Page 25 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls

Her suspicious gaze morphed into surprise. ‘Are you the one filling in for Doc Sheridan?’

People at the tables around us turned and looked in my direction. ‘Yes, I’m Dr Crawford Foster. Everyone calls me Ford.’

She reached out and shook my hand excitedly. ‘It’s good to meet you. Janice has been telling us all about you.’

‘Only good things I hope.’ I said it as a joke but wasn’t sure, considering the clinic’s office manager was still a little irritated with me about not spending enough time with the patients. I was used to a quick pace and it was hard for me to slow down once I got going.

‘Well, of course!’ she gushed. ‘I’m Susan.’ She cocked her head to the woman at the register. ‘That’s my wife, Barb. We own this place.’

‘Good to meet you.’

Piper moved out of the kitchen and started to clear tables. It was impossible not to track her every move. I was the moth. She was the flame.

‘May I?’ Susan pointed to the open chair next to me.

I gave a slight nod as my stomach gurgled. After a five-mile run, my stomach needed food and the donut looked and smelled delicious.

She must have heard the grumble because she said, ‘Please go ahead.’

‘No, it’s all right.’ I paused as her gaze stayed fixed on me. ‘Did you have a question?’

‘Well,’ she hedged. ‘It’s not a question. More of a statement.’

I sat back, not expecting that response. Most of the time when people found out I was a physician, the next thing they wanted to do was ask about their headaches or back pain.

Her mouth thinned into a straight line. ‘I couldn’t help but notice you were looking at our Piper. And, while we hadn’t met yet, we did hear about you and…’ she stuttered. ‘The incident with young Dex at the clinic.’

Wow. Gossip is like a contact sport around here.

‘Piper’s been through a lot. Maybe more than most,’ she went on. ‘It’d be nice for her to have some peace for a while if you get my meaning.’

The people in this town seemed to know a lot, but they were missing out on one important fact: I already knew about her past.

‘Yes, we’ve had some interactions, and I can assure you I’m only being friendly.’

She twisted her hands in front of her. ‘Barb and I have been together a long time. We never had children, but we consider Piper to be one of our own. All I ask is that you tread lightly there. She’s got a tough exterior, but she’s, well…’ She bit the corner of her lip. ‘Still a touch fragile.’

I was quickly learning that while people could be meddlesome in this town, they also cared for one another very much. You only had to watch how kindly people talked to each other in the clinic’s waiting room to see that.

‘You don’t have to worry about a thing, ma’am. I’m only here to fill in for the doc like I promised.’

Piper strode out into the room again and stumbled to a stop when she saw me talking to Susan. She glowered in my direction and I gave a small shrug. I waited, hoping she’d come over to the table, but she turned on her heel and went back to the kitchen.

‘I heard you worked in Africa. That must’ve been interesting.’

‘Yes, I loved it. I’m going back there after Dr Sheridan returns.’

‘That’s good.’ The relief in her voice was clear. Her gaze veered to the growing crowd of customers near the register. ‘I should get back to it. It was nice to meet you.’

‘You too.’

She moved away from the table, and I bit into the donut that melted on my tongue.

Holy shit, that was good.

I started to chew, Susan’s voice filling my head. She was right about Piper. I should stay away from her. But there was something about her presence, an invisible string that drew me to her every single time she was near. I shook my head like I could somehow wipe her from my mind.

Focus, Ford. You’re here to do a job and then leave.