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Because he was pretty sure he would follow her just about anywhere.
Lia knew everyone was right. She couldn’t give up on Doc’s because someone was ticked off at her. She hadn’t given up when her mom had left her alone with a broken leg in the middle of the street and taken off. She’d stuck with things when her older schoolmates were pissed because she had better grades. Nor had she quit when no one would hire a twenty-one-year-old doctor. She’d simply added some more specialities and bided her time.
She could do the same here.
One step at a time. She couldn’t let anyone or anything negative get between her and her goal to provide a great medical center for Phail.
To do that, she had to let the experts solve the crimes and focus her energies on Doc’s. The sun was setting behind the trees and the long summer day was coming to a close. She didn’t want to leave Doc’s or the adjoining saloon. Once they had security cameras installed, it would be different, but for tonight it would be vulnerable and the fire-setter might return.
Unless they made a production of staying. Her bathrooms were ripped apart, but the downstairs bathroom in the saloon was still functional so they could use that one. All they had to do was keep the adjoining doors open.
There weren’t any beds left over from times-gone-by in either part of the building, but there were some chairs. She tugged Joe into a tour of Doc’s main floor. There was no way she could let someone burn this down.
There’d been a ton of progress by the team, but there was enough room for her plan. With a grin, she turned to Joe. “Are you up for an adventure? I’d like to stay here tonight. The cameras won’t be installed until tomorrow and I don’t want the jerk coming back. If we make sure everyone knows we’re here, word will spread and both Doc’s and the saloon should be safe. What do you think?”
Joe’s eyes widened and then he smiled. “You are something else, you know that? That’s a great idea. I’m sure we can borrow some sleeping bags from someone. If we send out a general request, that will spread the word for us.”
It didn’t take long. Troy brought over sleeping bags. Rachel from the yoga studio sent over some mats to cushion the floor. Fiona Phail of Phail Phoods brought over sandwich fixings and snacks. Mrs. Gupta brought over two lamps so they could have romantic lighting.
When they were setting up their sleeping area in the waiting room area, a woman Lia didn’t know walked in with a dog. Well, it was more like the dog walked in with her.
The dog probably weighed over a hundred pounds. It was a deep chocolate brown with eyes so human, Lia wondered if he could talk.
Joe turned to the woman and smiled. “Hey Kimi. Great dog.” He knelt down and the dog bounded over, dragging Kimi in his wake.
Kimi laughed. “He is a great dog. Moose, sit.”
Moose plopped his butt onto the floor and his tail wagged hard as he waited for praise following the instruction. Kimi rubbed him down. “Good boy, Moose. Good job.”
Joe held out his hand for the dog to sniff, but Moose didn’t need that much time. He licked Joe’s hand and then looked at Lia. She walked over and offered her hand as well. Moose’s tongue was bigger than her hand. She rubbed his head. “Aren’t you a beautiful boy? Nice to meet you, Moose.”
Kimi laughed and offered her own hand. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Kimi Twinishe, local veterinarian.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lia Moreno.”
Kimi grinned. “I know. Word travels fast in Phail. Actually, I came to offer Moose’s services for tonight if you’d like. Moose was dropped off in the countryside by some jackass last week. No chip. He’s a happy, social guy, but he looks intimidating. Thought if you were staying here overnight, he might be a help. So far, he follows all commands perfectly.”
Lia knew her mouth dropped open, but she couldn’t quite close it. “You brought us a dog?”
Kimi shrugged. “If you don’t want him to stay, that’s fine. I was just out getting a gauge of how he does in a town setting and thought I’d offer.”
Lia couldn’t speak past the ball of emotion in her throat, so she swallowed hard and tried again. “You brought us a dog. That’s amazing. You’re amazing. This town is amazing.”
Moose thumped his tail and wriggled his butt at her words. Lia leaned over to ruffle his fur. “Yes, Moose. You’re amazing too.”
Kimi laughed. “Okay, good. I thought I was overstepping.”
Lia shook her head. “Not even a little.” When she realized she was speaking for not only herself, but Joe, she turned to him. “What do you think?”
He smiled. “My cousins live in a town called Bloo Moose on the other side of the mountains. I think it’s a sign. What do you think, Moose? You want to hang out here for the night?”
Moose barked and thumped his tail in agreement.
Kimi left them with a ton of dog supplies. Apparently, her truck was a portable pet center. They found out Moose was probably a Pyrenees Pit, a combination pit bull and Great Pyrenees. According to Kimi, the breed was smart and loyal. They made great companion and guard dogs.
Moose had already had his evening meal, but Kimi left them a container of treats in case they needed them to bribe him into doing something. Or not doing something.
Once everyone was gone, they set one lamp on the bench in each of the two waiting rooms. That way, light would be visible from windows on both sides of the building. Hopefully, that alone would deter anyone from approaching.
