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“Probably.” He hadn’t seen her before. He had to say he’d most likely seen everyone who worked in hospital scrubs in this town at least once. There was only the one doctor’s office in town now, after all. “I’m Sheriff Murdoch Lake. What brings you so far south?”
Those were FCGH scrubs. With the little embroidered letters right there. He’d seen them a time or dozen before.
There was no way she worked there and lived here. No one wanted a three-hour one way commute, after all. FCGH didn’t pay that well, that was for sure. Not for that kind of gas money.
“Just remembering, mostly. I’m Bonita Coleson, Sheriff. My family used to be from just north of Garrity.”
There was only one place she could mean. “Coleson Hollow?”
“Do they still call it that?”
Murdoch just nodded. He did his best to study this pretty lady without showing that he was. Just another dark-haired, dark-eyed lady with a way of capturing a man from the get-go. It was probably just him seeing Zoey where he wanted to see her, too. Then again…maybe not. “Sure do. The main house is still standing. And that carriage house on one side. I think it’s a carriage house, anyway. And that old hospital on the other.”
“The carriage house was remodeled when I was a girl. A rehabilitative facility, mostly. Seven rooms on each of the three floors and five exam rooms in the basement. And living quarters for some of the staff. The garage was added when I was a girl, to house ambulances for the hospital. The hospital was on the other end of the original property,” she said quietly. “They were all auctioned off separately twenty years ago.”
She had a few bags of frozen hamburger patties in the small cart. And buns. Salad. Potato chips. A family cookout? The Garrity IGA was an odd spot to buy dinner. Prices were beyond ridiculous. But as the only store in town, it did a lot of business. She could get cheaper in Finley Creek. Even in Value, which was only an hour and fifty minutes up the road or so.
“My grandfather was a medical researcher. As was my father. My great-grandfather—a physician—had the hospital across from our main house built forty years before I was born. It only had thirty rooms and two floors. A small emergency department and a maternity ward. So his patients who couldn’t afford care in Dallas or Finley Creek could get it at a lower cost, locally, too. Probably not the wisest financial decision, but he just wanted to help people.” Her words were soft, like she was speaking to herself. Remembering.
“I didn’t know that. I don’t know much about the Colesons of Coleson Hollow, honestly. I’m a transplant from Barrattville originally.”
She gave a sad laugh. He suspected he’d touched a nerve. “Not many left still do, Sheriff. My family’s legacy lives on in their children and grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a few great-great-grandchildren now. And the lives they saved. My grandfather pioneered a technique that saves critically ill infants’ lives to this day. But he’s mostly just a footnote in a medical textbook occasionally now. My father went deeper than that and found medications that worked, as well. Together, they have saved countless lives. Including both of my daughters who had the same inherited condition. And my youngest sister. She’s twenty-five now.”
That was a bit of an age difference. She was closer to forty-five or fifty, herself.
“Well, is there anything more important, lasting, than that, really? Living on in our families?” He sensed he was making her nervous there. He backed up again. “You work at FCGH? That’s Finley Creek Gen, right?”
More nerves. Nervous little lady. Well, cops tended to do that to people sometimes. He understood.
She nodded. “Yes, why?”
“You just tell that little bitty nerd Dr. Anthony Lake his big brother said hello, when you next see him, ok? And he’s to keep himself out of trouble. That boy always finds so much trouble when I’m not there to ride herd on him. It’s been a few days since I rattled his cage. I’ll let you go. And you have a safe drive back, ok?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Just like his Zoey liked to do. Tilted her head to the side, just like his Zoey. Interesting.
“I’ll do that. You look a great deal like him. The same eyes. But your hair is a bit darker and a lot longer. He’s a good doctor. Patients seem to like him. He has a gentle way about him. And…he’s definitely not little.”
Well, she’d described Anthony right to a T. She probably was who she said she was. Interesting lady. And very Zoey-like in a lot of ways.
Of course, he found that intriguing.
“Yes, I believe he is probably a good doctor. I’m an inch taller, and twenty pounds heavier, so he’s the little one.” He walked with her politely. Something about this woman…struck him somehow. “Plus, he’s younger.”
There was more to her story now. He’d just bet on it.
“Are there a lot of you, Sheriff?”
“Six. Three boys, three girls. Anthony is seventeen minutes younger. I’ve had to take care of him his entire life. He’s just sonicehe gets himself into trouble. Always did, really.” Well, he wasn’t lying about that. Anthony was a big softie. “Then he finally grew into those long arms and legs and all the girls thought he was just so pretty. It totally baffles him to this day and is very entertaining. Big nerd. But I love him.”
“Twins. That’s wonderful. Some of my sisters are twins. One pair of identical, one fraternal. I raised the younger set. I was one of eight, Sheriff. All girls. Two have been lost now. Cherish the moments you have with them. They are just gone too quickly.”
“That’s a lesson I learned long ago myself, and I’ll never forget.”
He stepped back, just as a cocky, buff-colored cat wandered right down the center aisle behind the registers, what looked like a single pack of Twinkies in the doofus’s mouth. Almost like he was looking for Murdoch or something.
“There is a cat in the grocery store. Does that happen often?”
“That cat. Name is Peach the Fuzz. Nothing but trouble. I spend half my time man-hunting that cat. And he’s not even my cat. I’m going to have to write his people yet another ticket, I think. Have a good day, Nurse Bonita. Maybe we’ll see each other again someday and you can tell me about the rest of Coleson history.”
