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Chapter Twenty-six
Kurt walked into the delicious smells he’d loved all his life. Mac n Cheese with fried chicken had an aroma all its own. It brought a grin to his face and had him salivating like a ten-year-old again.
Closing the door and entering the kitchen, he approached his mother to hug her. “Molly, you’re the best mom in the world.” That was when he saw she wasn’t alone.
Concern flooded. “Hiya, Doc. Either you’re here on a professional visit or you smelled her supper all the way from your place down the road?”
Molly stiffened, and he saw the way the two older folks looked at each other before she spoke. “Ruby was slightly injured earlier when she was driving me home. I thought it best to have Brian here take a look at her.”
Kurt’s smile slid right off his face to be replaced with a no-nonsense stare. “What happened?”
“I’ll let her explain. She’s resting in the guestroom.”
Kurt patted Brian’s shoulder in greeting as he left the kitchen. Once at the door of the guest room, he knocked softly, waited and when there was no reply, he pushed the door open to make enough room for him to enter.
She was sleeping, her gorgeous hair spread around her head like a halo. Someone had left the nightlight on, and the soft glow lit her face just enough that he could see her eyes twitch and knew she was faking.
“Don’t think you’re going to get out of being interrogated, Miss – who can’t seem to stay out of trouble – Allen. I have questions.”
“I’m sleeping.”
“Sleepers don’t talk.”
“Yeah, they do.” Ruby’s eyes stayed closed, but her lips began to twitch. “Surely you’ve heard of people who talk in their sleep.”
“You’re a brat.”
“You’re kind of late coming to that decision.”
Kurt laughed. “A stubborn brat.”
“Right. One who doesn’t want to be grilled. Besides, I don’t have any answers.”
“How about if we just pass the shit and you tell me about your day after we parted.”
“Let it go, you mule-headed bastard.”
“Sticks and stones… What happened?”
Ruby’s sigh meant to intimidate. “Molly and I stopped at the store for some ginger, and I hurt my hip. She made me lie down and called her buddy from down the road to come over and examine me. She’s as mule-headed as her son.”
“You matter to her. She’s like that with the folks she cares about. And she doesn’t have the habit of freaking out over small stuff. So, what aren’t you telling me? Are you okay? And the baby?”
“Didn’t she explain?”
“She’s also close-mouthed about other people’s business. Quit stalling.”
“God, you’re annoying.”
He sat down on the bed beside her, leaned against the pillowed backrest and crossed his arms. “I have all night.”
Gingerly, she sat up next to him and winced when the movement tugged on the bruised area. “I stopped a fight and the woman kicked at me. It was all a big accident.”
“Seriously! You interfered with women involved in a physical battle? People get killed that way.”
“It wasn’t like that. Jolene…”
He interrupted; his tone amazed. “Jolene. You’re on a first-name basis with a would-be killer?”
