“We need to talk.”I winced and was really glad I wasn't facing my mother when she said it.I took a deep breath and slowly turned to face her.“Okay, Mom. I get off of work in about ten minutes.” I checked my watch.She looked around the empty waiting room and shrugged. “I'll just wait here.” She sat down in one of the plastic chairs and crossed her legs.At least Donna could keep her company. They were both members of the Ladies' Bridge Club. That had to count for something, right? I tried not to panic as I finished restocking the rooms and making sure that everything was set for the night.We'd managed to have a small amount of patients today. Apparently, people liked getting healthcare in town rather than driving forty minutes and having to redo paperwork. It wasn't fast enough, though. Dr. Taggert wasn't pleased. He was more than ready to kick Jacob and I to the curb to save his beloved clinic.It made my heart hurt, but I understood it. It was just business.I sighed, trying not
“Hannah!” my dad shouted, followed by a heavy cough.At this point, the fellow restaurant patrons went quiet. It might have been my name or the terror in my dad's voice, but suddenly all eyes were on me and my dad.I hurried over to the bar. Dr. Taggert's skin was clammy and white. His eyes were glazed over and he had his right arm clutched to his chest.“Dr. Taggert? Are you okay?” I asked, putting my hand on his left wrist.He didn't answer me with more than a shake of his head. His pulse under my fingertips was thready and erratic.The first thought through my head: Oh shit.Then, my training took over.“Dad, I need you to call 911. Mr. Abrams, I need you to call Dr. Mathews and tell him that Dr. Taggert is having a heart attack at the diner. He'll get here before the ambulance will.” I looked up long enough to make sure my dad nodded at me. I pointed to one of the younger men. “Help me get him on the floor. If he falls, he'll hurt himself. Everyone else, we need some space and a c
We had ten patients in the clinic the next day, as well as new future appointments to make up lost appointments. Mr. Abrams was coming in. So was the preacher and his wife. The next day we almost had a full schedule. By the end of the week, we were just a few appointments shy of a regular day.Things were slowly getting back to normal.Still, I secretly hoped that Abigail St. James would continue to see the doctor in the next town over, even if I was fired. The further that woman was from me, even in my head, the better. It was petty, but I didn't care.Friday came with the news that Dr. Taggert was on his way home from the hospital. He was still weak and recovering from surgery, but healing faster than expected. He was banned from working at the clinic until he was one-hundred percent, but I had a feeling that he'd somehow sneak in to see patients by the end of next week.As for me, I kept busy. With our schedule back to having patients, I found myself worrying less about losing my j
We took the short walk from the clinic to the center of town. The humidity was high, but the day was cool and slightly cloudy. It was a wonderful day to be outside, and it seemed like everyone was out today. I waved to Karina and Leigh Ann as we walked past them in a shop. I even thought I saw my mom and dad in town.Jacob bounced with energy. I figured the meeting he was dressed for must be important if he was this keyed up. He walked faster than usual and then would slow down as he realized he was dragging me along. But, then he'd just end up walking fast again.“Are you okay?” I asked him after he slowed down for the third time. “You seem a little anxious.”He let out a nervous laugh. “Just hungry, I guess.”“Okay...” I shook my head, but followed him to the town square.In the very center of downtown Riversville is a small park. It has a cute little gazebo and a water feature that looks like a waterfall turning into a small stream. Some bronze statues of children and birds play en
I had dreamed of marrying Jacob Mathews since the first day he said two words to me. I’d always imagined a dress and a church, but to be honest, I didn’t care how I married him. Just that I married him.Today, I stood outside the town courthouse in a long white lace dress.I wore my mother's wedding dress. She'd kept it all these years with the hope that I would one day wear it. It was long and in a bohemian style from the late seventies, but simple enough that it was eternally classic.I loved it. I loved that it was a piece of my parents' marriage and that it would now be a part of mine.Karina brought me flowers from her garden. I had sunflowers and daisies, mixed with beautiful orange lilies. I couldn't have picked out more beautiful flowers from a florist if I had tried.Katie had called and told me she was taking care of the cake. And the food. Mrs. Mathews said the gazebo was ours for the rest of the day. Someone called their band, and another person started bringing chairs.We
We told everyone that Francine came weeks early, after being conceived on our wedding night.It wasn’t that hard. One of the perks of being married to the town doctor is that no one questions him when he says medical things. As far as the town knew, Francine was just an amazingly big preemie. No one asked too many questions, not even the Bridge Club.I worked at the hospital until my belly became too big to hold a chart on it. People looked warmly as me while I was pregnant, making me forget all about the Bridge Club fiasco. I forgave them all, and concentrated on being the best pregnant nurse I could be. I would have worked longer, but Dr. Matthews insisted that I stay home, if only to maintain the illusion. He also did all of the shopping, only letting my own immediate family see me for those last couple weeks of pregnancy.It was actually a really nice break.I cooked and cleaned for him in our new house, sure that I would go back to work as soon as this whole pregnancy thing was o
This is book 2 of the Bad Boys and Babies Series. It is a stand-alone novel with all-new characters, however, the themes are similar! Please enjoy! I don't remember much about the accident. I was only twelve at the time. My mother's boyfriend took me home and tried to kiss me when he found out my mother wasn't there. He was a powerful man, but I didn't understand that at the time. When I pulled away from him, he hit me. He said he owned me and my mother. He tried again and I punched him. I'd never been so scared in my life. I ran from his car and hid at my neighbor's house. When I told my mother, she was furious with him. I'd never seen her so angry. She pulled out our suitcases and began tossing things into them. “Pack a bag. We're going to your aunt's house. Be sure to bring Nan's book,” she'd told me, pointing to the small bookshelf in our living room. The book was an heirloom bible, passed down from generation to generation. It never left the shelf, but it was always in our ho
The FBI would classify my family's business as an organized crime syndicate. Given that I've seen the filing system my uncle prefers to use, I'd hesitate to call us organized.Still, our business is on the shady end. We launder money. We organize online sports betting and gambling. We have escort services that provide services that aren't exactly legal in this state. We have interesting goods come through our warehouses that may or may not be legal.We run it all through our mattress company. It's the perfect cover. Mattress are big and expensive. The profit margin is huge on a mattress and it allows us to have access to the docks and warehouses. It's the perfect money laundering company. No one asks questions about mattresses.As far as most people are concerned, we're mattress moguls. As long as you don't look at the books, that's where my family's money comes from. If you look at the books, mattresses don't make much money.My aunt however is a mobster with morals. We don't deal wi