’s looking for a doctor.”
    I hadn’t expected the conversation to go in that direction. “Didn’t Isaac mention a Doctor Brown?”
    Wyatt waved his hand, apparently dismissing Doctor Brown. “He’s old and drinks too much. I wouldn’t trust anyone I wanted to live to his care.”
    “So why tell me?”
    “You’re a doctor.”
    “I was once.”
    “What happened?”
    That was where I suspected he actually meant the conversation to go. For a man who projected a gruff, scowling, hard-nosed image, he excelled at asking questions.
    “It’s a long story.”
    “So you said. Turns out, we’ve got some