I went down to my knees as well, and with adrenaline fueling my body, all but yanked Mrs. Pendelton off the tree branch she was using to cling to the side of the mountain and hauled her back up.
She hit the ground with a thump beside me, then I was turning Constance over and cupping her face with my hands. “Are you okay?”
Tears still trickled out of her eyes. “I’m fine.”
I reached for her hand.
She flinched when I touched it.
“I think it might be broken,” she admitted. “Eustace stomped on it.”
I cursed. “I wish I could kick him all over again.”
Peanut landed on top of the both of us, peppering us both with slobbery kisses.
Possum landed on the ground next to Mrs. Pendelton, causing her to cry out in surprise.
I held out my hand, and Possum hopped on like he’d been doing it forever.
I hauled Constance off the ground, handed her the bird, and then reached for my SAT phone.
“Help!” Eustace cried.
I winced. “Too bad he’s not dead. Could’ve saved the taxpayers of Jesper County some money.”
Sadly, SAR was called out.
I had to save the man that had just an hour ago been pointing his gun at my future wife.
The good thing was, his spine was broken.
The bad thing was, he’d live to see another day.
Thankfully in a wheelchair.
Epilogue
You knew how I chewed when you married me, you little shit.
—Odin to Constance
Odin
Four years later
“Odin, look!”
Though I wasn’t “daddy” to Wendy, and never would be, she was still mine.
I looked over to where she was digging for shells in the surf.
We were at Murell’s Inlet in South Carolina, and my girl was living the dream.
It was spring break, and we’d just left Montana hours before a huge snowstorm was set to hit our small little town.
For the first time in years, I was finally able to take a break from work.
I’d found that I loved being the town doctor.
